The Beginning of a New Aeroplan; Aimia CEO steps down
Apr 28, 2018, 6:54 am
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM
Posts: 23,293
This promo from Aeroplan makes one interesting claim: "you’ll be able to choose any available seat from more airlines to more destinations than today." That means being able to chose from more than 28 airlines to more than 1330 airports, more than current Star Alliance possibilities.
Are they really going to sign deals with more than 28 airlines? Or will it become a points price for them to buy you a ticket like current RBC Rewards points or TD or Amex? The value in the latter seems limited.
Are they really going to sign deals with more than 28 airlines? Or will it become a points price for them to buy you a ticket like current RBC Rewards points or TD or Amex? The value in the latter seems limited.
But then again, isn't that what AC is looking like to become as well after 2020?
Apr 28, 2018, 6:57 am
#32
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Toronto (YYZ)
Posts: 6,279
They will become a travel agent and will issue tickets on those more than 28 airlines.
I'm sure they will retain a fixed point award chart but I highly doubt it will be as "generous" (stop-overs, open-jaws, RTW) as what one can book within the current program.
Apr 28, 2018, 8:36 am
#33
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Canada
Programs: Aeroplan E50/MM, HH gold, Nat Exec Elite, Kimpton Karma
Posts: 2,350
Reminiscent of the days oif Destina? I know Destina was revenue bookings but my point is that they were incompetent and didnt last all that long, “acting as a travel agent”. Those straight cash back programs are looking better and better.
Apr 28, 2018, 11:41 am
#34
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
That said.....
Aeroplan Outlines Their Vision For The Future
APRIL 27, 2018 BY LUCKY
https://onemileatatime.boardingarea....roplan-future/
And from TPG
Aeroplan Unveils Plan for Program After Air Canada Breakup by JT Genter
Apr 28, 2018, 10:39 pm
#35
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AC SE100K, AA EXP, SPG Plt, HH Dmnd
Posts: 1,507
Neither have I.
That said.....
Aeroplan Outlines Their Vision For The Future
APRIL 27, 2018 BY LUCKY
https://onemileatatime.boardingarea....roplan-future/
And from TPG
Aeroplan Unveils Plan for Program After Air Canada Breakup by JT Genter
That said.....
Aeroplan Outlines Their Vision For The Future
APRIL 27, 2018 BY LUCKY
https://onemileatatime.boardingarea....roplan-future/
And from TPG
Aeroplan Unveils Plan for Program After Air Canada Breakup by JT Genter
Apr 29, 2018, 2:18 am
#36
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: yyz/ord
Programs: AC E50 UA1k 2MM AA EXP Royal Ambassador SPG Platinum
Posts: 1,516
looking at the stock price it sure looks like a sinking ship.
Apr 29, 2018, 4:50 am
#37
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Mississauga Ontario
Posts: 4,093
Just gonna leave this here for the kiddies here. What is old will be new again.
Oh, and look at the people!!!
---
AIR CANADA - Introduces Destina.ca, Canada's Newest Online Travel Site.
2292 words
6 September 2001
12:40
Market News Publishing
MNEWSP
English
(c) Distributed via COMTEX News. (c) 2001 Market News Publishing Inc.
Toronto, Ontario, Sep 06, 2001 (Market News Publishing via COMTEX) - Air Canada introduced destina.ca, a comprehensive online travel site that will offer customers one-stop travel shopping, reservation and destination information services.
"destina.ca represents a win for both customers and Air Canada. It gives customers what they are increasingly asking for - the convenience of 24-hour Internet access to the widest range of travel options," said Robert Milton, President and Chief Executive Officer. "It also allows us to leverage the powerful Air Canada brand through online travel services, capitalizing on what is widely considered to be the single biggest Internet growth area.
"destina.ca is a key component of the Air Canada Action Plan to transform and re-engineer the airline to meet the new challenges and opportunities of the rapidly changing air travel market," he continued. "With destina.ca, we are taking advantage of a tremendous revenue growth opportunity while reducing travel distribution costs, our third largest expense. In short, destina.ca is a prime opportunity to further the Action Plan objectives of increasing revenues and reducing costs," he said.
Mr. Milton announced the appointment of Lise Fournel, currently Executive Vice President, Commercial with Air Canada, as President and Chief Executive Officer of destina.ca, effective immediately. Ms. Fournel has held a number of senior executive postions during her 22-year career with Air Canada. As the senior commercial officer at the airline, she was most recently responsible for the airline's marketing and sales and product distribution activities. As Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, she oversaw the airline's Y2K preparations and general information technology development, building on previous senior management experience in the areas of pricing, yield management and electronic distribution.
"The appointment of an experienced and talented executive such as Lise Fournel as CEO reflects Air Canada's commitment to the success of destina.ca," said Mr. Milton. "Lise Fournel brings a wealth of airline industry experience to this new role, with an optimum mix of executive management experience in both marketing strategy and online technology. She is clearly the right individual to make Air Canada, through destina.ca, a premier online business and leisure travel provider," he said.
Mr. Milton further announced that Calin Rovinescu, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy with Air Canada will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors of destina.ca. "Calin's strong focus on shareholder value enhancement should ensure the success of destina.ca as a sound business investment for Air Canada," he stated.
Air Canada chose the name destina.ca and the tagline "Your ticket to the world" to evoke the Internet's limitless ability to stimulate interest in exploring far off worlds. The name has a clear link to the adventure and vast possibilities inherent in travel and the pleasure of arrival at destination. Consumer testing of the name destina.ca has been overwhelmingly positive.
The destina.ca homepage presents clear, simple graphics and a colorful, fare-friendly environment designed for efficiency and ease of use. The site will be officially launched with full functionality later this fall.
destina.ca will join a host of existing online travel site such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Opodo, however the site will offer customers a number of distinct advantages over market competitors, including:
- The exclusive ability to award Aeroplan bonus miles as the only online travel agency partner of Aeroplan, Canada's largest and most successful loyalty program with over six million members.
- Unique Canadian content with a focus on product offerings specifically tailored to the Canadian market.
- The ability to offer access to a one-stop customer support center providing travel and technology support from knowledgeable trained staff.
- An extensive choice of premium partners attracted by the strength of the Air Canada brand. destina.ca will provide access to over 400 airlines, 53,000 hotels and 54 car rental agencies. In addition, unique and high quality partnerships will be available with hotel operators, car rental agencies, cruise lines, tour operators and event organizers.
- Great airfare values as the preferred distribution channel for Air Canada's inventory of discounted surplus capacity. Other carriers will also be able to display their best offers on discounted surplus capacity on the site.
- Attractive personalization features, such as personalized pages containing encrypted secure information and personal preferences to expedite the booking process, as well as the ability for customers to store and retrieve personal itineraries and receive personalized offerings and individual customer support.
- Fully bilingual service.
destina.ca will also enjoy a number of distinct advantages including:
- An immediate and clear relationship with the established Air Canada and Aeroplan brands, thereby leveraging Air Canada's domestic, transborder and international market position to attract customers to its site.
- Strong financial support from Air Canada. The airline has made a significant investment in technology and set up costs to develop the site.
- The transfer of the existing aircanada.ca online bookings.
- The opportunity to target the specialized needs of business travelers; those who either handle their own travel arrangements directly or indirectly without negotiated corporate agreements.
- The inherent synergy achieved through partnership with Air Canada's wide range of existing marketing programs and channels, including access to in-flight media, which will contribute to lower branding costs.
- The ability to offer Air Canada Vacations packages, eliminating the need to build a new vacation package capability.
Further details on the operations, partnerships and consumer benefits integral to destina.ca will be released throughout the coming months.
The introduction of an online travel agency is a key component of the Air Canada Action Plan launched August 1, 2001. Among the key elements of the Air Canada Action Plan are: the reconfiguration of the Air Canada fleet, the introduction of innovative new products; the e-powering of Air Canada customers; the planned launch of a low-fare carrier later this year, and various new cost reduction and profitability initiatives. Today's announcement is part of a series of profitability initiatives that include the airline's first online seat sale; the carrier's expansion of its South Pacific network; the launch of a worldwide seat sale August 29, 2001 and the securing of a major third party contract by Air Canada Technical Services, announced September 4, 2001.
Note: Air Canada will host a news conference today to provide further details on destina.ca. The news conference will be held at 11:00 a.m. EDT at News Theater, (98 The Esplanade), Toronto. Journalists may also participate via teleconference by dialing 1-866-246-6373. A high resolution photo of Lise Fournel may be downloaded from the destina.ca site after 11 a.m. EDT.
Oh, and look at the people!!!
---
AIR CANADA - Introduces Destina.ca, Canada's Newest Online Travel Site.
2292 words
6 September 2001
12:40
Market News Publishing
MNEWSP
English
(c) Distributed via COMTEX News. (c) 2001 Market News Publishing Inc.
Toronto, Ontario, Sep 06, 2001 (Market News Publishing via COMTEX) - Air Canada introduced destina.ca, a comprehensive online travel site that will offer customers one-stop travel shopping, reservation and destination information services.
"destina.ca represents a win for both customers and Air Canada. It gives customers what they are increasingly asking for - the convenience of 24-hour Internet access to the widest range of travel options," said Robert Milton, President and Chief Executive Officer. "It also allows us to leverage the powerful Air Canada brand through online travel services, capitalizing on what is widely considered to be the single biggest Internet growth area.
"destina.ca is a key component of the Air Canada Action Plan to transform and re-engineer the airline to meet the new challenges and opportunities of the rapidly changing air travel market," he continued. "With destina.ca, we are taking advantage of a tremendous revenue growth opportunity while reducing travel distribution costs, our third largest expense. In short, destina.ca is a prime opportunity to further the Action Plan objectives of increasing revenues and reducing costs," he said.
Mr. Milton announced the appointment of Lise Fournel, currently Executive Vice President, Commercial with Air Canada, as President and Chief Executive Officer of destina.ca, effective immediately. Ms. Fournel has held a number of senior executive postions during her 22-year career with Air Canada. As the senior commercial officer at the airline, she was most recently responsible for the airline's marketing and sales and product distribution activities. As Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, she oversaw the airline's Y2K preparations and general information technology development, building on previous senior management experience in the areas of pricing, yield management and electronic distribution.
"The appointment of an experienced and talented executive such as Lise Fournel as CEO reflects Air Canada's commitment to the success of destina.ca," said Mr. Milton. "Lise Fournel brings a wealth of airline industry experience to this new role, with an optimum mix of executive management experience in both marketing strategy and online technology. She is clearly the right individual to make Air Canada, through destina.ca, a premier online business and leisure travel provider," he said.
Mr. Milton further announced that Calin Rovinescu, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy with Air Canada will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors of destina.ca. "Calin's strong focus on shareholder value enhancement should ensure the success of destina.ca as a sound business investment for Air Canada," he stated.
Air Canada chose the name destina.ca and the tagline "Your ticket to the world" to evoke the Internet's limitless ability to stimulate interest in exploring far off worlds. The name has a clear link to the adventure and vast possibilities inherent in travel and the pleasure of arrival at destination. Consumer testing of the name destina.ca has been overwhelmingly positive.
The destina.ca homepage presents clear, simple graphics and a colorful, fare-friendly environment designed for efficiency and ease of use. The site will be officially launched with full functionality later this fall.
destina.ca will join a host of existing online travel site such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Opodo, however the site will offer customers a number of distinct advantages over market competitors, including:
- The exclusive ability to award Aeroplan bonus miles as the only online travel agency partner of Aeroplan, Canada's largest and most successful loyalty program with over six million members.
- Unique Canadian content with a focus on product offerings specifically tailored to the Canadian market.
- The ability to offer access to a one-stop customer support center providing travel and technology support from knowledgeable trained staff.
- An extensive choice of premium partners attracted by the strength of the Air Canada brand. destina.ca will provide access to over 400 airlines, 53,000 hotels and 54 car rental agencies. In addition, unique and high quality partnerships will be available with hotel operators, car rental agencies, cruise lines, tour operators and event organizers.
- Great airfare values as the preferred distribution channel for Air Canada's inventory of discounted surplus capacity. Other carriers will also be able to display their best offers on discounted surplus capacity on the site.
- Attractive personalization features, such as personalized pages containing encrypted secure information and personal preferences to expedite the booking process, as well as the ability for customers to store and retrieve personal itineraries and receive personalized offerings and individual customer support.
- Fully bilingual service.
destina.ca will also enjoy a number of distinct advantages including:
- An immediate and clear relationship with the established Air Canada and Aeroplan brands, thereby leveraging Air Canada's domestic, transborder and international market position to attract customers to its site.
- Strong financial support from Air Canada. The airline has made a significant investment in technology and set up costs to develop the site.
- The transfer of the existing aircanada.ca online bookings.
- The opportunity to target the specialized needs of business travelers; those who either handle their own travel arrangements directly or indirectly without negotiated corporate agreements.
- The inherent synergy achieved through partnership with Air Canada's wide range of existing marketing programs and channels, including access to in-flight media, which will contribute to lower branding costs.
- The ability to offer Air Canada Vacations packages, eliminating the need to build a new vacation package capability.
Further details on the operations, partnerships and consumer benefits integral to destina.ca will be released throughout the coming months.
The introduction of an online travel agency is a key component of the Air Canada Action Plan launched August 1, 2001. Among the key elements of the Air Canada Action Plan are: the reconfiguration of the Air Canada fleet, the introduction of innovative new products; the e-powering of Air Canada customers; the planned launch of a low-fare carrier later this year, and various new cost reduction and profitability initiatives. Today's announcement is part of a series of profitability initiatives that include the airline's first online seat sale; the carrier's expansion of its South Pacific network; the launch of a worldwide seat sale August 29, 2001 and the securing of a major third party contract by Air Canada Technical Services, announced September 4, 2001.
Note: Air Canada will host a news conference today to provide further details on destina.ca. The news conference will be held at 11:00 a.m. EDT at News Theater, (98 The Esplanade), Toronto. Journalists may also participate via teleconference by dialing 1-866-246-6373. A high resolution photo of Lise Fournel may be downloaded from the destina.ca site after 11 a.m. EDT.
Apr 29, 2018, 12:52 pm
#38
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 336
As my recent dealings with CC/AP/Altitude and other forum posts have indicated, it's a mess. My CC offers various AC benefits, when I call to discuss with them, they either can't help me, or pass me off to AP, who in turn says it's in AC's court. Aside from th fact that much of Altitude is administered by Aimia, even when I enquire about aspects that are wholly in AP's court, they fall flat. It's no wonder that dispite a discounted annual fee, I am well on my way to ditching this steamer.
Hopefully the CC co agreements don't preclude the partner with AC directly, or else they will be royally in trouble.
Apr 29, 2018, 10:30 pm
#39
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Canada
Programs: Aeroplan E50/MM, HH gold, Nat Exec Elite, Kimpton Karma
Posts: 2,350
Last edited by tcook052; Apr 30, 2018 at 8:27 am Reason: fix quote
Apr 30, 2018, 5:06 am
#40
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Mississauga Ontario
Posts: 4,093
Last edited by tcook052; Apr 30, 2018 at 8:28 am Reason: fix quotes
Apr 30, 2018, 5:37 am
#41
Formerly known as newbie elite
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: YUL
Programs: IHG Diamond Ambassador, Accor Platinum, AC50K
Posts: 2,922
Has Lise Fournel ever managed anything that did NOT turn into a dumpster fire? Living proof of the Peter Principle.
Remember their logo being a direct ripoff of BNP Paribas' as well.
Did Detestina even last a year?
Remember their logo being a direct ripoff of BNP Paribas' as well.
Did Detestina even last a year?
Apr 30, 2018, 10:29 am
#43
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,741
It seems to me that CC co's have the most to lose in this process - well, after AP FT members, that is.
As my recent dealings with CC/AP/Altitude and other forum posts have indicated, it's a mess. My CC offers various AC benefits, when I call to discuss with them, they either can't help me, or pass me off to AP, who in turn says it's in AC's court. Aside from th fact that much of Altitude is administered by Aimia, even when I enquire about aspects that are wholly in AP's court, they fall flat. It's no wonder that dispite a discounted annual fee, I am well on my way to ditching this steamer.
Hopefully the CC co agreements don't preclude the partner with AC directly, or else they will be royally in trouble.
As my recent dealings with CC/AP/Altitude and other forum posts have indicated, it's a mess. My CC offers various AC benefits, when I call to discuss with them, they either can't help me, or pass me off to AP, who in turn says it's in AC's court. Aside from th fact that much of Altitude is administered by Aimia, even when I enquire about aspects that are wholly in AP's court, they fall flat. It's no wonder that dispite a discounted annual fee, I am well on my way to ditching this steamer.
Hopefully the CC co agreements don't preclude the partner with AC directly, or else they will be royally in trouble.
So don't worry about Amex, TD and CIBC, they'll be just fine. And if people keep using their credit cards despite the end of the AC deal, they won't really care (although they'll still extract whatever they can from Aimia under their deals).
Apr 30, 2018, 10:42 am
#44
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Toronto, Ont., Canada
Programs: Aeroplan; Marriott Platinum; IHG Platinum; Best Western Diamond
Posts: 2,153
As my recent dealings with CC/AP/Altitude and other forum posts have indicated, it's a mess. My CC offers various AC benefits, when I call to discuss with them, they either can't help me, or pass me off to AP, who in turn says it's in AC's court. Aside from th fact that much of Altitude is administered by Aimia, even when I enquire about aspects that are wholly in AP's court, they fall flat.
It'll be even messier as June/2020 come closer. We all wonder what'll happen to the award trips that start before the June/2020 breakup, and end after. Haha, what about those flight segments that start before the breakup, and end after the breakup.
Apr 30, 2018, 3:24 pm
#45
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: YYG
Programs: airlines and hotels and rental cars - oh my!
Posts: 2,993
Yes it's a mess when the CC co's, ae, and AC, are pointing to each other when issues arise.
It'll be even messier as June/2020 come closer. We all wonder what'll happen to the award trips that start before the June/2020 breakup, and end after. Haha, what about those flight segments that start before the breakup, and end after the breakup.
It'll be even messier as June/2020 come closer. We all wonder what'll happen to the award trips that start before the June/2020 breakup, and end after. Haha, what about those flight segments that start before the breakup, and end after the breakup.