I have an upcoming trip that was booked in L class, I wanted to be in V class. I called Air Canada and was told that I will have to pay the difference (between L & V) - no problem, but then I was told that I will have to pay a $145 change fee. I questioned the agent and said that I understood the $145 was for an itinerary change, she said no, the $145 is for ANY change.

Is this correct or do I need to get another agent?

They used to waive the fee when upgrading fares. Maybe that has changed too. Perhaps try another agent and see if you get the same answer?

If I recall, I think there are restrictions on an L class fare as to how much advance you're allowed in changing the ticket--perhaps you're within that window.

Tom

You should check the fare rules for that class on Expedia or Travelocity. That should indicate if the change fee is waived for an upgrade to a higher fare. In some cases the fee is only waived for certain higher classes.

Thanks for the information. I called back and asked for a supervisor to get the low down on the rules. I was told that if you are upgrading an International or Transborder fare the airline does NOT charge the $145 change fee. But if you are upgrading a DOMESTIC fare, you are. The supervisor said that the rules are quite different for the different fares, but essentially you get "shafted" the most on domestic items.

Looks like I'm stuck with a L ticket and no chance to upgrade

Depends how it was booked. Tell them that agents in the past have said if you book on PTO or website, to just book and call the agent to get them to change the fare. (this is what PTO agent told me). Now if you have waited a long time, it might be difficult to do, but if you just booked it and then phoned them, they should agree. I would ask for a supervisor.


BlondeBomber's Pet Peeve (and Tuesday rant)!
This is a big problem with Air Canada's (and other airlines booking engines) site and PTO which I have written on numerous occasions to AC and been assured that it will be in the next revision (now almost 2 years ago I had that promise made). Their idea of booking by fare class seems to be allowing you to ONLY choose from discount econo, unrestricted econo, or business.

They were the ones who put the V class fare rules in place, they should at least allow you to check off "upgradeable" fare. Not rocket science for IT people but they seem incapable of implementing it despite many promises and assurance to me that it would be done (both by e-mail and by phone).

For those doing the western promo for booking YYC-YVR or YYC-YEG city pairs (5 Roundtrips gets you a ticket to the sun), make sure you are not choosing the only marginally cheaper N class fare. L fare is only about $10 more but is eligible for the promo.

The link from the promo takes you to the booking engine that allows you to book N class fares--read the fine print. You can get L fares with some difficulty for the times you want but it keeps trying to shove N fares in your face. You will not get your free tickets if you go that route though.

I second BB's comments wholeheartedly! For an airline that is desperate for more cash, I find it interesting at just how difficult AC can make it when we WANT to pay a higher fare.