"The crème de la crème": Air Canada honours top travel agencies at Toronto gathering

A prestigious Circle of Excellence (COE) event hosted by Air Canada unfolded Monday (Sept. 22) at downtown Toronto's iconic Fairmont Royal York Hotel, bringing together 47 agencies, from Manitoba, Ontario and Atlantic Canada, that achieved the highest level within the program over the past year.

The Library room provided an elegant backdrop for cocktail reception, networking and photo opportunities against Air Canada's branded displays.

This exclusive gathering, part of a series that included Vancouver in July and Montreal in August, celebrated Air Canada's strongest agency partnerships - those who have delivered exceptional business results while maintaining outstanding customer service and loyalty to the national airline.

Vincent Gauthier-Doré, managing director, Canada and USA Sales, presented aircraft pin-shaped trophies to each agency, accompanied by Ana Paula De Souza, director, sales Canada and global accounts, Jamie Fox, senior manager, global sales, Sandra Perna, manager, agency web rewards programs, Dianne Pedroso, area sales manager, Air Canada Vacations, along with other valuable members of the airline's sales team.

He explained that each trophy symbolizes the lift and momentum these Circle of Excellence partners bring to Air Canada's journey.

With champagne glasses raised, Gauthier-Doré told the group that the evening's recognition goes beyond mere numbers.

"It's about celebrating your dedication, your performance, and the trust you place in us every single day," he said.

According to Gauthier-Doré, while this past year presented various challenges, the agencies have demonstrated strong resilience, creativity and continued loyalty to Air Canada.

"You're not just agency partners. You're a part of the Air Canada family, and your success is our success," he told the assembled platinum-tier agencies.

Program structure and global reach

The Circle of Excellence program has expanded significantly since its inception 25 years ago, now operating internationally across 36 countries with approximately 1,600 participating agencies worldwide.

Described as the architect of the program, Perna revealed that in Canada alone, 450 agencies currently participate across all tiers.

"Every agency is eligible to be part of the Circle of Excellence program. But there's different tiers - bronze, silver, gold and platinum," explained Perna.

To qualify, agencies are evaluated using a detailed scorecard based on four criteria over a 12-month period: total ticket volume, market share, average revenue per ticket, and either Air Canada Vacations packaged passengers or international ticket count.

Perks and strategic tools for success

According to Perna, Circle of Excellence agencies receive substantial year-round benefits based on tier status, including priority travel services, discounts, customized training and dedicated sales support.

Agencies receive monthly performance reports so they "know exactly where they stand throughout every single month, and they know what they need to do to achieve the tier," Perna shared.

All about partnership value

Brian Robertson, president of Direct Travel, emphasized his agency's long-standing relationship with the program. "Our agency has been part of Circle of Excellence for many decades, going back probably three names historically - Direct Travel now, previously Vision Travel, and before that, Rogers Travel."

Robertson noted that Air Canada continually evolves its standards: "Well, they keep changing and uplifting the criteria. So, you have to be a great Air Canada supporter to be consistently awarded or rewarded as a COE member."

Cyrus Rustamji, owner at The Premier Travel Group highlighted operational benefits of the partnership.

"Air Canada is the dominant player in the market, and we are lucky to have many people in their sales office who understand the needs and the tools that the travel trade need," he said, adding that his agency has maintained Circle of Excellence status for at least 15 years.

The relationship extends beyond annual recognition.

"They actually monitor us quite closely. We get a quarterly review with our account manager, and he goes over the performance and where we're strong, where we need to do better," Rustamji explained.

Strategic importance: the crème de la crème

According to Gauthier-Doré, these platinum agencies are critical distribution partners representing all traveller segments, from leisure to corporate clients.

"Travel agencies, overall, worldwide, represent close to 50 per cent of the booking so it is really important relationships for us," he explained.

He emphasized their unique value: "We recognize that travel agencies are adding value in the relationship between us, the airline, and our customers - they are able to provide a service that we're not absolutely able to be expert at doing as an airline."

Referring to the platinum-tier agencies present, he added, "And here you have the crème de la crème. So those agencies that are adding the most value."

Looking ahead: Route expansions, new destinations

Gauthier-Doré highlighted Air Canada's significant expansion into South America this year, with new routes to Rio de Janeiro, Guatemala City, Lima, and Santiago.

"All of these routes will be available as packages through Air Canada Vacations," he noted.

Looking to next summer, Air Canada announced new destinations including Catania in Sicily and Palma de Mallorca. Bangkok service is transitioning from seasonal to year-round operations, making Air Canada "the only North American carrier offering a non-stop between North America and Thailand."

The airline is also relaunching Toronto to Shanghai service.

For U.S. destinations, he acknowledged mixed results: "It's not to last year's level, I would say, depending on the market, maybe more on business markets - but we do see a recovery."

Air Canada Vacations is celebrating its 50th anniversary this fall, having launched its new 2025/2026 collection during the September Dream Makers tour that concluded in Vaughan on September 18. A celebratory event with key partners is planned in Mexico in November.

This year's Circle of Excellence Platinum members are: 

A Nash Travel, ABC Travel, AMEX GBT, Atlas Travel & Holidays, Bond Brand Loyalty, Book and Fly, BST Vacations, CAA Atlantic, CAA Travel Agency, CAA Travel Manitoba, CheapOAir, Clarke-Way Travel, Compass Holidays, Cruising of Unionville, Direct Travel, Ellison Travel & Tours, First In Service Canada, Flight Centre, Globus Family of Brands, Golden Gate Travel, Goway Travel, Hume Travel, KC Tours, Kemp Travel, Mandarin Holidays, Mr. Travel, Nexion Canada, NGH Travel, Nissin Travel, Northstar Travel, Peerless Travel, Plus Travel Group, Safar Travel Agency, Sarracini Travel, The First Travel, The Premiere Travel Group, The Travel Agent Next Door, The Travel Store, Total Advantage Travel, Travel Edge, TTI Travel, Uniglobe Bon Voyage Travel, Voyzant, and YYZ Travel.

Congratulations to all!

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