1st October, 2008

CANADIAN AFFAIR ADDS EXTRA 25,000 SEATS TO SCOTLAND FOR SUMMER 2009

- Strong performance in 2008 leads largest Canadian tour operator to increase services to Glasgow & Edinburgh-

Canadian Affair is increasing its commitment to customers travelling to Scotland with the addition of an extra 25,000 seats to its Summer 2009 schedule of flights.

Scotland’s largest tour operator to Canada will increase seat capacity on flights from Toronto to Glasgow by almost 50 per cent and the frequency of services by over 60 per cent from six to 10 direct non-stop flights every week, with double-daily flights every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Canadian Affair will also maintain its weekly non-stop service from Toronto to Edinburgh.

Canada’s West Coast travellers planning to visit Scotland will also have more choice. Canadian Affair will offer separate non-stop services from both Calgary and Vancouver to Glasgow in summer 2009, having offered a combined service for a 13 week period in summer 2008. For summer 2009, the Vancouver service will operate throughout the full 26 week summer season from May to October, and the Calgary service will operate for 17 weeks (June – September).

In total, Canadian Affair will offer over 60,000 seats from Canada to Scotland in Summer 2009, with fares starting from just £129 per person one-way (including taxes and charges).

This substantial increase in capacity follows a record summer 2008 season which has seen the operator carrying more passengers than ever before.

Kathryn Munro, Communication and Marketing Director of Canadian Affair, says: “We are delighted to be introducing more choice for Scottish and Canadian travellers next summer to both points in the east and west of Canada."

“Record numbers of passengers travelled with Canadian Affair this summer, as we registered extraordinarily high loads and healthy yields. Now we are responding to further customer demand with more choice in our 2009 summer programme.”

She continued: “Over the last 15 years Canadian Affair has become the leading operator from Canada to Scotland. We have a Scottish call centre with a dedicated Director, and we have a Glasgow-based Thomas Cook Airlines aircraft with Scottish crew offering Scottish passengers an unbeatable customer service from start to finish."

“All our flights and holidays are protected by Canadian Affair’s substantial ATOL bond with the UK Civil Aviation Authority. This ensures that every penny paid by our passengers - no matter by what form of payment they choose, or by which method they book – is fully protected.”

Flights from Canada to Scotland are operated by Air Transat and Thomas Cook Airlines, offering generous legroom on all flights and real value for money. The Boeing 757 aircraft has a seat pitch of 35 inches, the most generous economy class legroom available on the Atlantic, and the wide-body Airbus A330 and A310 aircraft have an Economy Class seat pitch of 32-33 inches, and a choice of cabin options. Complimentary meals are offered on all flights, and child discounts are available.

Canadian Affair has operated services from Canada to Scotland since its inception, and has won a wide range of awards for its expertise in offering flights and tailor-made holidays to Scotland. In 2006, Canadian Affair became part of Transat AT, the world’s fifth largest travel company.

Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: "We are delighted that Canadian Affair is to increase services between Glasgow and Canada's main cities. This significant increase in capacity is good news for Scottish holidaymakers, and for Scotland's own tourist industry. Canada is an important tourism market for Scotland, and this expansion provides a fantastic opportunity to promote Scotland in Canada, particularly as the Homecoming Scotland celebrations approach."

Scott Taylor, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau added: “Canadian Affair’s growing commitment to Glasgow comes at a time when we are exploring new ways to target this resilient market – Glasgow’s seventh largest for overseas visitors. We look forward to continuing our work with them and other tourism partners to ensure these expanded services to Scotland get off to a flying start.”

Canadian Affair has a team of expert sales agents that tailor-make every holiday with their wide range of holiday products.

For information and reservations, visit www.canadianaffair.ca or call +44 (0)207 616 9999 or +44(0)141 248 6777.