Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose?

Note: You can also use this guide to make your choices with other airlines.

It’s often said that on the same flight, there are almost as many different prices paid as there are seats available.

The price of a seat is influenced by several factors, including:

How long before the flight was the booking made?
Is it a one-way or a round-trip flight?
Is this flight part of a larger itinerary?
Is the ticket paid in cash or points?
Who issued the ticket?

In addition, there’s the fare grid you have to choose from when booking, which can make the same seat cost anywhere from a fraction to five times as much, depending on the options selected.

In this guide, you will find the information you need to make the right decision for your situation.

Parameters of Fare Class

Whether you use your Aeroplan points or pay in cash, there are several options available to you. These options will affect several characteristics:

Before the flight: For example, cancellation and change policies, and same-day standby options.
During the flight: Such as carry-on luggage, checked baggage, and seat selection.
After the flight: For example, the number of Aeroplan points earned.

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - Utilisation de points Aéroplan

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - En argent

Cancellation and Change Policies

For most travellers, this is the most important criterion.

Between an option that allows cancelling or changing a ticket without fees and one that permits no changes, there is a significant margin.

Depending on the fare class, changes or cancellations can be:

Free,
With a fee,
Or simply not possible.

Determine the Cost of Fees

Calculating fees is quite complex, as they vary based on the ticket type, destination (Canada, US, International, sunny destinations), carrier (Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge), number of segments in the journey, time before the flight, mix of fare classes, etc.

Option 1: Check Price Charts

For award tickets, the available information on Aeroplan’s website gives a good idea.

Aeroplan: Reward flight change, cancellation and refund fees - Frais 1

For cash tickets, information is available on the Air Canada website, but there are many options.

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - Exemple de frais modification et annulation argent

Option 2: Run a Simulation

The simplest method is to run a simulation on Air Canada’s website.

To do this, simply select a fare.

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - Choix du la classe tarifaire

Then navigate to the summary page and click on “View Fare Rules.”

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - lien vers l information

Review the cancellation and change policies, baggage allowances, and Aeroplan points accumulation rules.

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - exemple des conditions

Making the Right Choice

The first question to ask is, “Do we need this flexibility?”

Unforeseen events can prevent us from travelling, such as the death of a family member, illness or disaster.

Many of these conditions may already be covered by your group insurance or credit card.

The next question is about the risk premium. If there’s a chance the trip won’t happen or if you think you might cancel or change dates, how much are you willing to pay?

At this point, you need to calculate the additional premium you’ll have to pay to cover this risk.

Example of a round trip Montreal-Paris with an Aeroplan award ticket (prices noted in June 2025):

Economy fare	Return fare	Change fees	Cancellation fee
Standard	80,000	$100	$150
Flex	100,000	$0	$75
Latitude	140,000	$0	$0

This will provide, among the different options:

Fare difference	Return fare	Change fee difference	Cancellation fee difference
Flex/Standard	20,000	($100)	($75)
Latitude/Flex	40,000	$0	($75)

Since, according to our valuation, 20,000 Aeroplan points have a value of around $400, in this example we can ask ourselves the following question:

Am I spending 20,000 Aeroplan (± $400) to potentially save $100 in case of a change or $75 in case of a cancellation?

Example of a round trip Montreal-Paris in cash (prices noted in June 2025):

Obviously, the same questions will arise with cash fares, especially since some fares offer no options for cancellation or modification.

Fare	Return fare	Change fees	Cancellation fee
Basic	$1,200	$1,200	$1,200
Standard	$1,300	$150	$1,300
Flex	$1,900	$0	$300
Latitude	$3,700	$0	$0

So, the fare differences:

Fare difference	Return fare	Change fee difference	Cancellation fee difference
Standard/Basic	$100	($1,050)	$100
Flex/Standard	$600	($150)	($1,000)
Latitude/Flex	$1,800	$0	($300)

Seat Selections and Checked Baggage

Checked baggage fees can quickly increase the overall cost of your trip.

For flights to Canada, the United States, and the South, we’re talking about an additional $45 per one-way, before taxes (since April 13, 2026) ticket for checking a first piece of luggage.

This rule also applies to basic economy class, which does not include carry-on baggage on these routes (tickets purchased on or after January 3, 2025). You will need to check in your carry-on bag and pay the fee.

For international flights, if the fare option selected does not include checked baggage, please allow $90 one-way before taxes on Economy Basic ($180 round-trip) for tickets purchased on or after May 14, 2026 to Europe, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific, the Middle East or South America. Standard and Flex fares include the first bag, and a second bag costs $120 before taxes.

Travelling with Children

For seat pre-selection, please note that if the reservation includes a child under 14, Air Canada will automatically allocate generic seats before check-in at no extra charge.

You can also bring one stroller per child in addition to your baggage allowance.

All the details can be found on the Air Canada website.

Benefit from Your Credit Card

Some of these fees may be covered by your credit card

Several Aeroplan-affiliated credit cards offer the first checked baggage for free.
Many credit cards offer an annual credit that can be used to reimburse these fees.

Leveraging Aeroplan Status

Some Aeroplan status holders may also enjoy benefits such as seat selection or additional checked baggage allowance.

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - Avantages statut elite

How to Identify the Benefits You Already Have?

On the Aeroplan website, you can find the benefits applicable to your profile in the “Benefits” section of your profile.

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - aeroplan benefits

For example, if you have an eligible Aeroplan credit card linked to your account, the “First checked bag free” information will automatically be shown and taken into account when you make your reservation.

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Aeroplan Points, Qualifying Credits, and eUpgrades

In general, these criteria only tip the scales for advanced users who already have Aeroplan status or want to keep it.

Aeroplan Points and Qualifying Credits

Depending on the fare option selected, you can earn more or fewer Aeroplan points or Status Qualifying Credits (SQC). These are crucial when it comes to obtaining or renewing your Elite status.

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - statut aeroplan elite qualification

Since 2026, Air Canada awards 2 SQC per dollar on Standard fares and 4 SQC per dollar on Flex fares and higher (base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, excluding taxes). Another way to earn Elite 25k status is to accumulate 100,000 Eligible Aeroplan Points(SQS) in one year.

In this case, the number of Aeroplan points obtained during a trip helps to speed up the process of obtaining or maintaining status.

Application of eUpgrades

The choice of fare option is essential when you wish to apply eUpgrades to your booking.

Indeed, the ability to request an upgrade, the number of eUpgrade credits required, any additional charges, and the application period will vary depending on the fare class.

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - Prix

For instance, a Latitude Economy fare allows you to apply for an upgrade at the time of booking, whereas with a Standard Economy fare, the upgrade can only be applied a few days before the flight.

Air Canada's Different Fare Classes: How to Choose? - Période

Bottom Line

We hope this brief guide will help you make informed decisions when choosing between the different fare classes available to you.

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