Since its revamp in 2020, Air Canada’s Aeroplan program has soared in popularity, becoming a favorite among frequent flyers in Canada and the United States, recognized even as a top global loyalty program. A key reason for Aeroplan’s appeal lies in its extensive network of partners. Beyond the expected reach of the Star Alliance, Air Canada collaborates with a broader range of airlines than virtually any other frequent flyer program. This vast partnership network offers Aeroplan members unparalleled flexibility in earning and redeeming points, coupled with a user-friendly award chart that opens doors to affordable stopovers and diverse travel experiences.
This guide delves into the essential question: Who Is Air Canada Partners With? We provide a detailed overview of Air Canada Aeroplan’s partners, offering valuable insights and tips for maximizing your points through both earning and redemption opportunities.
Air Canada’s Expansive Network of Partner Airlines
Air Canada stands out for having the most comprehensive network of partner airlines in the industry. As a foundational member of the Star Alliance, Aeroplan grants its members access to the entire alliance network, encompassing 26 distinguished airlines. But Air Canada’s partnership strategy extends far beyond Star Alliance, forging collaborations with numerous carriers independently, including prominent names like Emirates and Air Mauritius. This dual approach dramatically expands the destinations and flight options available to Aeroplan members.
Star Alliance Partners of Air Canada: Your Gateway to Global Travel
The Star Alliance forms the bedrock of Air Canada’s airline partnerships. This global alliance brings together 26 of the world’s leading airlines, allowing Aeroplan members to seamlessly earn and redeem points across this vast network. Whether you’re aiming for Europe, Asia, Africa, or anywhere in between, Star Alliance partners provide a robust framework for your travel aspirations. Here is a comprehensive list of Air Canada’s Star Alliance partners:
- Aegean Airlines
- Air China
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- All Nippon Airways (ANA)
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Brussels Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- EGYPTAIR
- Ethiopian Airlines
- EVA Air
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Scandinavian Airlines
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- SWISS
- TAP Air Portugal
- THAI
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
This extensive list means that Aeroplan points can unlock flights with some of the most highly-regarded airlines in the world. For example, you could use Aeroplan points to experience the renowned service of Singapore Airlines, the exceptional business class of ANA, or the extensive European network of Lufthansa and SWISS. The Star Alliance partnership provides Aeroplan members with a truly global reach.
Beyond the Alliance: Air Canada’s Independent Airline Partners
Air Canada’s commitment to offering maximum choice extends beyond the Star Alliance through strategic partnerships with airlines outside of the alliance. These independent partnerships add unique destinations and specialized services to the Aeroplan network, further enhancing its appeal. These partners include:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Creebec
- Air Dolomiti
- Air Mauritius
- Air Serbia
- Azul Brazilian Airlines
- Bamboo Airways
- Calm Air
- Canadian North
- Cathay Pacific
- Central Mountain Air
- Discover Airlines
- Edelweiss Air
- Emirates
- Etihad Airways
- Eurowings
- Flydubai
- GOL
- Gulf Air
- Juneyao Airlines
- Middle East Airlines
- Olympic Air
- Oman Air
- PAL Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- SunExpress
- Virgin Australia
- Vistara
Partnerships with airlines like Emirates and Etihad Airways are particularly noteworthy, granting access to their premium services and extensive networks, especially to destinations in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Similarly, partnerships with regional airlines like Air Creebec and Calm Air expand Aeroplan’s reach within Canada, serving communities often overlooked by major alliances. These diverse partnerships underscore Air Canada’s dedication to providing Aeroplan members with a truly comprehensive travel ecosystem.
Expanding Your Travel Horizons: Other Air Canada Travel Partners
Beyond airlines, Air Canada has strategically partnered with various travel-related businesses to offer Aeroplan members more ways to earn and redeem points. These partnerships encompass hotels, car rentals, and vacation packages, creating a holistic travel rewards experience.
Aeroplan’s hotel partners include major chains such as Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One Rewards, and Wyndham Rewards. The partnership with Marriott Bonvoy, for instance, allows Aeroplan members to earn 2 points for every dollar spent at participating Marriott properties. While direct point earning from hotel stays might not always yield the highest value, these partnerships can be beneficial, especially when combined with promotional offers. Aeroplan also collaborates with hotel booking platforms like Rocket Miles, which frequently provides substantial Aeroplan point bonuses for hotel bookings.
For car rentals, Aeroplan partners with Avis Car Rental, Budget Car Rental, and Payless Car Rental, offering 2 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on rentals. This provides a convenient way to accumulate points on ground transportation as well. Additionally, Air Canada Vacations allows Aeroplan members to both earn and redeem points on vacation packages, cruises, and other travel services, further integrating Aeroplan into the complete travel planning process.
Air Canada Europe award chart
Understanding Aeroplan Award Charts for Partner Flights
A significant advantage of the Aeroplan program is its published award chart. Unlike many programs that have shifted to dynamic pricing, Aeroplan maintains a zone-based award chart, providing transparency and predictability in point redemptions. This award chart is crucial for understanding how many points you’ll need for flights with Air Canada and its partners.
Aeroplan’s award chart divides the world into four zones. The points required for a flight are determined by the total distance of your journey and the origin and destination zones. This mileage-based system is similar to other programs, but Aeroplan distinguishes itself by not segmenting flights separately, simplifying award calculations. The cost within the award chart remains consistent regardless of the specific partner airline you choose, with Emirates being a notable exception that operates under a separate award chart.
You can access the detailed Aeroplan award charts on Air Canada’s website, which provides a comprehensive breakdown of points required for travel between different zones and in various cabin classes. Understanding these charts empowers Aeroplan members to strategically plan their redemptions and maximize the value of their points when flying with partners.
Strategic Aeroplan Partner Redemptions: Sweet Spots to Consider
With such a vast network of partners, Aeroplan offers numerous “sweet spots” for maximizing your point redemptions. These are specific routes or partner airlines where you can achieve exceptional value for your Aeroplan points.
Emirates: Emirates stands out as a premier partner, especially for premium cabin redemptions. Aeroplan offers competitive redemption rates for Emirates flights, often surpassing Emirates’ own Skywards program in value, particularly when considering lower taxes and fees. Emirates’ “fifth-freedom” routes, such as New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP) or Newark (EWR) to Athens (ATH), are particularly attractive, starting at just 45,000 points in business class.
SWISS and Lufthansa Group: As part of the Star Alliance transatlantic joint venture, SWISS and the Lufthansa Group (including Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines) are ideal partners for European travel. Flights from North America to Europe on SWISS can be redeemed for 60,000 Aeroplan points in business class, offering a premium travel experience. For intra-Europe flights, these partners offer economy redemptions starting at 7,500 points and business class at 15,000 points, providing excellent value for exploring the continent.
All Nippon Airways (ANA): ANA is consistently ranked among the world’s best airlines, renowned for its exceptional service and premium cabins like “The Suite” first class and “The Room” business class. Aeroplan redemptions on ANA are incredibly valuable, especially for flights between North America and Asia. Flights from Vancouver or Seattle to Tokyo, for example, can be booked for just 55,000 points in business class or 90,000 points in first class. Adding a stopover in Tokyo for just 5,000 points further enhances the value of these redemptions.
Singapore Airlines: Singapore Airlines, another Star Alliance member, provides outstanding connectivity to Southeast Asia and beyond. Aeroplan points unlock access to Singapore Airlines’ renowned first class for 130,000 points each way for flights from North America to Southeast Asia. Business class redemptions are also excellent value at 87,500 points. Similar to ANA, Aeroplan’s stopover policy allows you to include a stop in Singapore for only 5,000 additional points.
Earning Aeroplan Points Through Partner Activities
Earning Aeroplan points is made easy through Air Canada’s diverse partnership ecosystem. Beyond flying with Air Canada and its partners, numerous avenues exist to accumulate points quickly.
Flying with Partners: While flying directly with Air Canada earns points, flying with partner airlines also contributes to your Aeroplan balance. The number of points earned depends on the distance flown and the fare class booked.
Transfer Partners: Aeroplan boasts 1:1 transfer partnerships with four major transferable points currencies: American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, and Chase Ultimate Rewards. This extensive network of transfer partners is a significant advantage, providing flexibility in accumulating Aeroplan points. Transfers are typically instant, allowing you to quickly secure award bookings. Keep an eye out for occasional transfer bonuses from Amex and Chase, which can further enhance the transfer ratio.
Aeroplan Credit Cards: For those in the US, the Aeroplan co-branded credit card issued by Chase is a powerful tool for earning points. Cardholders often receive automatic Aeroplan 25K status upon approval and benefit from attractive welcome bonuses. The card also offers bonus points on spending categories like groceries, dining, and Air Canada purchases, making it a valuable everyday spending tool for Aeroplan enthusiasts.
Other Earning Avenues: Additional ways to earn Aeroplan points include:
- Aeroplan eStore: Earn points through online shopping with numerous retail partners via the Aeroplan eStore.
- Uber and Starbucks: Link your Aeroplan account with Uber and Starbucks Rewards to earn points on rides and purchases.
- Travel Partners: Earn points with hotel and car rental partners as detailed previously.
- Buying Points: While generally not the most cost-effective method, purchasing Aeroplan points during promotional periods with bonuses can be a viable option to top off your account for a specific redemption.
Aeroplan Status Benefits Across Partner Networks
Achieving Aeroplan elite status enhances your travel experience not only with Air Canada but also across its partner network, particularly within the Star Alliance. Aeroplan offers several status levels, each providing increasing benefits.
Aeroplan 50K status and above unlocks Star Alliance Gold status, a highly valuable perk that extends benefits across all Star Alliance member airlines. Star Alliance Gold benefits include priority check-in, priority baggage handling, priority boarding, and access to Star Alliance lounges worldwide for you and a guest. This significantly improves your travel experience when flying with any Star Alliance partner.
Higher Aeroplan status levels, such as 75K and Super Elite, offer even greater benefits, including increased eUpgrade credits, higher point bonuses, and additional Priority Rewards, further enhancing your ability to travel comfortably and affordably across the extensive partner network.
Conclusion: Unlocking a World of Travel with Air Canada’s Partners
Air Canada Aeroplan stands out as a leading frequent flyer program due to its exceptionally broad and diverse network of partners. From the global reach of the Star Alliance to unique collaborations with independent airlines and travel providers, Aeroplan offers unparalleled opportunities for earning and redeeming points. Understanding who is Air Canada partners with is key to unlocking the full potential of the Aeroplan program.
By leveraging these partnerships strategically, Aeroplan members can access a world of travel possibilities, from luxurious Emirates flights to seamless Star Alliance itineraries and rewarding hotel and car rental bookings. Aeroplan’s transparent award chart, combined with its vast partner network, makes it a powerful tool for savvy travelers looking to maximize their rewards and explore the globe.
