daniellam

Even though AC is handled by UA in SEA and PDX, I don't understand why in this day and age AC can't provide access to their own computer systems (perhaps some kind of "remote desktop"?) to UA so that they can use it to process AC passengers.

Why even use UA's systems?

uwr

I called AC this evening, and the agent said that I should be there 2 hours in advance, even though she knew that I am *A gold. The UA Premier Access line at SEA is usually very fast, so I'm glad I can use it.

I had no idea that there is a 60 minute cutoff. Why do they require so much time for a plane with 52 seats (of which only 26 are currently filled)?

I drove to Vancouver last Friday, and it took exactly 2.5 hours - including a 6-minute wait in the Nexus line at the border crossing - to get to downtown Vancouver. This flight will take considerably longer. (Only reason I am flying to YVR is that I am going to GRU on the following day and I don't want to come back to Seattle to get the flight.)

uwr

+1

From SEA, AC has 7 daily flights to YVR, 2 to YYC, and 1 (2 as of June 1) to YYZ - 11 per day.
Why don't they have their own agents?

AC has OLCI (and presumably their own agents) at stations with just a couple of flights a day or fewer - for example RDU and IND. Even RSW, with 3 flights a week during the peak season, has OLCI.

gglave

Especially at PDX, where a) I've never waited more than 5 minutes at security, b) it's only a 5 minute walk from security to AC's gate and c) they don't board the Dash until 15 minutes before departure.

yyzgigi

You're very lucky. I've heard of others at IND (another UA operated station) where they've turned people way that didn't make the 60 minute cut off. Is a silly rule, but it is technically an AC rule for US flights that you should expect them to enforce. Unfortunately when you cannot do OLCI there is a lot more risk of missing it.

gglave

Oh, I know it...

CZBB

They don't want their SEA operation to be bigger than their YVR operation?

uwr

I took the SEA-YVR flight today. I got to the airport about 90 minutes before the flight. I was going to go to the UA Premier Access queue, but the Air Canada check-in area had three agents and only one person in line. I waiting only about a minute before I was checked in.

I suspect that the long wait times (described in this thread) are for the check-in for the mainline YYZ flight(s), which use much larger aircraft and occur during the morning rush.

The agent checked me in. I didn't try to use the kiosk, and nobody else did, either.

The system also automatically checked me in for my YVR-ORD-GRU flights tomorrow, maybe because the YVR-ORD leg is only about 23 hours after the SEA-YVR leg.

The boarding pass had my UA Mileage Plus number but did not recognize me as *A Gold, so I had to show my card to get into the priority security line.

Incidentally, the new TSA pre-check line for AS occupies the North security check area that used to serve as the UA/AC priority security line. That line has been moved to the left and the area has become smaller, as has the regular security check area. I suspect that the time to pass through security is much longer than before during the morning rush from 6-10 am.

Boarding was listed as 2 pm for the 2:35 pm departure. I waited in the United Club and went to the gate at 2:10 pm, but they didn't start boarding until 2:15.

The flight left on time. The Dash 8 was extremely noisy. I sat in seat 2C, a few feet forward of the propellors. There was absolutely no service on the flight, not even an offering of water, but the flight time was only about 35 minutes.

The flight was only half full and I moved to the window seat, which had a beautiful view of the San Juan Islands, Point Roberts (which I have always wanted to visit), and downtown Vancouver.

Total travel time to my downtown hotel was 3 hours 35 minutes. I used the Nexus line at YVR - I breezed through in about a minute and avoided the HUGE regular line. Someone told me that it took more than hour to go through immigration.

The Sky Train was convenient and allowed me to avoid rush hour traffic.

g46r

I take the SEA<>YVR dash-8 flights about 10-15 times a year. Yes it is loud, but unlike a jet it is less loud towards the rear, like row 7 or 8. The fast boarding/unboarding, and the fact that Skycheck completely eliminates the competition of the overhead bin space, make the short flight mostly tolerable or even pleasant at times.

uwr

If I take that flight again, I will try row 7 or 8.
Why do you take this flight so frequently? Do you connect to another flight at YVR?

gglave

I'm AC Elite (for now) and my PDX-issued boarding pass earlier this week had the same issue. Aeroplan # but no *G or AC*E indicated.

tass

I've flown a number of times YYZ-YVR-PDX-YVR-YYZ and YYZ-YVR-SEA-YVR_YYZ (even a YYZ-YVR-SEA-PDX-YVR-YYZ one time).

- checking in at SEA for Air Canada... UA counter for AC at the furthest end of the north terminal. Lines for non status UA was horrible! Security was pretty quick

- checking in a PDX... Portland has surprisingly the worst traffic I've seen in the US - much worse than getting to LAX or SFO. Leave lots of time to get to PDX and expect to talk to a screen once you get to the airport. The plus is that car rental is on site, where at SEA it can be either onsite or shuttle No OLCI makes the traffic that much worse

- If you have a few hours at SEA, you can try lounge hopping. I once visited three lounges just to check them out.

g46r

Yep. AC jacks up prices for our Canadian friends ex-YVR and ex-YYZ, which leave their planes with empty seats most of the time. AC then gives good TPAC/TATL deals on ex-SEA to fill the plane.

SEA-LHR for example - BA commands a large premium because it's the only non-stop. I often get very good AC deals through YVR (J or Y). For J (paid or upgraded), it's much better to have a long TATL leg that I can sleep uninterrupted. Stopping at east coast ruins the whole experience.