Canada's Airlines Add Flights, Services

<H1>Canada's Airlines Add Flights, Services</H1><H3>by Debra Sykes</H3>Vancouver - Racing to grab as many business travelers as they possibly can, Canada's two major airlines are improving their western routes with more flights and enhanced services.

Both Air Canada and Canadian Airlines recently expanded their schedules in the country's three major western cities, providing a total of about 60 flights across the Rockies per business day. Both carriers' programs offer special amenities within the airport terminals, including conveniently located, dedicated checkin counters and departure gates, as well as airport business centers.

Air Canada took the lead when its shuttle service, Rapidair, increased Vancouver-Calgary service to about 29 times per business day near the end of last year. The 90-minute flight includes breakfast on morning flights, snacks, British Columbian wines, beers and other local specialties.

"Air Canada and AirBC [a regional subsidiary of Air Canada] are growing in the West because the West is growing," explained Al Thompson, Air Canada's vice president of corporate affairs. "The number of Air Canada and AirBC weekly scheduled services in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will have increased to almost 2,400 by the end of this year, and total capacity will have increased by over 80 percent."

Meanwhile, Canadian Airlines launched its Canadian shuttle service on the heels of Rapidair, with enhanced business-class service on the airline's Boeing 737 aircraft (BTN, Feb. 26), which airline officials say is comparable to first-class service on U.S. carriers.

Gregg Saretsky, Canadian's vice president of passenger marketing, claims the airline commands about 65 percent of total market share on flights between Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. The Canadian shuttle service provides 42 flights a day between Calgary and Edmonton, 31 daily flights (hourly on weekdays) between Calgary and Vancouver and 14 daily flights between Edmonton and Vancouver.