Montreal – Istanbul – Beirut in Business Class with Aeroplan Miles

Updated May 31, 2024
Fact checked by
Jean-Maximilien Voisine
Jean-Maximilien Voisine

Jean-Maximilien Voisine

Jean-Maximilien Voisine
Jean-Maximilien, President and Founder of Milesopedia, is a recognized expert in rewards programs, credit cards, and travel in Canada and France. Approaching forty and a father of two, he has travelled to over 100 countries, half of them with his children and his wife, Audrey. Specializing in top loyalty programs like Aeroplan, American Express Membership Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy, he guides travellers to maximize their benefits across North America and Europe.
All posts by Jean-Maximilien Voisine
Note
8/10
turkish airlines istanbul beyrouth affaires 38
Flight Carrier Turkish Airlines
Departing Airport Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
Arrival Airport Beirut International Airport
Aircraft Airbus A330
Cabin Class Business Class
Cost 400,000 miles round trip
Tutorial Guide: How can I save on plane tickets with points?

We often talk about the mini-tours of the world that are possible with Aeroplan, but we can also use the program’s advantages for shorter but just as exotic itineraries. Example with my next trip.

The rules on mini world tours

Behind the expression “mini-tour of the world” is in fact an itinerary that maximizes the rules of the Aeroplan program and that can be summarized in one sentence: a round trip to one or more continents with 2 stops and one destination.

Astopover is a stopover of more than 24 hours, as opposed to alayover of less than 24 hours

We can think of the openjaw as an itinerary with a hole, for example a Montreal-Paris trip and a Barcelona-Montreal return. The Paris-Barcelona trip is not included in the ticket.

In detail, it is an award ticket that includes the following conditions:

  • It’s a round trip (you can’t make a stop on an award ticket that contains only a one-way trip)
  • You can make up to two stops or one stop and one open route
  • The itinerary must be at least between two continents (intercontinental flight), for example North America to Europe or North America to Asia via Europe

Other rules apply on flights in Canada and to the USA (one stop or open route) or flights from Canada or the USA to Hawaii, Central America and Puerto Rico: 2 stops/ 1 stop and one stopover if the route contains only Air Canada flights or 1 stop/ 1 open route if one of the flights is operated by a Star Alliance)

Sample itinerary between Montreal and Beirut

The cost in miles from Montreal to Beirut (Middle East and North Africa region according to Aeroplan’s fare structure) is 165,000 miles roundtrip in Business Class.

We stopped over in Istanbul several times but never for more than 24 hours, so we just had a glimpse of this city full of history. We wanted to take the opportunity to visit another city in the region and we chose Beirut. The latter being smaller, it allowed us to visit two cities without overloading ourselves.

Montreal – Istanbul via Boston: stop 1 and stop 2

There is a direct flight from Montreal but availability was not there. Thanks to FlightConnections, I can see that there are flights to many cities in the USA from Turkey.

tk flight connection

And bingo, Boston has two seats in business class with very minimal taxes ($14).

bos ist

The flight from Montreal to Boston is not difficult to find, it will even be our first stop, we take the opportunity to see a Red Sox game in the famous Fenway Stadium. This is an economy flight because the aircraft serving this route does not contain a business cabin.

yul bos

Istanbul – Beirut: from Stop 2 to Destination

The trip from Istanbul (the second stop) to Beirut (the destination) is also provided by Turkish Airlines, availability is not a problem and taxes are low there too ($40).

ist bey

Beirut – Montreal via Dubovnik and Paris: from destination to departure city with 2 long stopovers

The return journey will be more sportive, no flight is found by the search engine of the online site. I have to search by segment and most routes go through Germany so with Lufthansa charging big surcharges. If I have to pay taxes I prefer to go through Paris to see the family on the way. I find this itinerary to be jumpy:

bey ath cdg

It can be scary but for an aviation geek like me, I am curious to know two new companies: Aegean Airlines and Croatia Airlines and with a 7 hours connection in Dubrovnik I hope to have a glimpse of this famous city.

The last segment is a flight between Paris and Montreal respecting the rule of one stop of less than 24 hours (connection instead of a stopover) because I already used up my two stops in addition to my destination (Boston = Stop 1 / Istanbul = Stop 2 / Beirut = Destination).

This flight is done the next day, I will be able to spend the evening at my brother’s in Paris. The taxes are high ($400) but we get a lot of value from our itinerary so I don’t mind in this case.

cdg yul

The complete route on a map

Here is the route on gcmap:

map 2

Montreal – Boston (first stop) – Istanbul (second stop) – Beirut (destination) – Athens – Dubrovnik – Paris – Montreal

Credit and debit cards for this type of trip

Three cards here to highlight:

We often talk in the facebook group “Travel for free (or almost…!) with your points & miles – milesopedia” about the technique to collect many points & miles via American Express cards.

The American Express Platinum Card is the “cornerstone” of this technique, in addition to offering numerous advantages for your travels (access to airport lounges, hotel status…).

And to limit the costs of travel, there is a credit card with no foreign currency conversion fees, the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card. We have made a detailed presentation in this article.

Finally, to access cash, there is a free prepaid debit card, the CIBC Air Canada AC Prepaid Visa Conversion Card, which we have detailed in this article. For this trip, it would allow for example to load Turkish Lira (TRY). It is possible to load this card with a credit card… which allows to easily unlock a welcome bonus!

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
Matthieu Guyonnet-Duluc

Matthieu Guyonnet-Duluc

Matthieu Guyonnet-Duluc
Matthieu, a luxury travel enthusiast with a deep love for Asia, is an expert in the Aeroplan, Flying Blue, and Marriott Bonvoy programs. Originally from France and residing in Canada for over 20 years, he shares insights for high-end stays and unique experiences, helping travelers make the most of their points and perks.
All posts by Matthieu Guyonnet-Duluc
Flights
Region
Turkey, Istanbul
4.1 Milesopedia Rating

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