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Flying with care: how Air Canada is building passengers' confidence AIR CANADA In May 2020, Air Canada was eager to build back passengers' confidence and comfort while flying during a pandemic. In every location where it had a presence, including Winnipeg, it introduced the Air Canada CleanCare+ program. It uses industry-leading biosafety measures at every stage of a passenger's journey: everything from contactless check-in, taking the temperature of passengers from a distance and virtual queuing, to TouchFree Bag Check through regularly cleaned kiosks. "Our Air Canada CleanCare+ program encompasses the measures recommended in Transport Canada's Flight Plan. This is an important step to enabling business and the economy to safely restart alongside COVID-19, particularly the airline industry, which is a key economic driver," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive of Air Canada at a press conference in August announcing Transport Canada's long-awaited Flight Plan for Navigating COVID-19. Starting September 3, Air Canada took safety one step further by collaborating with McMaster Health Labs, a non-profit organization that develops COVID-19 research and testing solutions meant to speed up business recovery. For more than a month, it was asking consenting international travellers coming into Toronto Pearson International Airport to provide swab samples for the study before leaving the airport. Additional samples were collected seven and 14 days after arrival in Canada. The information collected remained confidential and aggregated for the study. "Air Canada has advocated for the adoption of rational, science-based measures in Canada relating to COVID-19, to allow for the prudent easing of travel restrictions and the mandatory 14-day quarantine, thereby striking a better balance for travellers and for the Canadian economy without adversely impacting public health. We are pleased to co-sponsor this extremely important study, which we believe should provide alternatives to the current blanket restrictions and quarantine," said Dr. Jim Chung, Chief Medical Officer at Air Canada. Courtesy of Air Canada 30 TH E WINNIPEG INVE STOR