Originally Posted by
JJSK
TL;DR: Check-in agent unexpectedly split our Companion Pass booking (Im 75K, companion has no status), which broke our linked eUpgrade priority and cant seem to be reversed looking for advice on how to get both PNRs re-joined before our return flight.
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Hi everyone, looking for insight or similar experiences.
My travel partner and I were booked together on one PNR (2B*****) using a Worldwide Companion Pass. I am Aeroplan 75K and my companion has no status.At airport check-in (YOW), we asked the agent only to check the cost of a same-day paid upgrade. During that process, the agent somehow split the booking without our request or consent, moving me onto a completely new PNR (AV*****) while my companion remained on the original one. Separating these should not be allowed when using a companion pass.
This caused several downstream issues, including:
We could no longer be treated as travelling together for eUpgrade priority
My companion was pushed to the bottom of the upgrade waitlist instead of remaining beside me (originally appearing as properly linked with my 75K status)
A seat in Premium Economy remained empty beside me while my companion stayed in Economy
Multiple later attempts to have the PNRs re-joined were unsuccessful, including by airport staff and phone agents
We are still separated in the system and are concerned this will affect our return sector (including eUpgrades and seat assignments). The bookings are now linked, but remain separate, which does not fully address our concerns. We have been told by some agents that they cannot re-unite the files, and others that it should be possible, but no one has been able to actually complete it.
Has anyone experienced a forced/erroneous PNR split like this, and were you able to get it reversed?
Specific questions:
1. Is there a particular desk/department that handles PNR restoration?
2. Should I escalate to Customer Relations, Social Media, Concierge, or the Aeroplan desk?
3. Is there any published guidance or rule stating companion bookings must remain linked?
4. Could this affect benefits (e.g., same-record handling, IRROPS protection, eUpgrade ranking, seat mapping, etc.) on the return?
Any guidance, escalation paths, terminology, or success stories would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
I have limited answers, but what I do know is that it is impossible to combine separate PNRs into one.
I don't know how they enforce companion bookings having to be identical once they allow the PNR to be split.
I have had a split happen to me once, same as you on the outbound. In my case, I had left instructions not to split the PNR (they even had a printed paper BP with "do not split" written on it). While in the air, the concierge fixed the situation by creating a new PNR for both pax and adding in all the flights that we had remaining. Not sure how many overrides they had to get through. Also no idea how you could get this done without concierge access.