Andrew Yiu

*Most* people would choose to go to the airport earlier so they can standby for an earlier flight rather than pay the $145 + GST just to get on an earlier one on the same day.

Hussar

Empress:

My situation would have involved arriving at the airport early and paying a fare to catch an earlier flight.

Airbus...sorry for hijacking your thread

[This message has been edited by Hussar (edited 01-31-2002).]

After Burner

Empress, I doubt that your statement is correct. I would think that most people would be inclined to travel on the flight they originally booked.

After Burner

My apologies to Airbus320, too. So I'll attempt to get the thread back on track. When I was an Elite member, occasionally I would be in a situation where I'd like to invite 3 or 4 guests into the MLL, but couldn't do that. With the new rules, wouldn't I be able to pay the $20 per guest? In the 3-4 guest situation, isn't this an improvement in MLL access?

Academic

There has been no information about limits on the number of $20 guests, has there? And could a non-tier person argue that he or she should be allowed to pay $20 to be a "guest" in the lounge?

[This message has been edited by Academic (edited 02-01-2002).]

Tax Dude

Or you could just hang out at the door and ask people entering if they'd mind if you tagged along with them and paid $20!

ProudEdmontonian

About the only time I see $20/guest for a guest or multiple guests being MAYBE worthwhile is in a long lay-over situation, which I suppose might be in the winter with our weather (e.g, this past week in Vancouver),when you are all flying the 'red eyes'from out West to YYZ, or when travelling overseas.
Otherwise you have to be on a BIG expense account to justify the $20/guest.
If AC wants business traffic the cost is crazy. Don't they want to expose future business customers to the MLL atmosphere (albeit sometimes ruined by uncontrolled children that frequently contribute to overcrowding in YYZ Domestic!).

ALW

On the other hand, the Skyservice lounge at LHR is about �18 and the much-lauded Priority Pass costs U$24 per visit on the $99/yr plan, and even the unlimited $295/yr plan still costs $24 per guest.

So there must be circumstances where people will pay that. They just probably aren't for a 30-minute break flying YOW-YYZ-USA or similar.

andrew

After Burner

Come on. You're not serious, are you? Next week I'm sending two people to New York for a one day visit, and the cost of airfare, ground transportation, lunch, dinner, etc. will probably be in the $3000-$4000 range. I'm hardly going to object to reimbursing them if they spend an additional $20 or $40 to get in the lounge.

FlyerAl

Gee, it only costed me USD$89.50 for a same-day ticket to New York.

After Burner

Maybe you could arrange this for me. No tickets have been purchased yet.

ProudEdmontonian

Not all owner/manager/comptroller/beancounter types are as generous as you are.

Shareholder

I agree that the ability now to pay for [extra] guests is an improvement. The $20 pricing is less than PRIORITY PASS, which I used to have prior to the alliances, expanded reciprocal lounge access, and the AmexPlat benefit [access to NW, CO and VR lounges when flying those carriers]. Not to mention the Diners Club lounge program. And it is less than the US$18 AC pays for each of us when we use non-MLL lounges at verious airports. I believe the US carriers sell daily memberships to their clubs for about US$25, which works out to be about C$20 if one uses two in the course of a day's flying. [And most US lounges charge for alocohol on top of that. Some are charging for every liquid but tea, coffee and hot water!]

So C$20 is not all that an unreasonable price. It represents three alcoholic drinks and a tip, were one to use the bar at an airport. What I do agree is that the guest privilege for Elites on intercontinental trips is a bit ingenuous, as this elite tier tends to be one primarily for those flying domestic/transcon. So on most trips, it means nothing. And the loss of even the pair of MLL passes is a bit of a surprise. [Perhaps AC Marketing is saving these passes as a perk to give to their best customers?]

But also, the way it was handled, with no advance warning, almost snuck in... what can you say?

It seems it is coming down to either paying an annual fee and having guest privileges, or not paying the annual fee, but losing the guest privilege. I'd opt for the latter.

AlmostThere

They've finally updated the MLL policy with explicit statements for family members.

http://www.aircanada.ca/aeroplan/about/qualif_2002.html

ALW

For AA, it is (or was, in 2000) U$50 for the day, good for as many lounges as you could get into that day. It could also be used as a credit towards the U$400 annual lounge fee.

So you're right, the C$20 fee is relatively low compared to that. Although I don't think they've said if it's $20 every time you use the lounge, or $20 for the day (I assume the former). And I don't know if the U$50 included a guest, since (a) I was travelling alone, and (b) I didn't take them up on the offer.

(I was flying AA but posting to CP, after the AA lounge rights for CP Gold had been removed by AC).

andrew