Harbour Air and Pacific Coastal Airways introduced an acquisition settlement on September 15, 2026, below which Harbour Air will purchase Pacific Coastal and hold each manufacturers inside a brand new Canadian-owned regional airline group.
Collectively, the airways would have 59 plane, serve 25 communities, and preserve as much as 300 day by day flights, with greater than 900 workers throughout the 2 airways.
The quick model is {that a} a lot larger slice of British Columbia’s regional flying might ultimately share one loyalty providing. For factors collectors, the fascinating half is how Harbour Air’s Aeroplan relationship suits alongside Pacific Coastal’s Air Miles partnership and WestJet connections.
What Harbour Air Is Really Shopping for
Pacific Coastal is a privately owned, Smith household airline based in 1987 and primarily based on the South Terminal in Vancouver (YVR). Its 19 scheduled locations embody Victoria (YYJ) and lengthen past the coast to locations comparable to Kelowna (YLW), Cranbrook (YXC), and Prince George (YXS), bringing inside and northern communities into the Harbour Air group.
On the opposite aspect, Harbour Air brings a community centred on coastal seaplane service, with as much as 200 day by day flights to 13 locations. Pacific Coastal provides roughly 20 scheduled-service turboprops, plus constitution, cargo, and its Wilderness Seaplanes division. The proposed group combines these companies whereas preserving their separate identities.
| Characteristic | Harbour Air At the moment | Pacific Coastal Airways At the moment | Proposed Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Based | 1982 | 1987 | Each manufacturers retained |
| Base | Richmond headquarters; Vancouver and Victoria hubs | YVR South Terminal | Vancouver as the important thing hub |
| Fleet | de Havilland Canada Beaver, Turbo Otter, and Twin Otter seaplanes, plus some wheeled plane | Roughly 20 scheduled-service Beechcraft 1900 and Saab 340 turboprops | 59 plane mixed |
| Locations | 13 | 19 scheduled locations | 25 communities, with seven served by each airways |
| Loyalty | Harbour Air Membership and Aeroplan incomes | Air Miles redemptions; pay as you go QuikPass packages | One loyalty providing promised; construction unannounced |
| Airline Associate | Air Canada by Aeroplan | WestJet interline settlement | Current partnerships unchanged presently |
Bert van der Stege, Chief Govt Officer of Harbour Air, will lead the group. He describes the ambition as “investing collectively in constructing the main regional airline group in Western Canada.” Additional management particulars will comply with, whereas the monetary phrases stay non-public.
Two Loyalty Packages and Two Airline Companions
The announcement guarantees a single loyalty providing, however doesn’t clarify whether or not Harbour Air Membership will broaden, a brand new program will change it, or one other association will emerge. That leaves a substantial hole between the acknowledged ambition and something a traveller can use.
Harbour Air Membership is free to affix, with Blue, Silver, and Gold tiers earned by Membership Credit and qualifying flights. Since Harbour Air joined Aeroplan in December 2025, members also can earn 200 Aeroplan factors on Flex fares, 150 on Consolation, and 100 on Worth, with none on Gentle. Harbour Air Membership’s perks embody waived baggage charges and scenic tour vouchers, giving common passengers advantages alongside the factors earned on eligible fares.
Redeeming Aeroplan factors is one other story. Harbour Air awards had been promised for early 2026, however its web site nonetheless lists them as coming quickly as of September 15, 2026. There are additionally no reciprocal elite advantages between Aeroplan Elite Standing and Harbour Air Membership.
Personally, I’d like to see these redemptions go dwell earlier than the 12 months is out. Harbour Air stated we’d see them someday in 2026, we’re now into the again half of September, and a bunch that might quickly stretch to Kelowna and Prince George offers Aeroplan a a lot better cause to complete the job.
Below the Aeroplan flight reward chart, companion economic system awards below 500 miles begin at 6,000 factors, the entry value anticipated for Harbour Air redemptions. A harbour-to-harbour flight at that degree could be a enjoyable use of factors, nevertheless it stays an expectation for a redemption possibility that hasn’t launched.
Throughout the proposed group, Pacific Coastal already gives Air Miles collectors a solution to redeem Dream Miles for flights. These bookings should undergo the Air Miles web site or name centre, slightly than immediately by Pacific Coastal. The airline doesn’t take part in Aeroplan.
WestJet offers the opposite connection. Pacific Coastal’s interline settlement permits flights on each airways to share one itinerary and reserving reference, with through-checked baggage. Our explainer on how WestJet interline partnerships work covers the sensible worth of that association for connecting travellers.
Neither Aeroplan’s enlargement onto Pacific Coastal nor the long-term survival of the Air Miles and WestJet preparations has been introduced. Current partnerships are unaffected presently, and the 2 airways proceed working independently till approval and shutting.
For frequent flyers, a shared loyalty providing leaves a number of sensible questions. Will flights on both airline depend towards the identical standing, and can the identical advantages apply on floats and wheels? The discharge doesn’t present these mechanics, so there’s no foundation but for altering the place you credit score your flying.
Vancouver Turns into the Hub, however Nothing Adjustments But
Vancouver is about to develop into the group’s key hub, with the businesses pointing to new connections throughout Canada and globally by Vancouver Worldwide Airport. Harbour Air additionally makes use of Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre (CXH) downtown, whereas Pacific Coastal operates from the South Terminal, so the terminal nonetheless issues when planning a connection.
By our depend from the route maps, the seven overlapping communities seem like Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo (YCD), Comox (YQQ), Campbell River (YBL), Powell River (YPW), and Tofino/Ucluelet (YAZ). The businesses say collectively served communities will retain each float and wheeled service.
Combining the networks might additionally assist when coastal climate interferes. Seaplanes are extra susceptible to fog and low cloud than wheeled turboprops, giving the group a broader operational combine. There’s no introduced course of for transferring passengers between airways throughout disruptions, so I wouldn’t plan round that risk but.
In contrast to Harbour Air’s summer season route enlargement, this announcement comprises no particular new routes. Present routes shall be maintained, with future progress evaluated after regulatory approval and integration planning.
Bookings, loyalty applications, schedules, fares, and visitor service processes proceed unchanged through the evaluate. Harbour Air intends to maintain On a regular basis Low Fares on float routes and lengthen an identical strategy throughout Pacific Coastal over time, however hasn’t equipped new costs or a rollout schedule.
Regional Consolidation Below Canadian Possession
Acquisitions are acquainted territory for Harbour Air. It purchased West Coast Air in 2010, Whistler Air in 2012, and Salt Spring Air in 2015, folding every into its personal operation. Preserving Pacific Coastal as a separate model makes this deal a departure from that sample.
Regional relationships can change even when the airline doing the flying stays acquainted. Pacific Coastal operated WestJet Hyperlink from 2018 till October 2024, when WestJet ended that service and moved the flying to WestJet Encore. Its persevering with WestJet interline relationship is a separate association.
Credit score the place it’s due, retaining each manufacturers and each kinds of service in overlapping communities offers frequent travellers some continuity. Canadian possession additionally stays intact. Whether or not combining company and help features produces higher service or decrease fares is one thing passengers should decide after integration.
So let me plant a flag. With Harbour Air’s chief government main the group and Aeroplan already built-in into Harbour Air Membership, I’d anticipate Aeroplan to be the likelier program to unfold throughout the mixed community. That’s my prediction, with no introduced dedication to increase incomes or redemptions to Pacific Coastal.
Electrification additionally stays a part of Harbour Air’s acknowledged plans. The airline flew an electrical DHC-2 Beaver demonstrator in December 2019 and has been working towards certification since. It says the acquisition doesn’t change that dedication, though the announcement provides no new certification milestone.
Regulatory approval stays a considerable unfinished step, together with federal competitors and transportation evaluations. No deadline or timeframe has been confirmed, so neither the loyalty promise nor the low-fare ambition comes with a reliable implementation date.
Conclusion
For now, travellers don’t must do something. Hold current bookings and use the loyalty applications as they work right this moment, together with remembering that Harbour Air’s Aeroplan redemptions stay unavailable.
Look ahead to the regulatory determination and the small print of the shared loyalty providing. These will inform us whether or not this bigger community brings new factors choices and what occurs to the partnerships travellers already use.
An even bigger airline group offers British Columbia extra flying below one proprietor. Its worth to a factors collector will come all the way down to which of these flights their factors can really ebook.
