Air Canada VIP Service
#301
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
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#303
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Join Date: Mar 2005
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#304
Join Date: Jun 2018
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Programs: AC SE100K, Bonvoy Platinum Elite, IHG Gold, Hertz 5*
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#305
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
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If you're MM, that automatically makes you 50K. But if you qualify for SE, you're not simultaneously SE and 50K, you're only SE.
In the previous paragraph, replace "MM" with "3MM", "50K" with "SE", and "SE" with "VIP".
So, is the cow's friend SE?
In the previous paragraph, replace "MM" with "3MM", "50K" with "SE", and "SE" with "VIP".
So, is the cow's friend SE?
#306
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 1
Just to add on to that, my understanding is that there are low hundreds of AC VIPs.
Examples include William Shatner.
AC VIP is not like UA GS. The person in charge of travel at IBM Canada is AC VIP (maybe not, but that's the type of person who gets it). William Shatner is VIP (and other legit Canadian celebrities).
If you're thinking "I want VIP status", you're not going to get VIP status.
I had a negotiation with AC a few years ago, and they had no issue comping me SE (which I declined because I'm easily SE anyway), but VIP was a laughable request. If they value SE at $5k, they value VIP at $500k. Not that they'd sell it for $500k.
Examples include William Shatner.
AC VIP is not like UA GS. The person in charge of travel at IBM Canada is AC VIP (maybe not, but that's the type of person who gets it). William Shatner is VIP (and other legit Canadian celebrities).
If you're thinking "I want VIP status", you're not going to get VIP status.
I had a negotiation with AC a few years ago, and they had no issue comping me SE (which I declined because I'm easily SE anyway), but VIP was a laughable request. If they value SE at $5k, they value VIP at $500k. Not that they'd sell it for $500k.
#307
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 183
Interesting that Air Canada calls out that VIPs can access the AC Cafe in Toronto on the lounge finder page - I don't think I've seen any other specific reference to VIP anywhere else on AC's website.
#308
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 255
I sat beside a SE VIP - they were a 4MM but also the CEO of a prominent global professional services business, not sure which of the 2 gave the VIP status. They said that one year they flew the most miles with AC, as per AC, that number being around 5xx,xxx.
#309
Join Date: Apr 2016
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My guess would be the latter. There are some 4MMs that are not VIP.
#310
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The cost of the VIP service is pretty substantial. The last thing they'd want to do is grant it to people who have proven that they fly every day.
#311
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 255
The person in question above, had a concierge waiting at the gate for them to walk them from gate to roadside at final destination, resource intensive considering not a connection
#312
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#314
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#315
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Programs: AC SE, FOTSG Platinum
Posts: 5,734
Many of the people who qualify for this kind of service draw more attention than you or I do, and would benefit from the presence of a uniformed airline employee who knows the fastest route to an exit.
This is the same reason boarding last is a common VIP-tier benefit across many airlines, as it's in both the VIP's interest and the airline's to have as few other passengers as possible try to stop and interact with someone they recognize while boarding.