In India, not many people talk about Air Canada’s frequent flyer program. That is because Air Canada hasn’t allowed online search and booking of awards to and from India for almost a year. Even call time was higher. However, it is among the best frequent flyer programs for many reasons. It has one of the best award availability, low fuel surcharges and many airline partners, the largest in the world you can book. So, here is what you need to know about Aeroplan Airline Partners.
Which are Aeroplan Airline Partners?
Air Canada Aeroplan has a total of 52 Airline Partners. You can earn & redeem Aeroplan points on 48 Airline partners, whereas you can only earn Aeroplan points on four airlines.
Aeroplan Star Alliance Airline Partners
Air Canada is part of Star Alliance. Star Alliance have a total of 26 members, including Air Canada. So, by being a member of Star Alliance, Air Canada has 25 airline partners.
| Airline | Country |
| Aegean Airlines | Greece |
| Air China | China |
| Air India | India |
| Air New Zealand | New Zeland |
| All Nippon Airlines [ANA] | Japan |
| Asiana Airlines | South Korea |
| Austrian Airlines | Austria |
| Avianca | Colombia |
| Brussels Airlines | Brussel |
| Copa Airlines | Panama |
| Croatia Airlines | Croatia |
| EGYPTAIR | Egypt |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Ethiopia |
| EVA Air | Taiwan |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Poland |
| Lufthansa | Europe |
| Scandinavian Airlines | Denmark, Norway, and Sweden |
| Shenzhen Airlines | China |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
| South African Airways | South Africa |
| SWISS | Switzerland |
| TAP Air Portugal | Portugal |
| THAI Airways | Thailand |
| Turkish Airlines | Turkey |
| United Airlines | United State of America |
Non-Star Alliance Airline Partners
Aeroplan has 27 Non-Star Alliance partners. That is a huge number of non-alliance partners for any airline.
| Airline | Country | Bookable With Points |
| Aer Lingus | Ireland | No |
| Air Creebec | Canada | No |
| Air Dolomiti | Italy | Yes |
| Air Mauritius | Mauritius | Yes |
| Air Serbia | Serbia | Yes |
| Azul Brazilian Airlines | Brazil | Yes |
| Bamboo Airways | Vietnam | Yes |
| Calm Air | Canada | Yes |
| Canadian North | Canada | Yes |
| Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong | Yes [Specific Route] |
| Central Mountain Air | Canada | No |
| Discover Airlines | Germnay | Yes |
| Emirates | UAE | Yes |
| Etihad Airways | UAE | Yes |
| Eurowings | Germany | Yes |
| Flydubai | UAE | Yes |
| GOL | Brazil | Yes |
| Gulf Air | Bahrain | Yes |
| Juneyao Airlines | China | Yes |
| Middle East Airlines | Lebanon | No |
| Olympic Air | Greece | Yes |
| Oman Air | Oman | Yes |
| PAL Airlines | Canada | Yes |
| SriLankan Airlines | Sri Lanka | No |
| SunExpress | Turkey | Yes |
| Virgin Australia | Australia | Yes |
| Vistara | India | Yes |
Air Canada Aeroplan Award Chart
Air Canada Aeroplan has a mixed award chart where the number of Aeroplan points depends on the air miles distance and the travel zones you travel to and from. However, the number of points would be fixed based on this combination except for Air Canada, Emirates & Fly Dubai flights.
For Emirates & Fly Dubai, there is a minimum & maximum range that can be charged based on the number of air miles travelled. Air Canada has a minimum and maximum range of Aeroplan points that can be charged; however, it will also depend on air miles and the travel zones you travel to and from.
Travel Zones
To redeem Aeroplan points for the best value, knowing travel zones will help. For example, India is in the Atlantic Zone, and so is all of Europe and Africa. So, you are most likely to spend less number of miles if you fly in the same travel zone. The miles requirement will increase when you enter the other travel zone.
Here is the table showing the minimum number of Aeroplan Points you need to within a travel zone or travelling between different travel zones.
| Travel Zone | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within North America | 6,000 | 10,000 | 12,500 | Travel on Emirates, Fly Dubai [Distance Based] |
| North America to Atlantic | 35,000 | 40,000 | 55,000 | 70,000 |
| North America to Pacific | 35,000 | 45,000 | 50,000 | 65,000 |
| North America to South America | 20,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 | N/A |
| Within Atlantic Zone | 7,500 | 12,500 | 25,000 | 35,500 |
| Within Pacific Zone | 8,000 | 12,500 | 25,000 | 37,500 |
| Atlantic to Pacific | 25,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 |
| Within South America | 10,000 | N/A | 20,000 | 30,000 |
| Atlantic to South America | 45000 | N/A | 60,000 | 80,000 |
| Pacific to South America | 60000 | N/A | 80,000 | 90,000 |
| Travel on Emirates,Fly Dubai [Distance Based] | 15000 – 85000 | 21,000 – 60,000 | 40,000 – 60,000 | 60,000 – 85,000 |
Unique Airline Partners
Air Canada Aeroplan has some unique airline partners. I find these unique airline partners to be rare and have good availability.
These are some Unique Airline Partners:
- Air Mauritius
- Air Serbia
- Bamboo Airways
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Fly Dubai
- Gulf Air
- Oman Air
- Virgin Australia
- Vistara
Some of these unique airlines also partner with other airlines. For Example, Air Mauritius is also a partner of Air France, but you will have fewer miles with Aeroplan than with Air France. Of late, Air India & Vistara Availability is also an issue on United but not on Aeroplan.
Aeroplan provides some great opportunities to explore the world with these airline partners. Let’s get into some of these airlines and the number of Aeroplan points you need.
Points Predictor Tool
Air Canada has a points predictor tool to check the number of points you need for travelling.
Better Partner Airline Award Availability
Air Canada has a great partner airline award availability. For Indian travellers, Air India & Vistara availability is great and is bookable online. Even Singapore Airlines and European base airlines like Lufthansa, Swiss availability is better at Air Canada than United. So, Air Canada can be your go-to option for checking Star Alliance flights, and you don’t need to log in to check that.
Now here are some of the airlines that you can search and book with Air Canada Aeroplan points.
Air Canada
Air Canada has direct flights from India. It flies from New Delhi & Mumbai to Canada. Travellers from Mumbai can also travel to London on Air Canada. Since Air Canada’s number of points will vary, there may be other good options like United or Avianca to book it.
From New Delhi to Montréal, you will fly 7017 miles from the Atlantic Travel Zone to the North American Travel Zone. This route should cost a minimum of 35K points, but since the points required vary, you can pay a lot more than that. See below.
Air India
Aeroplan has one of the best availability of Air India flights along with Turkish & Singapore Airlines. United doesn’t show a majority of flights online.
Air India flies to many European destinations; some are only directly connected. For Example, Copenhagen in Denmark is also in the Atlantic Zone and has an air distance of 3634 miles. So, that means you can fly to Denmark in just 25K miles. Isn’t that great?
Asiana Airlines
Asiana Airlines is a major South Korean airline. It flies directly from New Delhi to Seoul, flying 2896 miles. According to the award chart, South Korea is in the Pacific zone so that you can book a reward seat for as low as 40K miles in an economy cabin and 80K in a premium cabin. This isn’t cheap, but United doesn’t show this award online. And Singapore will charge a hefty fuel surcharge on this.
EVA Air
India doesn’t have direct air connectivity with Taiwan. But you can fly it from several other cities. For example, Singapore to Taipei is around 2K miles in the Pacific zone. You can book Eva Air Business Class for 45K.
Air Mauritius
Air Mauritius is the only airline that flies from three Indian cities, namely, New Delhi, Mumbai & Chennai, to Mauritius. Both India and Mauritius are in the Atlantic zone. So, you can fly Air Mauritius in just 25K Aeroplan Points from New Delhi, Mumbai & Chennai.
What’s more?
If you want to travel to South Africa & Madagascar, then Air Mauritius will be one of the shortest routes, with just one layover. How about 25K Aeroplan Points from Mumbai to Madagascar?
Bamboo Airways
Bamboo Airways is a Vietnam-based airline. It doesn’t have many International destinations and is extensively based in Vietnam.
You can use Flying Blue miles to book Vietnam Airlines flights within Vietnam. However, availability can be an issue sometimes, whereas Air Canada Aeroplan has great Bamboo Airways availability.
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is not a full airline partner as a partnership is just limited to a few routes, mostly in southeast Asia. You can use Aeroplan points on these routes when flying Cathay Pacific.
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Phuket, Thailand
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Cebu, Philippines
- Manila, Philippines
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Hanoi, Vietnam
Emirates
Emirates is one of the most popular airlines in the world. One of the benefits of using Aeroplan points for Emirates is that you save on hefty surcharges that Emirates charges. However, availability may be limited since Emirates also has a popular frequent flyer program. Also, you pay no fixed number of Aeroplan points for an Emirate flight.
Etihad Airways
Etihad recently partnered with Air France and has great availability across dates. But you may still pay hefty taxes, whereas Air Canada Aeroplan charges low taxes. However, availability seems to be limited for premium cabins. I prefer Air France for the coming days for booking Etihad flights since it has better availability, including a premium cabin.
Flydubai
Flydubai is another UAE airline partner of Air Canada Aeroplan. It has a hub in Dubai and flies from India to many International destinations. However, the number of points for a flight will vary, similar to Emirates. I don’t think Aeroplan should categorise Flydubai like that; instead, it should consider it a normal airline partner.
Gulf Air
Gulf Air is Bahrain’s flag carrier. Aeroplan doesn’t show Gulf Air flights to India, but it can be used. as a connecting partner. Some may prefer to fly with Gulf Air to London, which will cost 45K Aeroplan points in a business class cabin.
Oman Air
Oman Air is Oman’s flag carrier and another Gulf airline partner of Air Canada Aeroplan’s. Flights from India mostly don’t show on Aeroplan. As Oman Air will join the OneWorld alliance in 2024, the availability of Aeroplan may remain very low.
Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia is an airline partner of Air Canada Aeroplan, United Airlines & Singapore Airlines. So, you have many options to book this. However, Air Canada is the best to book this. Here is why.
Virgin Australia’s longest flight is from Carins to Tokyo, flying 3627 miles, and Aeroplan will cost you the minimum number of points for this flight.
Vistara
Vistara is India’s most loved airline. No one is close to matching its standard in India. Even Air India is trying to replicate what Vistara has achieved. Like Virgin Atlantic, Vistara is an airline partner of Aeroplan and United & Singapore Airlines. However, off-late United doesn’t show many Vistara flights. But Aeroplan has one of the best availability for Vistara flights. Even though Japan Airlines JAL mileage may be the best way to book an international award for Vistara flights, Air Canada can be used for flying to a few destinations like Delhi to Frankfurt.
Free Stopover [Just 5K Points]
Airlines usually offer free stopovers with restrictions. Restrictions can be placed like it may be made available only on round-trip or may given only when you change a region, etc. However, Air Canada charges just 5K for stopovers for all places except the US & Canada. So, you can get great value from your Aeroplan points.
Let me show you how.
Let’s say you want to travel to Seoul but with a layover in Bangkok. From Delhi to Seoul, you will be charged 40K Aeroplan points; for your Bangkok leg, you will be charged just 5K points.
Here’s another.
Charges for Cancellation & Changes
Air Canada does have significant cancellation and change charges. So, having a fixed plan will be better when using Air Canada Aeroplan points.
Bottomline
Air Canada Aeroplan has many airline partners. It has one of the largest number of airline partners. Most Importantly, it has access to award seats of these airline partners and is bookable online. In the future, I would prefer to use Air Canada when my plans are firm and when I have enough Aeroplan points.
