Air Canada and telecom partner Bell announce connectivity plan and expansion of tech for passengers
MONTRÉAL - Air Canada and telecommunications company Bell, both headquartered in Montreal, announced a multi-year partnership for bell to provide Wi-Fi and other services to passengers.
Starting 15 May, Air Canada and Bell will offer free messaging for all Aeroplan members worldwide on all Wi-Fi equipped aircraft across Air Canada's fleet, including Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express flights. This offering will enable customers to send and receive text-based messages via onboard Wi-Fi using popular messaging apps including Apple's iMessage, Meta's WhatsApp and Messenger, Rakuten's Viber, and Messages by Google. Also, this benefit will be available to partner airline loyalty members, including customers of United MileagePlus, Lufthansa Group Miles & More and Emirates Skywards when their account numbers are associated with an Air Canada booking.
Additionally, with this new partnership, newcomers and visitors to Canada will gain easy and immediate ways to stay connected as they arrive in Canada. With complimentary mobile SIM cards on select inbound international flights, newcomers and visitors can activate in flight, allowing them to walk off the plane and be connected.
This partnership will enable additional areas of collaboration and customer benefit, including the development and offering of Aeroplan promotional rewards, as well as building upon Air Canada's award-winning in-flight entertainment offering with the expansion of Live TV service on flights to the U.S., expected later this summer.
"We're excited to partner with Air Canada, and innovate on delivering enhanced experiences for our customers. For those new to Canada or visiting, we recognize how important it is to stay connected with family and friends, and the new opportunities being connected can bring. Many are already familiar with Bell and know we offer the best network, and we're thrilled to be making it even easier for them to connect when they arrive in Canada," said Claire Gillies, Executive Vice President, Marketing and President Consumer at Bell.
