AC Presence on FT

Old May 15, 2014, 8:35 pm
  #196  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: YYC
Programs: AC*SE100K
Posts: 243
I'd like to thank Ben & Ben for the answers.

It appears there has been an internal change at AC to engage FT members (and/or more top tier members) which in my opinion can be a highly successful way to moderate what is sometimes a forum of rampant speculation.

I haven't like everything I have heard (10 abreast Y, pitch only improvements for Y+ when I find width to be >>> important than pitch, rouging of Hawaii) but at least now we have real data points and I feel much more engaged even for reading this thread.

I was within an inch of quitting AC/AE when the latest round of enhancements was implemented for 2014 without notice, and while I'm still not a fan of many of these moves, this new round of engagement has me viewing the situation in a more positive light.

As an SE, I personally would take a dim view of a "materially" reduced number of J seats on the 777s as it would impact upgrades, which is really the crown jewel of the Altitude program now. But apparently, they won't be "materially" reduced, while also avoiding the hideous 77HD J seats, so I'm thinking that's a win.

Also, +1 to the previous comment of keeping a more consistent ground staff training for priority boarding.

I hope this new engagement continues (even at a reduced pace).
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:36 pm
  #197  
formerly with Air Canada
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: YYZ YUL
Posts: 423
Originally Posted by danapop
Kudos to Ben Squared. You two brought some smiles and promise to some vocal and seemingly upset customers!

Well Done.

My only comment would be to try and announce any changes to the Altitude program well in advance. The Co_pay announcement so late in the year left a sour taste in many peoples mouths.
We did not take this decision lightly but had to do it once we decided to move forward with a state of the art product for both the 787 and refurbished 777s. Our old program would not have positioned us to make this investment. We know how important advance notice on changes is to our customers and strive to provide as much as possible.
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:36 pm
  #198  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SEMM / HH Diamond
Posts: 3,140
Originally Posted by Ben Smith
This is a challenging one.
Flyers and companies are often in conflict over how best to manage travel costs. It always amazes me how well paid employees are often forced to wait or take less optimal routings to save small amounts of money which in my books is false economy.
omg ... this. Yes.

I won't name my employer in a public forum, but I'll happily share the name with you when I'm there on Tuesday. But for reasons that I emphatically disagree with, my employer has chosen to go the "lowest cost" route. The smallest of dollar savings cause me a lot of pain ... but it is what it is.

Over the years, I have personally directed a lot of travel towards AC (900K lifetime, not quite the 1MM yet) ... but as my employer forces me to choose lowest cost, and that means Tango, and that means I lose many of the frequent flyer benefits ... it puts me between a rock and a hard space that I'd rather not be in.

I can't change my company's travel rules, I just have to live (and fly) with them - but I'd hate for that to get me to a place where the small choices I do have (which today, allow me to tip the balance towards AC) mean that I end up flying more with someone else (who honestly, generally is cheaper) with a resulting loss for both AC & me.
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:37 pm
  #199  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Glen Abbey
Posts: 639
I too welcome the Bens to our discussion / wrassling forum.

Anyhow, we've loaded a boatload of questions and favours on them - maybe give them a chance to get the answers before piling on more questions?

Last edited by Jasper2009; May 15, 2014 at 8:43 pm Reason: off-topic
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:40 pm
  #200  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
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Programs: AC E50K (*G) WS Gold | SPG/Fairmont Plat Hilton/Hyatt Diamond Marriott Silver | National Exec Elite
Posts: 19,284
But but but, isn't that how priority boarding works? Everyone's who's elite just gets to go to the front of the line at the same time and overwhelm GA's? :P I said that as a partial joke to lighten everyone's mood
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:41 pm
  #201  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: YYZ
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Posts: 1,251
Welcome Ben and glad to have you around. Hope to meet up with you in person this week at the 787 meet and greet.
.
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:50 pm
  #202  
formerly with Air Canada
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: YYZ YUL
Posts: 423
Originally Posted by TravellingBeard
Thanks Ben for your willingness to enter into the fray. ^

Quick question on customer phone support. I typically find I receive very quick response when DM'ing AC via twitter, usually in less than an hour, and realize that in an emergency where I'm stuck for support overseas, it's a great way to get immediate feedback. However, any plans for customer service itself to increase the number of operators available? On average, I'm on the phone at least an hour before I get a response. Typically with other airlines, such as United, I'm talking to an operator within 15 minutes (an Airline which I grant is larger, but AC should scale it's operators/staff to support a response time similar).

Cheers!
If you are an Altitude top tier member you should not be waiting that long. General reservations wait-times for non-tier members is being addressed this year.
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:52 pm
  #203  
formerly with Air Canada
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: YYZ YUL
Posts: 423
Originally Posted by HomerJ
....get loaded on the system from the front of the plane first instead of from the back first?
As most of us who have to fly Y lots, I often have the middle seat beside me occupied by someone who had did not have a seat assignment (yes I ask).
Logic is that anyone with E or SE status sitting in Y is going to be sitting as close to the front of the aircraft (or taking advantage of bulk head or EE seats) as possible. Yet on a flight this week YYZ-YWG the back had plenty of open seats but myself and another E 50 had someone stuck in between us.
This seems like a simple software fix, and would endure AC to me if just once that middle seat wasn't occupied.
Generic seat assignments are usually done (when flights aren't full) to optimize the weight and balance of the aircraft.
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:53 pm
  #204  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: AC SE100k, Marriott Titanium, UA Silver
Posts: 2,644
Originally Posted by Ben Smith
TBA - but I can tell you we will be competitive with our main partners and competition
BA AF KL LH UA AA DL CX KE QF EK
Thanks Ben. Once again, we appreciate you coming to the forum and engaging with us.

Fingers crossed it won't be 31"x17". I flew YVR-HKG in them, and an extra inch or two of pitch would be much more bearable for the 13hr flight.

Other feedback on Y seats:
- take the IFE controls out of the arm rests
- make sure the "legs" of the seats are spaced equally so that all passengers can store their bags/feet under the chairs
- go black to cloth seats. the plastic is not breathable

Thanks again!
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:55 pm
  #205  
formerly with Air Canada
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: YYZ YUL
Posts: 423
Originally Posted by LittleYHZ
I want to know when they're going to do the domestic. I was in there in December and some people were there talking with designers and looking at sketch boards. (which they took great care to hide from anyone who might have tried to catch a glimpse.) Particularly the tiny tiny tiny washroom, where instead of bumper cars, we get to play bumper people! The bags are the bumpers!
With the recent re-location of some of our preferred gates from 4,5,6 to 47, 48, 49 (closer to security) we're re-looking at our entire ground offering at YUL domestic. No decisions yet. However we were able to secure a much more desirable location for our SE and Priority Dom/Int check-in.
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:57 pm
  #206  
formerly with Air Canada
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: YYZ YUL
Posts: 423
Originally Posted by superangrypenguin
Indeed. Kudos to Ben Squared and welcome.

Can either of you look into VOML and NLML meals that are supposed to be dairy free? Multiple complaints later and the coffee creamers which contain milk are still consistently on the plates. Would hate to see someone suffer a dairy allergy onboard. Tx!
First I hear of this. Will take a look.
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Old May 15, 2014, 8:59 pm
  #207  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: St. John's NL
Programs: WestJet Gold; E35K/*Silver
Posts: 561
With the 777's being refurbished and more 787's coming online over the next couple of years, is there any likelihood the upgrade tree might change for international flights, and the possibility of credits being used to get into PE, or will things likely stay the same for the foreseeable future?
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Old May 15, 2014, 9:04 pm
  #208  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: YUL
Programs: AC SEMM, NEXUS
Posts: 858
Wow, kudos and thank you to both Ben's for the honest and open dialogue. That is a welcome change and much appreciated.

I think a lot of the frustration around here lately has been due to the communication (or lack of thereof), not the message itself. Very happy to see this going in the right direction.

I hope this lasts. ^

I would have loved to be there and meet you all for the 787 event next week. Maybe next time.
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Old May 15, 2014, 9:06 pm
  #209  
formerly with Air Canada
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: YYZ YUL
Posts: 423
Originally Posted by moorw003
With the 777's being refurbished and more 787's coming online over the next couple of years, is there any likelihood the upgrade tree might change for international flights, and the possibility of credits being used to get into PE, or will things likely stay the same for the foreseeable future?
redemption/upgrade programs in the works
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Old May 15, 2014, 9:33 pm
  #210  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: AC E35K, NEXUS
Posts: 4,368
Ben (or Ben), I know I am in a small minority, but when I read upthread of people calling and waiting on the phone, all I can think of is "I wish". I am ultra-grateful for the cheerful and resourceful AC and AC Altitude Twitter team, and if this presence on FT keeps up, that will be a delight. But for booking complicated reservations, fixing errors, and such, I read on FT about things people do to "simply" contact AC, and I cannot. Like 1% of the population, I am deaf.
AC offers deaf passengers access by TTY, or "TDD", an older name for the same obsolete device. Deaf people have not used TTYs in over 10 years. Many of us have thrown them out. When last I attempted to call AC on TTY, the number was always either busied out or set to auto-answer. I was never able to reach the airline. But that issue has become irrelevant since I tossed mine long ago. Even TDI, the international non-profit organization established to promote the use of TTYs no longer speaks of them. Like other deaf people, I use SMS and email. (In the US, deaf people also use video relay, but we do not have it in Canada yet.)
My bank, my health insurance, and my family doctor, among others, offer secure messaging to enable clients to login and identify, then send and receive inquiries that are answered asynchronously, but within similar response standards as telephones on hold. A low-tech alternative is to allocate an email or SMS contact to the Aeroplan members self-identified on their profile as deaf, in the same way you assign Elite member contact numbers. This number wouldn't need to be answered as quickly as SE100K, but no slower than voice phone callback time.
Now, when I had expressed a concern to AC about a troublesome set of reservations that arose from this unresolved barrier to my equal access, the response from the disability services point person said how that would be nice, but they're prioritizing buying new airplanes, and so they have no plans to make it possible for deaf customers to communicate securely other than the plain vanilla online booking. Their only suggestion for complex bookings was... go in person to a travel agent. Not only does that involve taking an hour away from work, but it prevents me from using Manage My Bookings among other things. Funny enough, each time I end up doing that, I end up booking other airlines.
That is outrageous in all kinds of ways, and I continue to hope that it will be fixed before I have time on my schedule to get on a CTA or Human Rights complaint. I want to thank you for your candid and interactive responses on the forum, and wanted to share this particular concern while the portal into this alternate dimension remains open, since I have fewer communication options than forum-mates upthread. Can you give me any hope?
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