Aeroplan Miles donated to the Air Canada Foundation between December 5 and 11, 2016 will be matched by Aeroplan up to 500,000 Aeroplan Miles.

MONTREAL, Dec. 6, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - This week is the Air Canada Foundation and Aeroplan Miles Matching Week in support of the Air Canada Foundation Hospital Transportation Program. This program redistributes the Aeroplan Miles donated by Air Canada customers to 15 pediatric hospitals across Canada by providing flights for sick children who need specialized health care not available in their community. Aeroplan will match all miles donated from December 5 and 11, 2016 up to 500,000 Aeroplan Miles.

"This is an amazing opportunity for the Air Canada Foundation to add to our own efforts by accumulating Aeroplan Miles for the Hospital Transportation Program, giving sick children access to advanced medical treatments not available in their community," said Leslie Quinton, Vice-President Corporate Communications at Air Canada and Air Canada Foundation board member. "Each year, hundreds of families count on the program to ease part of their financial burden at a time when they need to focus their attention on the health and well-being of their child. We are grateful to be able to do more because of the generosity of Aeroplan members."

In the past four years alone, over 50 million Aeroplan Miles have been donated to 15 pediatric hospitals with the sole objective of helping sick children obtain the medical care they need.

"Thanks to our members' generosity, every mile donated makes a huge impact to families and communities across the country and we're proud to help our partner, the Air Canada Foundation, make a difference and share in what is truly important to them," said John Boynton, Chief Marketing Officer, Aeroplan. 

The Aeroplan Mile Matching Week in support of the Air Canada Foundation Hospital Transportation Program will be held between December 5 and 11, 2016. To donate your miles, please visit aircanada.com/Foundation and select the "Donate" button located on the top banner.   

Aeroplan Members can also automatically donate two per cent of all miles accumulated to the Air Canada Foundation by updating the donation opt-in on their profile page on aeroplan.com. 

About the Air Canada Foundation

The Air Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on the health and well-being of children and youth, was launched in 2012. It offers financial and in-kind support, through travel assistance, to Canadian registered charities. Core programs include the Air Canada Foundation Hospital Transportation Program, which donates Aeroplan Miles to pediatric hospitals across Canada, enabling children to access medical care unavailable locally, and the Volunteer Involvement Program, which recognizes the involvement of Air Canada employees in their local communities by providing airline tickets to registered charities in support of their fundraising activities. The Foundation, in collaboration with the airline, also participates directly in fundraising activities such as the Every Bit Counts program, which encourages customers to donate loose change on board flights or through airport collection containers. The Foundation also offers continued support to major health-related causes that benefit Canadians and actively participates in international humanitarian relief activity as the need arises. For more information about the Air Canada Foundation, please visit www.aircanada.com/foundation or the 2015 Corporate Sustainability Report: Citizens of the World, online at www.aircanada.com/en/about/corp_sustainability.html.

About Aeroplan

Aeroplan, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program, is owned by Aimia Inc., a data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics company.

Aeroplan's millions of members earn Aeroplan Miles with its growing network of over 75 world-class partners, representing more than 150 brands in the financial, retail, and travel sectors.

In 2015, approximately 2.6 million rewards were issued to members including 1.9 million flights on Air Canada and Star Alliance carriers which offer travel to more than 1,300 destinations worldwide. Aeroplan's two Flight Reward options, Fixed Mileage Flight Rewards and Market Fare Flight Rewards, work together so that members can get access to any seat, at any time, on all Air Canada flights. Based on a comparison of Aeroplan Flight Reward bookings against actual market base fares, and other financial institutions' travel rewards programs', last year, Aeroplan Members needed fewer miles to fly than with any other loyalty program in Canada. In addition to flights, members also have access to over 1,000 exciting specialty, merchandise, hotel, car rental and experiential rewards.

For more information about Aeroplan, please visit aeroplan.com or aimia.com.

SOURCE Air Canada - Corporate - Finance

Image with caption: "Make Your Miles Count! Donate your Aeroplan Miles to the Air Canada Foundation to help children across Canada (CNW Group/Air Canada - Corporate - Finance)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161206_C4566_PHOTO_EN_832607.jpg

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