My upcoming flight seats are still intact but I will keep a close watch on this one. I am upset enough about this change (particularly the bulkhead) but undoing already assigned seats sounds like the ultimate low blow.
Sorry to hear this LRESFG -- you really got scre?ed.
They were promised seats as an Elite and now your are in the middle.
Stupidity on AC and AP. A sign of more bs to come?
Loyalty has no meaning anymore with AC.
Here is the Prestige version of the marketing garbage:
Dear mudd_stuffin,
At Air Canada, we're always looking for ways to improve your travel experience. We've just introduced Preferred seats*, which allows you to choose seats with extra legroom for increased comfort.
Discover the difference a little more legroom can make
Preferred seats refer to the bulkhead and exit row seats in Economy Class that offer added legroom. These coveted seats are now available to all Air Canada and Jazz® customers for a fee that varies by fare option and destination. You'll find more details on this new option by clicking here.
You can select your Preferred seats at aircanada.com or through Air Canada Reservations when you book your flight or at any time prior to check-in.
As a Prestige® member, you will also continue to enjoy your existing Top Tier Privilege, which offers you access to select rows in the front of the Economy Class cabin and is now referred to as Priority seat selection.
No matter what seat you reserve, we look forward to having you on board with us very soon.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Smith
Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
Air Canada
The second last paragraph does not even make sense. Before this change (and as others have outlined), I could select (say) row 18 on a 77W. How can I CONTINUE to enjoy something I had but no longer have? How can Ben Smith be the EVP of the national airline and cannot even use a grade-school word like "continue" in the right context?
It is due to an incompetent (to put it politely) EVP and CCO that:
No matter what words AC uses, we looking forward to having another carrier with us on board very soon.
Programs: AC*E / AMEX AeroplanPlus Platinum / RBC Platinum Avion / ICHG - Plat Royal Ambassador / HH Gold
Posts: 1,350
Quote:
Originally Posted by PreferBulkhead
I guess there is still a reason to be an SE:
" As a Super Elite® member, you'll enjoy complimentary access to Preferred seats with a Tango Plus or Latitude fare or with an Aeroplan® flight reward booking! You can select your Preferred seats at aircanada.com or through Air Canada Reservations when you book your flight or at any time prior to check-in.
"
I didn't push for SE because no real extra benifits were offered so I went else where for 50k, then 1 month from qualfication this comes out. Really bites me.
Programs: AC*E / AMEX AeroplanPlus Platinum / RBC Platinum Avion / ICHG - Plat Royal Ambassador / HH Gold
Posts: 1,350
Obvously AC think where a bunch of ........s to fall for this new product.
As a status member we had proity seating, to most this was BULKHEAD not the next row which is like Any another. Tell me with this selling chop chop besides upgrades certs which will be worth nothing once business picks up as any extra seat will be sold with lmu what's the point? I can get it all now with my Amex.?
i wonder if infants will still get bulkheads for free or will they too have to pay for it
prob to think one step further, i wonder when will someone with a baby file a complaint against AC through Canadian Transportation Agency for being discriminated / charged extra for a bulkhead seat because they have a baby that needs to fix the bassinet to it.
Programs: AC*E, UA Milage Plus, Delta Plat, SPG Gold, Nexus
Posts: 485
To be honest, I wasn't all that bothered by the move until I got the email tonight almost trying to tell me this is a new "benefit" for top tier members. If anything, I think this email is just going to annoy most *E and *SE's out there. Why not just say we are now charging for these rows... We are all grown ups and can understand that this means nearly 80M to the bottom line and is a smart business decision in-line with what the rest of the industry is doing.
Programs: AC*E, United Premier, Delta Privilege, SPG, Fairmont President's Club
Posts: 23
Thanks AC. This was one of the few "perks" of having status with AC and now their taking it away for us lowly elites. They really are just making a stronger case for getting the minimum status for your needs and then spread the wealth to others. Rather glad I gutted out a few trips on UA this year for Premier at minimum and I get immediate access to E+ seating. I actually got a complimentary upgrade to J with UA without even asking just by being *G and before I was P go figure. Moral of the story, no bueno AC when I have a choice and competitive pricing.
I really don't understand this move by AC, for int travel maybe if no better options, but for Canadian travel, WJ lets you select the exit row for no charge.
p.s. many thanks to LH for letting me select bulkhead seats on new booking on AC metal given this lovely development
I got the same patronising e-mail today - for me one of the big benefits of AC's Elite status was having advanced seat selection for the bulkheads and the oddball 19C seat when sat in the back. I guess it was 50:50 for me btw BA and AC - and look BA did the same "up yours" at its Gold members. We are not alone!
1) I really object to charging for the emergency exit row. I saw this on United a while back when I noticed that they classified the row as 'Economy Plus' and I thought back then as I thought now. For safety reasons, this row should be left empty unless the flight is full or it has been specifically requested at check-in by someone who can be judged to be physically capable of handling the door in the event of an emergency. As others have mentioned I can see the uncomfortable conversations agents are going to have with people who have paid for these seats only to have them taken away when realised that they do not fit safety requirements. In short, this is not something that should be charged for.
2) As for the bulkheads, I will certainly miss this privilege. As an elite, I would take row 12 for many of my flights and very much appreciated the extra room, especially for transcontinentals. I too found it annoying to receive an e-mail which by tone seemed to imply something good was happening, only to realise that a key privilege of my status was being taken away. Unlike the exit row issue though, I don't really have any moral indignation over losing access to the bulkhead.
Programs: AC*E, SPG Plat, Fairmont no more, National Executive
Posts: 201
Quote:
Originally Posted by slashd0t
To be honest, I wasn't all that bothered by the move until I got the email tonight almost trying to tell me this is a new "benefit" for top tier members. If anything, I think this email is just going to annoy most *E and *SE's out there. Why not just say we are now charging for these rows... We are all grown ups and can understand that this means nearly 80M to the bottom line and is a smart business decision in-line with what the rest of the industry is doing.
This is the last straw for me too. The email, more than policy, did it for me. Since I actually fly latitude for business, I would only be affected somewhat. But on personal trips, usually transatlantic, I book Tango Plus. I'm taking my business to an airline, probably back to UA, which I haven't flown in several years, that won't penalize me when I am flying for personal reasons. This is different from, say, rewarding me when I am flying for business. I'm all for airlines rewarding customers like me who often pay more for their ticket. But I've also got a problem with the punitive model --especially since, when I fly on my own dime, I often buy a less expensive ticket.
Programs: National E/E, MLL, AC BOTB (back of the bus)
Posts: 169
Quote:
Originally Posted by global_happy_traveller
prob to think one step further, i wonder when will someone with a baby file a complaint against AC through Canadian Transportation Agency for being discriminated / charged extra for a bulkhead seat because they have a baby that needs to fix the bassinet to it.
I'll be more than happy to do it, my wife is due in a few weeks, and we will be travelling LOTS in the first year.
