A consortium led by Air Canada has reached a deal to acquire the Aeroplan loyalty program from Aimia Inc.
The group, which includes TD Bank, CIBC and Visa Canada Corp., has agreed to pay $450 million in cash and assume approximately $1.9 billion of Aeroplan miles liability.
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The price is an improvement from an initial offer of $250 million in cash and the assumption of the reward point liability in July that was rejected by Aimia.
The deal, which is supported by Aimia’s board and Mittleman Brothers, Aimia’s largest shareholder, is subject to shareholder approval and other closing conditions.
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Air Canada created Aeroplan as in-house loyalty program, but it was spun off as an independent business as part of a court-supervised restructuring of the airline.
The future of the program has faced questions since Air Canada announced last year that it planned to launch its own loyalty rewards plan in 2020 when its partnership with Aimia expires.
The Canadian Press
