American Airlines providing more flexibility for customers traveling this summer

American Airlines is providing customers additional flexibility for customers in light of concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19).

For existing travel

American has extended its offer to waive change fees for customers who have summer travel through Sept. 30, 2020. The offer is available for any of American’s fares, and customers will have until Dec. 31, 2021, for future travel. Fare rules may apply depending on the ticket.

Any ticket purchased on or before April 7, 2020, for travel through Sept. 30, 2020, will not incur change fees prior to travel. Customers must pay any fare difference, if applicable, at time of ticketing of the new fare.
All AAdvantage® award tickets are included in this offer.
Customers are allowed to change their origin and destination cities as part of this new offer.
Travel must be completed by Dec. 31, 2021.

For new travel purchases

American has also extended its offer to waive change fees for customers who purchase new travel through May 31, 2020. Customers will have even more flexibility since any ticket purchased by May 31, 2020, will not incur change fees prior to travel. The offer is available for any of American’s published nonrefundable fares.

Any ticket purchased from March 1 at 4:30 p.m. CT through May 31, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. CT will not incur change fees prior to travel.
This is available for any of American’s nonrefundable published fares.

HNA’s Africa World Airlines helps the Ghanaian government in the fight against COVID-19

HNA Group has made this announcement:

With the spread of COVID-19 worldwide, Africa, the continent with the largest concentration of developing countries, faces severe challenges in terms of funding and shortages of material and equipment needed for epidemic prevention and control. HNA Group’s Africa World Airlines (AWA), a Ghana-based domestic airline, has been actively working with the local government to combat the outbreak.

At 3 pm GMT on March 29, Africa World Airlines donated $100,000 to the Ghanaian government during a ceremony at the presidential palace. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, Chief of Staff of the Republic of Ghana; Togbe Afede, president of the National House of Chiefs of Ghana; Wang Shiting, Chinese ambassador to Ghana; Chai Zhijing, commercial counselor of the Chinese embassy in Ghana; and Luo Cheng, co-chairman of Africa World Airlines, attended the event.

At the ceremony, Mrs. Osei-Opare, on behalf of President Akufo Addo, expressed their thanks to Africa World Airlines. She said that China was the first country to donate to Ghana and that the donation served as a demonstration of the sincere friendship between the two countries and peoples.

The Chinese ambassador, Mr. Wang, said that since its inception, Africa World Airlines has become the leading airline not only in Ghana but also throughout western Africa and that its air services have not only connected major cities in its home country, but also significantly improved connectivity throughout the region. He also spoke highly of the airline’s support to Ghana in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

HNA implements the One Belt, One Road initiative by building an “air bridge” creating connectivity along the route

Since the One Belt, One Road initiative was launched nearly seven years ago, HNA, a leader in the civil aviation industry, has been actively engaged in the initiative’s implementation. HNA’s airlines now operate nearly 50 routes within the regions targeted by One Belt, One Road. Through air transport, the group has created a One Belt, One Road network that plays a key role in achieving the goals of the initiative. Africa World Airlines is the first air carrier to receive an investment from a Chinese company on the African continent. The investment is a breakthrough in terms of Chinamoving from traditional investment and serving as contractors in Africa to the continent’s aviation service industry.

In September 2018, speakers at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation once again stressed the need to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Africa, consolidating the impetus in building a closer Sino-African community.

Over the past seven years, Africa World Airlines has grown into the largest passenger airline in Ghana, with 98% local employees and an over 60% market share. The airline has provided great support to Ghana’s efforts in establishing the country as the region’s aviation hub, and has provided the momentum for the development of a local aviation market and tourism industry.

HNA leverages its experience to help Africa World Airlines accelerate development with Chinese programs

HNA has been following a strategy of encouraging Chinese companies to invest in Africa and support them when they do, opening international routes that connect with African countries and establishing its first overseas airline in the region. Despite the high prices for air transportation, the low number of passengers, the challenges brought about by the Ebola virus, losses in the African aviation industry and the risk of bankruptcy that has plagued most airlines in the region at one time or another, HNA has backed the African subsidiary with an investment of more than US$30 millionand watched it turn a profit just two years after inception. By doing so, HNA has created a model for cooperation between the Chinese and African aviation sectors.

Since its inception 27 years ago, HNA has accumulated extensive operation and management experience in the aviation industry. Africa World Airlines is another example of HNA’s rich experience in managing airlines in overseas markets. HNA has leveraged its own professional aviation management capabilities and rich management experience in day-to-day operation and safety, and in providing a level of service that shows a real interest in the passenger’s experience and comfort, helping its African subsidiary grow and expand.

Based on the local situation, HNA has always taken safety management as a priority. The airline’s proven record in terms of safety has been a key factor in why charter flight operators have overwhelmingly chosen to work with its two-year old subsidiary. Meanwhile, by controlling costs, employing local staff, offering systematic training, continuously improving service quality, and fulfilling social responsibilities, Africa World Airlines has become a preferred choice among local travellers. All these factors have played in role in the airline being able to turn a profit in such a short time.

HNA Group has taken many steps in optimizing its own international operation and safety management, corporate culture, brand building and cultural integration, to create a model that is representative of the development of China’scivil aviation industry.

Sino-African cooperation in aviation creates an international brand, extending the industrial chain and boosting Africa‘s economic development

Africa World Airlines’ growth has had the knock-on effect of fueling tourism to the degree that it has become the fastest growing industry in Ghana, replacing the timber industry as the country’s third largest foreign exchange earner. Ghanahas also shifted its focus from primary industries such as agriculture and mining to tertiary industries such as tourism and aviation. In line with the shift, Chinese investors have moved from traditional plays such a mining and project contracting to service-oriented ones. The Chinese-invested Africa World Airlines has won a series of awards including the Best Airline Award from the Ghana Tourism Authority, the first Safest Airline Award from the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, and Africa’s Best Brand from the World Brand Congress.

In order to promote the adoption of its high-tech, value-added products in Africa and optimize the structure of its fleet, HNA Group, via Africa World Airlines and other airlines, will bring China’s technologically mature ARJ21 regional passenger jetliner to Africa to meet local needs for such aircraft. The move will help create opportunities for Chinese manufacturers who are looking to become involved in the civil aviation industry along the One Belt, One Road route, while providing China-made aircraft with wider access to international markets.

In time of need, supporting Ghana‘s fight against COVID-19

According to a spokesperson for Africa World Airlines, since its investment in the Ghanaian airline, HNA Group has integrated its own development roadmap into the national development strategy, aiming to facilitate the rapid growth of Africa World Airlines with HNA’s advanced aviation management experience. In Ghana, corporate social responsibility is particularly important. Operating an airline is a long-term commitment rather than an investment with a short-term exit plan. As a result, being socially responsible must be a key component of corporate development. As Africa now needs to ramp up its efforts in preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19, Africa World Airlines needs to focus on its corporate social responsibility and do its part to help local governments fight the epidemic.

The COVID-19 outbreak has served to heighten something that HNA Group has always taken to heart and made part and parcel of its corporate philosophy: being of service to society and helping others in a time of need. The Hainan-based global airline strives to support national diplomacy and local development. The company has to date transported 97,321 pieces of equipment (1,200+ tons) for use in COVID-19 prevention, sent 2,877 medical personnel via 24 charter flights to Hubei, repatriated 713 stranded passengers via 5 charter flights to Hubei, and transported 60 tons of medical supplies in the first freight charter to Hungary in support of the international fight against the epidemic. The various efforts involved an investment of nearly 70 million yuan, demonstrating the social responsibility of the Chinese carrier.

Reuters: Boeing making new 737 MAX software updates to address computer issue

From Reuters:

“Boeing Company said late on Tuesday it will make two new software updates to the 737 MAX’s flight control computer as it works to win regulatory approval to resume flights after the jet was grounded following two fatal crashes in five months.”

Read the full story.

Delta has 200,000 pounds of food we can’t use. So we’re giving it to people in need

Delta is providing more than 200,000 pounds of food to hospitals, community food banks and other organizations around the world to support people in need as well as those working tirelessly on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both perishable and non-perishable goods are being donated after Delta adjusted service offerings on board and in Delta Sky Clubs to reduce touchpoints between customers and employees. As a result, Delta has been left with food that would have expired before it could be served to customers. So in true Delta form, employee teams are engaging organizations that can immediately use the food. Efforts to identify and support organizations globally will be ongoing as we maneuver through these unprecedented times.

Delta has longstanding relationships with organizations like Feeding America, a nonprofit network that helps us support numerous food banks and where employees help repack more than 2 million pounds of food annually. During the pandemic, local Feeding America organizations are distributing the donations to those in need.

In addition, Delta is working to help long-term food service partners including Linton Hopkins, Newrest and Sodexo with resources they need to serve their communities.

Here are some of the communities where Delta’s food donation efforts are making a difference.

So far in 2020, Delta has donated over 200,000 pounds of perishable food items from warehouses to Feeding America partner agencies across the U.S. and other charities, including Georgia Food & Resource Center and Missouri’s Carthage Crisis Center.
Regional managers are working with caterers to donate food where needed. In Nice, France, Delta partnered with local caterer Newrest to donate pre-packaged snacks to hospitals and healthcare workers. Additionally, food and coffee were donated to MIR, an organization distributing free meals and providing shelter to the homeless and human trafficking survivors. Managers in New York are also doing their part by providing food donations to hospitals in their region.
In Philadelphia, Delta partnered with SodexoMAGIC to donate over 500 pounds of food from the Delta Sky Club at the airport to a local Feeding America food bank.
Delta Sky Clubs around the U.S. including those in Los Angeles and at New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports have activated programs similar to the one in Philadelphia, providing donations to first responders, local charities and churches.
Delta is working with Linton Hopkins – an award-winning Atlanta chef and longtime Delta partner – to provide trays and packaging supplies to support food distribution with initiatives like ATLFAMILYMEAL, which delivers meals to Atlanta hospitality workers. Hopkins’ team is delivering over 5,000 meals per week, including to first responders at Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital.
Delta employees are caring for their colleagues by sending fresh Flight Fuel boxed meals to Reservations and Customer Care centers to support the teams responding to unprecedented numbers of customers needing to make changes to their flights.

Donating food is one of many ways our teams are demonstrating the indomitable Delta spirit during the ongoing pandemic. In March, we started providing free flights to medical professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis and began utilizing Delta’s wholly owned aircraft interiors subsidiary, Delta Flight Products, to manufacture face shields to protect hospital workers

Boeing to temporarily suspend 787 operations in South Carolina

Boeing will temporarily suspend all 787 operations at Boeing South Carolina (BSC) until further notice, starting at the end of second shift on Wednesday, April 8. This impacts the Airport Campus, Emergent Operations, Interiors Responsibility Center South Carolina and Propulsion South Carolina.

“It is our commitment to focus on the health and safety of our teammates while assessing the spread of the virus across the state, its impact on the reliability of our global supply chain and that ripple effect on the 787 program,” said Brad Zaback, vice president and general manager of the 787 Program and BSC site leader. “We are working in alignment with state and local government officials and public health officials to take actions that best protect our people.”

BSC teammates who can work remotely will continue to do so. Those who cannot work remotely will receive paid leave for 10 working days of the suspension, which is double the company policy. After 10 days, teammates will have the option to use a combination of available paid time off benefits or file for emergency state unemployment benefits. All benefits will continue as normal during the suspension of operations, regardless of how teammates choose to record their time. Pay practice details have been made available to all teammates.

During this time of suspension on the 787 program, Boeing will continue to conduct enhanced cleaning activities at the site and monitor the global supply chain as the situation evolves.

When the suspension is lifted, the 787 program will take an orderly approach to restarting production with a focus on safety, quality, integrity and meeting customer commitments.

Unions attack Lufthansa Group’s desire to dismantle Germanwings

The trade unions of the Lufthansa Group have issued this joint statement about the future of Germanwings:

Joint appeal by VC, UFO, Verdi, IGL/TGL and ACA
Stabilization of Lufthansa only possible with all employees

On April 6, the trade unions and associations, VC, UFO, Verdi, IGL/TGL and ACA made a joint appeal to the Lufthansa Group Executive Board.

The background is the Lufthansa Group’s unilateral decision to question the future of its subsidiary Germanwings.

Markus Wahl, President of Vereinigung Cockpit: “The announcement that in an unprecedented crisis such as the current one, a part of the workforce will be confronted with an existential threat is met with incomprehension. Right now, every decision must take the concerns of all employees into account. This is the only way employees can stand behind the group and work towards stabilization.

The Corona crisis has hit the aviation industry particularly hard. Great efforts will be necessary to overcome this crisis. We as trade unions in the Lufthansa Group offer our support for solutions that can be supported by all employees.

Note: Germanwings previously operated its aircraft for Eurowings.

Germanwings aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair’s traffic drops by 56.4% in March

Finnair has made this announcement:

In March, Finnair carried 498,600 passengers which is 56.4% less than in the corresponding period of 2019. The overall capacity measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) decreased in March by 39.4%. Finnair’s traffic measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs) decreased by 55.2%. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) decreased year-on-year by 20.3% points to 58.0%. All traffic figures were heavily impacted by the coronavirus, related route and frequency cancellations as well as travel restrictions.

The ASK decline in Asian traffic was 43.9%. The North Atlantic capacity decreased by 12.4%. In European traffic, the ASKs were down by 38.1%. The ASKs in domestic traffic decreased by 37.6%.

RPKs decreased in Asian traffic by 58.5%, in North Atlantic traffic by 28.6%, in European traffic by 55.6% and in domestic traffic by 51.7%.

The PLF was 59.0% in Asian traffic, 65.4% in North Atlantic traffic, 56.2% in European traffic and 50.6% in domestic traffic.

Passenger numbers decreased in Asian traffic by 59.6%, in North Atlantic traffic by 32.9%, in European traffic by 57.2% and in domestic traffic by 54.3%.

Available scheduled cargo tonne kilometres decreased by 38.4% year-on-year and revenue scheduled cargo tonne kilometres decreased by 47.0%, both due to the coronavirus impact.

In March, 92.0% of all Finnair flights arrived on schedule (78.6%).

Traffic statistics for April 2020 will be published on Thursday 7 May 2020.

Finnair Traffic Performance March 2020
	Month	% Change	YTD	% Change
Total traffic
Passengers 1,000	498.6	-56.4	2,655.5	-15.6
Available seat kilometres mill	2,264.2	-39.4	9,670.8	-9.4
Revenue passenger kilometres mill	1,312.4	-55.2	7,025.3	-15.9
Passenger load factor %	58.0	-20.3p	72.6	-5.7p
Cargo tonnes total	7,344.2	-47.2	30,092.2	-19.8
Available tonne kilometres mill	336.0	-38.6	1,421.8	-9.6
Revenue tonne kilometres mill	164.2	-53.1	817.5	-17.1

Asia
Passengers 1,000 Asia	80.3	-59.6	465.5	-21.5
Available seat kilometres mill Asia	1,069.3	-43.9	4,673.8	-14.2
Revenue passenger kilometres mill Asia	630.5	-58.5	3,568.4	-20.7
Passenger load factor % Asia	59.0	-20.7p	76.3	-6.2p

Europe
Passengers 1,000 Europe	279.6	-57.2	1,515.6	-14.4
Available seat kilometres mill Europe	845.0	-38.1	3,569.3	-6.7
Revenue passenger kilometres mill Europe	475.2	-55.6	2,457.1	-14.1
Passenger load factor % Europe	56.2	-22.1p	68.8	-5.9p

North Atlantic
Passengers 1,000 North Atlantic	16.4	-32.9	82.2	7.7
Available seat kilometres mill North Atlantic	200.4	-12.4	847.0	16.3
Revenue passenger kilometres mill North Atlantic	131.1	-28.6	647.0	10.1
Passenger load factor % North Atlantic	65.4	-14.8p	76.4	-4.3p

Domestic
Passengers 1,000 Domestic	122.3	-54.3	592.2	-16.3
Available seat kilometres mill Domestic	149.5	-37.6	580.7	-12.9
Revenue passenger kilometres mill Domestic	75.6	-51.7	352.8	-13.9
Passenger load factor % Domestic	50.6	-14.7p	60.8	-0.7p

Cargo Traffic
Europe tonnes	1,686.2	-37.6	6,779.8	-7.2
North Atlantic tonnes	572.5	-21.0	2,513.2	21.2
Asia tonnes	5,049.8	-51.6	20,685.2	-26.1
Domestic tonnes	35.7	-28.2	114.1	-26.0
Cargo scheduled traffic total tonnes	7,344.2	-47.2	30,092.2	-19.8
Cargo flights, tonnes**	0	0	0	0
Cargo Traffic tonnes total	7,344.2	-47.2	30,092.2	-19.8
Available tonne kilometres* mill	89.1	-38.4	362.3	-10.8
Revenue tonne kilometres mill	46.8	-47.0	189.1	-20.6
Available sched. cargo tonne kms*, mill	89.1	-38.4	362.3	-10.8
Revenue sched. cargo tonne kms, mill	46.8	-47.0	189.1	-20.6
Cargo load factor* %	52.5	-8.6p	52.2	-6.4p
– North-Atlantic cargo load factor* %	67.7	5.2p	66.1	5.9p
– Asia cargo load factor* %	57.4	-10.4p	55.8	-8.9p
Scheduled traffic Cargo load factor*, %	52.5	-8.6p	52.2	-6.4p

* Operational calculatory capacity

** Including purchased traffic

Change %: Change compared to the figures of the respective periods in the previous year (p = points).
Available seat kilometres. ASK: Total number of seats available. multiplied by the number of kilometres flown.
Revenue passenger kilometres. RPK: Number of revenue passengers carried. multiplied by kilometres flown.
Passenger load factor: Share of revenue passenger kilometres of available seat kilometres.
Available tonne kilometres. ATK: Number of tonnes of capacity for carriage of passengers. cargo and mail. multiplied by kilometres flown.
Revenue tonne kilometres. RTK: Total revenue load consisting of passengers. cargo and mail. multiplied by kilometres flown.
Overall load factor: Share of revenue tonne kilometres of available tonne kilometres.

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

SAS lays off nearly 11,000 employees in Scandinavia

SAS has issued this status report and traffic figures for March 2020:

As an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions imposed by many governments, SAS capacity was reduced by over 45% compared to last year. During April, almost all flights will be canceled except for a few domestic routes in Norway and Sweden.

Just over one month has passed since we started being severely affected by the Coronavirus crisis, and we are now in a situation never before experienced. For the first time in the history of SAS, we are not offering any scheduled international flights. Since Monday this week, we are only operating a limited domestic network in Norway and Sweden. In Norway, we are serving more destinations than in Sweden following an agreement with the Norwegian government.

We remain at the disposal of public authorities and continue to play an important role in providing critical services for the Scandinavian society, including bringing home stranded citizens from various parts of the world and transporting critical medical equipment. It is important for us to contribute when and where we can in these unprecedented and challenging times. However, these flights do not compensate for the significant loss in revenue due to the travel restrictions.

In the light of the sharp decrease in revenue we must continue to adjust our costs to the extent possible. We have been forced to temporarily lay off a majority of our employees. At time of writing, nearly 11,000 employees have been temporarily laid off in Scandinavia. We have also given notice of permanent redundancy for some 120 positions in Sweden.

When the COVID-19 crisis struck with full force, SAS enjoyed a strong financial preparedness. Naturally, this has been beneficial in this difficult situation due to the travel restrictions imposed by the governments. We are pleased that Denmark, Sweden and Norway are providing some financial support, however the earmarked amounts will not suffice to secure and safeguard critical infrastructure if the situation is prolonged.

SAS has safeguarded airline traffic in Scandinavia for over 70 years and we miss being able to welcome our customers on board what we call our second home. I hope to be able to resume safe and reliable operations as soon as possible, but until then I would like to thank our customers for their patience and support, and my colleagues at SAS for their dedication to SAS and our societies during these difficult times, says Rickard Gustafson, CEO SAS.

SAS scheduled traffic	Mar20	Change¹	Nov19- Mar20	Change¹
ASK (Mill.)	2 288	-44.9%	16 462	-9.7%
RPK (Mill.)	1 113	-61.9%	10 710	-13.6%
Passenger load factor	48,6%	-21.7 p.p.	65.1%	-2.9 p.p.
No. of passengers (000)	995	-59.6%	9,149	-12.6%

Geographical development, schedule	Mar20 vs. Mar19		Nov19-Mar20 vs. Nov18-Mar19
	RPK	ASK	RPK	ASK
Intercontinental	-69.9%	-55.6%	-18.4%	-13.0%
Europe/Intrascandinavia	-59.3%	-42.1%	-10.7%	-8.5%
Domestic	-52.4%	-32.2%	-10.1%	-6.2%

SAS charter traffic	Mar20	Change¹	Nov19-Mar20	Change¹
ASK (Mill.)	103	-53.7%	818	-7.6%
RPK (Mill.)	74	-63.5%	731	-9.9%
Load factor	71.4%	-19.3 p.p.	89.3%	-2.3 p.p.
No. of passengers (000)	25	-64.0%	241	-8.6%

SAS total traffic (scheduled and charter)	Mar20	Change¹	Nov19-Mar20	Change¹
ASK (Mill.)	2 391	-45.4%	17 280	-9.6%
RPK (Mill.)	1 187	-62.0%	11 440	-13.3%
Load factor	49.6%	-21.8 p u	66.2%	-2.9 p.p.
No. of passengers (000)	1 020	-59.7%	9 390	-12.5%

¹ Change compared to same period last year p.p. = percentage points

Preliminary yield and PASK	Mar20	Nominal change	FX adjusted change
Yield, SEK	1.02	+3.7%	+4.1%
PASK, SEK	0.50	-28.3%	-28.1%

			Mar20
Punctuality (arrival 15 min)			88.8%
Regularity			86.6%
Change in total CO₂emissions, rolling 12 months			-7.4%
Change in CO₂emissions per available seat kilometer			-3.3%
Carbon offsetting of passenger related emissions			33%

Definitions:

RPK – Revenue passenger kilometers
ASK – Available seat kilometers
Load factor – RPK/ASK
Yield – Passenger revenues/RPK (scheduled)
PASK – Passenger revenues/ASK (scheduled)
Change in CO₂emissions per available seat kilometers – SAS passenger related carbon emissions divided with total available seat kilometers (incl. non-revenue and EuroBonus), rolling 12 months
Carbon offsetting of passenger related emissions – Share of SAS passenger related carbon emissions compensated by SAS (EuroBonus members, youth tickets and SAS’ staff travel)
From fiscal year 2020 we report change in CO₂ emissions in total and per Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) to align with our overall goal to reduce our total CO₂ emissions by 25% by 2030, compared to 2005.

SAS aircraft photo gallery:

Air Canada announces the extension of Altitude Status for all members

Air Canada has announced several updates for Altitude members to ensure their status remains in effect until they are able to resume flying. The changes include the extension of current status until the end of 2021, the ability to share any status achieved in 2020 with a loved one, and new opportunities to qualify for Altitude status and earn Aeroplan Miles from home.

“Loyalty is a two-way street – certainly in good times, but especially so in hard times. Altitude members have shown outstanding commitment to Air Canada, and to provide some certainty during these uncertain times, we are extending members’ current Altitude status to the end of 2021. We’re also making it easier to share status with a loved one, and earn both status and Aeroplan miles from home.” said Mark Nasr, Vice President, Loyalty and eCommerce at Air Canada. “The entire Air Canada team is looking forward to welcoming all customers back in the skies when the time is right.”

In order to provide greater ease and flexibility, changes for Air Canada Altitude customers include:

Automatic extension of 2020 Altitude status
All Altitude status for 2020 will automatically be extended through to the end of 2021. Should a member reach a higher status before the end of this year, they will enjoy it upon qualification, and maintain it through 2021 as well.

Share Altitude status with friends and family
Since Altitude status is secure through 2021, if a member has already achieved status for next year, or does so by the end of 2020, they can gift it to a friend or family member.

Continue to earn Altitude status and Aeroplan Miles – from home
While at home, a member can still earn Aeroplan Miles, progress towards Altitude status and make a difference with their miles. From now until April 30, for every five Aeroplan Miles a member donates to a charity engaged in fighting the COVID-19 crisis, they will receive one Altitude Qualifying Mile – up to a maximum of 25,000 AQM – all of which count towards 2021 status for the member, and a loved one.

These improvements come in addition to other changes for all Aeroplan members already announced:

Cancel any Flight Reward free of charge
Until April 30, all members can cancel any Flight Reward free of charge and receive all of their Aeroplan Miles back in their account, plus a full refund of any associated taxes, fees and surcharges on the unused value of their travel. This is available for flight itineraries departing any date in the future.

Temporary pause to expiration of Aeroplan Miles
We have paused expiry until May 14, 2020. This means that between now and May 14, any Aeroplan Miles which would have expired will not. Effective May 15, our normal expiration policy will once again apply, meaning that miles will expire if an eligible transaction has not been completed prior to this date.

Air Canada aircraft photo gallery:

United Airlines extends status for MileagePlus Premier Members to 2022

United Airlines is announcing a series of key changes to assist customers and MileagePlus members, including extending members’ current MileagePlus Premier status through January 2022. At a minimum, all MileagePlus Premier members will retain the status they earned for 2020, through January 2022*. In addition, for the 2021 status year, United is reducing thresholds for Premier qualification by 50 percent for each status level, to make reaching an even higher status tier easier.

“From the onset of this crisis, we committed to doing what is right and fair for all of our members,” said Luc Bondar, vice president of loyalty at United. “Over the years, our members have placed their trust and loyalty in United, and through the various initiatives we’re laying out today, we are reiterating our mutual commitment and loyalty to them. When they are ready to travel with us again, we will be there for them. And in these unprecedented times where it seems like every day brings new challenges, it’s an honor to share positive news that will – I hope – put a smile on the faces of our loyal customers.”

In addition to extending premier status for members into 2022 and lowering thresholds for each Premier tier, for the first time ever, United is increasing the maximum number of premier qualifying points (PQPs) United Explorer and United Club credit card holders can earn through card spend toward status in 2021. From May 1 through December 31, 2020, United will be offering a promotion that doubles the maximum PQPs for United Explorer credit cardmembers and quadruples the maximum PQPs for United Club cardmembers to help customers achieve a higher level of status. More details on this promotion will be available in the future.

Additionally, United is increasing the ability for Premier members to use their upgrade benefits. First, the airline is offering a six-month extension for all PlusPoints, the currency used for systemwide upgrades, that are set to expire on or before January 31, 2021. United is also expanding the availability of Skip Waitlist– an upgrade option that allows Premier 1K members to confirm upgrades at the time of booking – to significantly more international long-haul flights.

For customers who purchased annual membership and subscription benefits directly from United, the expiration will be extended by six months, ensuring that they receive the full value of their benefits when they are ready to start flying again. This includes United Club℠ memberships purchased directly from United and purchased subscriptions for Economy Plus®, United Wi-Fi℠ and checked bags.

To provide customers with more flexibility, United is extending electronic travel certificates (ETCs) and waiving redeposit fees for members who booked travel using award miles. ETCs will now be valid for two years from the time of booking. The airline is also waiving all redeposit fees for members who have flights booked through May 31, 2020 and will be waiving fees for all members who cancel their flights at least 30 days before departure for the remainder of 2020.

All of the changes mentioned above will be updated automatically and reflected in customers’ accounts in the coming weeks. In recognition that the long-term impacts from COVID-19 remain uncertain, United has committed to making earning status in 2022 easier during 2021 and will be sharing additional details on this commitment later this year.