Air Canada's "Wanderluxe" Online Travel Auction Site to Benefit Children's Charities Goes Live Today

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 29, 2016) - Air Canada's "Wanderluxe" online travel auction site is now live at www.wanderluxeauction.com with proceeds going to benefit The Herbie Fund at SickKids and the Air Canada Foundation. From March 29 to April 7, 2016 Canadians can put their vacation dollars to good use by supporting children in need as 20 Air Canada Vacations packages to sun destinations will be on the virtual auction block. As an added bonus, every package will include Air Canada Altitude Elite™ 35K status for the year, giving winning bidders a number of additional benefits any time they travel with Air Canada and Air Canada rouge. Winners will be announced on April 7, 2016 at the first-ever Wanderluxe fundraising gala. All vacation packages will feature return airfare from Toronto.

According to Ben Smith, Air Canada's President, Passenger Airlines, the Wanderluxe online auction will allow bidders to support children through both The Herbie Fund at SickKids and the Air Canada Foundation. "What a way to turn your own vacation plans into a philanthropic effort. The Herbie Fund brings children and their families from around the world for life-saving surgery at SickKids Hospital; this is very much aligned with the mission of the Air Canada Foundation to focus on the health and well-being of children and youth."

"The funds raised through Wanderluxe will help us expand the incredibly important care that children from disadvantaged parts of the world receive through The Herbie Fund at SickKids," said Ted Garrard, President and CEO, SickKids Foundation. "We're proud that our physicians at The Hospital for Sick Children donate their time and expertise to this life-saving work, and are thrilled that the bidders in the Wanderluxe auction will share in this effort."

Added Smith, "It's very simple. Just go online and place a bid for the vacation of your choice. If you win you will know that this year, your vacation dollars will have gone to a great cause - and you still get to enjoy Elite 35K status and a fantastic holiday. It's a win-win. "

Other major Wanderluxe sponsors include The Michael and Karen Vukets Family Foundation, the National Post, Scotiabank and Telus.

About the Air Canada Foundation

The Air Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on the health and well-being of children and youth, was launched in 2012. It offers both financial and in-kind support, through travel assistance, to Canadian registered charities. Core programs include the Hospital Transportation Program which donates Aeroplan Miles to pediatric hospitals across Canada enabling children to access medical care unavailable locally and the Volunteer Involvement Program which recognizes the involvement of employees in their local community by providing airline tickets to the registered charities in support of their fundraising initiatives. The Foundation in collaboration with the airline also engages directly in fundraising activities such as the Every Bit Counts program which encourages customers to donate loose change of all denominations onboard flights or through airport collection containers. The Foundation also offers continued support to major health-related causes that benefit Canadians and is an active participant in international humanitarian relief activity as the need arises. For more information about the Air Canada Foundation, please visit www.aircanada.com/foundation or the 2014 Corporate Sustainability Report, Citizens of the World, online at www.aircanada.com/csr.

About The Herbie Fund at SickKids

An increasing number of sick children from around the world and their families look to the Herbie Fund at SickKids to provide treatment not available in their homeland. Over 765 children from 105 countries have received specialized medical and surgical assistance through the fund. Each year, Herbie Fund makes surgeries possible thanks to the generous support of the community and the dedication of clinicians in a wide range of medical divisions at SickKids. The Hospital for Sick Children is proud to share that all of the physicians donate their time and expertise. This is their gift to the children and helps to ensure we can extend the Herbie Funds support to more children. For more information, please visit www.herbiefund.com.