YYZ to ATL during March Break 2013 - 82000 points

Hello,

I just wanted to get your opinion on this, I am trying to use aeroplan points to book travel during March Break in 2013. I thought I was booking early, but discovered that all the direct flights to Atlanta for that week are 82000 points. The normal points fee is 15000. I checked all the surrounding airports within the short-haul level (15000 points) and they are all booked and at crazy high amounts.

I am in disbelief that the flight is already that fully booked with aeroplan fliers, so I checked the seat map on the AC website and there are 3 booked seats for that flight. It is the same case for Charlotte and Raleigh.

Is this just a case of people booking already or does aeroplan have them blocked off to take more points for the booking....

Let me know your thoughts and hopefully if I wait a little, maybe the seats will open up.

Thanks,

Gino

Those are Classic+ seats. You should wait for availability.

Yes, the crazy high amounts are classic plus, so I am definitely looking for the classic flight awards.

If I check the same flight a week before or after March Break, it is listed for 15000, so it looks like it is blocked for that week.

I guess waiting and checking back every week is the way to go....

Gino

If you can afford 30K extra, consider booking US or UA flights with a connection. Fees will be a lot less too.

That is awesome advice.

We all know that March Break flights always have more seats available later rather than fill up months/weeks in advance



OP, what you are seeing is tickets that are going to be in high demand, and AC knows it, thats why they are charging ridiculous points. There are however, lots of connecting flights on UA/US for 25,000 - I guess they havent caught onto gouging for March Break like AC does to Canadians year after year.

I cant get a business seat in the afternoon of Fri, March 8 on YYZ-YUL either

I agree with using a US carrier...the issue is that the 'Spring Break' in the US is not necessarily the same week as our 'March Break'...FOr example, schools in PHL are off in April, not March at all.

I often fly out of the US around our March break- for example- this past year, YOW-MBJ was $1,100 the week of our March break...I paid $315 ai for EWR-MBJ (there are five of us travelling)...Huge $$ savings.

So, depending on where you are based, check on the possibility of paying for flight from cross-border towns...

Plumber

All you need to do is go to the parking lots around BUF at March Break - its 90% Ontario cars.

Also a great day to get a VDB bump is the Sunday of march break - 3 years in a row now!

Which is odd -- who overbooks flights on the Sunday of March Break? How many no-shows can there be?

Everyone wants to get home - flights are notoriously overbooked - noone is willing to go home on Monday, gotta get the kids back in school, get back to work, flying into YYZ or BUF on that Sunday has netted me VDBs for the last 3 years straight.

Watch fares fall fast once PORTER starts ATL service which will be in 2013... oops I've said too much already

It looks like I am SOL for the Classic flight rewards with AC direct, so I may bite the bullet and spend the 50k points for a connecting flight.

Looks like no other option is available.

Gino

I hope you mean for two tickets, because there's no way you'd have to pay 50k for a single seat with a connection.

Yup, two tickets for 50K!