Aimia Inc. and Grupo Aeromexico S.A.B. de C.V. announce closing of the acquisition by Aimia of an additional 20% equity participation in Premier Loyalty & Marketing, owner and operator of Club Premier

MONTREAL and MEXICO CITY, Dec. 17, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Aimia Inc. ("Aimia") and Grupo Aeromexico S.A.B. de C.V. ("Grupo Aeromexico" or "Aeromexico"), announced today the successful closing of the previously announced acquisition by Aimia from Aeromexico of an additional 20% equity participation in Premier Loyalty & Marketing, S.A.P.I. de C.V. ("PLM"), owner and operator of Club Premier, Mexico's leading coalition loyalty program, for US$88 million.

Aimia's and Grupo Aeromexico's equity participations in PLM now approximate 49% and 51%, respectively. Aimia and Grupo Aeromexico will continue their close collaboration and support of PLM's management team in the execution of their strategy to enable PLM to achieve its full potential as Mexico's leading coalition loyalty program.

About Aimia

Aimia is a global leader in loyalty management. Aimia's unique capabilities include proven expertise in delivering proprietary loyalty services, launching and managing coalition loyalty programs, creating value through loyalty analytics and driving innovation in the emerging digital and mobile spaces. Aimia owns and operates Aeroplan, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program and Nectar, the United Kingdom's largest coalition loyalty program. In addition, Aimia has majority equity positions in Air Miles Middle East and Nectar Italia as well as a minority position in Club Premier, Mexico's leading coalition loyalty program and Cardlytics, a US-based private company operating in transaction-driven marketing for electronic banking.

Aimia is a Canadian public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: AIM) and has over 3,800 employees in more than 20 countries around the world. For more information about Aimia, please visit www.aimia.com.

About Premier Loyalty & Marketing, S.A.P.I. de C.V.

Premier Loyalty & Marketing, S.A.P.I. de C.V. owns and operates Club Premier, the first frequent flyer program established in Latin America and Mexico's leading coalition loyalty program. The company's objective is to reward the preference and loyalty of Club Premier's members through the accrual and redemption of Premier Kilometers. Members earn Premier Kilometers for flying with Aeromexico, Aeromexico Connect, SkyTeam airlines, and other airlines; for using American Express and Banamex co-branded credit cards; from converting loyalty currency issued by other premium credit cards into Premier Kilometers or by purchasing a variety of goods or services from their favourite retailers and service providers who are participating loyalty partners. While members primarily redeem their Premier Kilometers for flights on Aeromexico and other affiliated airlines, they can also exchange them for a wide variety of catalogue and experiential rewards available through www.clubpremier.com.

About Grupo Aeromexico

Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in commercial aviation in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Its fleet includes Boeing 777, 767 and 737 aircraft and the latest Embraer 145, 170 and 190 models. The carrier announced a major expansion plan in 2011 to acquire 20 new and wholly owned aircraft including ten Embraer 190 and ten Boeing 737-8 NG airplanes. Aeromexico will take delivery of nine 787-8 Dreamliners over the next three years. Moreover, in 2012, Aeromexico announced the most significant fleet investment program in Mexican aviation history: the acquisition of 100 new aircraft, including 90 Boeing 737 MAX and 10 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplanes.

Grupo Aeromexico operates its main hub out of Terminal 2 in the Mexico City International Airport, and offers over 600 daily flights to different cities in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Central and South America, Europe and Asia.

Aeromexico is a founding member of SkyTeam, the global airline alliance partnering 19 airlines: Aeroflot, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, TAROM Romanian Air Transport, Vietnam Airlines and Xiamen Airlines. SkyTeam offers all partner airline passengers a large global network with more destinations and frequencies, and improved connectivity. Passengers can earn and redeem miles through the different airline partners' loyalty programs and enjoy the benefits offered at SkyTeam's 520 VIP airport lounges around the world. SkyTeam offers its 537 million annual passengers more than 14.900 daily flights to 993 destinations in 186 countries www.skyteam.com.

SOURCE: AIMIA