- Deal sees Air Canada become Inaugural Premier Partner
of PWHL and Official Airline to First 6 Teams
- Air Canada also granted
official jersey branding rights for Montreal's PWHL team
- Airline launches ad campaign featuring young PWHL
hopefuls and Canadian hockey legend Mélodie Daoust
MONTREAL, Dec. 28,
2023 /CNW/ - Air Canada today announced a historic
partnership with the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL)
ahead of its inaugural season opener on January 1, 2024. The deal sees Air Canada become
an Inaugural Premier Partner of the PWHL and Official Airline for
the league's first six teams, reflecting its deep passion for
hockey and sharing the best of Canada with the world.
"To partner with the PWHL and be part of this historic moment in
hockey history is incredibly exciting and meaningful to all of us
at Air Canada," said Andy Shibata,
Vice President, Brand at Air Canada. "As Canada's national carrier, and a longstanding
supporter of Canadian sports, this partnership reflects the love we
share with our customers for hockey, as well as our work in
championing gender equality in the aviation industry."
"We're delighted to team up with Canada's national carrier as an Inaugural
Premier Partner and Official Airline to the PWHL," said
Amy Scheer, Senior Vice President of
Business Operations, PWHL. "We feel privileged to fly with Air
Canada, a connection that reflects our shared values and the
enormous potential for the league, its players and our future
stars, as we take the sport to new heights."
The airline is also celebrating this historic partnership with a
new inspirational ad campaign, entitled "We All Fly," featuring a
cadre of young PWHL hopefuls alongside Canadian hockey legend
Mélodie Daoust, which will premiere ahead of each PWHL home
opener.
As part of the PWHL partnership, Air Canada is granted
intellectual property (IP) rights for all six PWHL teams in
Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New
York, Ottawa, and
Toronto, the PWHL itself,
broadcast, in-venue, and in-market assets, as well as official
jersey branding rights for Montreal's PWHL team. Air Canada will also provide travel support for
the league and its players, and will celebrate and promote the PWHL
and its future stars across its marketing and communications
channels.
The PWHL deal also builds on Air Canada's prior partnerships in
professional women's hockey, and in women's sports including with
the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), as well as the
planned Project 8 professional women's soccer league in
Canada. In addition, and
furthering its commitment to supporting the next generation of
women's hockey, Air Canada will host a local girls' junior hockey
team at each historical PWHL home opener in Canada, including Jan.
1 in Toronto, Jan. 2 in Ottawa, and Jan.
13 in Montreal.
Air Canada's passion for sports
and sharing the best of Canada
with the world extends to being official airline to all seven
Canadian NHL teams, the Toronto Raptors and Team Canada. Through
its unique yearly Air Canada Fan Flight program, the airline
also continues to reward deserving fans, bringing them closer to
their favourite teams with unique VIP NHL and NBA experiences. Air
Canada Fan Flight is just one of the ways the airline is
continually giving back to the community and celebrating the
passion of fans across North
America.
Visit aircanada.com and thepwhl.com for more
information.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag
carrier and a founding member of Star
Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation
network. Air Canada provides
scheduled service directly to more than 180 airports in
Canada, the United States and Internationally on six
continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air
Canada's Aeroplan program is
Canada's premier travel loyalty
program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world's
largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an
extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental partners. Its
freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and
connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents
using Air Canada's passenger and freighter aircraft. Air
Canada aims to achieve an
ambitious net zero emissions goal from all global operations by
2050. Air Canada shares are
publicly traded on the TSX in Canada and the OTCQX in the US.
About the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL)
The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), is a
professional ice hockey league in North America comprised of six teams in
Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New
York, Ottawa, and
Toronto, each with rosters
featuring the best women's hockey players in the world. Visit
thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to
the PWHL e-newsletter to receive the latest league updates. Follow
the league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus all
six team accounts @pwhl_boston, @pwhl_minnesota, @pwhl_montreal,
@pwhl_newyork, @pwhl_ottawa, and @pwhl_toronto.
Internet: aircanada.com/media
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SOURCE Air Canada