Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > Air Canada | Aeroplan
Reload this Page >

Official AC Representative Q&A Thread

Old Jun 3, 2014, 1:34 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Jasper2009
Dear AC forum members,

We're sure most of you have been following New AC Presence on FT which has received a huge amount of responses.

In order to better manage the discussion and to ensure the AC representatives have a chance to read and reply to all the comments and questions, we've decided to slightly modify the format of the discussion:

(1) The core purpose of this thread is to allow a dialogue between FTers and AC management. As in the previous thread you may ask questions and provide feedback to AC management and the AC representatives will do their best to reply to the feedback/questions posted.
(2) FTers are welcome to reply to any of the AC representatives' posts.
(3) We kindly ask that FTers refrain from replying to other FTers' posts. The goal is to have a more streamlined Q&A thread.
(4) If you have any suggestions regarding this thread, kindly contact any of the moderators via PM or send a message using the RBP button.
(5) Should you not have received a reply to a question raised in the previous AC presence thread, you may re-post it in the new thread.

Thanks for your cooperation.

And, by multiple requests from forum members, this thread is now a sticky!

Air Canada forum moderators
Print Wikipost

Official AC Representative Q&A Thread

Old Jun 18, 2014, 3:59 pm
  #301  
Flying Blue Director
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: CDG/AMS
Posts: 1,857
Originally Posted by Allvest
Why does AC allow home-printed boarding passes for airports which reject them?

Case in point: HKG, made to return to the transfer desk to exchange the printed boarding pass with a "proper one". It would be nice for AC computers to flag this at check-in and exchange them right there.
We looked into this and I believe it was just a mistake. Home printed BPs are fine to use in HKG.
Ben Lipsey is offline  
Old Jun 18, 2014, 4:36 pm
  #302  
Company Representative - Air Canada
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Canada
Posts: 24,215
Originally Posted by winnipegrev
With the updated 2-class 777 seat maps someone on another thread noted economy is now showing starting at row 12 on the 77W. Is this a mistake? Should start at row 18, it is mismatching between selecting seats online and the seat map shown.

http://www.aircanada.com/en/about/fleet/77W.html
It's indeed a mistake, it's being fixed.
Andrew Yiu is offline  
Old Jun 18, 2014, 4:49 pm
  #303  
Company Representative - Air Canada
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Canada
Posts: 24,215
Originally Posted by YYZFlyboy
as posted on another FT thread (taken from the Altitude website) - it's there, I checked:

*******************************************
New Arrivals Lounge

Also located in Terminal 2 will be a new Arrivals Lounge, offering a terrific spot to refresh after a long international flight. Visitors can indulge in a hot shower and enjoy a buffet breakfast.

As with our current Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 3, Altitude Elite 50K, Elite 75K and Super Elite 100K members, along with one guest, will be eligible to access this lounge, located in the Arrivals Hall, when arriving on a long haul flight operated by Air Canada.

However, since this lounge is being operated in conjunction with our airline partners and will therefore need to accommodate more travellers than the number visiting our current location, our access policy will change in 2015. Effective March 1, 2015 only Altitude Super Elite 100K members, along with one guest, will be eligible to access this lounge.
************************************************
I understand your disappointment but to put it in perspective, UA (the operator of the lounge) only permits UA F/J customers to use their Arrivals lounges and not even top tier members (and no guests permitted either). Since we don't own and operate the lounge, we have to work with the other partners on access eligibility based on capacity. We decided to wait until 2015 to change the policies to coincide with the start of the new benefit year.
Andrew Yiu is offline  
Old Jun 18, 2014, 6:18 pm
  #304  
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: YYT
Programs: AC E35k, HHonors Silver
Posts: 743
Originally Posted by Andrew Yiu
I understand your disappointment but to put it in perspective, UA (the operator of the lounge) only permits UA F/J customers to use their Arrivals lounges and not even top tier members (and no guests permitted either). Since we don't own and operate the lounge, we have to work with the other partners on access eligibility based on capacity. We decided to wait until 2015 to change the policies to coincide with the start of the new benefit year.
I think that's a poor excuse. If AC cared about offering access to mid-tiers you could negotiate an agreement with UA irrespective of their own policies. I suspect at the end of the day it comes down to dollars and cents.

I can only echo YYZFlyboy and other's sentiments on this further assault on the mid-tiers. But then I suspect by 2015 I'll have been royally screwed by the Tango/Flex pricing differential so will have far less AQM (although will have travelled the same or more than last year) and will be E35 at best.
AtlanticXpat is offline  
Old Jun 18, 2014, 7:44 pm
  #305  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: various
Posts: 623
Originally Posted by Andrew Yiu
I understand your disappointment but to put it in perspective, UA (the operator of the lounge) only permits UA F/J customers to use their Arrivals lounges and not even top tier members (and no guests permitted either). Since we don't own and operate the lounge, we have to work with the other partners on access eligibility based on capacity. We decided to wait until 2015 to change the policies to coincide with the start of the new benefit year.
(from AC's fanfare of the new LHR T2 service):

Air Canada at London Heathrow
• Air Canada served more than 1,400,000 customers in 2013 at Heathrow Airport (LHR).
• In summer 2014, Air Canada will operate up to 77 round-trip flights each week between eight destinations across Canada and London Heathrow.
• Air Canada offers up to four direct flights a day from Toronto, and one each day from Halifax, Montral, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and St. John's NL.

All I can say is this is a very poor response by AC. If they are at UA's behest with that lounge - then why don't they have their own arrivals lounge like at T3? Why is AC's answer to most everything nowadays....well we want to be just like the inferior competition.............

Clearly AC has decided that mid-tiers are not worth it - again..........
YYZFlyboy is offline  
Old Jun 18, 2014, 8:02 pm
  #306  
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: YYC
Posts: 4,035
Originally Posted by Andrew Yiu
I understand your disappointment but to put it in perspective, UA (the operator of the lounge) only permits UA F/J customers to use their Arrivals lounges and not even top tier members (and no guests permitted either). Since we don't own and operate the lounge, we have to work with the other partners on access eligibility based on capacity. We decided to wait until 2015 to change the policies to coincide with the start of the new benefit year.
Will Maple Leaf Club Worldwide members still have access after March 1, 2015?
rehoult is offline  
Old Jun 18, 2014, 11:59 pm
  #307  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 492
Will Air Canada be doing an interior refresh of the A319s/ A320s / A321s anytime soon?

I've always thought the business class seat is too thick - thin it down a bit and create some more knee room.

Also, check out SAA's new interior - http://thedesignair.net/2014/03/18/s...aul-interiors/ - gorgeous.
theseatbelt is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2014, 12:51 am
  #308  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: YEG
Programs: ACSEMM, WY Gold
Posts: 184
Originally Posted by Ben Smith
Policy for MLLs outside of Canada is departing passengers only. I'm not sure we have the space to extend the benefit to arriving customers. QR has their own lounge arrangements in FRA.
Just for clarity, does QR use the AC MLL in Frankfurt? The reason I ask is QR has this lounge listed as the one to use on their website. I will be transiting from an AC flight to a QR flight next month and would like to know if the information QR is providing is correct.
Binflyin is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2014, 3:57 am
  #309  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 4,153
I raised this question preciously but I believe it went unanswered.

Having booked a flex (Q/H) Asia ticket with TG connection from HKg to BKK I made a date change to leave two days earlier. No problem. Paid the change fee and the ticket was fixed up

Only one thing: q became w on the Tg sector which is roughly equivalent to tango and has zero accumulation.

So why is it that Ac reservations carelessly book inferior fare classes when they wouldn't in a million years ever consider booking a superior one?

It is really a slap in the face to find this out after the fact and why do we have to be housing reservations to do proper booking classes anyways?
FlyerTalker683455 is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2014, 2:57 pm
  #310  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE 1MM, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 3,392
Originally Posted by theseatbelt
Will Air Canada be doing an interior refresh of the A319s/ A320s / A321s anytime soon?

I've always thought the business class seat is too thick - thin it down a bit and create some more knee room.

Also, check out SAA's new interior - http://thedesignair.net/2014/03/18/s...aul-interiors/ - gorgeous.
It is a good question. As the happy beneficiary of more than a few upgrades, I can say the seats in the 3xx fleet are getting a little worn in J--specifically the foam is just worn out and doesnt offer much support (particularly in the lower back area) as it should. The problem is worse in Y.
ridefar is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2014, 8:29 pm
  #311  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: AC*E50
Posts: 594
Originally Posted by i59bravo
Also, I'd like to thank AC for giving military personnel three free bags. Not only will this benefit us on our personal travel, (since we are often a long way from family and friends), but it will also help make the financial case for AC over WS when booking duty travel. (WS has offered four free bags to military personnel since 2011.)
This is a welcome change - it's tough to travel light as a mil pax. I do have a question about what constitutes an "eligible" retired service member. Does anyone with an NDI75 Record of Service Card qualify, including retired reservists? If it's not universal, what are the qualifying factors?

Thanks!
FrequentFlyerYYZ is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2014, 8:37 pm
  #312  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Never home.
Posts: 2,971
Originally Posted by Andrew Yiu
It's indeed a mistake, it's being fixed.
Thanks, one other error besides rows 12-33 numbering I noticed is it shows 19C and 19H (which are really 25C and H) existing, when they don't. Should just be a pair of seats on either side unless that has recently changed.
winnipegrev is offline  
Old Jun 19, 2014, 10:45 pm
  #313  
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SEMM
Posts: 2,072
While we are pointing out issues on the web sites, there is also an error on this page displaying the PE seats on the 777HD's

There are no curtains or dividers between PE and E - I will assume that this photo is a mock up and the actual product was later modified.

Not really a "dedicated cabin" as indicated on this page as PE really just flows into the E section.

http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...incomfort.html
Argonaut1000 is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2014, 12:01 am
  #314  
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: YYC
Programs: AC Basic, UA MP Gold, Marriott Gold Elite, SPG Gold, Amex Platinum
Posts: 3,008
Originally Posted by theseatbelt
Will Air Canada be doing an interior refresh of the A319s/ A320s / A321s anytime soon?

I've always thought the business class seat is too thick - thin it down a bit and create some more knee room.

Also, check out SAA's new interior - http://thedesignair.net/2014/03/18/s...aul-interiors/ - gorgeous.
No cabin refresh until the 737max starts to arrive in 2017.

The only other question is what the interior wil look like for the 10-20 airbus narrobody aircraft coming into the fleet as replacements for the E90s purchased by Boeing as part of the 737max deal.
WR Cage is offline  
Old Jun 20, 2014, 12:33 am
  #315  
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: YVR
Programs: AC*SE MM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 4,604
Why do the priority lines close at 9pm PST? For those of us on the west coast, this is often an inconvenience. Is it not possible to give Altitude members priority past these hours? I believe the UA offers this to their Premier members 24/7.
yvr76 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.