There’s a new man at the helm of Air Canada Rouge.

Duncan Bureau, who has served almost four years as Air Canada’s Vice President, Global Sales, is taking over as president of Rouge, effective now.

“I think it shows we’re going to invest in Rouge,” Bureau said in an exclusive interview with TravelPulse Canada. “The Rouge network continues to expand. We’ll be up to 53 aircraft by this summer.

“There’s still growth opportunity within Rouge and within the collective agreement, and we’re going to take advantage of that,” he said.

Air Canada Rouge didn’t have a president in the last little while. Michael Friisdahl, who was president of the Air Canada leisure group left to go to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Bureau said.

Craig Landry was handling the role for a while but then went to the Air Canada mainline, he said. Al Read was in charge but is now Vice President, Airports.

“That meant we had a spot for Rouge, so they’ve asked to take on the President’s role,” Bureau said in an interview. “John McLeod, who’s currently Vice President of Alliances, will take over as Vice President, Sales and Alliances.”

Bureau said customer experience will be a key issue for him at Rouge.

“We have to tell the story of Rouge and make sure customers’ expectations are met and exceeded,” he said. The comparison between Rouge and Air Canada isn’t fair as Rouge was never meant to replace Air Canada’s level of service.

The rightful comparison is with the likes of WestJet, the new WestJet Swoop, Air Transat and Sunwing, Bureau said. “And we’re certainly competitive with them. We have a great on-board product and it continues to evolve.”

Bureau took over as Vice President, Global Sales for Air Canada in June, 2014.

He also has worked for Malaysia Airlines and was Vice President, Sales and Airline Partnerships, at WestJet from 2002 to 2012.

Bureau, 50, was born in South Africa and went to high school and university in Canada. He attended the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, earning a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance.