Air Canada’s Aeroplan announced the launch of its new co-branded credit card program in the United States with MBNA America Bank. The new Aeroplan Platinum Plus MasterCard will allow Aeroplan members resident in the U.S. to accumulate one mile per dollar spent on eligible purchases.

New cardholders will receive 5,000 bonus miles after using the card for the first time. They will also receive two Maple Leaf Lounge passes and a companion ticket certificate, which will allow them to get a second airline ticket free when buying a ticket on any Air Canada flight in one of the eligible booking classes, for travel originating in the U.S.

About 400,000 of Aeroplan’s 6 million members reside in the U.S.

At the same time the popular program was expanding its base, the Canadian government began suggesting potentially devastating changes to its transportation laws.

In the last week of February, federal Transport Minister David Collenette introduced new amendments to the Transportation Act proposing to give the Canadian Transportation Agency the power to compel domestic airlines to provide other carriers with access to their loyalty programs.

In essence, the rules would require Aeroplan to sell miles to any other Canadian airline that wanted to buy them.

The proposed legislation was tabled at press time.