Years After Spinning Off Its Loyalty Program, Air Canada Will Create a New One
Photo Credit: Just a few months after introducing a new livery and uniforms, Air Canada now says it will start its own frequent flyer program. Air Canada
Skift Take
It was a big deal when Air Canada spun off its frequent flyer program. And it was probably a good idea for the time because Air Canada needed the cash. But times are different now, and Air Canada is in stronger shape. It makes sense it wants to control its own program.
Roughly 15 years after making its frequent flyer program a separate company, Air Canada is calling it quits, saying Thursday it will create its own program in June 2020, after the conclusion of its contract with the company that now controls it.
The loyalty program, called Aeroplan, is owned by an independent company called Aimia. After Air Canada creates its own new program in three years, Aimia will continue to own Aeroplan, though it's not clear what the company will do with it after the relationship ends. Aimia also owns Nectar, a UK-based loyalty program, which allows consumers to collect points at various retailers.
Air Canada began spinning off its loyalty program in 2002, and it was fully independent by 2008. Selling it helped Air Canada raise cash during a difficult financial time for the airline — it filed for bankruptc
