Originally Posted by
The Lev
That would be a reasonable comment if the poster was Canadian. However i'm not sure it is a reasonable expectation for non-Canadians to be up on Air Canada's rule changes just as you are probably not familiar with the changes made by say Copa or SAA over the last few years.
The OP wasn't terribly clear as to where they was flying to, but if it was for transatlantic travel, that change was only made by AC this year.
Right, transatlantic travel.
The WSJ just had a piece last week discussing how AC is a good alternative for Americans wanting to fly transatlantic, because the AC hubs can be pretty convenient.
It didn't mention this seat assignment nonsense. As I said, even non-elites get free US airline seat assignments, and elites generally get premium seat assignments.
As a UA 1K, I can assure you that my willingness to fly AC transatlantic is diminished now that I know about their seat assignment policy. (Just like I booked away from BA biz class last year when I found out that they charge for seat assignments -- I took AA instead). Before, I would have been at least "neutral" to flying AC over the US airlines. Now I will avoid them if I have a good alternative. As others also learn of this policy, I do think there will be a cost to AC for shabbily treating Star Golds. It won't just be folks travelling on the cheapest fares.