My AC-VIA Rail Protection Experience
Apr 7, 2015, 6:09 pm
#31
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: PHL, NYC, DC
Posts: 9,708
Make sure they book you on the Prestige Sleeper Class!
http://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our...nd-trains-cars
http://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our...nd-trains-cars
Apr 8, 2015, 12:03 pm
#33
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: *void
Posts: 2,408
Did you see any familiar fogged-in faces from the day before, during your flight down to LAS? 
Well, it makes for an interesting story, if nothing else. I don't know if I'd have the energy to do the same, but with LAS as the carrot on the other end, why not give it a shot, right? But, the way I see it, you'd be grabbing a taxi from YGK to the Kingston VIA Rail train station, and then another taxi from Union Station in downtown Toronto to YYZ, easily adding another 1.5 hrs to the +2hr train ride, and longer if during traffic hours.
A quicker option might have been to get off early at the Oshawa train station, and grab a cab from there and zip westbound on the Hwy 401...might've been quicker than training it all the way into Union Station and then taxiing from there to YYZ.
Well, it makes for an interesting story, if nothing else. I don't know if I'd have the energy to do the same, but with LAS as the carrot on the other end, why not give it a shot, right? But, the way I see it, you'd be grabbing a taxi from YGK to the Kingston VIA Rail train station, and then another taxi from Union Station in downtown Toronto to YYZ, easily adding another 1.5 hrs to the +2hr train ride, and longer if during traffic hours.
A quicker option might have been to get off early at the Oshawa train station, and grab a cab from there and zip westbound on the Hwy 401...might've been quicker than training it all the way into Union Station and then taxiing from there to YYZ.
Dec 25, 2016, 12:58 pm
#34
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,332
Any idea if the opposite exists, ie: a long-haul VIA trip is cancelled (say, Edmonton to Prince Rupert -- a trip that I hold a reservation on for the summer) -- can a VIA ticket be taken to AC for the trip? Or even more recently, with the Toronto-Winnipeg trains being cancelled -- can those tickets be taken to AC for a flight?
The online literature makes most of its references to taking the train if the plane is unavailable, but what if it is the train that is unavailable? I haven't been able to find any details of the "agreement" that works in reverse.
The online literature makes most of its references to taking the train if the plane is unavailable, but what if it is the train that is unavailable? I haven't been able to find any details of the "agreement" that works in reverse.
My travel schedule is being messed with already, and if anything happens to a train, I might need to switch to a flight.
Happy to IKK, but if I can get a flight for free...
Dec 25, 2016, 1:31 pm
#35
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: PHL, NYC, DC
Posts: 9,708
doubt the opposite exists..... if train is cancelled they will bus you with their contracted bus companies (either as a ticket reprotection like Megabus/Coach Canada or will charter a bus outright).
Dec 25, 2016, 1:40 pm
#36
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: YXE
Posts: 3,050
This site might help you (I don't know if its published on their site):
https://tsimobile.viarail.ca/
Everything looks like its running, and actually reasonably on-time.
https://tsimobile.viarail.ca/
Everything looks like its running, and actually reasonably on-time.
May 14, 2017, 6:11 am
#37
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,332
My 1410-1515 YGK-YYZ was cancelled.
I was rebooked on a 1341-1603 train, as well as given an UPX voucher (the benefits of this happening while I'm in YYZ, I guess).
UPX estimates 25 minutes.
So my "gate to gate" time went from 65 minutes to 167 minutes. But there's also the "connection" at Union Station, as well as the time to get to T1 once I arrive at the airport, so let's call it 180 minutes total.
Basically, my travel time increased by a factor of 3.
I'm SE, on a J ticket, but YGK-YYZ is all-Y, so that segment is in Y.
As such, they were unable (unwilling?) to book me in business class on the train.
And if it makes a difference, if I were booking that train myself (which I've done in the past), I would have paid for business class.
Needless to say, not super impressed, and I'm going to enquire at the train station how much they could sell an "upgrade" for (which I suspect may just be the entire cost of a ticket).
I was rebooked on a 1341-1603 train, as well as given an UPX voucher (the benefits of this happening while I'm in YYZ, I guess).
UPX estimates 25 minutes.
So my "gate to gate" time went from 65 minutes to 167 minutes. But there's also the "connection" at Union Station, as well as the time to get to T1 once I arrive at the airport, so let's call it 180 minutes total.
Basically, my travel time increased by a factor of 3.
I'm SE, on a J ticket, but YGK-YYZ is all-Y, so that segment is in Y.
As such, they were unable (unwilling?) to book me in business class on the train.
And if it makes a difference, if I were booking that train myself (which I've done in the past), I would have paid for business class.
Needless to say, not super impressed, and I'm going to enquire at the train station how much they could sell an "upgrade" for (which I suspect may just be the entire cost of a ticket).
May 14, 2017, 6:47 am
#39
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,332
May 14, 2017, 6:55 am
#40
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: YOW
Programs: AC*SEMM, *G, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 897
My 1410-1515 YGK-YYZ was cancelled.
I was rebooked on a 1341-1603 train, as well as given an UPX voucher (the benefits of this happening while I'm in YYZ, I guess).
UPX estimates 25 minutes.
So my "gate to gate" time went from 65 minutes to 167 minutes. But there's also the "connection" at Union Station, as well as the time to get to T1 once I arrive at the airport, so let's call it 180 minutes total.
Basically, my travel time increased by a factor of 3.
I'm SE, on a J ticket, but YGK-YYZ is all-Y, so that segment is in Y.
As such, they were unable (unwilling?) to book me in business class on the train.
And if it makes a difference, if I were booking that train myself (which I've done in the past), I would have paid for business class.
Needless to say, not super impressed, and I'm going to enquire at the train station how much they could sell an "upgrade" for (which I suspect may just be the entire cost of a ticket).
I was rebooked on a 1341-1603 train, as well as given an UPX voucher (the benefits of this happening while I'm in YYZ, I guess).
UPX estimates 25 minutes.
So my "gate to gate" time went from 65 minutes to 167 minutes. But there's also the "connection" at Union Station, as well as the time to get to T1 once I arrive at the airport, so let's call it 180 minutes total.
Basically, my travel time increased by a factor of 3.
I'm SE, on a J ticket, but YGK-YYZ is all-Y, so that segment is in Y.
As such, they were unable (unwilling?) to book me in business class on the train.
And if it makes a difference, if I were booking that train myself (which I've done in the past), I would have paid for business class.
Needless to say, not super impressed, and I'm going to enquire at the train station how much they could sell an "upgrade" for (which I suspect may just be the entire cost of a ticket).
For reference, during my last "protection" event, the train (from Montreal to Quebec city) hit a snow bank around Drummondville which caused a mechanical issue. That issue would have caused a further 2 hours delay. A few people grouped together in Drummondville to rent cars from discount (one way to Quebec City). This was truly a case of trains, planes and automobiles...
May 14, 2017, 7:54 am
#41
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: ba silver
Posts: 729
From what I know about upgrading VIA will let you upgrade if you pay the fare difference between the value of your ticket and the business class fare that day. When you do it day of they don't charge you a change fee. The problem is they might not be able to determine the cost of your ticket so they might not bother or they might establish a value and take it from there.
May 14, 2017, 10:39 am
#42
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: FOTSG Tangerine Ex E35k (AC)
Posts: 5,612
Ah I see I should have posted here, this isn't a huge surprise.
UPX is 25 mins IF you walk into a train and the doors close, more likely it'll be 30-35 mins. Plus you have to get from Via to UPX and UPX into T1. Not huge but a good 5 mins each if you know where you are going. So 25 mins is now 45.
I'd personally ask for the upgrade and see if you can pay (no experience on this) and I'd want at least my AP miles for that leg back. I expect a 10% off voucher. Maybe 15 as a SE.
UPX is 25 mins IF you walk into a train and the doors close, more likely it'll be 30-35 mins. Plus you have to get from Via to UPX and UPX into T1. Not huge but a good 5 mins each if you know where you are going. So 25 mins is now 45.
I'd personally ask for the upgrade and see if you can pay (no experience on this) and I'd want at least my AP miles for that leg back. I expect a 10% off voucher. Maybe 15 as a SE.
May 14, 2017, 10:59 am
#43
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,332
Ah I see I should have posted here, this isn't a huge surprise.
UPX is 25 mins IF you walk into a train and the doors close, more likely it'll be 30-35 mins. Plus you have to get from Via to UPX and UPX into T1. Not huge but a good 5 mins each if you know where you are going. So 25 mins is now 45.
I'd personally ask for the upgrade and see if you can pay (no experience on this) and I'd want at least my AP miles for that leg back. I expect a 10% off voucher. Maybe 15 as a SE.
UPX is 25 mins IF you walk into a train and the doors close, more likely it'll be 30-35 mins. Plus you have to get from Via to UPX and UPX into T1. Not huge but a good 5 mins each if you know where you are going. So 25 mins is now 45.
I'd personally ask for the upgrade and see if you can pay (no experience on this) and I'd want at least my AP miles for that leg back. I expect a 10% off voucher. Maybe 15 as a SE.
I asked if I could pay for the upgrade, and they said no.
The concierge this morning said she'd write into customer relations on my behalf about the business class issue.
I'm not sure about the Aeroplan miles. I was rebooked onto alternate transportation. YGK-YYZ is ~6% of the trip, by distance, so that's ~1500 miles.
Maybe I'll submit my $15 drink receipt though. If I'd been flying, I would have been in the MLL for longer
Anyway, here's a copy of my ticket. The reference and ticket number were VIA's, and seemed to have no relation to my AC ticket. However, it does mention "AIR CANADA" on it.
The concierge made it seem like I'd have to show up really early to get it sorted out, but given my AC ticket number, he had it up in 10 seconds. I even switched to an earlier train with no issues (and while that's my expectation in IRROPS, I wasn't sure how this would work).
May 14, 2017, 1:55 pm
#44
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Canada
Programs: *G
Posts: 2,304
Cow's situation is a bit of a two edged sword. On the one hand, AC seems to finally be doing some advance planning to deal with the GTAA runway issues, so he knew in advance rather than at the gate with no easy alternatives. But it's still an inconvenience.
And I might even be tempted to point out that YYZ-YGK-YYZ is probably the most vulnerable of all the short hauls, and anyone knowledgeable would always have Plan B particularly with all the GTAA runway shenanigans. Plus the trains are frequent on that run, and AFAIK, AC Express is right now using VIA quite a lot, including the UPX vouchers. It is also my understanding that VIA accepts AC tickets "at face value", whatever that means (well it does mean Y for Y obviously).
And I might even be tempted to point out that YYZ-YGK-YYZ is probably the most vulnerable of all the short hauls, and anyone knowledgeable would always have Plan B particularly with all the GTAA runway shenanigans. Plus the trains are frequent on that run, and AFAIK, AC Express is right now using VIA quite a lot, including the UPX vouchers. It is also my understanding that VIA accepts AC tickets "at face value", whatever that means (well it does mean Y for Y obviously).
May 14, 2017, 2:08 pm
#45
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,332
Cow's situation is a bit of a two edged sword. On the one hand, AC seems to finally be doing some advance planning to deal with the GTAA runway issues, so he knew in advance rather than at the gate with no easy alternatives. But it's still an inconvenience.
And I might even be tempted to point out that YYZ-YGK-YYZ is probably the most vulnerable of all the short hauls, and anyone knowledgeable would always have Plan B particularly with all the GTAA runway shenanigans. Plus the trains are frequent on that run, and AFAIK, AC Express is right now using VIA quite a lot, including the UPX vouchers. It is also my understanding that VIA accepts AC tickets "at face value", whatever that means (well it does mean Y for Y obviously).
And I might even be tempted to point out that YYZ-YGK-YYZ is probably the most vulnerable of all the short hauls, and anyone knowledgeable would always have Plan B particularly with all the GTAA runway shenanigans. Plus the trains are frequent on that run, and AFAIK, AC Express is right now using VIA quite a lot, including the UPX vouchers. It is also my understanding that VIA accepts AC tickets "at face value", whatever that means (well it does mean Y for Y obviously).
But yes, the fact that it was cancelled the day before, rather than at the gate, is nice.
The problem is with "at face value".
When I board a YGK-YYZ flight, "J OK" or similar flashes on the GA screen. Forget Aeroplan for a second. I've flown this in Y and J fare classes (rather than X and I). I'm not in Y because I bought Y. I'm in Y because they don't have a bigger plane. If they had decided to upgauge the later flight to a CRA or larger, you bet your butt I would have been in the J cabin at no charge
I was "upgauged" from a BEH to a train. Mostly, I think they should take your ticket's cabin (or at least the FARE's cabin in the case of a revenue ticket where you can mix J and Y fares) into account.
Let's also consider that at the time this was done, the difference in price between VIA J and Y was under $30. Yes, I know AC is almost certainly not paying lowest available Y price, so let's take the whole price for VIA J. $164 CAD, after tax, rounded up.
AC cancelled my flight and turned my 65 minutes into about 185 minutes (yes, I kept track). That's 2 hours of my life.
I can somewhat understand them not doing this for someone with no status on a Tango fare, but even a P25K in Flex probably deserves something (like a train upgrade) for this inconvenience.
My train was pretty empty, and since Kingston was the final stop before Toronto, they told us all to spread out if we wanted, so I didn't even have someone beside me.
I'm still on my original flight to SFO. I saw my mom. It was certainly annoying, but I fully recognize I'm not a 15 year old stranded overnight.
I'm still annoyed though