Air Canada has launched a self-serve business travel platform designed for small and midsize enterprises and nonprofit organizations, the carrier announced Thursday.
The offering—part of Air Canada for Business and dubbed Embarq—offers travel management, tracking and rewards in a single platform. Registered Canadian businesses and nonprofit organizations can enroll and book business directly on the Air Canada website, provided they do not already have an existing corporate agreement with Air Canada. The program is not available to third-party travel agencies or distributors.
There is no minimum spend required and no cost to join, according to the carrier. To enroll, one authorized employee, designated as the "primary corporate travel manager," can associate their Aeroplan loyalty program number to the eligible business program account and complete the enrollment form. Upon approval, the company will be assigned a program account number.
Once an Embarq member, the company's travel manager will be able to set up teams, assign roles and permissions, view current and upcoming trips on an interactive map, and download a list of bookings to help monitor travel activity and spending, according to the Air Canada for Business website.
Eligible travelers must be employed by the member business, traveling for a business purpose, registered and approved to participate in the program by Air Canada and an Aeroplan loyalty member "in good standing."
Travelers then can use their Aeroplan loyalty account and select business travel when booking to ensure eligible benefits are applied and trips are tracked through the Embarq portal, according to Air Canada. Company travel arrangers also can book on behalf of employees.
Travelers will be able to access discounts on eligible bookings and earn 50 percent more Aeroplan points on eligible business travel bookings through Embarq, according to the carrier. Enrolled businesses also will have access to a dedicated Air Canada for Business support team.