Air Canada has finally released the full details of the new Aeroplan rewards program that will be launching on November 8. In 2002 Air Canada spun off the Aeroplan as it’s own separate entity. Air Canada eventually bought Aeroplan back at the start of 2019. Air Canada was due to launch the this new version of Aeroplan in Q3, but that was pushed back until November 8 due to COVID-19. Although miles expiration has already been increased from 12 months to 18 months.
Basics
- Aeroplan will charge a $39CAD partner booking fee. This applies regardless of how the partner flight is booked (online or by phone)
- Aeroplan will remove fuel surcharges. Previously these fuel surcharges were charged on Air Canada and some partner flights (e.g Lufthansa). Now no fuel surcharges will be charged.
- Stopovers will be allowed on one way awards for 5,000 miles each.
- Award cancellation and change fees will be changing from a flat fee to a variable fee. Previously you were charged $100CAD to change an award flight and $125CAD to cancel an award flight. This will now change and change fees will vary from $25-$100CAD and cancellation fees will vary from $75-$175CAD (most of the much lower fees are on flexi fares).
- Aeroplan will add the ability to pay with a combination of points & cash. You’ll be able to use cash to reduce the cost of an award flight by up to 40%. VFTW is stating this will be 1.12¢ per mile.
- Family sharing will be added. You’ll be able to pool miles with family members at no cost. You’ll be able to have 8 people per family account. Air Canada isn’t deciding who is/isn’t part of your family but this might be adjusted over time.
- It looks like changes to the Aeroplan credit cards will be focused on the Canadian market. At this stage it doesn’t look like any new cards will be launched in the U.S.
- Number of changes to elite status. Addition of things such as:
Priority Rewards – Elite Status Members can earn Priority Rewards vouchers entitling them to 50% off the price in points (excluding taxes, third-party fees, and where applicable, a partner booking fee) on eligible flight rewards with Air Canada and its airline partners. Members with Aeroplan 35K Status or higher will automatically receive Priority Rewards when the program launches in November.
Status Pass – Eligible Elite Status Members can share their benefits, such as priority boarding and lounge access, with friends and family members, even if they are not travelling together.
Everyday Status Qualification – The Aeroplan points that members earn every day from eligible retail, travel, and Aeroplan credit card partners will help members reach Aeroplan Elite Status.
Award Charts
The full award charts can be found here. Air Canada is breaking down the world into four zones:
- North America
- Atlantic
- Pacific
- South America
The award chart for within North America is as follows (one way):
As you can see prices are fixed for partner flights and are in a range for Air Canada flights. That’s because these are dynamic based on the cash fare.
Overall Thoughts
Things like fuel surcharges going away are great but is somewhat offset by the $39 fixed fee for partner awards. Awards seem to be slightly more expensive than before, but that will somewhat depend on where they fall in the variable ranges. Given current market conditions you’d expect them to fall at the very bottom end of those ranges at launch (especially when loyalty programs normally do this anyway to make program changes seem better than they are), if that’s not the case then it’s a worrying sign.
