Overview of Air Canada
Air Canada is the largest airline in Canada.
Air Canada has a large business connecting US travelers to Europe and Asia
Member of Star Alliance
Hubs
Montréal–Trudeau (YUL)
Toronto–Pearson (YYZ)
Vancouver (YVR)
Focus cities
Calgary (YYC)
Halifax (YHZ)
Ottawa (YOW)
Route map
Subsidiaries
Air Canada owns the budget carrier Rouge.
Air Canada contracts with many regional (small plane) carriers that operate as “Air Canada Express.” These flights are generally indistinguishable from normal Air Canada flights.
Partners
Air Canada elite status guide
Tiers
Air Canada gives elite status based on how many miles you fly times a multiple based on the type of ticket you have (SQM) and how many flights you fly on Air Canada planes (SQS). You get the same number of redeemable miles and SQMs.
Qualification
Perks
Upgrades
You will earn “eUpgrade credits” with your status that you can apply for upgrades.
Upgrade cost varies with distance of the flight and what fare class you booked (how much you spent). You can see what the upgrade cost is at the time of booking.
Air Canada Aeroplan redemptions
Aeroplan is one our most redeemed point currencies. The miles are easy to accumulate, Air Canada doesn’t charge “fuel surcharges” on award tickets, and an incredibly large number of partners.
How to earn a lot of Aeroplan Points
You can transfer points to Aeroplan from Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards Capital One Rewards Bilt Rewards, (all 1:1) and Marriott (3 Bonvoy → 1 Aeroplan).
Amex and Chase are the easiest to accumulate a lot of points quickly.
You can also consider Aeroplan credit cards for quick bonuses and ongoing perks that can resemble elite status.
Aeroplan brand credit cards
Chase Aeroplan Card
- 60k mile sign-up bonus after $4k of purchases in the first three months. 40k more points possible with $20k in first 12 months.
- 3x on dining and Air Canada
- There is a $95 annual fee but you may consider keeping it open since it comes with Aeroplan 25K Status
- Spend $15k / year on the card to renew your status
- Other benefits
- First checked bag free
Cards that transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan
Current as of 23.03.27
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