A First Look at Aeroplan’s New Flight Reward Chart

Earlier this year, Aeroplan announced that it was making some amendments to the Flight Reward Chart, which were set to take effect as of March 25, 2025. 

This round of changes sees the introduction of a new Air Canada and Select Partners Reward Chart, and importantly, more airline partners are shifting from fixed pricing to a dynamic pricing structure.

Now that the new chart is live, let’s take a first look at the changes, as well as what implications there might be for Aeroplan enthusiasts going forward.

Aeroplan’s New Air Canada and Select Partners Reward Charts

With the introduction of the new Air Canada and Select Partners Reward Charts, we’re seeing the most impactful change to Aeroplan since its relaunch in Fall 2020. 

In September 2022, Aeroplan made some adjustments to the Flight Reward Chart, which saw some increases and some decreases to award pricing, as well as some rejigging of distance bands.

Since then, we’ve also seen the implementation of new charts for Emirates and flydubai, which became new partners in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Today, Aeroplan has updated the Flight Reward Chart to include “Air Canada and Select Partners” in one tier, and “All other partners” in another.

Here’s what the updated Within North America chart looks like…

And here’s what the Between North America and Pacific zones chart looks like…

The rest of the charts can be found on the Air Canada website.

Importantly, you’ll notice that on all charts, there’s now pricing for “Air Canada and/or Select Partners” in one tier, and “All other partners in another.” There have been no changes to the pricing for all other partners.

You’ll also notice that Air Canada now uses “Starting at” pricing and a median range, whereas before, you’d see a sample range of prices for Air Canada flights (and no median figure).

Here’s what the Between North America and Pacific zones chart used to look like (for comparison).

A summary of the major changes that take effect as of today is as follows:

• United Airlines, Etihad Airways, Calm Air, PAL Airlines, and Canadian North have moved from fixed pricing to dynamic pricing
• Etihad Airways business class redemptions are now available again with Aeroplan after being unavailable for quite some time
• Aeroplan’s preferred pricing benefit applies to the new partners with dynamic pricing

Importantly, the move to dynamic pricing for these partners means that you might still find awards at the “saver”-level redemption prices from the previous iteration of the chart (the “Starting at” prices in the above chart); however, you may also find the same flights at higher prices.

While this means that Aeroplan members might have access to an increased inventory of flights, we’ll have to pay more for them in some cases than we did before. Plus, there’s no longer a published upper limit for airlines with dynamic pricing (though in many cases, the upper limit was exceeded before, too). 

It’s worth noting that Aeroplan signalled that Canadian regional airline partners would be moving to a new chart a couple of years ago, and also gave notice that the other changes were going to take effect rather than implementing them without notice.

A First Look at Redemptions with the Air Canada and Select Partners Reward Chart

Now that the changes to the Aeroplan Flight Reward chart are live, let’s take a look at what redemptions look like with the new structure, and compare them to what redemptions were previously.

Later on, we’ll discuss the implications this will have for Aeroplan enthusiasts going forward.

Aeroplan Redemptions with United Airlines

Perhaps the biggest shift that’s taken place is that United Airlines flights booked with Aeroplan points are now subject to dynamic pricing. 

In the below examples, you’ll see a screenshot of award flights taken prior to the changes taking effect, as well as one taken after (in most cases). 

Short-haul flights of less than 500 miles with United Airlines – such as from Chicago to Toronto – cost 6,000 points in economy or 15,000 points in business class prior to the changes. 

With the new pricing in effect, the same flights cost 10,000 points in economy (66% increase) and 30,000 points in business class (100% increase). The listed median price is 10,200 points (economy) and 18,500 points (business class) in the new chart.

Medium-haul flights of between 501 and 1,500 miles in length – such as from Vancouver to San Francisco – cost 10,000 points in economy or 20,000 points in business class prior to the changes.

With the new pricing in effect, the same flights cost 15,000 points in economy (50% increase) and 30,000 points in business class (50% increase). The listed median price is 13,600 points (economy) and 28,500 points (business class) in the new chart.

Moving further afield, a one-way flight from San Francisco to Tahiti – which falls in the first distance band on the Between North America and Pacific zones chart – cost 35,000 points in economy or 55,000 points in business class.

With the new pricing in effect, the same flights cost 45,000 points in economy (29% increase) and 85,000 points in business class (55% increase). The listed median price is 45,000 points (economy) and 85,000 points (business class) in the new chart.

A one-way flight from Los Angeles to Sydney cost 60,000 points in economy or 87,500 points in business class prior to the changes to the Flight Reward Chart.

With the new pricing in effect, the same flights cost 60,000 points in economy (no change) and 100,000 points in business class (14% increase). The listed median price is 60,000 points (economy) and 100,000 points (business class) in the new chart.

Moving over to transatlantic flights, a one-way flight from Chicago to London cost 35,000 points in economy or 60,000 points in business class prior to the changes.

With the new pricing in effect, the same flights cost 40,000 points in economy (14% increase) and 80,000 points in business class (33% increase). The listed median price is 35,000 points (economy) and 80,000 points (business class) in the new chart.

Lastly, under the previous iteration of the Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart, a one-way flight from Houston to Sao Paulo cost 40,000 points in economy or 60,000 points in business class (no screenshot).

With the new pricing in effect, the same flights cost 45,000 points in economy (13% increase) and 100,000 points in business class (67% increase). The listed median price is 46,800 points (economy) and 100,000 points (business class) in the new chart.

It’s important to note that this is just day one of the new chart and pricing, which means that things may change in the future. The above examples also only represent a very small subset of flights with United Airlines that can be booked with Aeroplan points.

Furthermore, the above examples don’t take into effect what (if any) effect preferred pricing has on redemptions.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sure to do a more detailed analysis of how United Airlines flights price out with Aeroplan points, including on mixed airline itineraries and whether or not there’s any sort of access to greater award availability (beyond the “saver”-level awards as shown above).

Aeroplan Redemptions with Etihad Airways

Aeroplan launched a partnership with Etihad Airways in June 2020, and for the next few years, Etihad Airways award availability and pricing through Aeroplan was excellent. 

Under the old chart, a one-way flight from Toronto to Abu Dhabi cost 55,000 points in economy or 90,000 points in business class, and First Class redemptions were also available (including one of Aeroplan’s best sweet spots of 65,000 points for Etihad Airways First Class between Abu Dhabi and London). 

For the past couple of years, Aeroplan hasn’t had any access to premium cabin awards with Etihad Airways.

When Aeroplan announced the changes that took effect on March 25, 2025, it also revealed that Etihad Airways business class awards would return to Aeroplan, and that Etihad Airways would be one of the Select Partners moving to dynamic pricing.

With the changes now live, we can see that a one-way flight between Toronto and Abu Dhabi prices out at 79,500 points in economy (45% increase) and 220,900 points in business class (145% increase). The listed median price is 60,700 points (economy) and 113,000 points (business class) in the new chart.

At the time of writing, award availability with Etihad Airways on other routes (including from US hubs to Abu Dhabi and from European hubs to Abu Dhabi) wasn’t readily available. If and when that changes, we”ll update this article with a few more examples.

It’s worth noting that Etihad Airways First Class redemptions aren’t available with Aeroplan. Should they return, keep in mind that Etihad Airways will fly the A380 between Toronto and Abu Dhabi as of June 24, 2025, complete with Etihad Apartments.

Aeroplan Redemptions with Canadian Regional Airlines

For years, one of the most valuable redemptions with Aeroplan was with booking flights with Canadian regional airlines (Calm Air, Canadian North, and PAL Airlines). That’s because these partners were subject to fixed pricing under the old Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart, while cash prices for the same flights were very high.

This represented an excellent opportunity for Canadians to leverage Aeroplan points to visit remote destinations across the country at a steep discount, and it was also a way for residents of these communities to save a significant amount of money on flights (versus paying cash).

These partners have now moved to dynamic pricing and are subject to a new chart, and we’re getting a sense of the impact of the changes. 

At the time of writing, Calm Air redemptions weren’t available on the Aeroplan website, and weren’t available through the Aeroplan contact centre. As it stands, it appears that Calm Air flights must still be booked via the Calm Air contact centre, and there haven’t been any changes to award pricing on their end. If you have a trip to Churchill or on any other Calm Air route, it’s likely in your best interest to book soon.

For example, under the old Flight Reward Chart, a one-way flight between Ottawa and Iqaluit with Canadian North cost 10,000 points in economy.

With the new pricing in effect, the same flights cost 18,100 points in economy (81% increase). The listed median price is 13,600 points (economy) in the new chart.

Canadian North also operates a flight between Edmonton and Yellowknife. Under the old chart, a one-way flight also cost 10,000 Aeroplan points (no screenshot). With the new pricing in effect, the same flights cost 15,000 points in economy (50% increase) (no screenshot). The listed median price is 13,600 points (economy) in the new chart.

A quick search for flights with PAL Airlines seems to show pricing at 15,000 points in economy for all flights. This includes Quebec City to Gaspé, Moncton to Mont Joli, St. John’s to Deer Lake, and more.

Under the old chart, all of these flights would have cost a fixed price of 6,000 Aeroplan points, and this seems to represent an increase of 150%. The listed median price is 10,200 points (economy) in the new chart.

A flight from Wabush to Montreal measures 601 miles, and under the old chart, we’d expect pricing to come in at 10,000 points. It, too, now prices out at 15,000 points, or an increase of 50% from before. The listed median price is 13,600 points (economy) in the new chart.

Again, these represent only a few examples of routes and pricing changes, and it’s only the first day of the new chart. Therefore, we might expect to see some further changes in the future, such as effects of preferred pricing, dynamic pricing, and more.

How Does the New Flight Reward Chart Affect Aeroplan Members?

There’s a lot to digest here, as these represent some significant changes to the Aeroplan we’ve come to know over the past four and a half years.

I’ll also note that I haven’t included any analysis of Emirates or flydubai flights here, since they were already subject to their own charts and dynamic pricing; however, this is something that we should explore in the future.

With the above examples in mind, we’ll discuss the implications of each, since they’ll affect different Aeroplan users.

Aeroplan Redemptions with United Are More Expensive than Before

In my opinion, the biggest impact of these changes are to Aeroplan redemptions with United Airlines. In the above examples, we saw everything from no change in price to 100% increases, and there are sure to be many other examples.

For the most part, the changes to United Airlines redemptions that took effect today represent a fairly significant devaluation. In the searches done by our team, we couldn’t find any flights that price at the “Starting at” levels in the new chart, and most appeared to be more in line with the listed median values.

Using Aeroplan points for flights with United Airlines was one of the most reliable ways to get fixed pricing on long-haul routes from or to North America.

In some cases, award availability throughout the year was great, and with United’s excellent Polaris lounges scattered throughout the United States, taking a positioning flight from a Canadian or US hub was worth the effort.

Furthermore, United Airlines was one of the most reliable Aeroplan partners for releasing last-minute award availability on nearly every long-haul route. 

Personally, I’ve helped friends and family book transpacific United Airlines business class flights to and from Australia with a near 100% success rate using Aeroplan points, though it often meant booking in the month leading up to departure.

One of the best Aeroplan sweet spots was to fly between San Francisco to Tahiti for just 55,000 points in business class. That same flight now costs 85,000 points, which is still a good deal but not nearly as attractive as it was before.

Plus, at a time when award flights in premium cabins to Asia continue to remain scarce, United Airlines flights with Aeroplan were an almost surefire way to fly in comfort when there was nothing else available.

Redeeming Aeroplan points for flights with United is still a pretty great deal, and it’s likely that last-minute award availability will continue to be a good strategic choice for flights across the airline’s network. 

While the changes to award pricing aren’t as significant as they could have been, in that Aeroplan flights with United don’t cost as much as similar Air Canada flights with dynamic pricing, this is the most negative change to the program in my opinion.

Questions that remain include the impact of preferred pricing, whether or not we’ll see any United flights at the “Starting at” prices on the Flight Reward Chart, and whether or not there will be access to more United inventory at a higher price point (similar to what’s available in United MileagePlus).

Aeroplan Redemptions with Etihad Airways Are Back… But Not Competitive

When it comes to using Aeroplan points to book flights with Etihad Airways, the new pricing just doesn’t appear to be competitive when compared to the same flights booked through other loyalty programs.

While it’s true that having access to Etihad Airways business class through Aeroplan is an improvement (since it simply wasn’t available at all before), the effects of dynamic pricing no longer make this as attractive of a redemption as it used to be.

For example, Canadians have access to three loyalty programs that can book Etihad Airways flights: Aeroplan, Air France KLM Flying Blue, and American Airlines AAdvantage.

We’ll use the example of a one-way flight between Toronto and Abu Dhabi to compare award pricing between the three programs:

• Aeroplan: 220,900 Aeroplan points + $118 taxes and fees

• Air France KLM Flying Blue: 86,000 Flying Blue miles + $324.72 taxes and fees

• American Airlines AAdvantage: 70,000 AAdvantage miles + $78.23 taxes and fees

Accessing Flying Blue is likely best done through American Express Membership Rewards, and taking the 1:0.75 transfer ratio into consideration, the effective cost is roughly 115,000 MR points.

Accessing AAdvantage is best done through RBC Avion, and taking the 1:0.7 ratio into consideration, the effective cost is roughly 100,000 Avion points.

Comparatively, Aeroplan points are much easier to acquire; however, the cost in points is now roughly twice the effective cost of booking through other programs.

There are some reports that the partnership between Etihad Airways and Air France KLM could soon be ending.

Again, Aeroplan didn’t have access to Etihad Airways business class redemptions for the past few years, so having them available is an improvement. It’s just that the pricing doesn’t really make it nearly as attractive as it was before.

Questions that remain include effects of preferred pricing, pricing of other Etihad Airways itineraries, and mixing flights with Etihad Airways and other partner airlines.

Aeroplan Redemptions with Canadian Regional Partners Are Still a Solid Deal

Lastly, the move of Canadian regional airline partners to dynamic pricing is a bit of a mixed bag.

In terms of value calculated in cents per point, booking flights with Canadian regional partners using Aeroplan points can still represent a great deal. 

For example, a one-way flight between Ottawa and Iqaluit appears to price out at 18,100 points, plus $90 in taxes and fees.

That same flight might price out at $1,054, and when you take into consideration the taxes and fees on the Aeroplan booking, it still works out to a very respectable 5.4 cents per point.

It’s likely a similar story with PAL Airlines and Calm Air (though there don’t appear to be any changes yet to the latter), in that you can still get great outsized value from Aeroplan with these partners (as you can with United Airlines, Etihad Airways, and other Aeroplan partner airlines).

However, as is the case with United Airlines and Etihad Airways, it doesn’t take away from the fact that award prices with Canadian regional airline partners have risen significantly compared to what they were before.

In my opinion, the people who will be most negatively affected by these changes are people who live in communities served by these airlines. That’s because for years, Aeroplan offered a fixed price in points for flying with regional partners, and compared to the cash prices, it was an outstanding deal.

It’s still a great deal; however, your points just won’t go as far as they used to, and that’s indeed an unfortunate development for anyone who was accustomed to the previous Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart.

Your trips to Churchill, Yellowknife, Iqaluit, and beyond will still be a great deal with Aeroplan – just not nearly as good as they used to be.

Conclusion

Aeroplan has implemented its biggest set of changes to the Flight Reward Chart since its launch in Fall 2020. 

By and large, the changes are negative, in that award pricing with United Airlines and Canadian regional airlines has risen across the board. Hopefully, we’ll see expanded access to inventory with these airlines in the future, as was suggested when Aeroplan announced the changes.

While Etihad Airways business class inventory has returned to the program, the pricing isn’t nearly as attractive as what it was in years prior, nor is it competitive with other programs that have access to the same award flights.

This is just the first day of the changes, and there will likely be further developments that we’ll be sure to cover.

For now, consider sticking to other partner airlines that haven’t moved to dynamic pricing to sidestep these effects, or keep an eye out for flights that price out as close to the “Starting at” costs as possible to know you’re getting the best possible deal. 

Aeroplan is still an excellent loyalty program with plenty of opportunities to score outsized value; however, this round of changes is largely negative, especially for those who tended to redeem points with the new Select Partners at a fixed rate in the past.

I’m grateful for the contributions of my colleague Jason Lee and the Prince of Travel team, who assisted with research in this article.