Articles tagged “air canada”

Loyalty is big business, and Air Canada is working hard to create a forward-looking program that leverages advanced e-commerce techniques. The airline's acquisition of Aeroplan bodes well for scaling up its program over the next few years.

New technologies, practices, and vendors are emerging to help airlines distribute their airfares. The new landscape is complex. But Air Canada's latest effort reveals at least one part of the emerging picture.

It always seemed unlikely Aimia would accept this offer for the Aeroplan program. But this is bad news for Air Canada frequent flyers who have spent decades building their frequent flyer accounts. If nothing changes, they won't be able to use their miles as they expected in less than two years.

In June of 2020, Air Canada and Aeroplan will officially split. Aeroplan last week announced a new strategy and made the case for members to stick with its program after the milestone parting.

Aeroplan is laying out a case for members of its loyalty program to stick around after its split from Air Canada in 2020. And for those who don't care about elite status, it may not a bad deal.

Investors sometimes ask why Southwest Airlines has avoided straying too far from its roots. They wonder if it should assign seats, or add a business class cabin, or sell meals on board. But Southwest almost always prefers simplicity. Given how much WestJet — once a Southwest clone — has struggled as it has evolved, we now understand why Southwest is so conservative.

Why can't business class passengers have nice things? Here's one problem: When airlines upgrade their amenities, passengers often steal them.

A new series of fares just launched by Air Canada should make it easier for discerning travelers to pick the fare that suits them best – as long as they're willing to pay for it.

There's much to look forward to with Air Canada's new loyalty program — as long as it doesn't copy too much from American carriers.

Like most airlines, Air Canada knows a lot about its customers. But in 2020, once it launches a new loyalty program, it will have more flexibility to slice and dice data to deliver personal offers to passengers. Let's hope customers don't find it creepy.