Tim Hortons ‘flight roast’ coming to WestJet flights, companies link loyalty programs

TORONTO — Tim Hortons’ coffee is cleared for takeoff. As Canadian brands increasingly search for ways to differentiate themselves in a crowded retail marketplace, the café giant is teaming up with WestJet. 30, a special in-flight brew from the café giant will be available on board the airline’s flights as part of a partnership between the two brands that will later include a loyalty program collaboration.

Dubbed the “flight roast,” Tim Hortons says the coffee features a unique blend specifically designed for passengers’ tastebuds at high altitudes. Hope Bagozzi, Tims’ chief marketing officer, called it distinct from the original and dark roast blends that customers are used to drinking at its restaurants. “Our coffee teams sort of set to work saying, ‘OK, the first fundamental is we’re going to leverage the same 100 per cent premium arabica beans,’ so that’s a given.

But the actual roast itself, we needed it to be a bit different because things taste different at high altitudes,” she said in an interview. “Taste perceptions do change at altitudes, so we wanted to make sure that our roast suited that. So things like higher pressure, shorter brew times, a different temperature, all those matter.” The second leg of the partnership is set to begin in 2027, when WestJet Rewards and Tims Rewards members will be able to link their accounts to earn points from both programs when they make eligible purchases at Tim Hortons.

The companies said account linking will also unlock exclusive offers and promotions. Additional details regarding the loyalty partnership and member benefits will be announced closer to the rollout, which is likely around a year away. “It’s pretty simple in the sense that it’s pretty low friction, you link your account once, you go and every Timbit gets you closer to your next vacation,” said Steve McClelland, the airline’s vice-president of loyalty and strategic partnerships.

He called it a “natural partnership,” especially at a time when the buy Canadian trend is seeing a resurgence amid trade tensions with the United States. While the team-up with Tims is not a “response” to the geopolitical situation, McClelland said the “broader context of the world at large today certainly reinforces that fit.” “There are only a few brands that are as Canadiana, as like deeply entrenched in the Canadian culture, as Tims,” he said.