Air Canada has announced major news: Aeroplan miles can now be used to book flights on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, and Brazil’s GOL. Cathay Pacific is part of the oneworld alliance, while Air Canada belongs to Star Alliance, so this is a pretty significant move—direct cooperation across alliance lines.
Unfortunately, not all Cathay Pacific routes are eligible for redemption. Only flights departing from Hong Kong to Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam are currently included. Hopefully more routes will be added in the future.
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Phuket, Thailand
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Cebu, Philippines
- Manila, Philippines
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Hanoi, Vietnam
One useful angle here is that award tickets can now route through Hong Kong when traveling to these Asian destinations, giving travelers more options than before, when they had to rely only on Star Alliance partners.