We’ve all experienced it.  You’ve been away from home for a very long time.  You’re missing mom’s cooking, Tim Horton’s coffee or perhaps you’re wanting only to sit quietly in familiar surroundings.  Just when the longing seems to reach its peak the opportunity to take a trip back to Canada comes along.  The long days before heading to the airport are filled with excitement.  You’ve been telling both your Canadian and non-Canadian friends about the trip and what you plan on doing when you get back.

Finally, the day arrives, and as you walk up to the departure gate the aircraft that will ferry you back home with the huge maple leaf insignia painted on its tail comes into view.  A sense of pride swells up, and as you board the plane you are met with a friendly “Bonjour.  Hello. Welcome aboard Air Canada.”  You suddenly feel as if you are finally on the way home.

Yes, regardless of where you are living now, there is a good chance that at least part of your flight back home will be on an Air Canada airplane.  Canada’s flagship airline flies Canadians home from 112 international destinations.  If you include their code sharing flights, that number reaches as high as 916 destinations in 160 countries.  From almost anywhere in the world you can get home by flying Air Canada.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Yves Dufresne, Air Canada’s Vice President of International and Regulatory Affairs.  Mr. Dufresne is also responsible for sales and operations in international markets outside Canada and the US.

The purpose of the conversation was to find out how Air Canada views the Canadian expat population.  Upon being posed with this question, Mr. Dufresne immediately jumped in with an obvious sincerity undoubtedly honed during his 24-year tenure at Air Canada.  ”Frankly, we love them,” he started. “Even from a purely business perspective, it is extremely important that expats know, understand and take an interest in our product,” he continued.  “Expats work for Canadian companies abroad or for companies that do business with Canada.  Keeping in touch with those companies is extremely important to us.  Scotia Bank, for example, in South America, is large and has a significant number of Canadians working for them.  We want to always be at the top of mind for both the companies and the individual expats out there.”

“Chambers of Commerce, Business Councils and Social Networks are also extremely important to us.” Mr. Dufresne explained that when sales personnel are tapping into a local market, these organizations are their first stop.  Air Canada recognizes, just as many other companies do, that expats are an extremely valuable resource.  They are well educated, linguistically adept, culturally articulate, and are extremely well connected to the local business scene.   “Not only is it extremely important to us to get information about our service to these individuals, we also need their feedback.  We are constantly trying to improve our service and find out what the needs of our passengers are,” said Mr. Dufresne.

So the next time you are ready to come home, either for a break or perhaps as part of your job, Air Canada is likely nearby ready to welcome you aboard, making you feel as though you have already arrived in Canada long before the plane takes off.  This great Canadian organization views expats as an important link to markets in the areas that they operate in and they value the fact that you are part of the global community.

Categories: Expat Life, Expat Stories, Other Articles
Tags: Air Canada