Dubai’s Emirates airline is a popular choice for those travelling to the Middle East and beyond. But because the airline is not a member of a major airline alliance, it can be hard to find attractive ways to earn miles (when flying on a paid fare) and to redeem miles on Emirates award flights.

The partnership with Air Canada’s Aeroplan program will change that. This partnership is now live.

Earning Aeroplan Miles on Emirates Flights

You can earn 15-150% of miles flown, depending on your fare class and cabin purchased.

Aeroplan members won’t earn elite qualifying miles on Emirates, however.

Redeeming Aeroplan Miles on Emirates Award Flights

Award pricing will be highly variable, depending on the length of flight. The good news, however, is that Aeroplan will NOT add any fuel surcharges.

You can mix and match Emirates flights with other Aeroplan partners. You can also take full advantage of Aeroplan’s stopover rules to arrange a stopover in Dubai…

Lounge Access

Spending your time pre-flight – or in between connecting flights – in a lounge is an incredible elite status perk for those travelling in Economy class.

Aeroplan Elite 50K, 75K, and Super Elite members + 1 guest will be allowed access to the Emirates Business Class lounge in Dubai. However it does appear that this benefit will only apply in Emirates’ Dubai airport hub, not elsewhere…

Bottom Line

Any chance to book Emirates award flights WITHOUT those fuel surcharges is likely to be welcome. But the number of miles needed might be substantial.

And we shouldn’t overlook the fact that Emirates does not have a large number of attractive partners for crediting those paid flights.  Earning Aeroplan points is a great option for those who occasionally take a paid flight on Emirates…