Tim Hortons announces ‘flight roast’ as Canadian brands search for ways to differentiate themselves

This composite image shows, left, a cup of coffee from Tim Hortons pictured in Coquitlam, B.C., on Thursday, April 26, 2018, and right, a WestJet logo at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward, Darryl Dyck

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.

Starting Nov. 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.

“There’s only maybe a handful, if that, and we’re partnered with already quite a few of them.”

Tims has also been joining forces with other Canadian companies recently. Earlier this month, it announced a separate loyalty program collaboration with Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd.

Under that deal, customers who link their Triangle Rewards and Tims Rewards accounts can earn between two and five per cent in Canadian Tire money in addition to Tims points on select Tims purchases.

Canadian Tire money can be redeemed for savings on purchases at the retailer as well as its other banners, including SportChek, Mark’s and Party City. Tims points can be used to purchase food and beverages at the chain.

Canadian Tire has about 12 million Triangle Rewards members and 1,600 locations across its banners. Tims counts eight million loyalty program users and 4,000 restaurants in Canada.

Bagozzi said the moves are about being “realistic” that customers may prefer to save up for larger purchases such as flights or home goods rather than just coffee and doughnuts.

“We would have been having conversations even before any political changes, but having said that, even some of the celebrities that we partner with, hockey stars, we tend to gravitate to Canadian partners because we’re such a quintessential Canadian brand,” she said.

“It just kind of makes sense for us to do that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2026.

Companies in this story: (TSX:QSR)

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press