Starting in May 2025, Aeroplan Members Will Receive Complimentary Wi-Fi on Air Canada Flights

Air Canada is set to provide complimentary Wi-Fi to Aeroplan members on its flights starting next year, expanding on its existing partnership with telecom giant Bell, which already allows passengers to send texts for free.

On Thursday, the airline announced that the internet service, sponsored by Bell, will be accessible on all Wi-Fi equipped aircraft for North American and Central American flights from May 2025, with long-haul international routes to follow in 2026.

Passengers can anticipate a “streaming-quality” experience on Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, and most Air Canada Express planes.

Mark Nasr, Air Canada’s executive vice-president of marketing and digital and president of Aeroplan, stated that free Wi-Fi has been a growing request from customers.

“We believe it’s becoming a fundamental expectation of customers whether they’re traveling for business or leisure,” Nasr mentioned in an interview.

Currently, Air Canada offers various Wi-Fi packages on select flights for a fee, starting at $6.50 for a one-hour pass. A one-way pass for $21 permits internet browsing throughout the flight, while a monthly plan costs $65.95.

These options provide savings compared to in-flight purchases. Non-Aeroplan members will still have the option to purchase Wi-Fi packages, Nasr confirmed.

Earlier this year, WestJet and Telus Corp. unveiled their collaboration to offer complimentary internet service on flights for their loyalty program members starting this month.

In July, they announced that Wi-Fi connectivity for WestJet Rewards members would be provided through Starlink. WestJet aims to equip its modern narrow-body fleet with free Wi-Fi by the end of 2025 and its wide-body planes by the end of 2026.

Porter Airlines already offers free Wi-Fi on its Embraer E195-E2 fleet, a service introduced in 2022.

While over two-thirds of Air Canada’s Boeing 737 MAX fleet currently offer Wi-Fi, the airline plans to upgrade the remaining aircraft by next year. Additionally, Wi-Fi capability will be installed on most of its Air Canada Express fleet serving regional Canadian and U.S. routes.

This development by Air Canada builds on the existing free Wi-Fi texting service for Aeroplan members introduced in May 2023, also sponsored by Bell. This service enables loyalty program members traveling on Wi-Fi-equipped planes worldwide to exchange messages on various apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber, and Google Messages.

Access to this service is available on any Wi-Fi enabled device, regardless of the passenger’s mobile carrier.