All About the 48 Airlines You Can Book Using Aeroplan Points

In May 1997, Air Canada was one of five founding members of Star Alliance — now the largest global airline alliance. While Air Canada flies to numerous destinations worldwide, its participation in Star Alliance allows passengers to reach over 1,000 destinations in 195 countries on points. Even better, Air Canada partners with several non-alliance airlines, expanding its global network even further.

Air Canada revamped its Aeroplan award program in 2020, which brought several changes. Among these changes were increased online capabilities. It became dramatically easier to book award flights and stopovers online using points.

Now, prospective flyers can book award flights on all 25 Star Alliance members (counting Air Canada), plus the majority of Air Canada's 27 additional non-alliance partners — no phone call required. While a handful of Air Canada's partners aren't available for using your points, there's still a dazzling number that are.

Let's look at the 48 airlines you can redeem Aeroplan points for and chat about redemption strategies to ensure you extract maximum value from your points.

Partner Airlines

Air Canada lists a whopping 51 partner airlines on its website. To be exact, that's the sum of 24 Star Alliance partners and 27 non-alliance partners. However, not all of its partner airlines are available for award redemptions. Including Air Canada itself, Aeroplan members can reserve flights on nearly 50 different airlines using points. Here's a look at which airlines you can book with Aeroplan points:

Star Alliance

Airline	Bookable Online?
Aegean Airlines	Yes
Air China	Yes
Air India	Yes
Air New Zealand	Yes
ANA	Yes, but calling recommended.
Asiana Airlines	Yes
Austrian Airlines	Yes
Avianca	Yes
Brussels Airlines	Yes
Copa Airlines	Yes
Croatia Airlines	No - Call Aeroplan to book.
EgyptAir	Yes
Ethiopian Airlines	Yes
EVA Air	Yes
LOT Polish Airlines	Yes
Lufthansa	Yes
Shenzhen Airlines	Yes, but calling recommended.
Singapore Airlines	Yes
South African Airways	Yes
SWISS	Yes
TAP Air Portugal	Yes
THAI	Yes
Turkish Airlines	Yes
United Airlines	Yes

Credit: Star Alliance

Non-Alliance

Airline	Bookable Online?
Air Creebec	No - Call Aeroplan to book.
Air Dolomiti	Yes
Air Mauritius	Yes
Air Serbia	Yes
Azul Brazilian Airlines	Yes
Bamboo Airways	Yes
Calm Air	No - Call Aeroplan to book.
Canadian North	Yes
Cathay Pacific	Yes
Discover Airlines	Yes
Edelweiss Air	Yes
Emirates	Yes
Etihad Airways	Yes
Eurowings	Yes
FlyDubai	Yes
GOL	Yes
Gulf Air	Yes
Juneyao Airlines	No - Call Aeroplan to book.
Olympic Air	Yes
Oman Air	Yes
PAL Airlines	Yes
SunExpress	Yes
Virgin Australia	Yes
Vistara	Yes

The remaining four airline partners are eligible for earning Aeroplan points but not for redeeming points:

• Aer Lingus
• Central Mountain Air
• Middle East Airlines
• SriLankan Airlines

But a caveat: You'll only earn points on select flights with a 4-digit Air Canada flight number on these four carriers. On top of that, you won't earn Status Qualifying Miles (SQMs).

Related: The Complete Guide to the Air Canada Aeroplan Program

Aeroplan's Hybrid Award Charts

With the 2020 refresh, Air Canada also introduced new award charts. The main change: shifting from a zone-based system to a hybrid zone-and-distance scheme. Aeroplan released 10 (yes, 10) award charts (warning: PDF) to help travelers navigate mileage costs between four regions (shown below).

Credit: Air Canada

And if 10 wasn't enough, there's also an 11th award chart uniquely for Emirates and FlyDubai flights — more on this later.

The 10 charts have been combined into four tables — one per region — below for convenience. The first highlights prices for flights starting in North America:

Flights starting in the Atlantic zone:

Flights originating in South America:

And finally, the award chart for flights starting in the Pacific zone:

Air Canada

When Air Canada refreshed its Aeroplan frequent flyer program, one significant change was to make every Air Canada seat available for redemptions using points. In theory, this represents a positive change. More opportunities to redeem Aeroplan points for flights increases the utility of those points.

One of the caveats of the change, however, is that award prices may vary — sometimes substantially. Aeroplan's published award charts detail this by including a range of points prices for Air Canada flights. Below is the intra-North America award chart, for reference.

Credit: Air Canada

The good news? Short-haul Air Canada awards start as low as 6,000 miles each way. That's one of the lowest standard award costs offered by any frequent flyer program around! The bad news? Award costs can vary wildly, depending on distance and class of cabin — the major downside of dynamic pricing.

Credit: Air Canada

Air Canada won't always be the most cost-effective carrier to book using Aeroplan points. In most instances, partner awards require fewer Aeroplan points. A best practice is comparing costs to get the best deal on the route you're trying to redeem points for — well, unless you strongly desire to fly Air Canada and try out its in-flight product.

Related: Secret Sweet Spots of Aeroplan Awards

Book Star Alliance Partners Using Aeroplan Points

Aegean Airlines

The largest Greek airline primarily operates within Europe, though Aegean Airlines also offers flights to North Africa and the Middle East. Still, any awards only on Aegean Airlines metal will fall entirely within Aeroplan's “Atlantic” award region, meaning would-be travelers only need to reference one of Aeroplan's award charts above. Aegean Airlines represents a great option for travelers looking to explore Greece and who are starting or connecting within Europe.

On most shorter routes, such as between Athens (ATH) and Mykonos (JMK), you'll pay just 7,500 points. Or, for longer routes, like ATH to Cairo, Egypt (CAI), the price tag is a little higher at 12,500 points per way for an economy flight.

Credit: Air Canada

Air China

One of two Star Alliance carriers based in the People's Republic of China, Air China enjoys an extensive network from its Beijing hub. The airline offers flights to dozens of domestic and international destinations, including a few in the United States (such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York-JFK) and another in Canada (Vancouver-YVR). However, availability can be hard to come by — especially in business-class cabins.

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Air India

Headquartered in New Delhi, India's national carrier serves countless domestic and international destinations, including five U.S. and two Canadian airports. Travelers looking to make their way from North America to India have multiple options for airlines on which to redeem Aeroplan points.

Credit: Air Canada

Other Star Alliance carriers fly some of the same routes, including Air Canada, so traveling on Air India might not always be the most efficient points option. As always, cost comparison is key.

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand offers Aeroplan members a multitude of possible destinations throughout the South Pacific, such as Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Niue. An interesting fact about many of these routes is that passengers become time travelers! For example, the flight between Auckland and Rarotonga, Cook Islands, clocks in at just under four hours, but crossing the International Date Line means travelers will land over 19 hours “earlier” than take off.

Air New Zealand also flies to five U.S. cities and one Canadian — a quality number of gateway options to get to the South Pacific.

Credit: Air Canada

ANA

All Nippon Airways (or ANA for short) operates an extensive domestic network of flights within Japan and international flights to Europe, North America, Hawaii, and Guam. ANA made waves with its premium cabin refresh a few years ago, and using Aeroplan points could be a great way to fly these products without hefty fuel surcharges. However, availability is hard to come by — as in, presently, not there for Aeroplan members at all.

It's not guaranteed to work, but you can also look for space that's showing to a Star Alliance partner, such as United MileagePlus, and call Aeroplan to see if a booking agent can reserve the seat.

Credit: United

While you can book ANA flights through Aeroplan (and technically, United), you can also book the same flights with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for fewer miles but higher fees.

Asiana

Asiana Airlines, South Korea’s second-largest airline, connects passengers to several cities within South Korea and countless international destinations throughout Asia, Europe, and the rest of the world. The list of destinations includes a handful of cities in the U.S., like Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), Seattle (SEA), and San Francisco (SFO).

You'll also find good value on routes within Asia when cash prices for full-service airlines are high but you want to avoid flying with an ultra-low-cost carrier. This four-hour flight from Seoul to Manila costs just 12,500 points, while cash fares hover around $200.

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Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines, along with its subsidiary Tyrolean Airways, connects passengers far and wide throughout Europe and much of the rest of the world. The Vienna-based carrier serves four U.S. airports (Chicago-ORD, Newark-EWR, New York–JFK, and Washington, D.C.-IAD) year-round and a fifth (Los Angeles-LAX) seasonally. The airline also serves Montreal (YUL) in Canada. Even the shortest of the six transatlantic flights spans 4,013 miles, narrowly edging awards between the two cities into a higher award price band.

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Avianca

Avianca, one of two Latin American Star Alliance carriers, serves destinations throughout the Americas and Europe. Operating hubs in Bogotá and San Salvador and secondary hubs in Quito and San Jose, Avianca (and its subsidiaries) connects travelers to numerous cities within Latin America. Prices will fluctuate depending on your final destination, but you can fly from the West Coast to Central America starting at just 12,500 Aeroplan points in economy.

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Brussels Airlines

Based out of its hub in — you guessed it — Brussels, the Belgian Star Alliance member offers flights throughout Europe, as well as to select destinations in Africa and even two destinations (New York-JFK and Washington, D.C.-IAD) in the United States. Brussels Airlines' transatlantic routes clock in under 4,000 miles, requiring fewer Aeroplan points for these award redemptions than many other direct transatlantic flights on European Star Alliance carriers.

Apart from the farthest-flung African destinations — think countries such as Angola and Burundi — all other Brussels Airlines destinations are within 4,000 miles of the carrier's hub. Europe and Africa fall into the same Aeroplan award region, so most awards should be limited to 25,000 points each way in economy and 45,000 points each way in business.

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Copa Airlines

Copa is the flag carrier of Panama and employs a primary hub in Panama City (PTY). The airline serves North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean. All the usual suspects are included among U.S. destinations, plus less-common destinations such as Denver, Las Vegas, Tampa, and more.

With a huge route map, you can fly all over Central, South, and North America. Even better, the prices are fair — especially from Panama City to North American cities like Atlanta.

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Croatia Airlines

Croatia Airlines is the flag carrier of Croatia and is based out of Zagreb (ZAG). Compared to many other Star Alliance carriers, its flight network is smaller and consists of many seasonal routes. Almost all of these flights are under 1,000 miles long, too. Economy class redemptions start at just 7,500 Aeroplan points. Be sure to check cash fares when booking these flights, as cheap paid fares are often available in Europe.

Unfortunately, these flights don't appear on Air Canada's website despite confirming availability on other sites, like United's. You will need to call Aeroplan to book.

Credit: United

EgyptAir

As the state-owned flag carrier of Egypt, EgyptAir operates flights out of its hub in Cairo (and a few other focus cities in Egypt) to several destinations throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. New York City, Newark, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. all enjoy direct flights to Cairo on EgyptAir. Each flight is under 6,000 miles, meaning economy flights cost 40,000 points each way, and business class costs 70,000 points each way.

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Ethiopian Airlines

Headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines is Ethiopia's national carrier. Among Star Alliance airlines, Ethiopian serves more African destinations than any other carrier. Looking to travel to some off-the-beaten-path spots within the continent? A trip booked through Aeroplan likely involves a leg or two on Ethiopian Airlines. From Cameroon to Comoros and Mali to Mozambique, Ethiopian Airlines can take you there.

The airline serves several cities outside of Africa, too. Ethiopian Airlines flies to five airports in the U.S. (ORD, ATL, EWR, JFK, and IAD) plus Toronto-YYZ in Canada, as well as multiple destinations in Asia, Europe, and even two cities in South America.

One of the longer direct Ethiopian Airlines flights is the route to Washington, D.C., — an astounding 7,181 miles. Even though it is a nominally shorter distance (by about 200 miles), Ethiopian Airlines blocks its Addis Ababa to Newark flight at a staggering 18.5 hours due to a refueling stop in Lomé.

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EVA Air

EVA Air is based in Taipei, Taiwan. The airline serves destinations throughout Asia and Oceania and select cities in Europe and North America. This includes six U.S. and two Canadian destinations. Houston, New York, and Toronto all clock in at over 7,500 miles from Taipei. That pushes award costs into a higher redemption zone, so if you intend on making such a journey, it might be worth positioning to/from Chicago or anywhere on the West Coast to reduce the number of points required for your trip.

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You'll save 10,000 points per person each way in economy and business class if you can get the flight under 7,500 miles. That's not a lot for a single traveler, but it can quickly add up on round-trip flights for a family.

LOT Polish Airlines

LOT Polish Airlines operates out of a primary hub in Warsaw, Poland (WAW). The airline serves primarily European destinations, although several Asian and North American cities also enjoy service from LOT.

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LOT also has a fifth freedom route between Budapest and Seoul, South Korea. LOT Polish Airlines award space is generally fairly prevalent — including on the far-reaching fifth freedom flight.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa offers a global portfolio of routes, reaching countless destinations across five continents. The Germany-based airline serves nearly 20 U.S. cities, three Canadian cities, and Mexico's capital. That's a lot of North American destinations.

One major gripe award travelers have with Lufthansa is the sky-high taxes and fees often levied on award tickets with the airline. These surcharges can exceed $500 per ticket each way! Thankfully, Aeroplan doesn't levy carrier surcharges, which means redemptions on Lufthansa won't cost an arm and a leg on top of any points costs.

Your redemption costs will vary depending on where you originate in North America. Routes from certain East Coast cities, such as Boston to Frankfurt, come under the 4,000-mile threshold that bumps award costs into the next tier. Notice the much more reasonable, though still a bit high, taxes and fees.

Routes between Frankfurt and the West Coast (and even Washington, D.C. (IAD) certainly exceed 4,000 miles, meaning one-way economy flights require 40,000 points (instead of 35,000), and one-way business class flights require 70,000 points (instead of 60,000).

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Related: How To Book Lufthansa First Class Using Miles

Shenzhen Airlines

Shenzhen Airlines operates from a central hub in Shenzhen, China. Most destinations served by the airline are domestic, and those that aren't are in nearby Asian nations. The only true long-haul routes Shenzhen Airlines serves are London (LHR) and Barcelona (BCN) from Shenzhen (SZX). Or, you can bag a short-haul domestic flight for a few thousand Aeroplan points. Generally, these flights are far easier to find availability on.

Traditionally, Shenzhen Airlines flights were bookable online, but results are, at best, sparse. The easiest way to book is finding availability via United and then calling Aeroplan to book.

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Singapore Airlines

Based out of Changi Airport, Singapore Airlines often ranks among the world's top airlines in Skytrax's and others' annual rankings. The airline offers a multitude of destinations across the globe. Its base in Singapore and its fleet of long-range aircraft means Singapore Airlines is well positioned to serve the rest of Asia and Oceania, plus destinations in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.

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Unfortunately, Singapore Airlines routinely blocks other airlines, including Aeroplan, from seeing premium award space in Singapore Suites — the airline's first-class product. However, Aeroplan tends to have incredible availability for Singapore Airlines business class.

South African Airways

Pre-COVID-19, South African Airways served several domestic and international destinations, including flights to North and South America. But now, the route map is smaller, with most routes flying within the African continent. Travelers looking to bounce around in Africa, perhaps on the way to or from a safari, might find SAA a quality airline option. From its central hub in Johannesburg, travelers can fly to Accra, Ghana, Lagos, Nigeria, Mauritius, and a handful of other destinations.

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SWISS

Swiss International Air Lines, commonly called SWISS, connects travelers between Switzerland and the rest of Europe, North America, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The airline operates a primary hub out of Zurich, with a secondary focus city in Geneva. Flights between Zurich and several East Coast North American cities span just under 4,000 miles, meaning redemptions require fewer points than other transatlantic routes. Boston, Montreal, New York City, and Newark are all options that qualify for the lower award prices.

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Other North American destinations for SWISS include Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco. If possible, it may be worth positioning to take advantage of any of the four lower-priced transatlantic options. You could save 5,000 or 10,000 points each way, which adds up on round-trip itineraries you take with family.

TAP Air Portugal

TAP Air Portugal is the Portuguese Star Alliance carrier, with operations centered around its hub in Lisbon. Apart from several European destinations, TAP flies to several spots in Africa, North America, and South America. Seven U.S. and two Canadian airports enjoy direct service to Portugal from TAP. Even better, most of these routes are flown by newer planes.

TAP Air Portugal serves a handful of unique destinations, too. Among these are the Azores islands. Technically a Portuguese domestic destination, the Azores are a collection of nine volcanic islands several hundred miles west of Portugal. Connect to the main Azores airport in Ponta Delgada via Lisbon, and you can even add a stopover in Lisbon to visit two destinations during your trip.

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TAP regularly offers reasonably-priced business-class options from Europe to the U.S., so be sure to check paid fares before booking this kind of itinerary.

THAI

Operating out of Bangkok, Thai Airways, or commonly just THAI, offers a network of routes extending across the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the South Pacific. Previously, THAI had served U.S. cities via Seoul, South Korea, but these routes ceased operations in 2015, and the airline no longer serves the Americas or Africa. However, THAI offers incredible connectivity between Bangkok and locations in Asia, Oceania, and Europe.

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THAI's network includes some lesser-traveled destinations in Southeast Asia, many of which are reachable for 8,000 or 12,500 points per person one-way in economy. However, some of these destinations are also served by low-cost carriers, which can defray the value of using Aeroplan points here. It's a best practice to weigh all carrier options before committing to redeeming points.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines has been the national flag carrier of Türkiye for nearly a century — connecting virtually all corners of the earth from its Istanbul hub. The airline serves over 10 U.S. cities, three Canadian cities, and two Mexican cities. Because Istanbul is so far east in Europe, and cities such as Los Angeles are so far west in North America, some of these transatlantic routes require more Aeroplan points than most other options between North America and Europe.

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United Airlines

Another founding Star Alliance member, United serves countless domestic U.S. airports, along with destinations all around the globe. The United Airlines award search engine sets the gold standard for Star Alliance award searches, due to its ease of use, responsiveness, and advantageous monthly calendar view.

Most award space that shows up on United's website should match the award space that shows up on Aeroplan's website, but that's not always the case. United sometimes shows seats that Aeroplan doesn't show online, so you may need to make a phone call to book certain awards.

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With United miles, partner flights are often cheaper than United's own flights on the same route. Aeroplan's chart tends to apply the same in reverse. As a general rule for transatlantic flights (and all other flights, too), for shorter flights between award zones, choose Aeroplan, and for longer flights between zones, opt for United or another Star Alliance partner's program.

Related: 600+ United Award Routes That You Can Book for Just 6,000 Aeroplan Points

Book Non-Alliance Partner Airlines Using Aeroplan Points

Air Creebec

Air Creebec connects more than a dozen destinations within Ontario and Québec, most notably Montreal (YUL). All other cities serviced are north of Montreal — some by quite a distance (such as Kuujjuarapik). Though not available for online bookings (you'll have to call), Air Creebec offers a unique option for exploring the northern parts of these two provinces using Aeroplan points.

Air Dolomiti

Aeroplan added this European regional carrier to its list of partner airlines in 2021, and it's possible to redeem your points for flights as far west as Jersey (JER) or as far east as Cluj-Napoca, Romania (CLJ). Air Dolomiti primarily serves Germany and Italy from its hub in Frankfurt (FRA), plus flights to Luxembourg, Paris, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, and even Kalmar, Sweden (KLR).

As all flights are within Europe and less than 1,000 miles, you'll pay 7,500 points each way in economy and 15,000 in business.

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Air Mauritius

The flag carrier of the island nation Mauritius operates short hops from its base at MRU, including Rodrigues Island (RRG), Réunion (RUN), and Antananarivo, Madagascar (TNR), as well as Johannesburg (JNB) and Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa. Short flights under 1,000 miles will cost 7,500 Aeroplan points, while you'll pay 12,500 to JNB and 25,000 points to CPT.

The airline also runs several interesting long-haul routes, serving Mumbai (BOM), Chennai (MAA), New Delhi (DEL), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Perth (PER), Geneva (GVA), Paris (CDG), and London (LGW). BOM and DEL are within the Atlantic zone and under 4,000 miles, so you'll pay just 25,000 points in economy or 45,000 in business.

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KUL and PER are in the Pacific zone, so you'll pay 40,000 points in economy or 60,000 in business. Going to Europe will cost 35,000 points in economy or 65,000 in business to GVA and CDG. London is just over the 6,000-mile threshold, so you'll pay 50k in economy and 80k in business each way.

Air Serbia

This flag carrier of Serbia, based in Belgrade, flies to a plethora of destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and Cairo, as well as long-haul flights to Tianjin (TSN), Chicago (ORD), and New York (JFK). For shorter, intra-Europe flights, award costs begin at just 7,500 Aeroplan points, which are bookable online. The best use of points here will be cash-high-points-low bookings.

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Azul Brazilian Airlines

Azul Brazilian Airlines (Azul) is a Brazilian-based carrier primarily serving domestic and South American cities. Select destinations outside of South America include Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando (MCO), Lisbon (LIS), and Paris-Orly (ORY).

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Many intra-Brazil flights, like intra-Europe flights discussed with other airlines, are available for purchase at reasonable cash rates, so it's worth comparing before redeeming. An Azul flight between Recife and Rio de Janeiro's secondary airport, Santos Dumont, would cost 15,000 Aeroplan points in economy class one way.

Bamboo Airways

Based in Vietnam and partnering with Aeroplan since late 2022, Bamboo Airways flies to a handful of airports in Vietnam. The carrier flew further south and over to Europe in recent years, but downsizing consolidated an otherwise intriguing route map. You'll pay just 8,000 points for short flights within Vietnam, which sounds cheap but might not be the best use of your points. Consider how many ultra-low-cost airlines operate in the region. There's a lot!

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Calm Air

Calm Air operates flights primarily within Manitoba (out of Winnipeg-YWG) and the Nunavut provinces. As all flights are within the North America zone, you'll pay 6,000 points in economy for flights under 500 miles, 10,000 in economy for flights up to 1,500 miles, and 12,500 points for the longest flight (YRT-YBQ). These awards (and many of the airports served) aren't bookable online. You'll need to call Aeroplan.

Canadian North

Canadian North serves several locations in western Canada, primarily in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, but also gateway cities in southern Canada. Some of these routes are covered by Air Canada as well, but extra flight options provide extra opportunities to redeem Aeroplan points across more partner airlines. Canadian North offers an extensive network of routes across Canada.

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Aeroplan's award search engine won't recognize all the smaller cities Canadian North serves, but more recognizable city pairings are generally bookable online. If you don't see the airport you are trying to book a flight to or from, give Aeroplan a call.

Cathay Pacific

Although Cathay Pacific belongs to the Oneworld alliance of airlines, Aeroplan members can redeem their points on a small selection of the Hong Kong-based carrier's flights. Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and Bangkok (BKK), Hanoi (HAN), Manila (MNL), Cebu (CEB), and a few other nearby places are bookable with Aeroplan points.

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Cathay Pacific often operates these short regional flights with wide-body planes, allowing travelers to fly in a premium cabin and experience premium seats and products at a fraction of long-haul award costs. If you're flying through the region, this is a fantastic way to travel.

Discover Airlines

Not to be confused with Eurowings or, previously, Eurowings Discover, Discover Airlines is technically a brand-new airline owned by the Lufthansa Group. The Frankfurt-based carrier flies to a handful of leisure destinations worldwide with an all-Airbus A330 fleet. Award availability is generally prevalent, making it easy for Aeroplan members to secure a seat to one of Discover Airlines' 60+ destinations.

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Edelweiss Air

Like Discover Airlines, Edelweiss Air is another leisure-focused airline with a recognizable parent airline: SWISS. With Edelweiss, you can connect to 65+ destinations through the carrier's hub in Zurich (ZRH). However, SWISS and Edelweiss are two very different airlines. Don't get confused by the SWISS logo Aeroplan shows on the booking results, as the in-flight products aren't the same.

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Emirates

Here's the first of two non-alliance airlines from the Middle East that you can book with Aeroplan points: Emirates. Famous for its ultra luxury, Emirates is a global airline that can shuttle you from more than a dozen airports in North America through its Dubai (DXB) hub to numerous points in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and even a few cities in South America.

Unfortunately, you can't enjoy First Class without redeeming tons of points. Alternatively, you can book directly with Emirates to pay fewer miles but (typically) excessive taxes and fees. Expect to pay over 400,000 points per person each way for Emirates first-class bookings between Dubai and North America.

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The steep award costs are a function of dynamic pricing. Similar to flights on its own metal, Air Canada prices Emirates (and FlyDubai) flights within a range. Thankfully, there's an award chart, but it's barely helpful, given how wide the ranges are.

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Related: Here's How Much You'll Pay When Redeeming Aeroplan Points for Emirates Flights

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways, based out of Abu Dhabi (AUH), allows Aeroplan members to connect to many destinations worldwide with a single connection on a single airline. The Middle Eastern carrier serves three U.S. cities (Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C.), plus Toronto, meaning those originating or ending in North America have a few different options for travel.

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But a caveat: Etihad awards in economy bookable with Aeroplan points are a dime a dozen. Premium cabin awards are not. Don't expect to book premium Etihad awards with Aeroplan points; the award space just isn't there.

Related: Etihad Still Restricting Awards With Partner Airlines

Eurowings

Eurowings is a budget airline based out of Düsseldorf, Germany. Owned by the Lufthansa Group, Eurowings flies to 150+ destinations across Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. In recent history, Air Canada made Eurowings bookable online; previously, you had to call Aeroplan to book.

With budget carriers, be sure to compare the cash price to the points price. Generally, Eurowings flights are available for cheap, making your points worth more elsewhere.

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FlyDubai

On the surface, FlyDubai looks a lot like the famed Emirates Airlines. However, despite working closely with one another and sharing the Skywards frequent flyer program, the carriers are two separate entities. With an all-Boeing 737 fleet, FlyDubai flies to 120+ destinations across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and more. While award space is prevalent, FlyDubai awards are incredibly pricey — a function of sharing the same dynamically-priced award chart with Emirates.

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GOL

Aeroplan members exploring Brazil can enjoy the convenience of a second Brazilian non-alliance partner. GOL utilizes several airports in Brazil for its route network, which covers many domestic destinations, as well as other countries in South America (Argentina, Paraguay, Suriname, and Uruguay) and flights to Orlando (MCO), Miami (MIA), and Punta Cana (PUJ).

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For many of GOL's routes, you'll want to compare the cost of using Aeroplan points with the cash cost for these partner airlines. Routinely, the cash fares are compelling enough to save your Aeroplan points for another, more valuable redemption.

Gulf Air

Here's another Middle Eastern partner airline on the list for using your Aeroplan points: Bahrain-based Gulf Air. The airline flies as far as Manchester (MAN), Casablanca (CMN), Manila (MNL), and Singapore (SIN), but it provides concentrated services around the eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, and Indian subcontinent.

Gulf Air doesn't have first class, unlike many other Middle Eastern Airlines. However, it does have a remarkable business-class product. Even better, these cabins are accessible for a reasonable amount of points.

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Juneyao Airlines

Juneyao Airlines, a Star Alliance Connecting Partner, transports passengers from its primary hubs in Shanghai — yes, both Shanghai international airports — to destinations throughout Asia and even flies to Helsinki (HEL). It's easy to find partner award space using United's website.

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Unfortunately, these awards don't show up on Aeroplan's website. You'll need to call after finding seats on United's page.

Olympic Air

Olympic Air, a subsidiary of Aegean Airlines, is a regional airline transporting passengers entirely within Greece. Aeroplan members can bounce around Greek islands on Olympic Air's fleet of prop planes, which can be a cool experience — especially considering the location. You'll pay 7,500 points in economy or 15,000 points in business class, even on Olympic Air's longest flight.

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However, considering the time and distance, you're likely better off paying cash for Olympic Air flights. On average, prices run $80–$135 per way, depending on the season.

Oman Air

While Oman Air is set to join the Oneworld alliance, it's not leaving the list of airlines on which you can use your Aeroplan points. You can fly to/from its hub in Muscat (MCT) in economy, business, or first class. Oman Air serves numerous locations in the Middle East, Türkiye, Central Europe, India, and Southeast Asia. It even flies to Zanzibar (ZNZ) and Dar es Salaam (DAR) in Tanzania.

Finding award space can be a challenge, but it's worth digging for space to try out this boutique airline.

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PAL Airlines

Formerly known as Provincial Airlines, PAL serves eastern Canada, flying in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfound and Labrador. Awards to PAL's larger airports are bookable online. However, you'll have to call for award tickets to smaller airports. That's because Aeroplan's website doesn't recognize some of them.

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And those will also be the best value for your Aeroplan points. Flights to smaller airports with less frequent service will cost more, providing more value for your points redemptions. Flights bookable online tend to be those with cheaper cash fares; you might skip those redemptions.

SunExpress

SunExpress is a joint venture between two other Aeroplan partner airlines (Lufthansa and Turkish), and you can use points to fly throughout the Middle East and Europe. All flights route through Türkiye, but SunExpress interestingly doesn't serve either of Istanbul's two airports. SunExpress became an Aeroplan partner in November of 2022, and finding these awards online isn't the most reliable. That said, it's still possible.

Credit: Air Canada

All SunExpress flights are within the Atlantic zone, so reference the distance chart to see how much you'll pay for each flight. This flight from Antalya (AYT) to Copenhagen (CPH) lasts nearly four hours, costing 12,500 points in economy.

Virgin Australia

Among the partner airlines you can book with Aeroplan points, few had such a drastic shift to their route offerings in the past few years as Virgin Australia. At present, the airline has reduced its network to include only domestic flights in Australia, a single airport in New Zealand (Queenstown-ZQN), Bali, Tokyo, Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu.

Credit: Air Canada

On most of the carrier's routes, award availability is generally good in all classes. Next time you're in the region, flying Virgin Australia might be a cost-effective way to get around. But as always, you'll want to compare the mileage costs with the going cash rates.

Building Your Aeroplan Balance

Aeroplan offers several co-branded credit cards in Canada, as well as one available in the U.S. Canadians can earn Aeroplan points with the following credit cards:

• TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite
• TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite Privilege Card
• TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Platinum
• TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Business

Those in the U.S. can apply for the Aeroplan^® Credit Card (Rates & Fees) from Chase. For a deeper dive into the ins and outs of this card, check out our full Aeroplan Card review.

It's also possible to top up your Aeroplan balance with transfers from the following points programs:

Related: Do Air Canada Aeroplan Points Expire?

Final Thoughts

We'll admit it: That's a lot of reading. But in a few words, there are nearly 50 airlines you can book with Air Canada Aeroplan points. So, no matter where you want to go in the world, Aeroplan points and Air Canada's deep partner network can get you there. Even better, many of these partners are bookable online, though some require a phone call. In the U.S., dial 888-247-2262. Phone agents are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

When booking, remember two details: the value you place on Aeroplan points and alternative ways to pay for your ticket. Depending on the airfare cost and routing, other frequent flyer programs might offer a better redemption. Or, for inexpensive tickets, there might be more value to paying in cash and saving your points for later use.

For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Aeroplan^® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)