Aeroplan and Air Canada Win Program of the Year Award at First Annual
Frequent Traveler Awards

Program also takes top honours in Airline Earning Promotion and Airline Redemption Promotion

MONTREAL, Nov. 8 /CNW Telbec/ - Aeroplan, Canada's premier loyalty coalition program and Air Canada, Canada's largest full-service airline have received three major honours for the Americas region as voted by the public in the first annual Frequent Traveler Awards.  At a ceremony on November 4^th in Houston, Texas, Aeroplan won the " 2010 Program of the Year" title for airlines in the Americas and was also recognized for "Best Airline Earning Promotion" and "Best Airline Redemption Ability."

"We are honoured to receive this important recognition from our members, frequent flyers and the industry and proud to be working with our partner Air Canada to continuously enhance our program and the engagement of our members," said Vince Timpano, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeroplan.  "These awards solidify Aeroplan as a leader in the Americas and we look forward to giving our members more options for accumulating miles and unique reward experiences."

"Aeroplan is an important part of the reason many of the 31 million people who fly Air Canada each year choose our airline," said Craig Landry, Vice President Marketing at Air Canada. "We are proud to accept these awards with our partner Aeroplan and remain committed to ensuring our frequent flyer program remains best in class."

The Frequent Traveler Awards represent excellence in frequent travel programs worldwide, rating the best frequent flyer and frequent guest programs. Frequent flyer and frequent guest programs from around the world compete in six categories including: Program of the Year, Best Redemption Promotion, Best Earning Promotion, Best Redemption Ability, Best Elite-Level Program and Best Loyalty Credit Card. Voters select programs in one of three global regions: Americas, Europe/Africa, and the Middle East/Asia and Oceania.  This year, over one million people from more than 200 countries participated in the Frequent Traveler Awards, casting online votes to choose their favourite programs and campaigns for 2009.  The Frequent Traveler Awards have been created by the Frequent Traveler Educational Foundation (FTEF). 

About Aeroplan
Aeroplan, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program, is owned by Groupe Aeroplan Inc., a global leader in loyalty management.  

Aeroplan's millions of members earn Aeroplan Miles with its growing network of over 75 world-class partners, representing more than 150 brands in the financial, retail, and travel sectors.  

In 2009, over 2.1 million rewards were issued to members including more than 1.5 million flights on Air Canada and Star Alliance carriers which offer travel to more than 1,000 destinations worldwide. In addition to flights, members also have access to over 600 exciting specialty, merchandise, hotel, car rental and experiential rewards. 

For more information about Aeroplan, please visit www.aeroplan.com or www.groupeaeroplan.com.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international full-service airline providing scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 170 destinations on five continents.  Canada's flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and serves 31 million customers annually. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 59 destinations in Canada, 59 in the United States and 60 in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,172 destinations in 181 countries.  Air Canada customers can collect Aeroplan miles for future rewards through Canada's leading loyalty program, and Top Tier members enjoy reciprocal frequent flyer benefits including lounge and priority services.  For more information on Air Canada visit aircanada.com and follow @AirCanada on Twitter and Facebook.

For further information:

Christa Poole
Aeroplan
416-352-3745
[email protected]

Air Canada:
Isabelle Arthur (Montréal)   Peter Fitzpatrick (Toronto)      Angela Mah (Vancouver)	514 422-5788 416 263-5576 604 270-5741