Air Canada offers Customers a Sneak Peek at Improvements Coming with the New Aeroplan Program

• All members can now bid for cabin upgrades using their Aeroplan Miles
• All members can now buy and gift Aeroplan Miles with ease, at any time
• New buy miles feature highlighted in Travel at Home special introductory promotion
• A portion of all the sales proceeds will support leading mental health and addiction organization

MONTREAL, May 7, 2020 /CNW/ - Air Canada has introduced two new Aeroplan features in advance of the re-launch of its loyalty program later this year. Members can buy or gift miles at any time and can now use Aeroplan Miles to bid on cabin seating upgrades on Air Canada flights. 

"Like all Canadians, we remain deeply concerned about these unprecedented times and the effects on our health and economy. Yet, we continue to plan for a time when we can safely welcome all customers back in the skies.  Today, we are announcing two improvements – as part of our efforts to transform and relaunch Aeroplan later this year," said Mark Nasr, Vice President, Loyalty and eCommerce at Air Canada. "The redesigned Aeroplan will make it easier to travel and offer an improved experience to all members—both frequent and infrequent travelers.  We're confident that everyone will see new features that speak directly to them and better suit their travel needs – once they are ready to travel again."

Since announcing that it would launch a new loyalty program in 2020, Air Canada has connected with over 36,000 consumers to learn what attributes and benefits they want from a travel loyalty program. These new features directly reflect that feedback, allowing members to: 

• Buy or Gift Aeroplan Miles at any time. Members can now purchase miles for themselves or give the gift of miles to other Aeroplan Members, at any time, through aeroplan.com. Previously, members could only purchase miles to top up their Aeroplan account when they were making a flight reward booking (which continues to be available). Members can also continue to transfer their miles to another member.
• Use Aeroplan Miles to submit offers for an AC Bid Upgrade. Members now have the option to use Aeroplan Miles when bidding for an upgrade to a higher cabin. Previously, customers could only bid for a cabin upgrade using a credit card at aircanada.com. This is the first of what will be many new ways for members to access popular extras and premium travel features to make their trip stress-free and more comfortable.

In developing these new options, Air Canada worked with two Canadian firms, both existing business partners: Montreal-based Plusgrade, a leader in ancillary revenue and merchandising solutions for AC Bid Upgrade and Toronto-based Points for the Buy/Gift Miles feature.

"Air Canada is proud to work with two Canadian success stories on these new features.  Working together with these businesses during such challenging times, while utilizing at-home resources, shows just how capable our partners are and helps support local jobs and our economy during this difficult period. With airline and hotel customers in every corner of the globe, they're the undisputed leaders in their respective spaces because they innovate with win-win products benefiting both travelers and loyalty program operators," added Mr. Nasr.

To help members get ready for their future travels while they're at home, starting today at 10:00 am ET, and through May 13^th, Aeroplan members will enjoy significant bonuses for all miles purchased:

• For the first 10 million Aeroplan Miles purchased, eligible Aeroplan Members get a 115% bonus;
• For the next 100 million Aeroplan Miles purchased, eligible Aeroplan Members will get a 90% bonus;
• For all Aeroplan Miles purchased afterwards, through the end of the promotion, eligible Aeroplan Members will get a 65% bonus.

As part of this offer and the Air Canada Travel at Home campaign, Aeroplan and its partner Points, will match a portion of the Aeroplan Miles purchased and donate them towards one of our Aeroplan Member Donation program charities - The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation (CAMH).

Please visit here for more information. 

More customer-friendly changes and program improvements will be announced prior to the unveiling of Air Canada's transformed loyalty program later this year.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2019 served over 51 million customers. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which also named Air Canada the 2019 Best Airline in North America. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook. 

Internet: aircanada.com/media

SOURCE Aeroplan