National Network for Equitable Library Service

Begun as a social experiment in 1937, Air Canada has evolved into one of the world’s greatest airlines. Air Canada: The History explores a modern miracle that has made commercial air travel in our country an everyday occurrence. The airline was born in 1937 as "Trans Canada Airlines," a ward of the Canadian National Railway. Renamed "Air Canada" in 1964 to reflect its status as a jet-age airline, it survived devastating air crashes, financial deficits, self-serving politicians, strikes, privatization, and the Airbus scandal. It was reviled in the nineties by the likes of Peter Newman, who joked, "If God had meant Man to fly, he wouldn’t have invented Air Canada." Today it is a much loved national icon. Fortunate at times to be run by great CEOs like Gordon McGregor and Claude Taylor, Air Canada has fought off a hostile takeover, merged with its arch-rival Canadian Airlines, and touched countless lives during its 75-year history. This is its story.