Our Star Alliance and other airline partners

Air Canada partners with airlines around the globe to get you where you need to be.

These partnerships bring you seamless connections and streamlined services, as well as the opportunity to pick up more than a few Aeroplan points along the way.

Star Alliance partners

Air Canada is a founding member of the Star Alliance, which was established in 1997. The aim of the alliance is to continually improve the travel experience of those who consider flying a way of life.

Today the Star Alliance is made up of 26 member airlines from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America. This global partnership offers:

• streamlined airport handling
• seamless connections to destinations around the world
• shared loyalty program benefits and privileges

More about Star Alliance

Joint venture partnerships

A joint venture partnership involves companies teaming up and sharing their expertise to achieve a common goal. Air Canada participates in joint venture partnerships with:

• The Lufthansa Group and United Airlines (A++) for all itineraries between North or Central America and Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and countries on the Indian subcontinent
• United Airlines for most flights between Canada and the United States
• Air China for travel between Canada and China

Perks and benefits

If you’re travelling on an itinerary that includes travel with Air China, United Airlines, or a member of the Lufthansa Group, you’ll enjoy greater loyalty recognition and a seamless travel experience including:

• Coordinated processes for reservations, check-in, connections, and baggage transfers
• The benefit of collecting and redeeming Aeroplan points for travel across all participating airlines

In addition, with A++ (the Lufthansa Group and United Airlines), you can benefit from:

• Star Alliance Gold and Silver benefits across flights operated by Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss and United Airlines
• Priority check-in, boarding and baggage delivery, as well as lounge access if you’re an Aeroplan Super Elite, 75K and 50K member travelling on Air Dolomiti, Discover Airlines, or Eurowings

More information on:

Air China
The Lufthansa Group (Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss, Eurowings, Lufthansa, Swiss)
United Airlines

Codeshare partners

Code sharing is a practice where airlines collaborate to offer joint flights.

On flights where we’ve teamed up with another airline, you’ll see that the flight number starts with AC (that’s what’s called our designator code*) and that the flight is operated by one of our codeshare partners, some of which are also Star Alliance members.

Aeroplan partners

If you’re an Aeroplan Member, you’ll be happy to know that our partnerships with over 50 airlines around the world makes it easy for you to earn Aeroplan points and Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) for every eligible mile you fly.

More about our Aeroplan partners.

How to recognize a flight operated by one of our partners

When you're selecting a flight on our website, we’ll let you know in the flight details when a flight includes travel with one of our partners. Look for mentions of ‘Operated by’ or ‘Includes travel operated by’ followed by the name of the other airline.

What these partnerships mean for you

While we are working to harmonize your experience, especially with our Star Alliance and joint-venture partners, it's important to remember that each airline has its own policies, particularly those regarding:

• Check-in times
• Baggage, including special items
• Travel with infants and children
• Customers requiring assistance
• Travelling with your pet

If your journey includes travel with another airline, it’s always best to check their specific policies before your trip.

* An airline designator code is a two-character code that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) assigns to each of the world’s airlines. Air Canada’s designator code is AC.