MONTREAL — Air Canada and Uplift have joined forces to give Air Canada passengers access to Uplift’s alternate payment solutions for travel.

Air Canada says today’s announcement means passengers can now book flights from Canada and the U.S. to destinations throughout Air Canada’s global network and pay for those trips over time with Uplift.

“Air Canada’s strategy is to put the customer at the centre of everything we do and give them tools to better design and manage their travel. This includes offering the convenience of alternative payment options. In collaborating with Uplift, we are further expanding these options for our customers,” said Keith Wallis, Senior Director, Distribution and Payments at Air Canada.

HOW IT WORKS

Air Canada passengers will be given the option to pay Air Canada in full or pay monthly through Uplift at time of booking.

When selecting monthly payments passengers can apply online to receive an estimate of monthly payments and advance purchase amounts.

Uplift can also be used to secure best available pricing, book a last-minute trip, add benefits such as preferred seats or upgrade flights to Premium Economy and Business Class, while managing the costs with fixed, affordable monthly payments, according to Air Canada.

Air Canada adds that Uplift provides users the freedom to finance their trip and pay for it over time, and notes that customers can compare the costs of paying monthly with those of paying upfront, choosing the option that works best for them. There are no prepayment penalties and travellers clearly see the interest rate and total cost of the trip at the time of booking.

MORE DETAILS FROM UPLIFT’S HEFFRON

The integration of the new Air Canada partnership with Uplift is B2C, Managing Director, Canada, Denise Heffron told Travelweek this morning.

However since its Canadian launch in early 2019 Uplift has signed deals with travel retailers including Transat Distribution, TPI, TravelOnly, Tripcentral, TL Network, Redtag, SellOffVacations and more.

Denise Heffron

And Heffron told Travelweek that Uplift is currently working with a number of agency chains with its standalone tool which allows agents to book any product. Agencies looking to bring Uplift’s payment options to their clients need to be working in partnership with Uplift.

“We are actively working with agents and always welcome new partnerships,” Heffron told Travelweek.

In August 2020 Uplift’s book now and pay over time payment solution became available through Softvoyage’s Sirev.

Heffron notes that agents who are not under agreement with Uplift can utilize Uplift in the Sirev flow, however for now Uplift is available only on the package path (eg. not air only).

Says Heffron: “We’re proud to collaborate with one of the most innovative airlines in the world and to offer a flexible payment option helping more people realize their travel dreams. Like Air Canada, we understand how important and special travel is. Our goal is to make travel more affordable and rewarding for everyone and this collaboration accelerates our ability to do so.”

Hear more from Uplift’s Denise Heffron with a Q&A in Travelweek Daily next week.