Aeroplan and Air Canada parting ways

[iamkalive]

So Air Canada is parting ways with Aeroplan in 2020.

Aeroplan is the best awards program in Canada, but this partnership will soon come to an end.
Air Canada will be starting their own program come 2020. Once AC and Aeroplan are done, I wonder if AC will have a program partnership with the other Star Alliance members. I wonder what Aeroplans plan will for Canadian customers.

Canada only really has AC and Westjet as major carriers, so the AC/Aeroplan is a big loss for us, even if in the grand scheme of Award programs, Aeroplan is not the best. Collecting rewards points for Aeroplan will be much harder in any case, and point devaluation may also be an issue. Any thoughts on what you guys may think will happen come 2020?

 

[heavenlyjane]

You're reminding me to use my Aeroplan points up before 2020. I have been meaning to use them for short-haul domestic trips to remote airports in Canada. Two trips I've had in mind for ages was (a) road trip within Newfoundland, and (b) fly to Prince Rupert, tour Queen Charlotte Island and then take the ferry back to Vancouver.

 

[iamkalive]

I am trying to load up and collect points and redeem them next year or the year after for a few J class seats for a long haul flight.

I do quite a bit of travel shorthaul to YYZ, and my 150k points would get be 10 roundtrips, but if I can do a J class around the world for 3 travellers, I'm all on board.

 

[italdesign]

ironically we are getting some temporary benefits from the separation announcement. Since then, Aeroplan resurrected LX, CA, and I think 1 or 2 other partners on their online booking system. These have been ongoing issues for years which Aeroplan refused to fix. Now they have.

 

[mec]

This makes me a bit nervous about using MRs down the road for Star Alliance bookings. There are some great opportunities to fly Turkish Air for a whistle between the US and Europe through Aeroplan if you can track them down.

Does anyone have any guess whether AC will go with a revenue based points program and whether they will partner with Amex?