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Two years ago, Air Canada promised a new Aeroplan loyalty program in 2020. Despite the unusual circumstances many travel-related companies find themselves in at the moment, Aeroplan is knocking it out of the park with their new program.
First they added Etihad as a partner, then they added Azul, and now Aeroplan has announced they have added Vistara.
TRAVEL ZONES
What is really exciting about this development is, Vistara is primarily an Indian domestic carrier. However, they serve 5 international destinations including Dubai (DXB), Colombo (CMB), Singapore (SIN), Bangkok (BKK), and Kathmandu (KTM). Their longest route between Delhi (DEL) and Singapore (SIN) can easily be covered using their fleet of Airbus A320-200s, A320neos, A32neos and Boeing 737-800s.
However, in mid-August, Vistara announced they would begin operating their new 787 between Delhi and London which began on August 28th.
Here is where it gets really interesting….you may recall the new Aeroplan award chart (which debuts in November) is split up into four regions or what Aeroplan calls “Travel Zones:” North America, Atlantic, Pacific and South America. Each of these regions has distance-based awards for flights departing from one region and arriving in another and for flights within one region. In other words, a flight from Toronto (YYZ) to London (LHR) will cost less than a flight from Houston (IAH) despite being in the same “zone.”
Interestingly, the new Aeroplan award chart categorizes India within the same travel zone as London (the Atlantic zone). This segment will add connectivity that covers quite a bit of distance.
At the moment, it costs 62,500 miles for that segment but according to the new Aeroplan award chart, it should decrease to 60,000 miles.
The airline has also indicated that it plans to serve Paris and Frankfurt in the near future. If this is true, you would see the award for Frankfurt fall into the 2,001- 4,000 mile bracket which would decrease the award to 45,000 miles. That’s a steal!
Within Atlantic zone:
It’s worth noting that, per the earning chart (below), you will be able to earn miles on (paid) Vistara flights, but you will not be able to earn elite-qualifying miles.
FINAL STAMP
There are so many exciting things taking place with the Aeroplan program.
When a new program debuts, there are often a few gems in plain site, but we’ll have to wait until November to find them.
But this announcement is just another step in the right direction for a brand new Aeroplan loyalty program.
What are your thoughts about Vistara partnering with Aeroplan?
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