Air Canada's new Status Pass lets you gift elite benefits to a friend

Back when Air Canada detailed new benefits of the carrier's relaunched Aeroplan program, there was a brief mention of an upcoming perk that lets elite members share their benefits with friends or family members, called Status Pass.

As of this week, Status Pass is now live, and works exactly as promised. Select Aeroplan elites will be able to choose Status Pass as one of their Select Benefits. 50K members will be able to select two passes to share, 75Ks can get three and Super Elites can get a total of four.

Super Elite members also receive two passes automatically each year, and for 2021, Air Canada is issuing one pass to all Aeroplan 50K and 75K members, and two for each Super Elite. Those should appear within eligible accounts over the next week.

If you've already received your status passes, you can share them right away. Your recipient should receive a notification when they pull up their reservation on Air Canada's website, along with a link to the full list of bundled perks.

Once you offer up a Status Pass, your friend or family member will receive the following benefits:

• Priority check-in
• 3 checked bags, including priority handling
• Priority security screening
• Maple Leaf Lounge access
• Priority airport standby
• Priority boarding

Each Status Pass covers an entire Air Canada reservation, including award flights, for up to nine travel companions booked together. You can gift the perks to anyone you like — they don't need to be traveling with you to take advantage.

You can choose to recall an unused status pass at least six hours prior to travel, and have it automatically returned to your account. Similarly, if the recipient cancels their trip, you'll get the pass back, as long as the ticket hasn't been partially used.

Note that Status Pass does not include Star Alliance Gold perks — the benefits will only apply to Air Canada flights. Additionally, some elite benefits like premium seat selection and mileage bonuses aren't part of the deal.

Air Canada's latest offering is unique among airlines, but World of Hyatt offers a similar perk for hotels. Top-tier Globalist members can gift their perks through the chain's "Guest of Honor" program, though that requires the elite member to redeem their own points for the booking.