A wise man once said...
Like most airlines it is possible to buy an economy class ticket with Air Canada, but end up being seated in business class.
On March 1, 2011, Air Canada introduced eUpgrades to replace the old paper upgrade certificates, which this FAQ thread was originally written for. For posterity, those details have been preserved in small grey letters.
Some other ways of upgrading still exist and I'll leave them untouched.
At the time of the changeover to eUpgrades I did not have any AC status. As of this last and final edit of this post, no other Flyertalk has chosen to rewrite a definitive guide to upgrading on Air Canada. You can still find many threads about eUpgrades, and perhaps after people get used to them a new Upgrade info master thread will be born.
The content of this post was accurate as of March 2, 2011, but is not guaranteed to be accurate at any time after that date.
- Top tier upgrade certificates
- Other upgrade certificates
- Complimentary Latitude flight pass upgrades
- Aeroplan award flights booked in I with segments confirmed in X
- Operational upgrades
- Courtesy upgrades
- Upgrades using miles or cash
- Top Tier Upgrade Certificates
Passengers with status (Prestige (P), Elite (E), or Super Elite (SE)) on Air Canada can receive three different types of upgrade certificates as follows:
- North American Upgrade (NAU) certificates: These can be used on flights with business class service within Canada and the continental US. They can be used on Latitude fares, which have booking codes Y and B, and on the M and U Tango Plus fares.
- Systemwide Upgrade (SWU) certificates: These can be used on any flight with business class service to any destination. They can be used on Latitude fares, which have booking codes Y and B, and on the M and U Tango Plus fares.
- Special Systemwide Upgrade (SSWU) certificates: Only SE and E can use these certificates. These can be used on any flight with Executive or Executive First class service to any destination. They can be used on Latitude and Tango Plus fares, which encompass a whole lot of booking classes.
Up-to-date information about fare class eligibility and other details is also on aeroplan.com. Select YOUR AEROPLAN->Air Canada Top Tier->Select Privileges and click on the relevant certificate.
Who can use Top Tier Upgrade Certificates?
The name and Aeroplan number of the top tier member appear on the certificate. They can only be used by the member or a companion travelling on the same flight.
They are not transferable and cannot be sold. (Well, that can be sold, but the purchaser won't be able to use them!)
The only requirement to use a certificate for a companion is that the companion be on the same flight as the top tier member, and that the companion's booking class be eligible for the certificate that is to be used. It doesn't matter what fare the top tier member traveling on. It could be an award flight, or on a fare not eligible for upgrade.
How do you confirm an upgrade using a top tier certificate?
If you want to use a certificate you must request the upgrade from Air Canada. You can phone Air Canada reservations to request the upgrade.
If your booking class is Y or B you will be able to request your upgrade as soon as you make your booking. If you booked online you can request an upgrade online via Manage My Bookings. You will also need to be logged in so that the website knows you are a top tier member. You will also need to enter the certificate number if you make this request online. The numbers are all the same of all certificates. These are:
For flights between March 1, 2010 and February 28, 2011
0060001 - NAU
0070000 - SWU
0080006 - SSWU
If you are wanting to use a certificate from a lower fare class than Y or B, you will have to wait until your upgrade window opens. SE can request the upgrade 7 days before the flight. E can make the request 4 days before. P can make the request 2 days before.
How do you make the calculation? Suppose your flight leaves on August 11. Two days before is August 9. Four days before is August 7. Seven days before is August 4. You can call at 12:00am. The relevant time zone is the one corresponding to the flight departure. So, if the flight leaves from YYZ, you can call at midnight YYZ-time.
Two things could happen when you request the upgrade. If could be confirmed right away, or you could be placed on the upgrade waitlist. Air Canada may (or may not!) confirm upgrades according to the time placed on the waitlist as the flight date approaches.
If your upgrade is not confirmed by the time the flight is open for check-in, the old waitlist is discarded. You will need to re-request your upgrade when you check-in. This can be done theoretically during on-line check-in, but available of this feature is spotty. You can also re-request your upgrade when you check-in at the airport. Upgrade priority on the day of the flight is not made public by Air Canada. The best guess is that it is based on:
1. Status of person to be upgraded.
2. Fare Category.
3. Time of check-in.
Note that a companion upgrade is waitlisted based on that person's status, not the status of the sponsor. At least in theory.
You could be upgraded at check-in, in the lounge, or at the gate. Your upgrade could clear the minute before they close the door to the plane, if a seat becomes available. You should be near the gate area in plenty of time if you are waitlisted for an upgrade. You will want to be there if they call your name.
The manner in which the day-of-airport upgrade waitlist is cleared is a matter of periodic debate on the AC forum on FlyerTalk.
How can I determine available upgrade inventory?
What does "R space" mean?
In September, 2009, "R space" became the new "I space".
Air Canada will not simply allow upgrades into every available business class seats at any time. Obviously they would prefer to sell those seats. So the number of upgrades is limited. It is possible to determine if there is upgrade space available on a particular flight.
The first method is to use aircanada.com. When you are selecting flights you can check the box beside Display only fares eligible for upgrade. Enter the number for the certificate you want to use (number are listed above). A blue arrow will appear beside any flight with upgrade space currently available.
Another method is to use a third party fare class availabilty tool. The upgrade fare bucket for upgrade space is R. (Hence you will often see the phrases "R space", formerly "I space")
- Other Upgrade Certificates
Passengers without top tier status on Air Canada can purchase upgrade certificates at some airports for a limited number of routes within North America. See: http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin.../upgrades.html for details on which routes apply and how to use these certificates.
There are also upgrade certificates of various types made available from time to time to corporate clients, travel agents, and others. The certificate will contain instructions on how to use them.
- Complimentary Latitude Flight Pass Upgrades
If your flight is booked using a Latitude flight pass you will be able to upgrade the 48 hours before your flight. This upgrade is not based on R space. It is based on available business class seats.
Latitude pass upgrades are done online.
Latitude pass flights can also be upgraded using certificates as above, R space permitting. If you have been upgraded into R space and want to use a complimentary upgrade instead (to save the certificate) you will need to phone AC to downgrade yourself first before accessing the complimentary upgrade.
- Aeroplan award flights booked in I with segments confirmed in X
It is possible to book Aeroplan award itineraries in business class (I class) in which one or more of the segments is confirmed in economy class (X class) because of award flight availability.
In such cases you may request to standby for a business class seat at the airport on the day of the economy class flights.
This is not available for Star Alliance awards (even if the flight in question is operated by Air Canada).
- Operational Upgrades
If economy class is oversold, and there is space in business class, some passengers will might be upgraded without the need for a certificate. This is called an operational upgrade, or "op-up". Operational upgrades should be done by status, and generally are, but sometimes convenience, time constraints, laziness, etc., cause agents to upgrade people without regard to status.
Theories abound about increasing one's chance of an op-up, which include dressing nicely, being polite, showing cleavage, etc. These are theories. There is no published, peer-reviewed research that gives evidence that the theories are true.
- Courtesy Upgrades
An Air Canada employee may simply decide to upgrade you for some reason. They might feel sorry for you; they might be hitting on you; they might be compensating you for some inconvenience. This is called a courtesy upgrade. Be happy if it happens, but don't expect it.
- Upgrade with cash or miles
Air Canada participates in the Star Alliance milage upgrade scheme. See:
http://www.aircanada.com/en/aeroplan...de_awards.html
for details.
In June, 2009, Air Canada began the Last Minute Upgrade Purchase (LMUP) scheme. Last minute upgrades may be offered at OLCI or kiosk check-in. They may be offered from any economy class revenue or award booking.
Details on this program are on Air Canada's LMUP page.
The availability and cost of LMUPs cannot be predicted with absolute certainty. There is a sticky thread in this forum with our collected experiences on this programme.