Air Canada Launches Membership Program for Kids

Air Canada has launched a membership program for kids called Altitude Skyriders, joining a long list of airlines marketing toward young travelers.

The program is for all Aeroplan members between the ages of 2 and 12 who live in the US or Canada and it comes with some fun swag: a starter kit with a luggage tag and a logbook to keep track of flights, plus badges for visiting major cities and regions and hitting milestones (like a kid's first flight).

The program is free, and there don't seem to be any miles or other rewards associated with it. The perks are the tangible rewards for tiny travelers who may not necessarily understand the value of points and miles. It also looks like a fun way to get kids involved in travel logistics, like tracking their flights and prepping suitcases for a trip.

This is also a great reminder to sign juniors up for frequent flyer programs — a flyer can start earning miles as soon as they're old enough to have a ticket in their name. Some airlines also offer benefits specifically for families: JetBlue has a family pooling program that allows up to seven people to share a single account, and British Airways' Executive Club allows for household accounts.

Air Canada isn't the first airline to start a program for kids; Lufthansa runs JetFriends, a club with special games and giveaways for kids and teens (the airline even has family-friendly check-in counters at some airports).

So go ahead and sign up. Those miles will come in handy on the next vacation.

Have you signed up kids for frequent flyer programs?