Are United Airlines And Air Canada Partners?

In my post about Chase’s new partnership with Air Canada Aeroplan, I stated that the airline’s award pricing was often cheaper than that of United.

Now, with the new partnership, holders of Ultimate Rewards cards can transfer points to any airline, as long as they meet the requirements of the program.


Ultimate Rewards cardholders can now transfer points to any airline, as long as they meet the requirements of the program.

To see which program has the better award pricing for US customers, I ran a couple of searches across United and Air Canada Aeroplan.

At TPG, our goal is to provide our readers with the most up-to-date information on travel and rewards. During this time of uncertainty, we are sharing information that could provide value to our readers in the future.

Many airlines have partnered with other companies such as hotels, car rental businesses, and credit card companies to create more flight destinations and earn miles.

With United Airlines, there are many partners that can give you miles and transfer points. Chase Ultimate Rewards also has deals with other airlines.

If you’re a United loyalist, then you should be aware of the various partners that the airline has with.

Domestic U.S.

I tried to find domestic first class award prices for United’s routes in the U.S., as well as some of the lowest one-way fares available. I would also like to see more data points.

International Flights

I also tried to find one-way flights from Chicago to various international destinations.

For example, United charged more for tickets to Dubai, but Air Canada only charged $3.11 in fees.

Beyond the Price

Air Canada offers a similar feature called Stopovers, which allows you to add a stop-over for only 5,000 additional miles. United, on the other hand, has an equivalent feature called the Excursionist Perk, which is much more limited and complex.

Air Canada's customer service is not as good as some other airlines, but it is still important to consider when booking awards.

United's website is a better option for booking awards. It has a better price calendar, and it has a feature that allows you to search for low fares.

United has permanently waived change fees and award cancellation fees. Air Canada also offers these fees only for flights booked by August 2021.


Codeshare Partnerships

Code sharing is a process where one airline markets a flight on behalf of another. Through our codesharing partners, we place our designator code on the flight's ticket.

Related: United Economy Plus (Is It Worth Upgrading?)

Our Codeshare Partners

For example, if you book Flight AC9320 from Lufthansa, then the code will be displayed as the flight's name begins with the letter AC.

When you select a flight, the name of the codesharing airline is displayed next to the other details in the ticket.

When you select a flight, a number appears next to its name, which indicates that it's operated by a codeshare or another airline partner.

Air Canada's Other Airline Partners

Air Canada also has interline partnerships. These are basically two-way tickets that allow customers to travel between multiple airlines without having to purchase a separate ticket.

How to Recognize a Flight with an Interline Partner

On aircanada.com, the number next to each flight shows which carrier is operating it. This information is known as an operated by note.

You can easily identify an interline flight by clicking on its name. The code that's assigned to the flight will then appear next to its other details.

For example, if you book flight CX903 from Cathay Pacific, the flight's name will appear next to the carrier's designator code, which will indicate which airline is operating it.

When you check in with an interline partner, you may see differences in the fees for checked baggage and other charges.

Although the terms and conditions of carriage of an interline partner vary, it's important to read their terms and conditions before traveling.

Related: Are United Airlines Seats Comfortable?

Conclusion

I expected Air Canada Aeroplan points to be better than United's, but the opposite was true. For international business class, I found that Air Canada was slightly better than United.


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