By Michael Baginski/ With 2025 coming to a close, Air Canada hosted a VIP industry gathering in Toronto late last week to say farewell to a successful year, as well as VP of global sales Lisa Pierce, who is retiring at the end of the month after a 40-year career with the company.
Held at the Toronto Sheraton Centre, dozens of Air Canada trade partners wined and dined courtesy of the airline and partner Visit Hungary, whose head of tourism development for North America George Lendvai invited guests to discover his country next summer on Air Canada’s resuming Toronto-Budapest flights.
Guests were updated on the airline’s operations, future plans, and successes in the past year by Pierce and incoming Head of Sales François Choquette.
Those achievements are at the same time presented by the company in a newly released video entitled “12 Days of Christmas Cheer.”
“As we reflect on the year, we are deeply appreciative of our customers’ loyalty and the dedication of our employees, who represent the very best of Canada around the world,” says Air Canada president and CEO Michael Rousseau in a statement accompanying the video. “We were able to achieve so many meaningful milestones, from further expanding our network to enhancing customer service and strengthening our community ties.
“Our 12 Days of Cheer video highlights some of these accomplishments, and, on behalf of our 40,000 employees worldwide, I wish you the best of the season. We look forward to welcoming our customers onboard this holiday season and throughout 2026.”
Air Canada’s ‘12 Days of Cheer’
12 (+1) new routes to Latin America: Earlier this year Air Canada announced a significant expansion of its schedule to Latin America starting this winter with four new destinations, 13 new routes and 16% more capacity.
11 – 6 years of 5 stars at the APEX Awards: In September, the airline received, for the sixth consecutive year, a Five Star Global Airline Award at the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) 2026 Awards. In addition, its onboard Wi-Fi sponsored by Bell, which is complimentary for Aeroplan Members, was ranked by APEX as the Best Inflight Connectivity. The awards were based on votes from over 1 million customers.
10 million Aeroplan members: Air Canada’s loyalty program hit a historic milestone in 2025 – 10 million members. This year, Aeroplan also expanded its reach through a series of new partnerships designed to make loyalty more rewarding and versatile.
9 hundred pieces of eGSE equipment: The Québec City station became Air Canada’s first with fully electric, main ground support equipment. Since the announcement in April, the airline has achieved 100% electrification of its GSE fleet across all main categories. This completed a transition from fossil fuel-powered equipment to electric alternatives for all baggage and ramp tractors, belt loaders, power stows, container loaders and aircraft tractors at YQB.
8 Dreams Take Flight trips: Air Canada and the Air Canada Foundation celebrated another successful year of Dreams Take Flight journeys to theme parks in Florida and California. This year, more than a thousand children across Canada experienced a day full of rides, magic and laughter through the program.
7 new international destinations announced for 2026: In 2025, the airline launched 12 new international destinations, including to Manila, Philippines and announced seven more for 2026 such as Montréal-Berlin, Montréal-Palma de Mallorca, Montréal-Nantes, and Toronto-Ponta Delgada. These additions strengthen Air Canada’s position as one of North America’s largest transatlantic carriers.
6 (+) choices of premium snacks on-board: Air Canada raised the bar on the Economy travel experience by expanding their complimentary beer, wine, and exclusive Canadian-made snacks to all customers on all flights, including routes to Mexico and the Caribbean.
5 decades of Air Canada Vacations: Tour operator Air Canada Vacations celebrated 50 years of in 2025.
4 awards for company culture: Air Canada was recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2025 for the seventh time in 10 years. Moreover, it was named one of Montreal’s Top Employers for the 12th consecutive year and one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People 2025 for the second consecutive year. Air Canada also was awarded with the Best DE&I Strategy for Mental Health and its employee wellness program, Unlock the Best in You (UBY), was awarded the Best Global Mental Health Programme for the second year in a row from InsideOut Awards.
3 times in the top 3 of Cirium’s On-Time Performance monthly report: In 2025, Air Canada delivered one of its strongest on-time-performances (OTP), ranking in the Top 3 for three months, two of which saw the airline ranked first in North America by the aviation analytics firm Cirium. For 2025, Air Canada has improved its OTP by three-percentage points compared to 2024, reflecting the hard work of employees and investments in technology, scheduling, and operational efficiency.
2 new Air Canada Café openings: One at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, one in YVR.
#1 Best Airline in North America at the Skytrax Awards: Air Canada was named the Best Airline in North America at the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards. Presented at the Paris Air Show, the awards, which are based on customer satisfaction surveys of approximately 22 million global travellers, also recognized the Toronto Air Canada Signature Suite as the World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining for the second straight year, as well as its flight attendants as Best Cabin Crew in Canada and North America. Air Canada also took home additional honours for the Best Low-Cost Airline in Canada for its Rouge subsidiary, Most Family Friendly Airline in North America, Best Premium Economy Class Onboard Catering in North America, Best Business Class Onboard Catering in North America, and Best Business Class Lounge in North America.
See the video HERE.
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