All seats will count towards flight rewards as part of a revamped Air Canada loyalty scheme.
The new Aeroplan programme will be available from November 8, claiming to be the first of its kind in Canada purpose-built for families, with points and benefits sharing.
Aeroplan miles will be known as Aeroplan ‘points’ and existing balances of miles will be honoured on a one-to-one basis. Aeroplan credit cards will continue to earn Aeroplan points.
Members will not face additional airline surcharges, including fuel surcharges, on all flight rewards with Air Canada. They will pay only for taxes and third-party fees.
Users will be able to combine points with other family members, so they can redeem travel sooner.
Aeroplan will continue to offer six membership levels – entry-level Aeroplan Debut, along with five elite status levels: Aeroplan 25K, 35K, 50K, 75K, and Super Elite.
Air Canada chief executive Calin Rovinescu said: “The new Aeroplan programme, which has been extremely well thought through, has been eagerly anticipated as a key driver of our ongoing transformation, this is more important than ever as airlines compete to earn and retain customer loyalty in a rapidly changing environment.”
Loyalty and e-commerce vice president Mark Nasr added: “Since we announced our commitment to improve Aeroplan, we’ve been listening to feedback from more than 36,000 consumers; we’ve benchmarked against loyalty and frequent flyer programmes from around the globe, and we’ve completely rebuilt our digital infrastructure.
“The result is a truly responsive and flexible loyalty programme delivering a more rewarding experience so that members can travel more and travel better.”