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No — Air Canada and Delta are not airline partners, and if you fly one while crediting the other’s loyalty program, you’ll earn exactly zero miles for it. That surprises a lot of people, because both are major North American carriers that fly the same routes and even sit next to each other at the same airport gates. But loyalty-program-wise, they’re rivals sitting on opposite sides of a divide: Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, and the two alliances don’t share earning or elite recognition with each other.
Here’s exactly what that means for your Aeroplan miles, your SkyMiles, and — because this is where it actually gets useful — who Delta’s real Canadian partner is instead.
Why Air Canada and Delta Aren’t Partners
Airline alliances exist specifically so member airlines can share frequent flyer earning, elite status recognition, and lounge access across each other’s networks. Air Canada helped found Star Alliance in 1997, and its Aeroplan program is built around that network — 26 member airlines including United, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, and Singapore Airlines. Delta helped found SkyTeam in 2000, and SkyMiles is built around a different roster entirely — Air France, KLM, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, and around 20 others.
Those two networks don’t overlap. There’s no codeshare agreement between Air Canada and Delta, no reciprocal mileage earning, and no shared elite benefits. A basic industry interline agreement may still let the airlines rebook each other’s passengers during irregular operations — the kind of baseline arrangement most major carriers maintain with each other regardless of alliance — but that’s a customer-service backstop, not a loyalty partnership, and it has nothing to do with what you earn.
Can You Earn Aeroplan Miles Flying Delta?
No. Fly a Delta-operated or Delta-marketed flight and enter your Aeroplan number at booking, and it will not credit — 0 Aeroplan miles, 0 Status Qualifying Miles, no exceptions. Delta doesn’t appear anywhere in Aeroplan’s partner list, and there’s no workaround through codeshare numbers either, since Air Canada and Delta don’t codeshare on any routes.
What actually earns Aeroplan miles is flying Air Canada itself or one of its 26 Star Alliance and non-alliance partner airlines — United, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and similar, with the exact mileage tied to distance flown and fare class rather than ticket price.
Can You Earn Delta SkyMiles Flying Air Canada?
No. Same answer, same math: 0 SkyMiles, 0 Medallion Qualification Dollars, 0 Medallion Qualification Miles for flying Air Canada, regardless of fare class or how many times you enter your SkyMiles number at booking. Air Canada isn’t a SkyTeam member and isn’t on Delta’s separate list of non-alliance earning partners either.
Flying Delta itself earns the standard rate — 5 redeemable miles per dollar spent for general members on Delta-marketed fares, more with Medallion status multipliers — and flying one of Delta’s roughly 20 SkyTeam and non-alliance partners earns based on distance and fare class instead, the same partner-airline formula every alliance uses.
The Twist: Delta’s Real Canadian Partner Is WestJet, Not Air Canada
This is the part that actually explains the confusion. Delta does have a serious Canadian airline partnership — it’s just with WestJet, Air Canada’s biggest domestic rival, not Air Canada itself. The relationship started as a simple codeshare in 2011 and has grown into one of Delta’s closer non-alliance partnerships: Delta holds roughly a 15% equity stake in WestJet, and WestJet isn’t even a SkyTeam member — it’s one of a small handful of carriers Delta partners with entirely outside the alliance structure.
In practice, that means:
- SkyMiles earning on WestJet-marketed flights, credited by distance flown and fare class — the same partner-airline formula as any SkyTeam carrier, not the 5-miles-per-dollar rate Delta’s own flights use.
- SkyMiles redemption for WestJet award flights, available since March 2017.
- Reciprocal Medallion benefits — priority services and lounge access — for Delta elite members flying WestJet.
So if your actual goal is earning SkyMiles on a trip within Canada or between the US and Canada, WestJet — not Air Canada — is the carrier that gets you there.
Pro Tips
- Flying to/within Canada and want SkyMiles? Book WestJet, not Air Canada — it’s the only Canadian carrier where your Delta number actually does anything.
- Flying to/within Canada and want Aeroplan miles? Book Air Canada directly, or a Star Alliance partner like United on a connecting itinerary.
- Don’t rely on entering your loyalty number as a test. Since there’s no codeshare between Air Canada and Delta, a missing mileage credit after flying the ‘wrong’ airline isn’t an error to dispute — it’s exactly how the programs are built.
- Compare the two programs before picking one to focus on if you fly both airlines regularly — our Aeroplan elite status guide and Delta status levels guide lay out what each tier structure actually requires and delivers.
Bottom Line
Air Canada and Delta aren’t partners — different alliances, no codeshare, and zero reciprocal mileage earning in either direction. Fly Air Canada with a SkyMiles number and you’ll earn nothing; fly Delta with an Aeroplan number and the same is true. The workaround most people are actually looking for is WestJet: Delta’s real Canadian partner, with full SkyMiles earning, redemption, and Medallion benefits built in. Match the airline to the program you’re actually trying to build, and skip the guesswork on whether a flight will credit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Air Canada and Delta airline partners?
No. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance and Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam — different alliances with no codeshare agreement and no reciprocal mileage earning between them.
Can you earn Aeroplan miles flying Delta?
No. Flying Delta with your Aeroplan number on the reservation earns 0 Aeroplan miles and 0 Status Qualifying Miles. Delta is not on Aeroplan's list of Star Alliance or non-alliance earning partners.
Can you earn Delta SkyMiles flying Air Canada?
No. Flying Air Canada earns 0 SkyMiles and 0 Medallion Qualification Dollars or Miles, regardless of fare class. Air Canada is not a SkyTeam member and is not on Delta's separate list of non-alliance partners.
What is Delta's actual partner airline in Canada?
WestJet, not Air Canada. Delta holds roughly a 15% equity stake in WestJet, and SkyMiles members earn miles (by distance and fare class) and can redeem miles for WestJet flights, plus get reciprocal Medallion benefits like priority services and lounge access.
What is the best way to earn Aeroplan miles when flying to Canada?
Book Air Canada directly, or connect on one of its 26 Star Alliance and non-alliance partner airlines, such as United or Lufthansa. Earning is based on the distance flown and your fare class.
