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How long before the Concierge Service is gutted?

How long before the Concierge Service is gutted?

Old Sep 30, 2013, 5:06 am
  #31  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
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You dont have much choice based in YSB but stick by AC now do you?
left AC for UA 2 years ago and best move ever!

Originally Posted by acysb87
David still there and always helpful ,polite and courteous.I stop in to say hi
I am still with AC and the benefit can be very helpful. I call on them when required. No reason to use them in quite some time
To be fair ,I ditched UA, generally, quite some time ago.
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 6:08 am
  #32  
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Originally Posted by mtensioners
You dont have much choice based in YSB but stick by AC now do you?
left AC for UA 2 years ago and best move ever!
I may be the "only" one here who does not have the concerns that everyone else has,other than the scam charges to which I agree with all of the rest.

I manage to get the upgrades to which status is key. I care about the extra space. Food ,movies,wine,bin space..... are all items that are nice to have. Seat space is a must have when I travel and that makes SE a valuable tool.

I agree that choice is restricted ex YSB, and expensive. Hence my revenue based advocacy for FF status . I was always amazed that 10K, or less worth of travel to ASIA would get you SE status . For many years I labored in Y with approximately 100 segments annually and all it got me was E. It was also expensive.

FT educated me and the Dos gave me an opportunity to meet AC executives who listened to me as well as many others.^

Will stay with AC/Express until I retire ,most likely
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 6:39 am
  #33  
 
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Originally Posted by acysb87
I agree that choice is restricted ex YSB, and expensive. Hence my revenue based advocacy for FF status . I was always amazed that 10K, or less worth of travel to ASIA would get you SE status . For many years I labored in Y with approximately 100 segments annually and all it got me was E. It was also expensive.
But AC doesn't have anything like a revenue based FF program. Buy a $10K TATL J ticket and you get virtually nothing from AC.

AC management seem to have taken the ridiculously simple view that SEs are valuable - while all other FFs are not worth having. This would include all mid-tier elites and also those pax who buy full fare J tickets - who they continue to treat as second class citizens.

I'm not sure why anyone would continue to defend a management team that has such a simplistic, nave and poorly thought through approach to customer relations?

Back on topic I think that AC will likely keep the concierge program for the immediate future - if only due to management's poorly constructed approach to customer segmentation.
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 6:54 am
  #34  
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Originally Posted by Far Siren
Since I've never been an SE, I never got a chance to experience the Concierge Service. But from what I've read here, it's one of the most sought-after perks of being an SE100K.

With all the recent cutbacks, devaluations, gutting of the FF program - whatever you want to call it - do you guys not think that the Concierge Service is also in AC's crosshairs?

The website indicates that there are 150+ concierge agents in the workforce, and quite a few stationed outside of N. America. This must have some impact on AC's bottom line.

Finally, if they did decide to do away with this program, would it influence your decision to go for SE100K status?
Depending on the route and class of travel, you do not need to be SE to be entitled/able to "enjoy" the Concierge Service.

In case of North American IROP, On My Way is a cheap and better alternative to the Concierge Service.
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 6:57 am
  #35  
 
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Originally Posted by Shareholder
At the other end, CP's old concierge (David?) was the most amiable and helpful, and he appeared in the BBC series "Airport" and parodied in another British satire on the airport and an LCC.
At LHR, Kelvin is the person you're talking about. He was promoted to manager there and so isn't on the floor as often.
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 7:45 am
  #36  
 
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Originally Posted by acysb87
I was always amazed that 10K, or less worth of travel to ASIA would get you SE status
Five return trips YSB <--> Asia gets you SE?

Nice.
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 7:54 am
  #37  
 
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Originally Posted by Shareholder
and parodied in another British satire on the airport
Moses Beacon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqyaVcM5pGc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVZIEAODhEE

I love "Come Fly with Me."
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 7:55 am
  #38  
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Originally Posted by gglave
Five return trips YSB <--> Asia gets you SE?

Nice.
YSB/YYZ/HKG/BKK return for approx.2000.00 netted close to 20K Q miles last January
Watch the Thai booking class.
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 4:32 pm
  #39  
 
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Originally Posted by gglave
Impressive. Concierges service AC's more important customers, yet making those customers happy causes a concierge to risk being disciplined.
Yes! This is the nonsense I've mentioned many times before where I was paying $300 more to go FLL-YYZ-YVR-YYC, so that I could get a pod on YYZ-YVR, and they kicked me off my flight under the guise that there would only have been 30 min left from the time I checked my bag back in after customs - and so I said fine that sucks but I can live with it, put me YYZ-YYC direct, and the concierge kept saying she would get in trouble, and that i had to keep the same routing, even without pod - had to argue for 30 min, and finally pull out the "I had a kosher meal ordered on the original flight, you damn well better on this flight, or else you'll offend my religious sensibilities" card. That incident and one with the old man at LHR have soured my view on concierges.
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 5:36 pm
  #40  
 
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the old man at LHR have soured my view on concierges.


Tedgrrrr, you need to do some housekeeping of your PM box, by the way
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 8:23 pm
  #41  
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Example of how gutted the program is already...

Was flying ORD-YYZ-YEG with an "illegal" short connection (45 minutes). Of course everething goes wrong... flight is about 10 minutes late leaving ORD, long taxi, takes off westbound, lands westbound on the runway at the north end of the airport (furthest from T1), stuck on tarmac, switch gates. Bottom line is door opens with 15 minutes until departure.

Breeze throguh customs thanks to Nexus and am in security line with 10 minutes to go. Phone the YYZ Concierge who tells me the flight is already closed - no offer to call the gate, nothing. Basically told you're on your own buddy. Show up at gate 5 minutes before departure with plane at gate and bridge still attached, but no joy today from AC. Get to spend 2 hours enjoying the MLL instead.

In the "old days" the concierges used to hold planes for SE's.
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Old Sep 30, 2013, 8:57 pm
  #42  
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Originally Posted by The Lev
In the "old days" the concierges used to hold planes for SE's.
I'm not sure that's a reasonable expectation, in general.

It's one thing if you're going to be there one minute after the scheduled door closing, but in the general case of "I know you want to close the door in 5 minutes, but I just have to clear customs, get across the airport, get through security, and get to the gate.", how long should they wait? What if you're held up in customs, or at security, etc.

I had one very close call. If I had just run a little bit faster, I would have made it. But I would have been drenched in sweat, which wouldn't have been fun for me or anyone around me. I was definitely not SE at the time, and while I was a little upset at the time that they couldn't wait two minutes for me, in hindsight, I'm glad they didn't.
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Old Oct 1, 2013, 2:02 am
  #43  
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Originally Posted by canadiancow
I'm not sure that's a reasonable expectation, in general.

It's one thing if you're going to be there one minute after the scheduled door closing, but in the general case of "I know you want to close the door in 5 minutes, but I just have to clear customs, get across the airport, get through security, and get to the gate.", how long should they wait? What if you're held up in customs, or at security, etc.
In my case I wasn't held up (and deliberately did not call until I had reached security) and my boarding would not have delayed departure. Having said that, I agree that it is not a reasonable expectation to delay a flight for one DYKWIA - but I was pointing out that in the past it was something Concierges did.
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Old Oct 1, 2013, 8:04 am
  #44  
 
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Originally Posted by Shareholder
Having been SE for many years, my experience(s) with concierges has been most variable. When living in Edmonton, I'd often get calls about flight delays from the concierge. Once in Toronto on my way to LHR, I was greeted and walked through security by one, much impressing my colleague. At the other end, CP's old concierge (David?) was the most amiable and helpful, and he appeared in the BBC series "Airport" and parodied in another British satire on the airport and an LCC. However, when I really needed help with tight connections or cancelled flights of late, they've been nowhere to be found to help. So losing them would not be a great loss in my opinion...particularly as I have decided to ditch AC generally.
Agreed on variability. LHR concierges generally excellent...NRT ones still essentially useless (maybe they are no longer there..not that I would have been able to tell). Domestic concierges actually are quite good, in my experience, with the possible exception of YUL. LGA staff are just too harried because of the insanity of working there, but they do what they can.
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Old Oct 1, 2013, 9:42 am
  #45  
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I can't say I have ever got bad service from a concierge.

And BTW the service has continued for many years through tick and thin, including the bankruptcy. There is not one shred of evidence that AC wants to eliminate the concierges.

Rather the opposite, what it appears to be happening is that they are cutting on the FF program, while at the very least maintaining service at its current level.

Let's face it, actual (deflated) cost of flying 35k miles today is significantly less than 20 years ago. It's only to be expected that at the low end FF benefits are getting reduced.
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