YQ waiver is going to be fun...
 

I just validated an itinerary over the phone with Aeroplan so I can just call and book it tomorrow.

It involves UA (domestic), AC (transborder and transatlantic) and SK (intra-Europe).

"Oh, you won't save much. It's only waived for North American flights, and only when your itinerary is all AC. You have UA and SK."

Her first statement contradicts the privilege (for Super Elites). Her second statement worries me.

What's new?

AC and AE does a bad job at notifying their call agents...

Or, their call agents just plainly suck...

pick your poison

I wonder the same thing... although right now, if you combine, say, a YQ-free airline on the longhaul and a YQ-charging airline on a short connection, you don't get YQ on that leg. So hopefully that logic will apply here.

Plus both UA and SK are YQ-free anyways, aren't they? So you'd have YQ waived for AC segments, and then you'd have to add the YQ charged for UA and SK to that. So perhaps $0 + $0 = $410 in AC math.

We'll find out real soon. You're right. This is going to be "fun."

Yeah that was the other thing I found odd, that she thought UA and SK would cause YQ to increase :p

I'm hoping that:
1. This will be done automatically by the booking system.
2. The system will be programmed sanely.

I'm less sure about the second one :p

I wonder if you'll see any interesting fares pop up for travel with other airlines when they start working out the kinks ;)

I have been curious this whole time about how much YQ is attributed to each airline as well. I wonder if we'll be able to proof that out. Like YVR-DME always involves AC/LH (I'm sure there's UA/TK combos to be had, but I'm just speaking about the search engine) and the YQ will come up as like $800. Is that $600 for AC and $200 for LH since theirs is the short haul?

I'm REALLY skeptical about this whole thing. They could just as easily leave it at 800 and say it's all LH, or drop it to $600 and just say that AC only attributed $200 YQ.

As a little sidebar, maybe you guys know, I'm curious as to who decides YQ will apply? Like why is LH on the list and Avianca isn't?

Actually, the way I read it had always make me think it need to be an all AC metals booking. It will see (and hope) if I am wrong where it is any YQ from the AC metals will be removed.

I can understand how the math might be a little difficult for something like AC-LH, but if it's UA-AC, it's pretty obvious where the YQ is coming from :p

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You might think so but this is Air Canada. I think it just as likely the AC-LH split is LH:$1400 and AC:$-600 resulting in the $800 YQ. Removing the AC YQ may cause the total YQ to increase.

Or something.

This should also be the end of charging USTransport Tax and Facility Charge for elites on transborder tickets no?

The excuse given by some AC defenders here was that these faux taxes are charged because the ticket price is not "zero" because of YQ - well now - it will be zero - so one should expect $60 of these taxes to go away too, right ;)

Just a heads up...I think mine is working already. Just priced YVR-MDE return at Christmas on AV/AC...$13.70.

edit: Lol...hit purchase "The itinerary you requested is not available"

I'm ok with the taxes, I don't like it, but at least you're not getting killed on these then. A reward ticket should never cost $1000.

edit again: back to regular YQ pricing

Thats not gonna hold up - The Airport Improvement Fee is more than that alone.
Add to it those ridiculous Colombian departure/resident taxes ....

I am prepared to be underwhelmed. Wonder if it would be worth waiting until they work out the math.

The part where the agent said "it has to be all AC metal" for YQ-free award tickets is a bit worrying.
I haven't thought of this possible issue before, but if the YQ on AC metal is not waived when other airlines are involved in the same itinerary, this benefit becomes almost useless for me.

I interpreted it that AC YQ would be nill, just based on how I read it. That's the ideal.

I'm totally paranoid though lol, if there's full YQ left on an AC/LH route then yea that kinda ruins it.

My other fear, and I admit to not knowing how this whole thing works...is that AC drops the YQ on their flights, but adds YQ to a bunch of airlines that don't currently have it. I hope someone shoots this down right away by telling me it's not up to AC/AP to impose YQ for them, because I don't know, and I hope I'm way off here.