Air Canada announced yesterday that they will restart daily Montreal to Mexico City service and initiate new service between Vancouver and Mexico City this fall. This announcement comes on the heels of Mexicana Airlines demise over the past weekend and also follows Japan Airlines pulling out of the Vancouver-Mexico City market awhile back.
Flight Timings
Montreal-Mexico City Dep 1630 Arr 2120
Mexico City-Montreal Dep 0930 Arr 1520
Service starts Nov. 1
Vancouver-Mexico City Dep 0830 Arr 1545
Mexico City-Vancouver Dep 1645 Arr 2035
Note: Vancouver service will run on Saturday and Sunday only from Nov 6 -30 and will become daily service on Dec 1
Source: Yahoo
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Changes to the AIR MILES program
The AIR MILES program has recently announced some enhancements to the program that are all related to their flight rewards. The newly announced changes or enhancements are as follows:
More Seats and Over 25 Airlines
- According to the AIR MILES, they will now offer more seats for redemption on their 11 partner airlines which hopefully means AIR MILES members will find flight redemption easier.
- Should seats not be available on their 11 partner airlines, you can now redeem AIR MILES on 25 other airlines. These redemption will require more AIR MILES then flights on the partner airlines. AIR MILES state they can start at a 5% premium but will depend on the chosen flight, date and time. (This is similar to Aeroplan's ClassicPlus flight option where you can get any seat if available but for a higher amount of miles)
The 25 new airlines that can be found under this new option are:
Delta Airlines | Continental Airlines | US Airways | Air Transat | JetBlue | British Airways | Air France | KLM | Cathay Pacific | Singapore Airways | Emirates | Qantas | British Midland | Hawaiian Airlines | AeroMexico | Air New Zealand | Swiss Airlines | Austrian Air | Caribbean Airlines | Air Jamaica | Czech Airlines | ANA | LAN | Etihad Airways | Jet Airways
One Way Flights
- AIR MILES members will now be able to book one way flights in the program allowing for open jaw, stop over and other routing possibilities.
Departures from anywhere in the World
- Members can now book flights from anywhere in the world. Previously departures had to originate in Canada or the U.S.
Online Booking
- AIR MILES has finally caught up to the rest of the travel loyalty companies by offering online booking of reward flights. This option is set to become live sometime this fall. We had heard that it was originally supposed to happen earlier this year but like almost every program out there launching a new IT initiative, it is coming out later then expected. What we don't know yet is if online bookings will have a booking fee or not. To be competitive, it should not carry a fee but for the amount of members AIR MILES has and the unlikely defection of many of those members to other programs, AIR MILES may have a fee tacked onto online bookings simply because they can. We will have to wait and see on that subject.
Overall these changes are a move in the right direction for the AIR MILES program. For the past few years the program has appeared to be more focused on merchandise and other non-flight rewards, moving away from the whole premise of the name AIR MILES. These changes bring the program back inline with its travel competitors like Aeroplan and many credit card travel reward programs. While the earning and redemption rates may still not be as attractive as some of the other programs, these changes should please many of the 9 Million+ members who have AIR MILES as their primary loyalty program.
For more details on these changes please see the AIR MILES website
More Seats and Over 25 Airlines
- According to the AIR MILES, they will now offer more seats for redemption on their 11 partner airlines which hopefully means AIR MILES members will find flight redemption easier.
- Should seats not be available on their 11 partner airlines, you can now redeem AIR MILES on 25 other airlines. These redemption will require more AIR MILES then flights on the partner airlines. AIR MILES state they can start at a 5% premium but will depend on the chosen flight, date and time. (This is similar to Aeroplan's ClassicPlus flight option where you can get any seat if available but for a higher amount of miles)
The 25 new airlines that can be found under this new option are:
Delta Airlines | Continental Airlines | US Airways | Air Transat | JetBlue | British Airways | Air France | KLM | Cathay Pacific | Singapore Airways | Emirates | Qantas | British Midland | Hawaiian Airlines | AeroMexico | Air New Zealand | Swiss Airlines | Austrian Air | Caribbean Airlines | Air Jamaica | Czech Airlines | ANA | LAN | Etihad Airways | Jet Airways
One Way Flights
- AIR MILES members will now be able to book one way flights in the program allowing for open jaw, stop over and other routing possibilities.
Departures from anywhere in the World
- Members can now book flights from anywhere in the world. Previously departures had to originate in Canada or the U.S.
Online Booking
- AIR MILES has finally caught up to the rest of the travel loyalty companies by offering online booking of reward flights. This option is set to become live sometime this fall. We had heard that it was originally supposed to happen earlier this year but like almost every program out there launching a new IT initiative, it is coming out later then expected. What we don't know yet is if online bookings will have a booking fee or not. To be competitive, it should not carry a fee but for the amount of members AIR MILES has and the unlikely defection of many of those members to other programs, AIR MILES may have a fee tacked onto online bookings simply because they can. We will have to wait and see on that subject.
Overall these changes are a move in the right direction for the AIR MILES program. For the past few years the program has appeared to be more focused on merchandise and other non-flight rewards, moving away from the whole premise of the name AIR MILES. These changes bring the program back inline with its travel competitors like Aeroplan and many credit card travel reward programs. While the earning and redemption rates may still not be as attractive as some of the other programs, these changes should please many of the 9 Million+ members who have AIR MILES as their primary loyalty program.
For more details on these changes please see the AIR MILES website
Monday, August 23, 2010
Delta Airlines to launch SkyMiles Credit Card in Canada
UPDATED AUG 24 (See below)
We have been given a heads up that Delta Airlines will officially launch a Canadian SkyMiles Credit Card tomorrow. The card will be issued by Capital One and it is the banks first foray into the airline frequent flyer market in Canada. We have known for about two years that Delta has been interested in launching a credit card in Canada, we just did not know when it would happen and with which bank (you may remember us mentioning a few times that a major U.S. airline was looking to launch a card here).
Delta Airlines serves the most cities in Canada after Air Canada and WestJet so it is a logical place for them to launch a new credit card. It will also be the first dedicated airline card for a SkyTeam alliance airline in Canada as both Star Alliance and OneWorld already have airline specific cards in Canada.
There will be two versions of the card, the Delta SkyMiles® World MasterCard® and the Delta SkyMiles Gold MasterCard. What we know so far is that the World MasterCard will offer 1 SkyMile for each C$1 spent, 2 SkyMiles for every C$1 spent with Delta, a limited time 25,000 SkyMile sign up bonus, a full insurance/benefit package and more.
We will provide the full details on each card tomorrow when all the details are released.
September 14, 2012 update:
The cards are now live on the Capital One Website:
World MasterCard
Gold MasterCard
World MasterCard details:
Apply Online
• Earn Delta miles on everything you buy
• Get a welcome bonus of up to 25,000 Delta miles
• Earn 3 Delta miles for every $1 you spend on Delta purchases
• Earn 2 Delta miles per $1 on all other net purchases
• Plus, get 10,000 annual bonus Delta miles when you spend at least $25,000 each year
• Valuable World MasterCard Benefits, including Travel Emergency Medical Insurance and Trip Cancellation Insurance
• Add an authorized user for $0
Please Note: A requirement of this card is a minimum personal income of $60,000 or household income of $100,000.
Gold MasterCard Details
Apply Online
• Earn Delta miles on everything you buy with no annual fee!
• Get 2,500 bonus Delta miles on your first purchase made within the first three months of account enrolment
• Earn 2 Delta miles for every $1 you spend on Delta purchases
• Earn 1 Delta mile for every $1 on all other net purchases
• Annual interest rate of 19.8%
• Valuable Gold benefits, including Purchase Assurance and Extended Warranty
• Add an authorized user for $0
We will have a complete review of the Delta SkyMiles® World MasterCard® up on Rewards Canada within a week.
“The interest rates, fees, rewards details, benefits and other details of the Capital One product(s) described in the article may have changed since the time of publication. Please consult the product information pages on the Capital One website for accurate product details. In the event of any conflict between the product details in this article and the Capital One website, the details on the Capital One website shall prevail.”
We have been given a heads up that Delta Airlines will officially launch a Canadian SkyMiles Credit Card tomorrow. The card will be issued by Capital One and it is the banks first foray into the airline frequent flyer market in Canada. We have known for about two years that Delta has been interested in launching a credit card in Canada, we just did not know when it would happen and with which bank (you may remember us mentioning a few times that a major U.S. airline was looking to launch a card here).
Delta Airlines serves the most cities in Canada after Air Canada and WestJet so it is a logical place for them to launch a new credit card. It will also be the first dedicated airline card for a SkyTeam alliance airline in Canada as both Star Alliance and OneWorld already have airline specific cards in Canada.
There will be two versions of the card, the Delta SkyMiles® World MasterCard® and the Delta SkyMiles Gold MasterCard. What we know so far is that the World MasterCard will offer 1 SkyMile for each C$1 spent, 2 SkyMiles for every C$1 spent with Delta, a limited time 25,000 SkyMile sign up bonus, a full insurance/benefit package and more.
We will provide the full details on each card tomorrow when all the details are released.
September 14, 2012 update:
The cards are now live on the Capital One Website:
World MasterCard
Gold MasterCard
World MasterCard details:
Apply Online
• Earn Delta miles on everything you buy
• Get a welcome bonus of up to 25,000 Delta miles
• Earn 3 Delta miles for every $1 you spend on Delta purchases
• Earn 2 Delta miles per $1 on all other net purchases
• Plus, get 10,000 annual bonus Delta miles when you spend at least $25,000 each year
• Valuable World MasterCard Benefits, including Travel Emergency Medical Insurance and Trip Cancellation Insurance
• Add an authorized user for $0
Please Note: A requirement of this card is a minimum personal income of $60,000 or household income of $100,000.
Gold MasterCard Details
Apply Online
• Earn Delta miles on everything you buy with no annual fee!
• Get 2,500 bonus Delta miles on your first purchase made within the first three months of account enrolment
• Earn 2 Delta miles for every $1 you spend on Delta purchases
• Earn 1 Delta mile for every $1 on all other net purchases
• Annual interest rate of 19.8%
• Valuable Gold benefits, including Purchase Assurance and Extended Warranty
• Add an authorized user for $0
We will have a complete review of the Delta SkyMiles® World MasterCard® up on Rewards Canada within a week.
“The interest rates, fees, rewards details, benefits and other details of the Capital One product(s) described in the article may have changed since the time of publication. Please consult the product information pages on the Capital One website for accurate product details. In the event of any conflict between the product details in this article and the Capital One website, the details on the Capital One website shall prevail.”
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Air Canada announces Vancouver - Tokyo Haneda service
Air Canada has announced that will start flying between Vancouver and Tokyo's Haneda airport on January 29, 2011. The new route is the first service between Canada and Tokyo's second airport which just recently began allowing more international flights and is only 30 minutes from downtown Tokyo. The daily service will supplement the already existing Vancouver-Tokyo Narita service effectively making Vancouver-Tokyo a double daily service. The route will be flown with a a Boeing 767-300ER.
Flight Timings:
Vancouver-Tokyo Haneda Dep 1930 Arr 2300+1 (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)
Vancouver-Tokyo Haneda Dep 1900 Arr 2230+1 (Tue, Thu, Sun)
Tokyo Haneda-Vancouver Dep 0030 Arr 1625-1
Source: Air Canada
Flight Timings:
Vancouver-Tokyo Haneda Dep 1930 Arr 2300+1 (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)
Vancouver-Tokyo Haneda Dep 1900 Arr 2230+1 (Tue, Thu, Sun)
Tokyo Haneda-Vancouver Dep 0030 Arr 1625-1
Source: Air Canada
Thursday, August 12, 2010
WestJet announces new and expanded routes to the U.S. and Sun Desinations
On August 11th, WestJet announced via numerous press releases new routes and expanded routes from Canada to the U.S. and sun destinations. The new and expanded routes are as follows:
From Ottawa (source: WestJet Press Release)
New Service to Las Vegas that will run twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays from Dec 9, 10 to Apr 28, 11
Expanded service to Cancun (up to 3 weekly from 2) , Punta Cana (up to 2 from 1 weekly flight), Montego Bay (up to 3 from 2 weekly flights) and Ft. Lauderdale (up to 2 from 1 weekly flight)
From Edmonton (source: WestJet Press Release)
New Service to Orlando that will run once a week on Saturdays from Dec 18, 10 to Apr 30, 11
From Quebec City (source: WestJet Press Release)
New Service to Cancun that will run once a week on Saturdays from Dec 11, 10 to Apr 30, 11
New Service to Ft. Lauderdale that will run once a week on Sundays from Dec 12, 10 to Apr 24, 11
From Saskatoon (source: WestJet Press Release)
New Service to Phoenix that will run once a week on Fridayss from Dec 17, 10 to Apr 29, 11
From Ottawa (source: WestJet Press Release)
New Service to Las Vegas that will run twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays from Dec 9, 10 to Apr 28, 11
Expanded service to Cancun (up to 3 weekly from 2) , Punta Cana (up to 2 from 1 weekly flight), Montego Bay (up to 3 from 2 weekly flights) and Ft. Lauderdale (up to 2 from 1 weekly flight)
From Edmonton (source: WestJet Press Release)
New Service to Orlando that will run once a week on Saturdays from Dec 18, 10 to Apr 30, 11
From Quebec City (source: WestJet Press Release)
New Service to Cancun that will run once a week on Saturdays from Dec 11, 10 to Apr 30, 11
New Service to Ft. Lauderdale that will run once a week on Sundays from Dec 12, 10 to Apr 24, 11
From Saskatoon (source: WestJet Press Release)
New Service to Phoenix that will run once a week on Fridayss from Dec 17, 10 to Apr 29, 11
American AAdvantage discounts short haul awards
American AAdvantage is once again offering Short Haul Awards (less then 700 miles) for 30% off the regular mileage rate. That means Economy Class Short Hop MileSAAver awards can be had fro 8,750 AAdvantage miles one way or 17,500 round trip. The award flights must be booked by August 31 for travel completed by December 15, 2010.Examples of eligible itineraries:
* Toronto - Chicago O-Hare
* Montreal - New York
For more details see AA.com
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Delta cancels Thunder Bay - Minneapolis service
Delta will be cutting the former Northwest Airlines route between Thunder Bay and Minneapolis as of Oct 10, 10.
Source: Airline Route Updates
Source: Airline Route Updates
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Air Canada / Aeroplan formally launch Million Mile Program
Air Canada's top frequent flyers are finally going to receive the recognition they have been asking for for many years. Aeroplan members who have earned one million or more status miles by flying with Air Canada and Air Canada Jazz will be recognized. The miles must have been earned from the inception of Air Canada''s Top Tier program (circa 1988) and does not include miles earned before that. Full details are not yet known and according to an Air Canada spokesman, all the terms and conditions will only be released to those who qualify.
Garnering information from two frequent flyer forums where there are members who are qualifying it appears that at the 1MM mile mark you receive a beautiful wooden box, Recognition Letter, Special Edition Reduced Model of an AC777-300ER, 2 x SWU,2 x SSWU upgrade coupons, AC SE Membership Card and Luggage Tags with a 1 Million Miles Logo. As well it appears you receive lifetime elite status regardless of miles flown. This of course could vary per person depending on the total number of miles as one Super Elite has stated you get lifetime Super Elite status if you have flown 3 million or more miles with AC and AC Jazz.
We will keep you up to date as more information comes out!
Aug 13 Update:
Here is a post from FlyerTalk by Air Canada's own Ben Smith with a few more details:
"We've had this program in the works for some time and as a result of your feedback and suggestions to me, my team and the entire company we made the decision to fast track the launch ahead of 2011 renom.
There are 3 levels to the program. 1, 2 and 3 million miles flown on AC/Jazz since the start of the status program.
1MM = Lifetime Elite status for member + exclusive benefits/gift unique to this status level
2MM = Lifetime Elite status for member + Lifetime Elite status for a nominated partner + exclusive benefits/gifts unique to this status level
3MM = Lifetime Super Elite status for member + Lifetime Elite status for a nominated partner + exclusive benefits/gifts unique to this status level
Those who have qualified will be receiving their individual personalized packages in the coming weeks. In the coming months we have additional functionality rolling out to facilitate the ability to track your progress toward achieving status in these new programs.
Thanks again for your feedback and continued loyalty."
For more details on what members are receiving and talking about please read the following threads:
FlyerTalk: 1,000,000 Million Milles Recognition from AC
CanFlyer: AC lifetime status
Garnering information from two frequent flyer forums where there are members who are qualifying it appears that at the 1MM mile mark you receive a beautiful wooden box, Recognition Letter, Special Edition Reduced Model of an AC777-300ER, 2 x SWU,2 x SSWU upgrade coupons, AC SE Membership Card and Luggage Tags with a 1 Million Miles Logo. As well it appears you receive lifetime elite status regardless of miles flown. This of course could vary per person depending on the total number of miles as one Super Elite has stated you get lifetime Super Elite status if you have flown 3 million or more miles with AC and AC Jazz.
We will keep you up to date as more information comes out!
Aug 13 Update:
Here is a post from FlyerTalk by Air Canada's own Ben Smith with a few more details:
"We've had this program in the works for some time and as a result of your feedback and suggestions to me, my team and the entire company we made the decision to fast track the launch ahead of 2011 renom.
There are 3 levels to the program. 1, 2 and 3 million miles flown on AC/Jazz since the start of the status program.
1MM = Lifetime Elite status for member + exclusive benefits/gift unique to this status level
2MM = Lifetime Elite status for member + Lifetime Elite status for a nominated partner + exclusive benefits/gifts unique to this status level
3MM = Lifetime Super Elite status for member + Lifetime Elite status for a nominated partner + exclusive benefits/gifts unique to this status level
Those who have qualified will be receiving their individual personalized packages in the coming weeks. In the coming months we have additional functionality rolling out to facilitate the ability to track your progress toward achieving status in these new programs.
Thanks again for your feedback and continued loyalty."
For more details on what members are receiving and talking about please read the following threads:
FlyerTalk: 1,000,000 Million Milles Recognition from AC
CanFlyer: AC lifetime status
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Save 10% on select Aeroplan Flight Rewards
From the Aeroplan website
Between August 1 and 15, 2010, get 10% off your next business ClassicFlight or Star Alliance business or first class flight reward seat - for any travel date - within U.S. or between Canada and the U.S.
With this offer, you can save up to 6,000 Aeroplan Miles...
ClassicFlight Flight rewards
* Business class (short haul) – 25,000 miles. Now 22,500 miles!
* Business class (long haul) – 40,000 miles. Now 36,000 miles!
Star Alliance Flight rewards
* Business class (long haul) – 40,000 miles. Now 36,000 miles!
* First class (long haul) – 60,000 miles. Now 54,000 miles!
Full Details
Between August 1 and 15, 2010, get 10% off your next business ClassicFlight or Star Alliance business or first class flight reward seat - for any travel date - within U.S. or between Canada and the U.S.
With this offer, you can save up to 6,000 Aeroplan Miles...
ClassicFlight Flight rewards
* Business class (short haul) – 25,000 miles. Now 22,500 miles!
* Business class (long haul) – 40,000 miles. Now 36,000 miles!
Star Alliance Flight rewards
* Business class (long haul) – 40,000 miles. Now 36,000 miles!
* First class (long haul) – 60,000 miles. Now 54,000 miles!
Full Details