Air Canada Brings Back Double SQC as New Billy Bishop US Routes Launch

Air Canada is running a fresh round of double Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) on its new Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) routes to the US, with bookings open from May 29 to June 30, 2026.

This is the sequel to the targeted promotion that ran in April. Same mechanic, same 5,000 SQC cap, slightly different route lineup. The hook this time is that two of the three eligible routes start flying within days, with Boston following in July.

If you’re holding Aeroplan Elite Status and check your inbox often enough, the offer email might already be sitting there. Here’s what’s on the table.

The Offer at a Glance

The promotion lets eligible Aeroplan Elite Status members earn double SQC on new bookings on three Billy Bishop transborder routes. Like the previous round, it’s targeted, so you’ll need the email to participate.

• Eligible routes: Billy Bishop (YTZ) to Chicago (ORD), Washington (IAD), and Boston (BOS)
• Booking window: May 29 – June 30, 2026
• Travel window: through August 31, 2026
• Eligible fares: Economy Flex, Comfort, Latitude, Business Class Standard, and Business Class Latitude
• Bonus cap: up to 5,000 bonus SQC per member

Economy Basic and Economy Standard fares don’t count, and neither do points bookings or Points + Cash reservations. Only fresh booking references created within the offer window qualify, so rebooking an existing reservation into the travel window won’t get you anything.

How the SQC Math Works

On the eligible Flex and above fares, Air Canada normally awards 4 SQC per $1 on base fare and carrier surcharges. Under this promotion, you also pick up an extra 4 SQC per $1 in bonus credits, doubling the haul to 8 SQC per $1.

Air Canada’s own worked example uses a $500 round trip in Economy Flex between Billy Bishop and Chicago. That fare would normally earn 2,000 SQC, and the bonus adds another 2,000, landing you at 4,000 SQC total from a single round trip.

Stretch that math across two or three round trips and you’ll bump into the 5,000 SQC cap fairly quickly. The bonus credits post separately and can take up to six weeks after travel to show up.

What’s Different from the April Round

If you remember the April version, you’ll spot a few changes worth flagging.

The route list dropped from four to three. New York (LGA) was on the original promotion, but those flights have been running since March, so the airline has now moved on to the routes that are actually launching. Chicago and Washington begin June 1, and Boston starts July 1.

The booking window shifted to match. You now have until June 30 to lock in a fare, rather than the April 30 deadline from last time. The travel window still closes on August 31, so the actual usable runway is a bit shorter than it looked in April.

Fare-class wording also changed slightly. April’s offer named Business Class Lowest and Business Class Flexible. This time the same buckets show up as Business Class Standard and Business Class Latitude, matching Air Canada’s current fare-brand language.

Using This Offer to Reach a Higher Status Tier

With up to 5,000 bonus SQC on the table, this promotion is a real lever toward your next Aeroplan Elite Status tier. Worth noting that 25K can be reached entirely through Aeroplan credit card spending, so the first tier where flying actually matters is 35K.

Each tier unlocks progressively better perks, from priority check-in at 25K through to concierge service and a 6x earning multiplier at Super Elite. The threshold most members chase is 50K, since that’s where Star Alliance Gold and Maple Leaf Lounge access kick in.

A quick refresher on what each tier requires and unlocks.

If you’re already maxing out the SQC ceiling on your Aeroplan credit card (25,000 SQC per year on the top cobrands), two or three well-priced round trips on these routes could carry you across the 35K line while pulling in the full 5,000 bonus. For members tracking toward 50K, the bonus closes a gap that would otherwise take a few more flights to cover.

A worked example for status chasers

Say you book two round trips between Billy Bishop and Chicago in Economy Flex, each with a $625 base fare. Without the promotion, each trip earns 2,500 SQC, for a total of 5,000 SQC across both.

With double SQC, you’d earn 5,000 regular SQC plus the full 5,000 bonus SQC (you hit the cap exactly), for a total of 10,000 SQC from those same two trips. Combined with the 25,000 SQC ceiling from a top-tier Aeroplan credit card, that lands you right at 35K status.

If you’d rather lean into business class to test out the cabin, the same math applies to Business Class Standard and Latitude fares, where the higher base fare accrues at 8 SQC per $1 until the cap. You’ll hit the 5,000 bonus ceiling on a much smaller number of flights.

Conditions to Keep in Mind

A few details are worth confirming before you click book.

• Targeted only: only Aeroplan Elite Status members who received the offer email are eligible
• New bookings only: any reservation made before May 29 doesn’t count, even if you change the travel dates to fall inside the window
• Aeroplan number on the booking before travel: retro-credit requests after the fact aren’t accepted
• 5,000 SQC bonus cap: once you hit the ceiling, eligible flights still earn SQC at the regular rate
• Not Lifetime Qualifying Miles: bonus SQC won’t count toward Million Mile recognition, and can’t be converted to Aeroplan points

The offer can also be combined with other active Air Canada promotions, which is worth checking if you’re stacking. Card-based SQC from Aeroplan credit cards will continue to post on top of your flight earnings as usual.

Also worth noting that US Pre-Clearance is now open at Billy Bishop, so you’ll clear US customs before boarding and arrive stateside as a domestic passenger.

Conclusion

This isn’t a flashy promotion, but it’s a useful one if you fit the target. The first round burned through its booking window in April. With Chicago, Washington, and Boston now lifting off, Air Canada has wisely lined up a second wave to coincide with the actual launches.

If you’re an Aeroplan Elite Status member and the targeted email landed in your inbox, work out whether two well-priced round trips would carry you across a tier line. If they would, this is a quiet way to claw back 5,000 SQC for trips you might’ve taken anyway. If not, there’s no need to invent a reason to fly – you’ll get more out of waiting for the next stacking opportunity.