Air Canada is striving to show how it gives travellers more of the things that can make flying a comfortable, enjoyable experience.

“More to Travel” is the carrier’s latest campaign, detailing the heightened levels of service travelers can expect. That includes premium pre-flight meals, free WiFi – bolstered by the airline’s recent team up with Bell to offer free messaging for all Aeroplan members on Wi-Fi equipped aircraft across the airline’s fleet – or more ways to redeem Aeroplan points, represented in the spot with numbers lighting up a plane’s portholes.

Whether referenced directly or in relation to the perks members receive, the Aeroplan loyalty program is central to many things in the new campaign.

“Our customers are Aeroplan members, and so for us to be talking about the customer experience and highlight how Aeroplan plays a role in that was key to us,” says John Xydous, Air Canada’s director of brand strategy and content marketing. “It’s something we hadn’t done as much in the past, and that we consciously did in this campaign.” 

According to Xydous, its insights reveal that customers really prefer the idea of value and select their airlines based on that. But “value” is based on more than simply the lowest price: while that is a factor, it also reflects the kind of experience a customer gets for that price.

That is where Aeroplan is useful, not just for points-earning opportunities, but for the experiences members have access to. The Bell partnership, for example, represents the kind of in-flight services that are becoming more standard, and are part of improvements made to meet travelers’ expectations.

The campaign, Xydous says, is built on the three pillars: comfort, competence and – perhaps most importantly – aspiration.

“We are returning back to the idea of enjoying travel again [after the pandemic],” Xydous says, even in a difficult, potentially recessionary environment. “People are making cuts elsewhere to continue with their travel plans.”

According to Xydous, the airline industry is continually changing on all fronts, but that the carrier remains “laser focused on the customer.” He cites changing consumption habits Air Canada has to respond to that are affecting air travel. For example, more leisure travelers are booking business seats, and in an environment of remote employment, business travelers are extending their work trips as distinctions between business and leisure blur.

This is something the hero spot touches on, with an Air Canada flyer engaging in all kinds of travel, be it solo, or with a partner, friends or family.

The campaign launch was timed to coincide with the NHL playoffs, but will run through the summer on TV, digital, social, airport out-of-home and in-flight. Air Canada is going broader with TV, with social and digital planned to dive deeper into different benefits the airline is offering. Xydous describes the ad spend as “responsible.”

FCB Canada led creative for the campaign. Mindshare handled offline media planning and buying, while digital and social is being done in-house.