One of my favorite things about Air Canada Aeroplan is the emphasis that the program has on adding partners. Aeroplan has more airline partners than any other airline frequent flyer program. We’ve seen several partners added in the past couple of years, including Etihad, Azul, Vistara, Air Serbia, Virgin Australia, Air Dolomiti, Eurowings Discover, Gulf Air, Oman Air, Air Mauritius, and SunExpress.
While this is admittedly very niche, Aeroplan has just added its newest airline partner, and it’s an interesting one.
Air Canada & PAL Airlines partnership details
As of March 16, 2023, a loyalty program partnership has been launched between Air Canada and PAL Airlines, allowing Aeroplan members to earn and redeem points for travel on the airline. I wanted to take a look at the opportunities this affords, and also talk about PAL Airlines, for those who aren’t familiar.
What is PAL Airlines?
PAL Airlines is one of Eastern Canada’s largest independent airlines. The airline operates a fleet of 14 aircraft, including 12 De Havilland Canada Dash 8s and two Beechcraft 1900s, in an all-economy configuration. The airline flies these planes throughout Quebec and the Maritimes, from its hubs in Goose Bay, St. John’s, and Wabush.
I’ve gotta be honest, I had never heard of PAL Airlines prior to this partnership being introduced, and that makes me even more excited. I love how Aeroplan partners with several of Canada’s smaller airlines, including Air Creebec, Calm Air, and Canadian North. I’d love to take a trip to the Canadian Arctic eventually, and include travel on multiple of these airlines.
Redeem Aeroplan points on PAL Airlines
As part of this partnership, it’s possible to redeem Air Canada Aeroplan points on all PAL Airlines flights. A few things to note:
- For now, PAL Airlines awards follow Aeroplan’s standard partner award pricing chart; however, later in 2023, Aeroplan will be introducing a new award chart for regional partners in Canada
- Aeroplan members are able to book PAL Airlines flights online at aircanada.com, or via the call center
- PAL Airlines flights are combinable with flights operated by Air Canada and other airline partners
- While there are no carrier imposed surcharges, the standard 39 CAD partner booking fee applies
For context, below is the Aeroplan award chart for travel within the North America region (which covers PAL Airlines’ network).
As you can see, flying a distance of up to 500 miles will cost you 6,000 points, while flying a distance of 501-1,500 points will cost you 10,000 points.
Short haul fares within Canada, especially to smaller communities, can often be prohibitively expensive. So being able to redeem points for these flights is awesome.
Air Canada Aeroplan is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Capital One, so if you have transferable points this is a great program to book through. On top of that, there’s the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card (review), which is lucrative card in the United States.
Earn Aeroplan points on PAL Airlines
It’s also now possible to earn Aeroplan points for all scheduled flights on PAL Airlines. However, you don’t earn any Status Qualifying Miles (SQMs) for PAL Airlines flights. Below is the Aeroplan points earning chart for PAL Airlines.
Bottom line
Air Canada Aeroplan has added PAL Airlines as a partner. This is an airline in Eastern Canada that offers some routes that don’t otherwise get much service, and fares can often be quite expensive. This is a real value-add for Aeroplan members, especially for the ability to redeem points on these flights.
What do you make of the new Air Canada Aeroplan & PAL Airlines partnership? Has anyone flown with the airline?
(Featured image courtesy of Karly Barker)
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