will5404

All depends on your individual flying patterns I think. I never purchased flight passes so thats awash for me. Tier bonus is nice, but with a 50,000 mile sign up bonus on the AP Amex Plat now, thats more than my tier bonus was this year without setting foot in a plane. Does that mean the tier bonus isn't a loss? Of course not, but compared to the loss of TPAC upgrades its something I can live with.

Finally I do have a reason to cross the 40,000 threshold tho, I can use 10 credits for something useful but formally the two SWU's I got were just wallpaper.

@QCG: Revenue models come down to this, when your company pays for it revenue is the way to go. When you pay for it mileage systems are the way to go.

CdnFlier

Thanks for the changes/information and participating here Andrew. The expanded rationale is nice to see and (especially for this crowd) I'm sure it's appreciated by all. Not sure how broadly it will address the problems everyone raised but it will help me have a few credits leftover from my international trips to upgrade domestic trips which is nice. Credits are still heavily weighted towards the 100k mark but who knows maybe that'll work out.

+1 I was hoping for a change regarding the pass benefits but without any change coming I'm still not sure if I will be buying another one this year. 2xSSWU -> 12 credits is a very significant drop.

Phrantic

I applaud AC and Andrew for listening to the intl' traveller market, now if we can get that eCredit for flight passes bumped up say from 12 to 15 for SE, I'll be back on board with AC.

NAJetSet

Hrm. I am surprised that so few folks on here talk about using Flight Passes. I think this is really the secret key to upgrades, particularly in North America. I personally use the NothAmerica Flight Pass(10 Credit), and am planning on purchasing 4 for 2011. These flight passes book in M class - Yay for upgrades.

Take a look at the costs of these passes and 10 credits $4800 for the Transcontinental pass can be amortized to $480 per direction. Besides for maybe last week ($177 YYJ-MIA) where else are you going to find a Long Haul Flight in NA for $480 in M class. Particularly for those booking last minute flights where prices shoot up like crazy, being able to know exactly what your travel costs for the whole year is invaluable to any financially responsible business/person.

M class really is the ticket here, never had a need to worry if i had the right certificate - anything goes. And now its just that much better, use far fewer eCredits for upgrades then a 'lesser' T+ fare that might well be just as much or more using conventional booking.

I am even more surprised at the lack of advertising for these passes. For AC they were designed to boost Cash Flow significantly. And in return AC offers some nice perks such as M class, ease of booking, ect.

For anyone flying on Air Canada, I really would suggest looking into the flight pass option. If you are all about saving money and getting the most upgrades possible this is the best route to take. Sure you have to come up with the cash up front, but that is the idea of these things after all - and look what you get afterall, more upgrades then you really need (well at least in my case).

JR

kyvr

I am not happy with AC/AP cutting down the benefits, especially this was my first year and I had high expectations during the entire year of 2010. However, AC/AP taking the feedback and implementing the changes in a relatively short period of time is quite impressive. This gesture -though not very significant- restores my faith in AC/AP.

Thank you Andrew and Ben for taking the client feedback and doing something about it. I have no doubt that the number of FFs who will reconsider loyalty to AC/AP is more than worth the effort/cost.

Regards and hope all FFs are somewhat relieved by this!

RDP

I operate out of NRT. My flight pattern on AC is 100% NRT-YYZ return. If I need extra miles to keep Elitie I ensure to do MR's to keep up my status on *A flights in ASIA.

Even with these adjustments I need 34 ePoints to gain even the equivelant puchasing power of my prior years SSWU's if I purchase the lowest fares (which were fine with SSWU's). I am happy to be corrected but 17 ePoints seems to be what is required for the NRT-YYZ run one way. To get 34 points I need to unload all my other benefits which I found useful.

Too add to things I actualy used one of my SWU this year to upgrade my mother on the same flight as she was booked into full fare economy using an award off her banking card. Guess that option is out as well.

Even after reading the giant post I get the feeling that this is not working out for mel. Once again happy to be corrected.

I will wait a few more days to see what happens but am quite miffed as I JUST completed a MR to keep up my status. Had I known..... then it seems I will recevie some additional SWU that expire at the end of Feb becuase I will qualify in Dec (Andrew says some certs will get mailed for DEC/JAN qualifiers), well cant use those due to my schedule. Too bad they are not ePoints, would seem like a more honest guesture to provide those.

I also used (needed!) the 1,000 + 2,000 status miles to work my Elite requalification, and need it again, unless they suddenly start giving out more points for NRT-YYZ. The CoS bonus (125%) for paid J/Z doesn't even work by my math when shooting to requalify, I might as well take a flight in ASIA instead and enjoy some beach.

rant off....
RDP

QNX

As much as I was disappointed by how the new program was implemented, I would like to state my respect for AC for listening and acting in a timely fashion.

I salute AC for this move.

hjohnson

Now... If only we could get ac to fly out of YXX (Abbotsford) rather than YVR to get the west coast to FRA distance under 5000 miles we'd be cooking...

CdnFlier

gcmap has YXX and YVR at just slightly over 5,000 miles...

If you're flying YXX-YVR-FRA I presume AC calculates it at YVR-FRA since the YXX-YVR doesn't have J service? Or can it all be calculated from YXX since it's the origin?


With this new system I'm trying to figure out how YYC or YEG can be moved 170 miles closer to YYZ..

Jasper2009

I can imagine what a thread title would look like: "I flew YXX-FRA to save 3 upgrade credits, but the flight was on an E190 with fuel stops in YYC, YYZ and KEF "

I fly YVR-FRA myself from time to time, and as AC doesnīt have a non-stop flight, it doesnīt really make a huge difference: try to fly YVR-YYC-FRA or YVR-LHR-FRA, both routes should also have better upgrade chances than the YVR-YYZ-FRA option.

yvr76

I tried some searches from a few different routes via YVR in early March (outbound on round trip)

-> SFO : Tango+M : $618; Lat. : $728; Executive Lowest : $429
-> OGG : Tango+M : $1239; Lat. : $678; Executive Lowest : $804
-> YYZ : Tango+M : $1054; Lat. : $734; Executive Lowest : $994

How does this make sense? I appreciate that if you're booking through a Flight Pass, it's a reasonably good deal wrt flexibility + M fare upgrade credits. But if you're booking straight off the web? Why on earth would I ever book this fare class?

hjohnson

Or people getting scared on the BEH

YYZ_TVGuy

It doesn't, and it won't, and its best not to think about it. You know the $100 hotel room you get with the sign on the back saying it goes for $1200? Same deal - These fares are there so they can have "sales" and use numbers like 50% off! and actually have a leg to stand on when they charge that amount when the Super Bowl / Stanley Cup / Expo is in town. And in the airline industry it allows then to say "We offer cheap upgrades!" (just pay through the nose for your regular ticket). Plus įa change...

While I appreciate the effort boys I still can't upgrade once return (or the redeye flight w/my hubby) YUL-Europe and keep my 50% tier bonus. And forgetting the fact I even received SWUs previously, lets just take em off the table! Forget "the comparison"! I'm still getting less and ultimately paying more.

If AC had a toe in the Chapter 11 bin I'd understand, but with the company doing so well I feel squeezed.

Cheers,

-Adam

yul36

Thank You Andrew and Ben for taking our concerns into account.

SYM

It's getting a bit redundant (and I have yet to work through how the changes will change the situation for me) but this is very good customer relations Thanks Andrew.