As of Monday this week, US residents who have frequent-flyer status on eligible US airlines can apply to have their status matched by Air Canada at no cost until 31 December 2021.

To retain their status for all of 2022, travelers must book and fly by 15 January 2022 at least one round trip on Air Canada that would be eligible to accrue Aeroplan points.

National tourist board Destination Canada is funding this initiative, which is intended to induce US frequent flyers to visit Canada in the short term.

Destination Canada CMO Gloria Loree said:

“We know that Americans are travelling in their own country at 2019 levels—we will reach these frequent flyers who have adapted to the realities of travel today. We believe the benefits of this program provide a great incentive to choose Canada for their next trip. We can’t wait to welcome our American friends back and will lean in on our iconic landscapes and equally diverse communities in doing so.”

The US is Canada's largest international tourism market, providing nearly 15M arrivals and $11B in spend in 2019 - figures which fell by about 87% in 2020 because of COVID-19 travel restrictions that included closure of the Canada land border to Americans from March 2020 to August 2021.