Air Canada plans a big boost to its WiFi offerings on board, including more free options for travelers. The company is also updating its entertainment package to expand the live television offering available.
This multi-faceted partnership with Bell will allow Air Canada customers to keep in touch with friends, family, or colleagues wherever they travel.
– Mark Nasr, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Digital, and President of Aeroplan at Air Canada
From 15 May 2023 members of the Aeroplan loyalty program can access complimentary messaging across the fleet. Using the loyalty program to pay for complimentary access on board is hardly new, even at Air Canada. The company has offered a top tier elite benefit of an annual pass for some years now. And that program was revenue-positive for both the IFEC and Loyalty teams, according to Norm Haughton, AC’s Director of IFEC Product and Analytics.
“As more of our Aeroplan Elite customers select the wifi option, there are cost advantages,” Haughton explained at World Aviation Festival in Amsterdam last November. “It was not a hard business case to bring to the loyalty program. It is a lot cheaper than other things that are in the elite catalog that are also attractive.”
But Air Canada is also approaching the program from a slightly different angle. Unlike other loyalty-driven connectivity programs, Air Canada recognizes that many of its passengers participate in partner programs. Some of those passengers will also receive the benefit, without requiring a new loyalty account.
Travelers who are members of strategic partner airline programs, including customers of United MileagePlus, Lufthansa Group Miles & More, and Emirates Skywards, will have access to the complimentary messaging when their account numbers are associated with an Air Canada booking.
The messaging service will enable customers to send and receive text-based messages on popular messaging apps, including iMessage, WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, Messages by Google.
The carrier will partner with Canadian telco Bell to deliver the benefits. Bell will also provide tourist SIM cards on select inbound international flights, allowing passenger the ability to connect their phones on the ground upon arrival.
Air Canada also expects the partnership to enable additional Aeroplan rewards and to expand the inflight entertainment options on board. Notably, the carrier anticipates expansion of its live television offering on board to cover transborder flights later this summer. That content is served on the Panasonic Avionics-powered in-seat entertainment screens today. The channels will stream to the planes across the Intelsat 2Ku satellite network.
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