AIMIA INC. $18.95 (Toronto symbol AIM; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514-205-7315; www.aimia.com; Shares outstanding: 173.9 million; Market cap: $3.3 billion; Dividend yield: 3.8%) owns and operates Aeroplan, Canada’s largest loyalty program, with over 4.8 million members who collect Aeroplan miles from participating companies. Members can exchange their miles for flights, car rentals, hotel rooms and merchandise.
The company’s members can now earn and redeem points for travel on Air India, the Indian government’s flagship carrier. That brings Aeroplan’s total number of airline partners to 32.
The agreement will give Aeroplan members more choice on routes connecting North America, Europe, Asia and Australia via India.
Aimia is a buy.