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Will I earn 100% of my points flying with Air China?

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Old Oct 13, 2010, 11:48 pm
  #1  
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Will I earn 100% of my points flying with Air China?

I'm planning to go back to Asia in January of next year. I found a bunch of cheap flights to Bangkok and Hong Kong from San Francisco. The problem is that CA operates some of those flights. A friend warned me that I might not earn 100% of my points with Aeroplan flying with CA depending on my booking class. The problem is that Kayak doesn't show the booking class for those particular flights. They're economy seats, but I need to know because that will play a role in determining whether I fly with CA or not.
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Old Oct 14, 2010, 12:59 am
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I am going to move this to the Air Canada forum as you will find more Aeroplan experts there.


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Old Oct 14, 2010, 1:32 am
  #3  
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go to the Air China website for airchina.com.cn and in English do a search. It will display fare classes for various fares. Easiest way to determine what you will earn (then look up on Aeroplan to see). Many cheap fares still earn miles but not all of them and most do not earn 100%.
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Old Oct 14, 2010, 2:38 pm
  #4  
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I think this is what you are looking for:

Partner Details - Air China
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Old Oct 14, 2010, 7:48 pm
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I think the OP couldn't figure out the fare class from his booking info so going to that page won't help until he figures that out. He could also phone Air China and ask what booking class he is in.
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Old Oct 14, 2010, 9:29 pm
  #6  
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Originally Posted by BlondeBomber
I think the OP couldn't figure out the fare class from his booking info so going to that page won't help until he figures that out. He could also phone Air China and ask what booking class he is in.
That's exactly it! I think I should call them. Unfortunately CA seems to have the best fare for the schedule that I'm looking at. AC is at least $300 more and I'm not sure if it's worth it to get 100% points compared to CA. Any suggestions on what I should do?
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Old Oct 14, 2010, 11:58 pm
  #7  
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Here are the details of the itinerary that I have in mind. Maybe this will give a better idea of whether I'll get full points or not?

UA 6483: YVR - LAX 5:00p - 7:43p
-------------------------
CA 984: LAX - PEK 12:40a - 5:30a
CA 959: PEK - BKK 1:45p to 6:05p
-------------------------
CA 108: HKG - PEK 10:30a - 1:50p
CA 991: PEK - YVR 3:50p - 10:30a

All in total these are 3 separate flight plans and comes to a total of US$1119. The UA flight is operated by United Express/Skywest. Hope to hear from you guys soon!
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Old Oct 15, 2010, 6:12 am
  #8  
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We would need more info to determine this, like the dates of travel.

Where is the Kayak flight booking through (i.e. United.com, Orbitz, etc.)? Most booking channels allow you to look at the fare rules before purchasing the ticket, and this will show you the fare basis. The first letter is almost always the booking code.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 12:05 am
  #9  
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Originally Posted by emcampbe
We would need more info to determine this, like the dates of travel.

Where is the Kayak flight booking through (i.e. United.com, Orbitz, etc.)? Most booking channels allow you to look at the fare rules before purchasing the ticket, and this will show you the fare basis. The first letter is almost always the booking code.
It's through Orbitz, but I don't see a way on how to find out the fare rules.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 1:33 am
  #10  
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depending on amount of taxes it will be either a G Q or L class booking by the looks of it.

This means only 50% of miles. That may not be a big deal if you don't need them for status. Sometimes cash is better. You might not like seat comfort and IFE on CA vs AC though.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 9:11 am
  #11  
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Originally Posted by BlondeBomber
depending on amount of taxes it will be either a G Q or L class booking by the looks of it.

This means only 50% of miles. That may not be a big deal if you don't need them for status. Sometimes cash is better. You might not like seat comfort and IFE on CA vs AC though.
The last time I flew CA was in 2007 from YVR - PEK and I didn't like the seats. However, there is a large price premium between CA and AC/UA. IIRC, the difference is around $300-$400. Should I cough up the difference and upgrade to a "better" airline and get 100% of my points or go with CA and save my money?
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 1:02 pm
  #12  
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only you can answer that one!

I just shelled out about $350 total to upgrade two two hour flights Shenzhen to Chongqing and return. I am happy with my decision but could have lived with the cramped seating on Air China domestic if I had to--I just chose to spend the bucks (out of my own pocket since my client is a non-profit and I fly as cheaply as possible for them) and be comfortable.

Going for status as I always do, I try for 100% miles if I have to sit on a plane that long.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 10:42 pm
  #13  
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Originally Posted by BlondeBomber
only you can answer that one!

I just shelled out about $350 total to upgrade two two hour flights Shenzhen to Chongqing and return. I am happy with my decision but could have lived with the cramped seating on Air China domestic if I had to--I just chose to spend the bucks (out of my own pocket since my client is a non-profit and I fly as cheaply as possible for them) and be comfortable.

Going for status as I always do, I try for 100% miles if I have to sit on a plane that long.
How do you decide if it's worth it? I'm really new to this and I could sure use your advice in determining whether it's worth paying the premium to earn 100% of my points by flying with a different carrier.
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Old Oct 17, 2010, 12:06 pm
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Originally Posted by lsquare
How do you decide if it's worth it? I'm really new to this and I could sure use your advice in determining whether it's worth paying the premium to earn 100% of my points by flying with a different carrier.
How often do you fly? Do you fly 35,000 miles every year?

IMHO, if you don't fly too much, then you should probably go for the crappy service and less mile, to trade for an extra $400 in your pocket.
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Old Oct 17, 2010, 12:24 pm
  #15  
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Originally Posted by beepyou
How often do you fly? Do you fly 35,000 miles every year?
At most a couple times a year and I definitely haven't flew 35,000 miles on an annual basis.

IMHO, if you don't fly too much, then you should probably go for the crappy service and less mile, to trade for an extra $400 in your pocket.
Thx for the suggestion.
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