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If seeing Polar Bears or Beluga Whales in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, is on your bucket list, you’ll be delighted to know that you can save a lot of money when using Aeroplan points to redeem for the flight to get there from Winnipeg.
While there are other tips to save money to get from Winnipeg to Churchill, the fastest way to get to Churchill is to fly and make great use of Aeroplan points.
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Which Airlines Fly From Winnipeg to Churchill?
Calm Air is the only Canadian regional airline that flies between Winnipeg and Churchill, Manitoba. Because of that, they can charge whatever they want. From my sample search, it costs me $600 one way for merely a 2 hours flight and $1300 for a round trip in U.S. dollars. That’s pretty steep!
Fortunately, you can use Aeroplan points to redeem for Calm Air flight and save a lot of money from airfare to spend on your adventures in Churchill.
Redeeming Aeroplan Points For Calm Air Flights
To redeem Aeroplan points on Calm Air, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- You must call to book.
- You cannot check points availability online using Air Canada Aeroplan website.
- A one-way flight requires 7,500 Aeroplan points plus taxes and fees in Canadian dollars.
- The tax and fees amount is about the same as the amount that Calm Air would charge for a revenue ticket. So if you want to figure it out yourself, you can just perform a dummy search via Calm Air and do your calculation there.
- For example, the Winnipeg to Churchill, the taxes and fees quoted to me were around $CAD120.
How to redeem Aeroplan points for Calm Air:
- Call Calm Air Reservation phone number at 1-800-839-2256.
- When the agent is on the line, ask the agent to check availability for you using Aeroplan points because you cannot do that online yourself.
- The agent will walk you through the next steps on getting you a redemption ticket once you are ready to book. The steps typically involve the following:
- The agent asks you for your Aeroplan numbers and credit card to pay taxes and fees. So make sure you have enough Aeroplan points in your account.
- Calm Air needs to process the request by first contacting Aeroplan on your behalf.
- You only need to wait to hear back and receive your confirmed flight ticket once everything is good.
- You do not need to contact Aeroplan at all during the whole process.
In my experience, the Calm Air agent was very pleasant and friendly. The best part was I got to speak to her right away, and she was very knowledgeable about this type of redemption. I could not help but feel relief from not dealing with the Aeroplan call center because the hold time with them is sometimes insane.
Cancellation Policy
The cancellation policy on redemption tickets with Calm Air using Aeroplan points is not the same cancellation policy for Aeroplan redemption tickets.
- Tax and fees are non-refundable once the ticket is confirmed.
- Your Aeroplan points can be redeposited for $CAD78.75 per passenger.
How to Save Money Using Aeroplan Points For Calm Air?
Here’s a real-world scenario of how much you can save by using Aeroplan points to redeem for Calm Air flights for those new to points travel.
Using the Winnipeg to Churchill route, for example. If you are looking to go to Churchill in the summertime to see Beluga Whales or winter time to see Polar Bears:
- A one-way flight in the peak season costs around $CAD800 or $CAD1,600 round-trip.
- Aeroplan points redemption requires 7,5000 Aeroplan points plus taxes and fees. The agent quoted me $CAD120 for the tax and fees.
If you do not have any credit card points to convert them to Aeroplan points, you can purchase Aeroplan points outright:
- It currently costs $CAD280 for 8,000 Aeroplan points. Factoring in the taxes and fees of $CAD120, your out-of-pocket price is $CAD400. That’s a saving of 50% from buying a one-way revenue ticket.
- Aeroplan sometimes has points sales that give you up to 100% bonus points, saving you even more money!
- When Aeroplan points sales are available, I update them here in the Master List of Buying Points & Miles Promotions and Offers.
Aeroplan is a partner of a few credit card reward programs in the U.S., such as American Express, Capital One, Chase, and BILT. There’s also a Chase Aeroplan Credit Card too in the U.S. market.
Does Calm Air Partner With Air Canada?
Aeroplan is its own entity. While Air Canada uses Aeroplan as its frequent flyer program, Calm Air is a completely separate entity, and it has its own rewards program:
- You cannot fly Air Canada and earn the Calm Air Rewards.
- You cannot earn Aeroplan points when you fly with Air Canada.
- You cannot book an Air Canda flight and a Calm Air flight on one reservation.
You can use Aeroplan points to redeem for Calm Air flights, but Calm Air does not partner with Air Canada or part of Air Canada, and Calm Air has its own frequent flyer program called Calm Rewards.
Calm Air Flight Schedules & Routes
Calm Air is a Canadian regional airline, and they have a few other routes in addition to the Winnipeg-Churchill route.
Here are all the routes that Calm Air flies, and you can get the latest updates on Calm Air flight schedules here.
The good news is that you can use Aeroplan points to redeem for any Calm Air routes, subject to availability.
