Air Canada Flight Passes: Everything You Need to Know

air-canada-flight-pass-featured-image

It can be difficult to make plans if you’re a frequent flyer. Do you need to purchase a cash fare? When should you book? What’s the best deal on points?

Today, let’s take a look at an alternative way to plan your travel across Canada and the rest of the world with Air Canada’s Flight Pass. This is a program that allows you to purchase either a set number of flights for a given price or to have unlimited monthly flights so long as you purchase passes in three-month blocks.

As always, value is in the eye of the beholder, but we hope to demonstrate some of the value these Flight Passes offer to consumers who find themselves in the sky on a regular basis.

What Are Air Canada Flight Passes?

The basic idea of an Air Canada Flight Pass is that you pay one fixed price for flights either within or between different specific geographic areas for one set price. That means you need to make sure you double and triple-check the fine print before buying so your intended points of departure and destinations are all included!

There are many types of Flight Passes available. Some are specifically available for students commuting home, and others are seasonally based for vacationers. Others, such as the Sun Pass, are targeted specifically towards Canadian snowbirds who live up north in the summer and commute to the United States in winter.

Air Canada Flight Passes also offer flexibility because it allows you to book one-way flights. This means that you have the flexibility of potentially booking to one city, and then choosing to return from another, depending on the conditions of the individual flight pass you purchase. This feature is useful for people who like creating their own open-jaw itineraries because booking purely one-way fares in cash is often much more expensive than scheduling round trips.

A key piece of information to remember is that Flight Passes are handled by a separate service team rather than regular Air Canada customer service.

While Air Canada’s customer service can often leave something to be desired due to the number of customers they service, Air Canada Flight passes have their own dedicated customer service line provided in the sub-menus of Air Canada’s phone number, and are purchased through a specific section of AC’s website. In addition, flights purchased under Flight Passes, while serviced by Air Canada (and its affiliates Rouge and Jazz), need to be managed in their respective and personalized Flight Pass app.

Finally, note that the fine print for Air Canada Flight Passes says you must be an Aeroplan member in good standing to purchase and use this service:

air canada flight pass eligibility rules

Unlimited Flight Passes vs Fixed Credit Flight Passes

There are two types of Air Canada Flight passes: those that work on an unlimited basis and generally cost more, and those that work on a fixed credit system where 1 one-way flight is equal to 1 credit.

No matter what type of Flight Pass you purchase, you earn Aeroplan points in accordance with the rules for your Air Canada fare class and segment.

air canada plane loading luggage

If and when Air Canada updates to revenue-based earning of Aeroplan miles, this section will be updated (though we can assume it will be calculated along similar lines to how Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) and Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD) are calculated for each type of Flight Pass).

Air Canada Unlimited Flight Passes

Air Canada Unlimited Flight Passes, as the name suggests, are exactly as described: you pay a set monthly fee, and so long as you pay, you get unlimited travel within or between the zones described by the pass that you purchased.

So long as your destinations and points of departure are in the zone you’ve purchased, you’re golden. For example, I live in Alberta, which is known for its oil and Oilers (both in hockey and in the fields).

air canada oil continental flight pass pricing

This Oil Continental flight pass is for oil industry workers or contractors, and so a Latitude Unlimited pass runs $6,390 per month and must be purchased for 3 months, for a total cost of $19,170.

Unlimited Flight Passes earn a fixed amount of status qualifying miles each month your credit card is charged, and the amount of SQM you get depends on the fare purchased. In this case, purchasing this flight pass will earn 15,000 SQM per month.

air canada oil continental flight pass guidelines

The status qualifying dollars you will earn are equal to the amount you pay via credit card each month the service is active, less any taxes and fees. This can take a significant chunk of SQDs out of cheaper Flight Passes whose point of origin is from Canadian airports due to very high airport improvement levies. Therefore approximately 18,500 SQDs would be granted by this package.

Air Canada Fixed Credit Flight Passes

The Air Canada Fixed Credit Flight Pass system is also fairly easy: you get a set number of credits and 1 flight credit = 1 one-way flight in a given direction. One of these passes enables travel in the designated zones for a consecutive 12-month period, which can be extended for certain fees.

An added benefit of Fixed Credit Flight Passes is that many of these allow you to cover more than one traveler. So long as they’re named at the time of purchasing the pass, they’ll be eligible to use flight credits.

Let’s look at an example of a pair of snowbirds who like going anywhere hot in the winter and are interested in purchasing the Florida Plus flight pass:

air canada florida plus flight pass pricing

In this case, a price of $6,090 would gain the purchasers 8 flight credits from any destination in Eastern Canada to a laundry list of destinations in the Sun Belt of the United States, as well as Mexico and the Caribbean, including but not limited to Orlando, Phoenix, Havana, Nassau, and Cancun.

This is probably the perfect option for people who love cruising and wish to fly to or from various ports of call. That being said, customers will also need to do the math to see if they will come out ahead as opposed to just purchasing the flights outright.

Is Purchasing an Air Canada Flight Pass Worth It?

To ascertain whether the Flight Pass you’re purchasing is worth it, you’ll need to figure out a few pieces of information: can you afford to pay a huge cost up-front, and will the pass you’re purchasing sufficiently cover the travelers you’re buying for?

To determine this, let’s take a look at the following example for all of our Western Canada-based lovers of kangaroos, breakdancing, who want to travel to Australia a lot in the coming year:

air canada australia western canada flight pass pricing

The cheapest flight pass, for 8 flight credits for up to 2 travelers, is $16,392. This means that the minimum value for each segment would have to be valued at a minimum of $2,049 to be worth purchasing the pass.

In my estimation, the smartest way for a pair of travelers to purchase this flight pass would be in mid-to-late December to go to Australia for Christmas, then use it again in early December of the next year to go back for the same holiday. Additionally, some flight passes have seasonal surcharges, but this doesn’t appear to be one of them.

The cost of the flight this year in mid-December would be as follows:

saskatoon to sydney air canada cash fare for december 2024

While we cannot search the calendar this far in advance yet, as it only allows going about 355 days into the future, we can see what flying out on the 15th of December and returning on the 3rd of January would look like this year:

saskatoon to australia flight price december

This gives us a net total of $22,966.48 when paying out of pocket versus a Flight Pass cost of $16,392. Purchasing a Flight Pass thus saves $6,754.58. While prices may go down next year for these dates of flights, it is still quite probable the Flight Pass, when employed for this Christmas redemption, will save big.

kangaroo in field

As always, purchasing a flight pass will be subjective and based on your needs, though we hope we’ve demonstrated above that to really calculate the value, you’re going to need to conduct some pretty detailed research to determine your exact dollar’s worth on each flight taken.

In our estimation, there are two primary types of flight pass customers.

The first type is your maximizers. These are frequent flyers who will meticulously compare the pros and cons of every flight to extract maximum value for their travel needs and schedule.

Becoming this type of customer takes some time mastering the system, learning route maps, and generally having a decent idea about prices before flying. This type of customer will also need to master the Air Canada Flight Pass program and its fees which we’ll talk more about in a second.

The second group of flight pass customers are people or businesses who purchase flight passes just to simplify their lives. They know that they can buy the passes at a set price and use them at will, so this removes some of the guesswork from booking travel and allows for easy, simple bookkeeping.

Air Canada Flight Pass Fees

The Flight Pass fees can be hard to ascertain without clicking through Air Canada’s website menus to buy them. They all follow a few simple rules.

First off, the more basic a Flight Pass, the more punishing the fees. Expect to see cancellation fees be significantly higher on a Flex flight pass over a Latitude one.

Secondly, your address matters. If you buy a Flight Pass while domiciled or purchasing from your Canadian address, you will be charged the fares, taxes, and fees in Canadian dollars. If you buy your Flight Pass from a US address, the purchase price and all your taxes and fees will be denominated in USD. This can add up significantly, so watch out.

united states flag outside bank

So be advised that while most of the following fees remain numerically the same, they’ll be paid for in USD if you bought your flight pass in the United States.

For Canadian non-business customers, all of the following fees have GST or HST depending on your province of residence and include:

  • Cancellations are usually $50 on Flex passes up to 1 hour before departure, with some zones going as high as $100
  • Cancellations and changes on Latitude or premium cabin flight passes are complimentary
  • Extensions of the flight pass’ validity for up to 3 months from the date of expiry cost up to $300, but usually average between $200 and $250
  • Some flight passes (especially inexpensive short-haul flex fares) charge up to $300 during either peak periods, or when booking within 14 days of travel
  • Some flight passes allow a name change (and are thus transferable) for $125. Name changes are subject to Air Canada’s discretion. Most inexpensive one-person flight passes do not allow this. 

Fees are significantly higher for small to large-sized corporations; however, those packages also come with much more flexibility for different travelers and many more flight credits.

As we can see, it requires a lot of knowledge of the flight pass program to avoid fees if you need to reschedule a lot. Therefore, if you have deep pockets and wish to avoid being dinged for your itinerary changes, it’s better to buy either Latitude or premium cabin flight passes.

Do Air Canada Status Benefits Apply on Flights Booked with a Flight Pass?

This question is interesting because a few things work the same when it comes to Air Canada Aeroplan status and Flight passes, and a few things work differently.

First up, your general status “perks” are rewarded on flights: for example, you should be served meals on international destinations based on status and be entitled to free additional checked luggage. If you’re eligible for Maple Leaf Lounge access, you’ll get that, too.

Second, as we elaborated earlier, Status Qualifying Miles and Status Qualifying Dollars work differently depending on whether you bought a fixed-credit or Unlimited Flight Pass.

SQM and SQD are awarded at a flat rate for Unlimited Pass holders. Fixed-credit flyers are granted SQM and SQD based on the actual distance flown and the average cost per segment flown, respectively.

Lastly, we come to the question of eUpgrades. These work identically to how eUpgrades would typically function for the most part, so make sure to review our comprehensive guide to eUpgrades if you have any questions. 

If you’re considering buying a Flight Pass, consider the one way that this product can significantly improve your usage of eUpgrades. 

Flight Passes are made for loyal customers. Therefore, both Flex economy fares tend to code as the highest in their fare segments. This can be very advantageous when trying to score eUpgrades, though of course your clearance window will still be subject to your Aeroplan status:

eupgrade clearance windows based on aeroplan status

Let’s take an example: let’s say that you’re a Vancouver-based fan of anime and Kirin beer, and so bought a Flex flight pass from Western Canada to Japan. The Air Canada flight from YVR to NRT is 4,764 miles, and you feel that you need the extra legroom of Air Canada Premium Economy.

Well, if you had bought a cash Flex fare normally, chances were you’d get a fare code such as U, H, S, K, etc., and need 11 eUpgrades to complete the upgrade. The Flight Pass fare is likelier to be coded as B or M, thus meaning you only need to spend 8 eUpgrades.

eupgrade pricing to premium economy for international air canada flights

As 25k Aeroplan Elite status comes with 25 eUpgrades per year (and can be easily earned through Aeroplan Everyday Status Qualification), this would mean getting to take a full half of the flights in your 6-credit Flight Pass in Premium Economy. 

In addition, Latitude flight pass fares are treated the exact same as regular cash Latitude fares. That means that if you have any level of Aeroplan status, you aren’t subject to any wait time.

The Best Credit Cards to Use When Purchasing an Air Canada Flight Pass

There are a couple of excellent options for purchasing Air Canada flight passes, and all of them fall within the category of what we consider the best Aeroplan credit cards. Buying flight passes with Aeroplan co-branded credit cards is a good idea because all Flight Pass purchases code as Air Canada, granting that powerful travel category spending bonus on the purchase. 

If you have deep pockets and would prefer a premium Aeroplan credit card, we recommend the American Express Aeroplan Reserve card or the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Business card so you can leverage the sweet 3x on Air Canada purchases.

American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card
Apply Now Learn More
American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card

The American Express Aeroplan Reserve card earns Aeroplan points and offers cardholders various Air Canada benefits including priority boarding, free checked baggage, and complimentary Maple Leaf airport lounge access.

In 2024, we awarded this card as the Best Air Canada Aeroplan Credit Card.

Check out our American Express Aeroplan Reserve card review for more details.

BONUS
85,000 Aeroplan
MINSPEND
$10,000
NET VALUE
$1,186+
ANNUAL FEE
$599
FOREX FEES
Yes
EXPIRY

If you don’t wish to pay the higher annual fee inherent to one of those above cards, consider the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite card or CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite card because they offer 2x on all Air Canada purchases for a much more reasonable annual fee.

TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Card
Apply Now Learn More
TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Card

The TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* card earns Aeroplan points and offers cardholders various benefits including a free first checked bag on Air Canada and a $100 NEXUS membership credit.

BONUS
40,000 Aeroplan
MINSPEND
$12,000
NET VALUE
$840+
ANNUAL FEE
$139 (FYF)
FOREX FEES
Yes
EXPIRY

Even better, for both of these cards the annual fees may be waived as part of the welcome offer or can be rebated by holding an eligible bank account that reduces credit card annual fees.

Conclusion

While these are not one of the more commonly employed methods of flying Air Canada, Flight Passes can offer excellent value if you’re willing to read the fine print and search fares so that you can use them to maximize your travel goals. They also offer excellent opportunities when combined with eUpgrades, so definitely dig deeper if you are an Air Canada Aeroplan status holder.

Until next time, fly cheap and in style.

Kirin Tsang

Kirin Tsang

Contributor at Frugal Flyer
Kirin is a man of twists and turns, who enjoys learning every detail of a points program or credit card product and then using its own rules to his advantage. An avid student of the miles and points community since 2019, he loves meeting other enthusiasts because he views the hobby as a real way to enhance and better his life as much as a hobby in and of itself.

Previous

Review: Almare, A Luxury Collection Resort, Isla Mujeres, Adult All-Inclusive

Review: RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card

Next

FEATURED CREDIT CARD

Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
Apply Now Learn More Earn $100 in FlyerFunds upon approval.
Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

The Scotiabank Gold American Express card earns Scene+ Rewards points and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 5x Scene+ points on grocery, restaurant, and entertainment purchases. This card charges no foreign exchange fees.

Check out our Scotiabank Gold American Express card review for more details.

BONUS
40,000 Scene+
MINSPEND
$7,500
NET VALUE
$280+
ANNUAL FEE
$120
FOREX FEES
No
EXPIRY
Jul 1, 2025

Leave a Comment

All comments are moderated according to our comment policy. Your email address will NOT be published.


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.