Aeroplan has quietly flipped the switch on redemptions with ITA Airways, Italy’s flag carrier and soon-to-be Star Alliance member.
This is now fully live and confirmed by Aeroplan: you can redeem Aeroplan points for ITA-operated flights across the carrier’s network of 70+ destinations, either as standalone itineraries or mixed with Air Canada and other Aeroplan partners on a single booking.
For now, it’s a redemption-only partnership. Aeroplan points accrual, Status Qualifying Credit (SQC) earn, and elite benefits on ITA flights will only arrive once ITA formally joins Star Alliance, which is expected in early 2026.
ITA’s Network: Rome as Another Aeroplan Hub
ITA is based at Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and operates a mix of transatlantic and regional routes that line up nicely with Aeroplan’s existing strengths.
On the North American side, the key point for Canadians is a seasonal Toronto (YYZ) – Rome (FCO) service operated by the Airbus A330-900neo.
South of the border, ITA flies from multiple major US gateways into Rome, which gives you extra flexibility if you’re willing to position via the United States before crossing the Atlantic on ITA.
From Rome (FCO), the airline fans out across Italy and Europe, plus a curated long-haul network into South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Think of places like North and West Africa, the Gulf, the Indian Ocean, and leisure-driven Asian routes such as Bangkok, Maldives, and Tokyo, rather than trying to memorise a full route map.
For Aeroplan collectors, the main takeaway is that Rome becomes an extra European hub option, similar in concept to Zurich or Vienna, with good onward connectivity and solid hard product.
The usual routing rules still apply, including the long-standing restriction against flying North America–South America via Europe on a single Aeroplan ticket.
How ITA Prices on the Aeroplan Chart
On North America–Atlantic routes, ITA flights price exactly where you’d expect on the award chart.
A direct Toronto–Rome flight sits in the 4,001–6,000-mile band, so you’re looking at 40,000 points in economy or 70,000 points in business class one-way.
Longer routes like San Francisco (SFO – Rome (FCO) fall into the 6,001–8,000-mile band, which comes in at 55,000 points in economy or 90,000 points in business class one-way.
If you tack on domestic or regional connections at either end, the total distance changes and your band might move up, as usual. That also applies when you cross zones.
For example, a routing such as Toronto (YYZ) – Rome (FCO) – Tokyo (HND) prices off the “Between North America and Pacific zones” partner chart; at that distance, you’re looking at 87,500 Aeroplan points one-way in business class, assuming everything stays within the relevant distance band.
ITA Airways Business Class
ITA’s long-haul fleet is small but competitive. On the Airbus A330-900neo, business class features Thompson Vantage XL-style seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, with fully flat beds and direct aisle access.
There are no doors on the suites, but it’s otherwise a very modern and competitive product.
The Airbus A350-900 features a reverse-herringbone layout that’s broadly comparable to Air Canada’s Signature Class cabin.
Seats angle towards the window, privacy is solid, and the overall experience should feel very familiar if you’ve flown modern business class on other Star Alliance carriers.
On selected A321 neo routes, ITA has gone a step further and installed lie-flat business class in a 1-1 layout, which is particularly interesting for medium-haul flights to places like North Africa or the Middle East.
Availability: What We’re Seeing So Far
From Toronto (YYZ), economy awards into Rome (FCO) are already showing and pricing correctly off the partner chart, with 40,000 Aeroplan points for one way.
Long-haul business class from North America on ITA Airways, on the other hand, is thin or non-existent at this early stage.
That’s not out of character for ITA, which was never particularly generous with business-class awards during its SkyTeam era, but it’s something to watch as we move closer to peak transatlantic season.
On shorter and medium-haul legs, business class space is already easier to spot, including routes such as Rome (FCO) – Madrid (MAD) and other regional spokes.
Those segments may be especially useful for building multi-leg itineraries where you use ITA to push onward from Rome into Africa or the Middle East and still enjoy a lie-flat product.
Realistically, ITA may end up behaving like SWISS, Austrian, or Brussels on Aeroplan: business space does exist, but you’ll probably need to plan ahead, be flexible, or get slightly lucky.
Conclusion
Aeroplan’s addition of ITA Airways as a redemption partner is a strong quality-of-life upgrade for anyone who likes flying to, through, or beyond Italy on points.
Rome becomes a more useful hub, ITA’s long-haul and narrowbody lie-flat cabins add another high-quality option to the partner roster, and everything prices cleanly off the existing Aeroplan charts.
For now, it’s all about redemptions: you can book ITA with Aeroplan points immediately, but you’ll need to wait until ITA’s Star Alliance entry for earning, SQCs, and elite perks to kick in.
In the meantime, we’ll be keeping an eye on how award space evolves, and we’ll be first in line when meaningful long-haul business inventory finally shows up.
This story originally appeared on princeoftravel
