- 100 million Aeroplan Points donated for travel on Air Canada, Star Alliance partners
- Shapiro Foundation to double Aeroplan member donations up to 50 million points; Miles4Migrants to manage and facilitate bookings
MONTREAL, April 20, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ -Air Canada today said it is donating 100 million Aeroplan points to support the Canadian government's initiative to bring Ukrainians to Canada. The points will contribute towards facilitating transportation and can be used on flights operated by Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners including Lufthansa, LOT Polish Airlines, SWISS, United Airlines and other carriers. The Shapiro Foundation is also contributing to this effort and Miles4Migrants, a non-profit charity will manage and facilitate the flight bookings.
"Together with our employees, we are ready and prepared to assist and support the Canadian Government's plans to bring Ukrainian people to Canada. With our 100 million Aeroplan points donation, we offer our global network and the strength of our Star Alliance partnerships, in facilitating travel to Canada. We are proud to work with other organizations and international programs to contribute towards a goal to enable up to 10,000 people to travel to Canada as quickly as possible," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.
"Our vision at Miles4Migrants is a world where displaced persons of all backgrounds can find safety and community in new homes. As we have been seeing Ukrainians become displaced, our community of donors has once again responded, donating to support flights for Ukrainian families to reach safety over the past weeks," said Diane Padilla, Executive Director of Miles4Migrants.
"We are honoured and ready to join the Government of Canada, The Shapiro Foundation, and Air Canada to expand our impact and help fly thousands of Ukrainians to their new homes. We are confident that the Canadian public and private sector will join us in our effort to fund their flights."
"We are humbled to be able to play a part in assisting Ukrainian families who are being so warmly welcomed by Canadians. We know that access to flights is a critical need and we are proud to partner with Air Canada. We will double Aeroplan member donations towards Ukrainian travel, and donate the equivalent of up to 50 million Aeroplan points to help more people travel to Canada," said Ed Shapiro, trustee for The Shapiro Foundation.
Aeroplan members may elect to contribute towards this initiative facilitating Ukrainians travelling to Canada by donating Aeroplan points at Ukrainian Relief Fund. From April 20 2022 until July 2022, members who donate Aeroplan Points to the Ukrainian Relief Fund or to Miles4Migrants will double the impact of their contribution as the value of the points donated will be matched, by a donation equal to up to 50,000,000 points, by the Shapiro Foundation.
Air Canada's support for Ukrainian relief aid to date includes:
- An Air Canada donation of $10 per booking made on its website starting March 22 for a total donation of $250,000 to Ukraine relief aid;
- Air Canada employees and the Air Canada Foundation donated $170,000 to support Ukraine relief;
- On March 9 Air Canada operated a humanitarian special cargo flight on behalf of Airlink and other aid partners transport hospital beds, humanitarian and medical supplies to Warsaw, Poland and medicines destined for Lviv, Ukraine;
- Ongoing transportation of medical supplies to Europe with a final destination in the Ukraine;
- Transportation of rapid response teams to scale up operations in Europe to help arriving Ukrainian families.
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking from the independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which in 2021 also named Air Canada as having the Best Airline Staff in North America, Best Airline Staff in Canada, Best Business Class Lounge in North America, as well as an Excellence award for its handling of COVID-19. Also in 2021, Air Canada was named Global Traveler's Best Airline in North America for the third straight year. In January 2021, Air Canada received APEX's Diamond Status Certification for the Air Canada CleanCare+ biosafety program for managing COVID-19, the only airline in Canada to attain the highest APEX ranking. Air Canada has also committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow Air Canada on Twitter and LinkedIn, and join Air Canada on Facebook.
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