FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - New Booking Classes
View Single Post
Old Mar 8, 2013, 10:37 am
  #15  
WR Cage
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: YYC
Programs: AC Basic, UA MP Gold, Marriott Gold Elite, SPG Gold, Amex Platinum
Posts: 3,008
Initial reaction to WS Fare Bundle.

Assumptions:
- Altitude status removed for AC category.
- AC Executive fares removed. Comparison between AC Tango/Fex/Lat and WS Econo/Flex/Plus.
- Only looking at hard quantifiable items that are directly comparable.
- Removed items only applicable to one airline (for example earning status miles and segments is not factored as WS does not have status, upgrade potential is another item not factored).
- Analysis on stated rule basis as per AC and WS websites.
- Y+ product analysis excluded on basis that WS has not officially rolled out PE. Further AC product is longhaul widebody only at present, therefore the two Y+ products will never compete side by side basis.

Things that are better at AC:
- Complementary seat selection on AC Flex. WS Flex is paid seat selection.
- Complementary same day standby on Latitude. No provision for SDS at WS.
- Advance seat selection (for a fee) to Exit row is provided by Tango, Econo cannot select exit row.
- Latitude includes meal voucher LT07. No similar provision for Plus.
- Latitude is fully refundable to original form of payment. Pus includes a service charge.
- Latitude has priority checkin, Boarding, bag handling.
- MLL Day pass is cheaper ($25) for Latitude fares than Plus (which does not scale lounge access according to fare purchase.

Things that are better at WS:
- WS allows name change on Econo and Flex. ***
- Name change complementary on WS Plus.
- Econo same day change fee is cheaper (WS $75 < AC$150) than Tango. Excludes rapidair routes.
- Econo pax can access lounges for a fee.
- WS Flex lounge pass cheaper than comparable AC Flex lounge pass (WS about $35, AC is $50).
- 2 checked bags complementary on Plus. AC only allows 1 checked bag.
- WS Rewards earn 100% on Econo fares.

***Allowing name change could potentially be a negative under certain circumstances. In the instance where an employer pays the airfare and the employee is subsequently terminated prior to departure the rules favour the employee on AC and employer on WS. On AC the terminated employee gets the remaining dollar value in a future travel voucher. On WS the employer could transfer the travel bank credit to another employee.

Last edited by WR Cage; Mar 8, 2013 at 10:47 am
WR Cage is offline