The Loyalty Group’s contract with Canadian Airlines remains in place for the time being, despite that airline’s takeover by Air Canada back in December.

The takeover has had no impact on collectors’ Air Miles account balances or on consumers’ ability to collect and redeem their reward miles, says John Wright, senior vice-president for The Loyalty Group – the company that issues Air Miles.

"Negotiations are currently underway with airline representatives to continue the program now that it’s part of Air Canada, but they are at a very early stage," says Wright, adding that the exact nature of the negotiations will be kept confidential.

He adds, however, "I can say that we are confident that these discussions will result in a new partnership that will benefit consumers."

Air Miles buys unsold blocks of seats from Canadian to offer collectors who amass enough points to redeem for a flight.

"We’ve had a relationship with Air Miles for some time," adds Renée Smith-Valade, a spokesperson for Canadian in Calgary. "The contract is still in place and the ongoing nature of our relationship (with Air Miles) with respect to our integration with Air Canada is still under consideration."

Air Miles can also be redeemed nationally on charter airline Canada 3000, and regional carrier Air Montreal, as well as on international flights with American Airlines, KLM, Northwest Airlines and United Airlines. In addition to free flights, Air Miles also offers more than 100 non-flight rewards.

Laura Cook, a spokesperson for Air Canada in Toronto, says Canadian is in the process of reviewing all commercial agreements.

"But I’m not going to speculate on what may happen," she adds.

Meanwhile, the announcement last month that Canadian is dropping out of the Oneworld alliance has no impact on The Loyalty Group.

"We are not affiliated with any of the alliances," says Wright. "Canadian and American are part of the Oneworld alliance, for example, but we also buy seats on United, which is part of the Star Alliance."

Earlier this month, members of Air Canada’s Aeroplan program and Canadian Airlines’ Canadian Plus program were granted the reciprocal right to redeem points for travel on each other’s flights as well as those of their regional carriers.

"There has been a team of people from both carriers spending many, many hours over the past two months merging the two programs," said Smith-Valade. "It’s a big milestone for us."

She adds that members can expect to find out more through newsletters, while a general ad campaign will also be rolled out "very soon." DE

Strategy is on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.

Thursday’s batch of Silver and Bronze winners included the Creative Business Transformation, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Strategy, Luxury Lions, Brand Experience & Activation, Innovation and Creative Commerce Lions categories. Canadians were recognized with three Lions today: a Silver in Brand Experience & Activation, a Bronze in Creative Commerce and a Bronze in Creative Effectiveness. Rethink was awarded twice on Day 4, while Weber Shandwick rounded out the Canadian agency wins with one Lion. Below is a look at the work. Catch the Gold winners later this afternoon when they’re revealed at the gala in Cannes.

Creative Commerce (1 Silver)

1 SILVER: “U Up?” by Rethink for IKEA

IKEA’s “U Up?” campaign has legs, it turns out. The campaign is getting major love at Cannes. The IKEA work, created in collaboration with Rethink Toronto, added to its Cannes Lions tally with a Silver medal in Creative Commerce. That now makes five total Lions for the work, including two Golds on Wednesday night, for Direct and Socal & Creator. The campaign has been lauded by jurors for its dexterity, contextual timing and humour.

Creative Effectiveness (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Heinz Ketchup & Seemingly Ranch” by Rethink for Kraft Heinz 

Both Rethink and Kraft Heinz picked up another Lion, this one a Bronze in Creative Effectiveness for their collaboration on “Heinz Ketchup & Seemingly Ranch.” Not only did the work capture a culture moment spurred by Taylor Swift, but it also created a new product, “in under 24 hours,” to match. The latest two Lions makes 10 total wins for Rethink. Kraft Heinz and Rethink also picked up a rare Gold Lion for Media a day earlier.

Brand Experience & Activation (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Airbnb Icons” by Weber Shandwick for Airbnb

The Weber Shandwick work, “Airbnb Icons,” won Bronze on Thursday in Brand Experience & Activation after claiming a Bronze in Media Wednesday. Airbnb turned media brands into a destination, partnering with the likes of Marvel and Disney to offer travellers experiences like drifting off in the Up house or crashing at an X-Men mansion. The first 11 experiences rolled out mid-2024, and most of the experiences were free or under $100, with over 4,000 tickets sold by the end of the season.