wombat

I am posting this because after being an Aeroplan member since 95, and a Super Elite every year since 2000 (12 straight years), and travelling on average about 140k miles each year, and amassing almost 700k to my million mile mark, Air Canada has lost me as a customer.

In early February of 2012, I was assigned to a project in Wisconsin, and was flying there almost every week from Vancouver. Air Canada has a very good network, but between my home and Wausau WI there simply is no route flown by AC that was an option. Especially given the usual business rules most of us have to work within, on travel to choose the lowest reasonable ticket.

The project was very intense, and I dont review my Aeroplan account status except on my phone. So I was happy to end the year having flown 113k miles between YVR and CWA and awaited my 2013 package. Afterwards, I realized I had not received the usual "SE" emails -but had been so busy I did not miss them, and was happy the project was successful.

I started 2013 just as busy traveling, and by March 1st had put in 25k miles in and flown Air Canada to NYC and LAS and other spots. While waiting to board an AC flight home, holding a boarding pass without my usual SE mark on it, I called asking about my package. I was told I not only did not have a 2013 SE package - but HAD NO AEROPLAN STATUS AT ALL! Apparently, despite flying 113k miles last year; I had ended up missing the criteria for 10k miles on Air Canada and was therefore not qualified for ANY status.

Normally 10k on Air Canada is not an issue, I fly all over and prefer the “comfort of home” on AC. But last year my destination was fixed to a destination not AC friendly, and now after 12 years as an SE, and lots of travel, I have lost not just SE but ALL status. I asked when this had started, and why it was not clearly stated. Apparently the only indication on the aeroplan status page was a small number underneath the "Status Miles" page, which was hardly evident. Even now going to my new "Altitude" page, my history for 2012 shows I am qualified 100k for 2013!

I know some members will say "read the fine print" and that is valid, but I would think most businesses would usually take a broader look at the customer relationship, which is after all the reason for the program in the first place. So, confident that I could at least plead a reasonable defense of my case I contacted Air Canada and on March 7 sent an email to the the status review team and expected some feedback or dialog.

Well, after almost 2 MONTHS later, and after several attempts to get some feedback beyond the auto-generated reply "response by beginning of April", I got declined. The email said I did not qualify and that was it. I was not an 12 year SE, not even a 75k or 50k, but no longer had ANY status or privileges.

While I was waiting I put up with a couple of months of flying with zero status. But after the email I looked for options, another airline has actually listened to me wanted my significant business, and offered to comp me SE equivalency. So the lesson is, Altitude may be a loyalty program, but it seems that its loyalty is only one direction.