MaydayMayday

So what is everyone else considering?

DL would be my next best but I already have plat with them. Not sure who else I should look into, or whether other airlines even do these any more?

Nitehawk

As a YYJ based transborder flyer I am interested in AS, UA, AA, and DL. I like AA because only EXP get unlimited upgrades, so maybe that would improve my odds of those upgrades clearing. However they are likely in for a heavy devaluation and SEA is not a great location to fly from on AA. Another pro is WS flights count towards AA status do they not?

The Lev

Don't think so.

superangrypenguin

I've asked the WJ rep if they status match on the FT forum. Waiting to hear back.

jaysona

WS flights credited to AA do not count towards AA status, they're effectively just the same as AA miles earned with credit card purchases. WS also gives credit for distance flown, no minimums. For example YYZ->YUL credits 337 miles to the AAdvantage account balance.

jaysona

WJ? Didn't know Air Labrador had a frequent flyer program.

HometoYYZ

Not really looking to status match, but I notice that if I move existing AC bookings in January to UA M+ to credit, and book another trip I have likely coming in February, that I'll be at about 73k PQM with UA by end of February if I've got my M+ math right. I'll miss the opportunity to eUp on one of those flights (YYZ-YVR-HKG in PE), but if I decide to jump, that might well be my approach. And I don't really have to decide prior to my flight's departure in January. Other booked trip, and potential trip, are booked in J, so it really wouldn't make that much of a difference.

superangrypenguin

Thanks for the catch. My head has been buried so far into AC that I haven't looked extensively at domestic competitors. (or learned anything about domestic competitors...)

Rundosrun

As someone who flies Air Labrador often, I would love if they had a FF program!

theseatbelt

Hi everyone

Given the turbulent issues that Air Canada Altitude program is experiencing right now (or more like a direct nosedive / rapid loss in "altitude"), can anyone share their experiences on being able to successfully get a status match to another airline/frequent flier program?

Please list:
1) Your current AC status (Elite 50K, 75K, SE100K etc)
2) The airline you approached
3) What was the equivalent matching status they gave you
4) What was the "challenge" they gave you, if any
5) How you did it - please also share the email address for the request or website link
6) How long it took

It would be great if everyone can list their experiences here - and it's also a good gauge to see how many people are doing this successfully. All airlines / airline alliances welcome.

pseudosandwich

http://www.statusmatcher.com/company/21269

There will probably a surge of reports here soon.

Shareholder

Just remember that if you use your AC eUpgrades, you can't credit the flight to UA/MP.

Shareholder

When I moved to UA many years ago didn't bother with a Status Match or Challenge, just flew them while at the same time earning SE once more. Ended that year with both 1K and SE, and kept AC status at that level for about three years before further changes at AC made it impractical to keep SE, dropped down to 75KElite.

After the merger with CO, many of us saw a distinct change for the worst at UA and as it happened AA was offering a Status Match/Challenge to 1Ks. If we flew 30K on AA over three months, we'd get ExecPlat for the balance of that year, and have a reduced target to renew for the following year. Was very satisfied by the AA experience and have kept ExecPlat for three years now, but still flew enough STAR to requalify for 1K for next year. Any flying on AC put miles into my AE account which still has a modest balance.

Key to your decision must be where you fly and of course having NEXUS/GLOBAL ENTRY is critical since you'll be doing a lot of transiting in the US...TSA PreCheck goes without saying. During the period I did my changes of programs, my projects also took me to destinations better served by the US carriers than by AC. (Too many trips with two or more STAR airlines which meant fare categories were inconsistent on the other carrier vs what the AC flight was booked in. This meant transposition of fares resulted in no miles or 25% miles on those carriers. This is one of the major drawbacks of STAR codeshares when crediting to both MP and AE!)

I have no quarrel with AC's motives, but I do have a finite travel budget each year so my objective is to get the best value proposition from an airline, along with an acceptable level of service, both inflight and on the ground. For me that has led me to AA whose inflight is more consistent and far better than UA's, though not quite up to AC's in the front cabin. But line staff on the ground has been much more upbeat than I've experienced with AC, and since the merger with UA. Staff at both AC and UA seem demoralized for a variety of reasons. At AA, even with the merger, they're still upbeat and most helpful...who needs a concierge? Yes, one does get great crews from time to time on AC and UA, but not on a consistent basis. I also find AA has a more refined cabin atmosphere while UA's is quite blah...and AC has never really capitalized on creating one: it lacks a distinct Canadian character except on its IFE with NFB and CBC and other Canadian feature and short film content. IFE on both AA and UA generally sucks.

So consider such things before going for a Status Match or Challenge. But also remember that if you opt for UA but will still be flying AC, the mileage charts you see today may not be the same as of January 1st. AC decides how many miles they'll give you in those other STAR programs when you fly its metal, so it can still impact you even in MP or M&M or TK or A3.

catarina

You may want to wander over to the Westjet forum for a nice surprise.

Dorian

Hilarious! WJ going for the wounded deer.