Air Miles

Air Miles, previously called Airmiles, is a group of loyalty programs operated by different companies in each region where the brand has operated. Originally launched in 1988 in the United Kingdom by British Airways, the programs have been available in the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Points are earned on purchases at participating merchants and can be redeemed against flights with specific airlines. British Airways also operated a separate program called BA Miles, and it discontinued its Air Miles involvement in 2011 by merging its Air Miles with the BA Miles program. The Air Miles program in the United States was unsuccessful; after being launched in 1992, it stopped operating in 1993. The Canadian program was also launched in 1992. Since 2017, the Air Miles name and trademarks in Canada have been owned by Diversified Royalty Corp. In 2023, after introducing a controversial expiration of the points retained in the program and the withdrawal of several major participating retailers from the program, the owner of the Canadian program, LoyaltyOne, filed for bankruptcy, leading to an acquisition of the remaining Canadian operations (but not the trademarks) by the Bank of Montreal (BMO). In 2026, the Canadian program was replaced with a new program called Blue Rewards. Air Miles programs are also operated in Netherlands and the Middle East.