Air Canada’s Lisa Pierce: Travel Advisors Central to Recovery and Future Plans

As operations at Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations start to return to normal, Lisa Pierce, Vice President Global Sales for Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations, says the airline is focused on a twofold mission: supporting travel advisors and restoring traveller confidence.

“We’re 100% focused on getting every customer to their destination or getting them back home. That is our number one priority right now,” Pierce told Travel Market Report Wednesday afternoon.

“After that, we’ll be focused on getting people excited about travelling again.”

Pierce emphasized that travel agents remain at the heart of the recovery effort. “They’ve really been on the front lines,” she noted. “They’re helping clients not only navigate complex logistics but also rebuild the confidence needed to travel again.”

“First and foremost, I want to say thank you,” said Pierce. “We know how hard travel advisors are working right now—and we couldn’t do this without them. A significant portion of our sales continue to come through the agency community, particularly from independent travel counsellors and a wide range of agency models.”

Pierce noted that the Sales team’s primary mission is to ensure advisors are equipped with the most accurate, up-to-date resources, tools, and policy updates to support their clients effectively—especially during a time of constantly changing information.

“We’re working around the clock to make sure the travel trade has access to timely information that helps make their jobs easier,” she said. “But it’s not just about pushing information out—it’s also about listening. We’re actively seeking feedback from advisors, because while we’re accustomed to managing change, the scale and pace we’re seeing now is truly unprecedented.”

Pierce says the Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations Sales teams have been operating in full force, with 24/7 communication efforts underway for nearly a week to ensure all policy changes, operational updates, and support tools are being communicated as quickly and clearly as possible. However, Pierce acknowledged that there may still be independent agents or smaller agencies who are not yet connected through Air Canada’s regular communication channels.

“To those advisors who may not subscribe to our weekly trade newsletter Flash or have a direct relationship with our Sales team, we want to make sure you know we have resources readily available—real-time, reliable, and accessible,” she emphasized.

She urged all members of the trade to visit aircanada.com/action, which serves as a hub for the latest updates, including travel policies, customer care initiatives, and operational changes.

“This is about working together—because when our partners are well-informed, we’re all better positioned to support travellers and rebuild stronger than ever.”

Air Canada Vacations’ upcoming September product launches align with what Pierce calls a “well-timed opportunity” to reignite travel demand and the company is taking a proactive role in inspiring Canadians to travel.

“It wasn’t planned this way, but it’s a good time to build back confidence in travelling and start inspiring people again.”

“We always learn. We’re not perfect—nobody is,” she said. “We adapt, and we grow. I think we’ll look back on this time and ask, ‘What could we have done better? What did we learn?’”

That kind of introspection, Pierce adds, can lead to a stronger, more resilient industry.

“Sometimes you have to step back to really see the full picture. And I think we’re going to come out of this stronger.”