It would have been a long drive from Edmonton to Manhattan. We likely would have spent the money, since the sequence was important to the film. I might have hired a local cameraperson, but US rates would have come out to be as much as the flight plus the fee. The money would have come from elsewhere in the budget, likely from my own fee as producer. But AC lost three revenue seats in this case, two from YEG, one from YYZ.

At the same time, when I use awards for business development trips, it means AC will have a dozen or more paid trips over the next few months if the project goes through.

I think you will find that among members of US programs, the vast majority use their miles/points to upgrade on business trips, particularly overseas. They don't generally have access to the same type of upgrade certificates as we do, so they spend miles earned on business to make their business travel more comfortable. This is certainly the concensus I get when attending FT gatherings. The balance of the miles get spent on family vacations, sending the kids on trips, etc.

So down there, miles have lost the carriers front cabin revenue from business travellers.