Trial smoking ban on some eastern domestic flights

Press, 4 November 1986, Page 32

Trial smoking ban on some eastern domestic flights

Air Canada’s colours will be seen for the first time at Christchurch tomorrow when a special charter flight arrives from Papeete.

After a three-month trial period this year, Air Canada has decided to continue offering total non-smoking flights on more than half of its Toronto - Montreal - Ottawa “Rapidair” frequencies.

Air Canada is the first major North American airline to offer total nonsmoking flights.

The decision followed the results of passenger surveys conducted by the airline during the threemonth experiment which show that the over-all response to the non-smok-ing flights was extremely favourable.

The surveys also showed that many passengers were influenced in their decision to chose Air Canada not only because of the convenience and frequency of "Rapidair”

service — but also because of the availability of total non-smoking flights.

Of the airline’s current 72 daily flights between Montreal - Toronto - Ottawa, 39 are non-smok-ing flights, with the remainder offering a mix of smoking and non-smoking seats identified by their flight numbers: all “Rapidair” flights beginning with the number 4 are designated as nonsmoking.

(These “400” series flights are dedicated to the “Rapidair” service and do not continue to other cities.) A through flight from Montreal to Toronto and continuing to Vancouver, for example, will continue to offer both smoking and non-smoking sections.