Best Ways to Book Air Canada Business Class with Points and Miles

The national airline of Canada, Air Canada, is known for providing a solid all-around flying experience. Air Canada operates an updated fleet, offers top-notch customer service, serves delicious in-flight meals and very rarely has baggage issues. Plus, according to a 2024 Skytrax ranking, Air Canada’s Signature Suite business-class lounge at Toronto Pearson International Airport was ranked the fifth-best business-class lounge in the world and the number-one best business-class lounge catering. So, if you’re flying out of Toronto and you want to enjoy a delicious complimentary meal before your flight, you may want to consider flying in Air Canada business class.

Air Canada business class also offers many wonderful in-flight amenities, including a lie-flat bed about 80 inches in length on intercontinental flights, gourmet multi-course meals, a high-definition entertainment system and more.

Unfortunately, booking Air Canada business class tickets with cash can be expensive. Luckily, by using points or miles to book these flights, you can experience Air Canada’s business-class product at a low out-of-pocket cost.

In this article, we’ll identify some of the best frequent flyer programs through which to book Air Canada business-class awards, taking into consideration the mileage they charge for these flights and how easy it is to earn points or miles. We’ll also take a brief look at what you can expect when flying in Air Canada business class.

What to Expect in Air Canada Business Class

The amenities and experience you’ll receive when flying in Air Canada business class depend on whether you’re taking an intercontinental flight (which are primarily operated using Boeing 787, Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft) or a flight within North America.

When taking intercontinental flights, you’ll sit in either an Executive or a Classic Pod (depending on the aircraft type), both of which feature seats that are 80 inches in length and can recline into fully flat beds. These seats also have lumbar support and a massage function, ensuring that you arrive at your destination feeling relaxed and comfortable. All pods come with a comfortable pillow, cozy duvet and mattress pad.

Each seat is equipped with a personal touchscreen entertainment system with hundreds of hours of movies, music, TV, podcasts, audiobooks and more. Air Canada also has partnerships with Apple TV, Audible and Disney, so you’ll be able to access these services on your entertainment monitor during your flight. Plus, business-class passengers have complimentary access to in-flight Wi-Fi, which can be used for select apps.

Business-class passengers on Air Canada intercontinental flights will receive an amenity kit at the start of the flight. These kits were revamped in 2024 and are now housed in a classy leather Acqua Di Parma case. The kit contains an eye mask, a pair of black socks, a microfiber glasses cleaner, earplugs, toothpaste, a toothbrush, hand cream and lip balm.

Business-class meal service on intercontinental flights will include a multi-course meal, including a fresh appetizer, salad, warm bread, a hot entree and a wine pairing from Air Canada’s curated list of fine wines. You’ll then finish up your meal with coffee or tea alongside dessert, cheese and a fresh fruit plate. On select routes, hot and cold snacks are also available between meals.

Air Canada business-class passengers on flights within North America will receive many of the same amenities as passengers on intercontinental flights. On North American flights of fewer than two hours, business-class passengers will receive a snack tray and premium beverage service including a selection of sommelier-selected wines, beers, spirits and liqueurs, soft drinks, juices, coffee and tea. On North American flights of more than two hours, business-class passengers will receive a complimentary meal and beverage service, including salad, warm bread, a hot entree and a dessert.

Regardless of your flight route, all Air Canada business-class passengers will have access to a dedicated business-class check-in desk at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and priority check-in services at all other airports, access to exclusive security lanes, priority Zone 1 boarding at most gates and priority immigration and baggage handling.

Air Canada passengers ticketed in business class and leaving from either Toronto Pearson International Airport or Vancouver International Airport will have access to the Air Canada Signature Suite, which features award-winning complimentary a la carte dining designed by renowned chef David Hawksworth, a personalized concierge service and Molton Brown care products. The Signature Suite at Toronto Pearson International Airport was ranked the fifth-best business-class lounge in the world and the number-one best business-class lounge catering, according to a 2024 Skytrax ranking. Note that only Aeroplan flight rewards booked as a Business Class Flexible Reward or a First Class Flexible Reward in J, C, D, Z, P, I booking classes are eligible for access.

Plus, at Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport, eligible business-class passengers arriving from within Canada and connecting to Asia, Europe, or South America will be picked up by an Air Canada concierge and transported across the tarmac to the Air Canada Signature Suite.

Air Canada also operates 18 Maple Leaf Lounges across Canada, the United States and Europe, all of which are accessible to Air Canada business-class passengers. These lounges offer complimentary Wi-Fi, a selection of digital and print newspapers and magazines, and complementary food and beverage options.

Plus, since Air Canada is a member of Star Alliance, Air Canada business-class passengers have complimentary access to Star Alliance partner lounges around the world during departures and layovers. To see if there’s a Star Alliance partner lounge at a specific airport, you can use the Lounge Finder tool on the Star Alliance website.

Best Programs Through Which to Book Air Canada Business Class

Since Air Canada is a member of Star Alliance, there are several partner frequent flyer programs through which you can book Air Canada business-class award flights. And, of course, you can also book Air Canada business-class awards through Air Canada’s own Aeroplan frequent flyer program.

However, these programs differ in the rates that they charge for Air Canada business-class award flights, as well as how easy it is to earn points or miles with each program. So, with these factors in mind, let’s look at some of the best programs through which to book Air Canada business-class awards.

Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles

One of the best frequent flyer programs through which to book Air Canada business-class award flights is the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program. This program prices all partner award flights based on a fixed region-based award chart, which means you can find outsized value by booking certain Air Canada business-class awards on certain routes and certain dates.

Unfortunately, after a lot of searching, we found it very difficult to find Air Canada business-class award space on intercontinental routes through the Miles&Smiles program. However, you can find business-class award space on Air Canada flights within North America.

For example, we found a round-trip Air Canada business-class award itinerary between Toronto (YYZ) and Houston (IAH) for 60,000 Turkish miles and about $212 Canadian Dollars (about $152) in taxes and fees.

If you were to book the same flights with cash through the Air Canada website, it would cost you about $919.

So, by booking this flight with Turkish miles instead of cash (factoring in the taxes and fees paid for the award flight), you’d be getting a value of about 1.3 cents per mile, which isn’t very impressive.

However, on other North American routes with higher cash prices, you can find much better value per mile. For instance, we also found a round-trip Air Canada business-class award itinerary between Montreal (YUL) and Seattle (SEA) for 60,000 miles and about 226 Canadian Dollars (about $162).

If you were to book the same flights with cash instead of Turkish miles through the Air Canada website, it would cost you about $1,754.

Factoring in the taxes and fees that you have to pay for the award flight, this redemption would provide a value of about 2.7 cents per mile, which is good. So, as you can see, with a bit of searching, you can find Air Canada business-class North American awards through the Turkish Miles & Smiles program that offer excellent value.

Plus, one of the biggest advantages of the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program is that it’s a 1:1 transfer partner of Bilt Rewards, Capital One Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards. That means that earning Turkish miles is relatively easy if you have a credit card from one of the aforementioned issuers.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Another program through which you can book Air Canada business-class award flights is Air Canada’s own Aeroplan frequent flyer program. Unfortunately, the Aeroplan program recently switched to using a dynamic pricing model for its own award flights, which means that award prices will correlate with cash prices pretty closely and you probably won’t be able to find very high value per point through this program.

However, the Air Canada Aeroplan program does offer considerably more Air Canada business-class award space than any other program, particularly when it comes to intercontinental flights. So, if you want to fly from North America to a different continent or you don’t want to deal with the hassle of searching for an Air Canada business-class award through another program, then the Aeroplan program might be the way to go.

We found a round-trip Air Canada business-class award itinerary between Montreal (YUL) and Paris (CDG) for 287,200 Aeroplan points and about 356 Canadian Dollars in taxes and fees (about $257).

If you were to book the exact same flights with cash instead of points through the Air Canada website, you’d have to pay about 3,506 Canadian Dollars (about $2,534).

So, factoring in the taxes and fees that you’d have to pay for the award flight, this redemption would give you a value of about 0.8 cents per point, which is pretty low. Unfortunately, since the Aeroplan program switched over to a dynamic pricing model for Air Canada award flights, this is the value that you can expect from many of the Air Canada business-class redemptions through this program.

But, once again, the Aeroplan program does offer the advantage of having a ton of Air Canada business-class award availability, even if it is at unfavorable rates. Plus, earning Aeroplan points is very easy for U.S. consumers, as this program is a 1:1 transfer partner of many of the major U.S. credit card rewards programs, including American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can also earn points directly through the Aeroplan® Credit Card if you’re a frequent flyer of this airline and see the value in opening a cobranded airline card.

ANA Mileage Club

One frequent flyer program through which you can sometimes find great deals on Air Canada business-class award flights is ANA Mileage Club. This program prices all Star Alliance partner award flights according to a fixed, zone-base award chart, which means that you can sometimes find outsized value per mile on Air Canada business-class awards through this program.

For example, we found a round-trip Air Canada business-class award itinerary between Los Angele (LAX) and Toronto (YYZ) for just 55,000 miles and about $104 in taxes and fees through the ANA Mileage Club program.

If you were to book the same flights on the same dates with cash through the Air Canada website, it would cost you about $2,075.

So, factoring in the taxes and fees you’d have to pay for the award flight, this redemption would give you a value of about 3.6 cents per mile, which is fantastic.

Unfortunately, Air Canada business-class award space is very scarce through the ANA Mileage Club program. And we weren’t able to find Air Canada business-class award space on any intercontinental routes through this program. However, by using online award search tools like AwardTool or PointsYeah, you may be able to find Air Canada business-class awards through ANA Mileage Club that offer great value.

Out of all of the U.S. credit card rewards programs, ANA Mileage Club is only a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards. So, if you have an American Express credit card, using the ANA Mileage Club program may be a great option for booking Air Canada business-class awards. However, if you don’t have an Amex card, earning ANA miles may be difficult.

The Bottom Line

As far as business-class products, Air Canada’s Signature Class doesn’t rank among the best in the world as far as the in-flight experience it provides. However, where Air Canada Signature Class really shines is in its airport lounge experience. If you have a connecting Air Canada business-class flight in either Toronto or Vancouver, eligible business class customers will be picked up from the tarmac in a private vehicle and whisked over to the Signature Suite, a top-rated airport lounge with a la carte dining and personal concierges. These Signature Suite lounges were ranked as the best airport lounge catering in the world in 2024, according to Skytrax.

Of course, if you want to experience this level of airport luxury, you’ll have to either pay a high cash price or use the tips and tricks in this article to book an Air Canada business-class flight with points or miles. We’d recommend first checking the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles program (or the ANA Mileage program, but only if you have an Amex credit card) for these awards. These programs use fixed pricing for Air Canada award flights, which means you may be able to find outsized value per mile on these redemptions.

If you’re unable to find the award you want through one of these programs, you might consider checking Air Canada’s own Aeroplan program. While there’s an abundance of Air Canada business-class award space through this program, Aeroplan recently switched over to a dynamic pricing model for its own awards, meaning that you probably won’t find very good value per point through Aeroplan.