No Canadian company today holds a higher profile than Air Canada; few CEOs possess the recognition factor of its chief, Robert Milton, but their notoriety is for all the wrong reasons: in less than four years under Milton’s command, Air Canada went from unrivalled industry giant to a wounded behemoth seeking bankruptcy protection. Was it mismanagement, government interference, a radically changed global environment, or just plain bad luck that brought down Canada’s national flag carrier?

To answer this question, Globe and Mail reporter Keith McArthur takes a fascinating—and fascinated—look at the Canadian airline industry, and particularly at the dramatic events that saw Air Canada go from near monopoly to bankruptcy protection in four short years.

“Air Monopoly is essential reading.”—National Post

“Required reading for every aspiring captain of capitalism.”—Montreal Gazette

“A thrilling story of entrepreneur Gerry Schwartz’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to merge Air Canada and Canadian Airlines; a riveting account of what happened with regard to Canadian airspace in the wake of 9/11; the inside dirt on the bitter internal battle at Canada 3000 that led to that airline’s eventual demise; and the nail-biter that was Air Canada’s own march to bankruptcy protection.”—The Globe and Mail

Length: 362 pp
Setting: Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver
Period: 1940s to present



Canadian rights, McClelland & Stewart

For all other rights contact The Cooke Agency.

Keith McArthur is the transportation reporter for the The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business. He was the co-winner of the 2002 Floyd S. Chalmers Award for Excellence in Financial Journalism, and he is a graduate of Queen’s University and the University of Western Ontario. Keith lives in Toronto with his family and Air Monopoly is his first book.