Rundown on American Airlines for Canadians (updated May 9, 2016)
American Airlines has a loyalty program called AAdvantage. It has been widely documented already that AAdvantage took a devaluation hit this past year in reward redemption. That being said, I still believe that there is still a lot of value to be had, especially for short-haul redemptions.
Ways to Earn AAdvantage Miles as a Canadian
American Airlines is an member of Oneworld alliance, so whenever you fly with any of its members, you can bank your miles directly to your AAdvantage account. Aside from flying, there are many other ways to earn miles.
Car Rentals
WestJet Airlines also had a code-share agreement with American Airlines, so you can bank your WestJet flights to earn AAdvantage points.
- Avis
- Budget
- Payless
- Alamo
- National
- Dollar
- Hertz
- Thrifty
- Carmel
- Europcar
- Sixt
- GroundLink
- SuperShuttle
RBC Rewards / Avion
RBC Rewards / Avion points are convertable to AAdvantage miles. You will need to convert a minimum of 5,000 Avion points for 5,000 AAdvantage miles. There have been 20% transfer bonuses. However, it’s been so long since the last one that I doubt we will see another one soon.
Hotels
Instead of earning hotel points, you can bank your earnings to directly earn miles with AAdvantage instead.
- Best Western Hotels & Resorts
- Choice Hotels
- Country Inns & Suites By Carlson
- Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
- Fiesta Americana Hotels & Resorts
- Hilton Portfolio Hotels
- Hotel JAL City
- Hyatt
- InterContinental Hotels
- Langham Hospitality Group
- La Quinta Inns & Suites
- Marriott Hotels
- Melia Hotels International
- Millennium Hotels and Resorts
- New Otani Hotels
- Nikko Hotels International
- Park Inn by Radisson
- Park Plaza
- PointsHound
- Preferred Hotel Group
- Quorvus Collection
- Radisson
- Radisson Blu
- Raffles Hotels & Resorts
- Rocketmiles
- Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
- Starwood Hotels
- Swissotel Hotels & Resorts
- Worldhotels
- Wyndham Hotels
E-Rewards
E-rewards dollars can be transferred to your AAdvantage account at the following conversion:
- $25 = 500 Aadvantage points
- $50 = 1,000 Aadvantage points
- $100 = 2,000 Aadvantage points
Personally, I feel that this is the best way to help keep your account active.
Shop Online
AAdvantage has a eShopping mall that allows you to earn miles through their shopping portal.
List of Destinations Departing from Canadian Airports
Below is an updated list of American Airlines flights that depart from Canadian airports (recent changes from last time are in brackets or struck-through):
Toronto Pearson International Airport [YYZ]
- American Airlines: Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami
- American Eagle: Charlotte, Chicago–O’Hare, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Washington-National
Vancouver International Airport [YVR]
- American Airlines: Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix
- American Eagle: Los Angeles
, Phoenix
Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport [YUL]
- American Airlines: Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami,
- American Eagle: Charlotte, Chicago–O’Hare, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia
Calgary International Airport [YYC]
- American Airlines: Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix
- American Eagle [Seasonal]: Phoenix
Edmonton International Airport [YEG]
- American Airlines:
Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix - American Airlines [Seasonal]: Phoenix (added)
Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport [YOW]
- American Eagle: Philadelphia
Halifax Stanfield International Airport [YHZ]
- American Eagle: Philadelphia
Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport [YQB]
- American Eagle [Seasonal]: Philadelphia
Region of Waterloo International Airport [YKF]
- American Eagle: Chicago-O’Hare
Going Forward
I really hoped to see more direct routes between Canada and the United States being added in the near future. But even more so, I really hope that American Airlines will one day offer a co-branded credit card that allows us to earn AAdvantage miles.