Aug 15, 2014, 9:20 am
Last edit by: tcook052
Potential issue when E75k members select Preferred Seats
As you may know, we have recently introduced an expanded Preferred Seats product. It has come to our attention that certain Altitude Elite 75K members, when travelling on a Flex fare and attempting to select a Preferred Seat, are being prompted for a fee. We will be proactively refunding any affected eligible customers, however should this affect your ability to reserve Preferred Seats, you can contact Air Canada.
We are actively working on fixing this error, and are confident it will be resolved by the beginning of next week. For more information regarding Preferred Seats eligibility, please visit:
http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/traveller/seatselection/preferredseats.html
Starting April 7, 2014, Air Canada expanded the number of Preferred Seats offered across its narrow-body fleet, that is, the E75, E90, A319, A320 and A321 aircraft.
With more Preferred Seats being available, customers can:
• Enjoy more comfort, with up to 4” (more in the exit row) of additional leg room, more legroom to stretch out, relax and work
• Easily identify Preferred Seats in the cabin with the dedicated head tidies
• Deplane quickly as most Preferred Seats are located to the front of the cabin seats with additional leg room
• Ask your travel agent to make Preferred Seat selection for GDS bookings
Air Canada’s entire mainline narrow-body fleet, as well as Embraer 175 aircraft, operating on behalf of SkyRegional, has now been re-configured with additional Preferred Seats.
Air Canada will implement the following changes to the Preferred Seat program in phases:
Phase 1:
• Starting August 15, 2014, eligibility for Preferred Seats will be streamlined based on status or fare paid.
• Preferred Seats purchased on/after August 15, will be calculated by segment vs by bound (i.e. from origin to destination). Therefore if a customer has an itinerary YYZ-YYC-YVR, the Preferred Seat fee will be calculated based on the amount for each segment. (Prior to August 15, the fee would have been calculated for the entire YYZ-YVR journey as one fee.) This ensures better access to Preferred Seats on each segment, as it's not always easy to guarantee seating on an an entire journey, especially if there is an IROP or aircraft downgauge.
• Preferred Seats will remain accessible to everyone when the flight is open for check-in, as it is today.
Phase 2:
• Later this summer, Preferred Seats will be sold during the check-in window at kiosk, web and mobile applications.
Also, as of today, you can now book Preferred Seats for Flight Pass bookings.
Eligibility for Complimentary Preferred Seat Selection:
Fees for Preferred Seats:
North American & Caribbean: $19 to $99
International: $69 to $199
Note the price will differ based on Tango vs Flex fares. With regards to the previous fee table, some routes offer less expensive Preferred Seats while others have gone up in price.
As you may know, we have recently introduced an expanded Preferred Seats product. It has come to our attention that certain Altitude Elite 75K members, when travelling on a Flex fare and attempting to select a Preferred Seat, are being prompted for a fee. We will be proactively refunding any affected eligible customers, however should this affect your ability to reserve Preferred Seats, you can contact Air Canada.
We are actively working on fixing this error, and are confident it will be resolved by the beginning of next week. For more information regarding Preferred Seats eligibility, please visit:
http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/traveller/seatselection/preferredseats.html
Starting April 7, 2014, Air Canada expanded the number of Preferred Seats offered across its narrow-body fleet, that is, the E75, E90, A319, A320 and A321 aircraft.
With more Preferred Seats being available, customers can:
• Enjoy more comfort, with up to 4” (more in the exit row) of additional leg room, more legroom to stretch out, relax and work
• Easily identify Preferred Seats in the cabin with the dedicated head tidies
• Deplane quickly as most Preferred Seats are located to the front of the cabin seats with additional leg room
• Ask your travel agent to make Preferred Seat selection for GDS bookings
Air Canada’s entire mainline narrow-body fleet, as well as Embraer 175 aircraft, operating on behalf of SkyRegional, has now been re-configured with additional Preferred Seats.
Air Canada will implement the following changes to the Preferred Seat program in phases:
Phase 1:
• Starting August 15, 2014, eligibility for Preferred Seats will be streamlined based on status or fare paid.
• Preferred Seats purchased on/after August 15, will be calculated by segment vs by bound (i.e. from origin to destination). Therefore if a customer has an itinerary YYZ-YYC-YVR, the Preferred Seat fee will be calculated based on the amount for each segment. (Prior to August 15, the fee would have been calculated for the entire YYZ-YVR journey as one fee.) This ensures better access to Preferred Seats on each segment, as it's not always easy to guarantee seating on an an entire journey, especially if there is an IROP or aircraft downgauge.
• Preferred Seats will remain accessible to everyone when the flight is open for check-in, as it is today.
Phase 2:
• Later this summer, Preferred Seats will be sold during the check-in window at kiosk, web and mobile applications.
Also, as of today, you can now book Preferred Seats for Flight Pass bookings.
Eligibility for Complimentary Preferred Seat Selection:
Fees for Preferred Seats:
North American & Caribbean: $19 to $99
International: $69 to $199
Note the price will differ based on Tango vs Flex fares. With regards to the previous fee table, some routes offer less expensive Preferred Seats while others have gone up in price.
Expanded Access to Preferred Seats
Aug 14, 2014, 11:49 pm
#31
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: YKF
Programs: AC Elite 50K, Amex AP Plat, Choice Privileges, National Exec Elite, Via Prefrence
Posts: 2,996
It really is sad how 50k's get lumped in with 35ks here and how 75ks get lumped in with 50ks in other scenarios. Sad that AC would rather charge their 50k folks. One day this mentality will hurt all of us. And so much for lifetime elite. Ben's wording of expanded is laughable as well. He thinks you guys are all idiots.
Reminds me of this quote: ''I am not my fare!''
Aug 15, 2014, 5:24 am
#33
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 252
Looked at the AirCanada site.
Tango now gets free standard seat selection except for Canada and Canada/US (ie free to the Caribbean, Europe etc)?
Can't look how much a preferred seat costs until the ticket is bought? (There is a substantial range listed)
Is the fee per segment or per direction? Big print says segment, small print says direction
There are flights where only preferred seats are open. What happens to a flex flight purchase for seat selection?
Tango now gets free standard seat selection except for Canada and Canada/US (ie free to the Caribbean, Europe etc)?
Can't look how much a preferred seat costs until the ticket is bought? (There is a substantial range listed)
Is the fee per segment or per direction? Big print says segment, small print says direction
There are flights where only preferred seats are open. What happens to a flex flight purchase for seat selection?
Aug 15, 2014, 6:29 am
#34
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: AC*Tangerine
Posts: 417
From the FAQ:
The onus should not be on the customer to request a refund when the paid for service is not provided.
I paid for a Preferred (or rouge Plus) seat was reassigned to another seat. Will I be refunded?
If you purchase a Preferred or rouge Plus seat but are reassigned by Air Canada to another seat prior to check-in, at the airport or on board the plane, you may request a refund for your Preferred or rouge Plus seat charges.
If you purchase a Preferred or rouge Plus seat but are reassigned by Air Canada to another seat prior to check-in, at the airport or on board the plane, you may request a refund for your Preferred or rouge Plus seat charges.
Aug 15, 2014, 6:30 am
#35
Company Representative - Air Canada
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Canada
Posts: 24,215
Edit: Reading the webpage, this is also a downgraded benefit on any Boeing plane, even within Canada. Do 50k no longer get bulkhead access on all North American flights? Is this is what is meant by "select" bulkhead seats? To be fair, "bulkhead" is pretty terrible on the Airbus planes in any case, though I haven't been in that seat for almost a year.
Aug 15, 2014, 7:23 am
#37
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 4,153
For SE his is a win. For MM lifetime E50, this makes putting a million miles with Air Canada a bit of a joke. I hope AC considers updating the lifetime status to E75. And if I have to put in another million miles just to get E50 for a friend, I think maybe it's not worth the hassle at all.
Aug 15, 2014, 7:33 am
#38
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC*SE 2MM
Posts: 16,649
Here's the link:
http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...rredseats.html
http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...rredseats.html
Aug 15, 2014, 7:47 am
#39
Flying Blue Director
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: CDG/AMS
Posts: 1,864
Expanded Access to Preferred Seats
Starting April 7, 2014, Air Canada expanded the number of Preferred Seats offered across its narrow-body fleet, that is, the E75, E90, A319, A320 and A321 aircraft.
With more Preferred Seats being available, customers can:
• Enjoy more comfort, with up to 4” (more in the exit row) of additional leg room, more legroom to stretch out, relax and work
• Easily identify Preferred Seats in the cabin with the dedicated head tidies
• Deplane quickly as most Preferred Seats are located to the front of the cabin seats with additional leg room
• Ask your travel agent to make Preferred Seat selection for GDS bookings
Air Canada’s entire mainline narrow-body fleet, as well as Embraer 175 aircraft, operating on behalf of SkyRegional, has now been re-configured with additional Preferred Seats.
Air Canada will implement the following changes to the Preferred Seat program in phases:
Phase 1:
• Starting August 15, 2014, eligibility for Preferred Seats will be streamlined based on status or fare paid.
• Preferred Seats purchased on/after August 15, will be calculated by segment vs by bound (i.e. from origin to destination). Therefore if a customer has an itinerary YYZ-YYC-YVR, the Preferred Seat fee will be calculated based on the amount for each segment. (Prior to August 15, the fee would have been calculated for the entire YYZ-YVR journey as one fee.) This ensures better access to Preferred Seats on each segment, as it's not always easy to guarantee seating on an an entire journey, especially if there is an IROP or aircraft downgauge.
• Preferred Seats will remain accessible to everyone when the flight is open for check-in, as it is today.
Phase 2:
• Later this summer, Preferred Seats will be sold during the check-in window at kiosk, web and mobile applications.
Also, as of today, you can now book Preferred Seats for Flight Pass bookings.
Eligibility for Complimentary Preferred Seat Selection:
Fees for Preferred Seats:
North American & Caribbean: $19 to $99
International: $69 to $199
Note the price will differ based on Tango vs Flex fares. With regards to the previous fee table, some routes offer less expensive Preferred Seats while others have gone up in price.
With more Preferred Seats being available, customers can:
• Enjoy more comfort, with up to 4” (more in the exit row) of additional leg room, more legroom to stretch out, relax and work
• Easily identify Preferred Seats in the cabin with the dedicated head tidies
• Deplane quickly as most Preferred Seats are located to the front of the cabin seats with additional leg room
• Ask your travel agent to make Preferred Seat selection for GDS bookings
Air Canada’s entire mainline narrow-body fleet, as well as Embraer 175 aircraft, operating on behalf of SkyRegional, has now been re-configured with additional Preferred Seats.
Air Canada will implement the following changes to the Preferred Seat program in phases:
Phase 1:
• Starting August 15, 2014, eligibility for Preferred Seats will be streamlined based on status or fare paid.
• Preferred Seats purchased on/after August 15, will be calculated by segment vs by bound (i.e. from origin to destination). Therefore if a customer has an itinerary YYZ-YYC-YVR, the Preferred Seat fee will be calculated based on the amount for each segment. (Prior to August 15, the fee would have been calculated for the entire YYZ-YVR journey as one fee.) This ensures better access to Preferred Seats on each segment, as it's not always easy to guarantee seating on an an entire journey, especially if there is an IROP or aircraft downgauge.
• Preferred Seats will remain accessible to everyone when the flight is open for check-in, as it is today.
Phase 2:
• Later this summer, Preferred Seats will be sold during the check-in window at kiosk, web and mobile applications.
Also, as of today, you can now book Preferred Seats for Flight Pass bookings.
Eligibility for Complimentary Preferred Seat Selection:
Fees for Preferred Seats:
North American & Caribbean: $19 to $99
International: $69 to $199
Note the price will differ based on Tango vs Flex fares. With regards to the previous fee table, some routes offer less expensive Preferred Seats while others have gone up in price.
Last edited by Ben Lipsey; Aug 15, 2014 at 9:07 am
Aug 15, 2014, 8:20 am
#40
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,784
Aug 15, 2014, 8:34 am
#42
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 6,222
Have the aircraft actually been physically "re-configured" to provide more seats with additional room?