FlyerTalker683455

Let me answer that, because although I don't personally fly as much as some here (just 180K AQM), i do have 2 additional SEs in my family for whom I arrange all travel end-to-end. So our combined AQM is 420K for 2015. The combined spend was around $85K, and even though I flew AC as much as possible whenever and wherever possible, I only managed to spend around half of that on AC fares. Codeshares just don't work for me because those AC fare masters put you in the cheapest furtherest middle seat in Y on their "partner" airlines even if one books full Latitude, PY, Flex or even discount J. Codeshares for SEs are a non starter just for that. For others they don't matter because most will spend their 12 cents per mile anyway.

The gang analogy works well, as I consider AC and AP somehow above the laws put in place to protect consumers here in our country. They are the wild west cowboys and shoot up whomever wherever and however they please. They are an extortionist bunch of mafiosi monopolists whom politics can't touch due to their strangle hold over the economy, our transportation infrastructure, external competition and a large (there is a pun there somewhere!) well remunerated employee base.

Not knowing what the 2016 benefits will be, I suppose the best I can do is just use up my eUPs on PY fares, book P fares where and when available and see where I end up next December. Am I going to go out of my way to spend an extra $20K for the 3 of us to maintain SE status? I don't think so.

Where this hurts is where AC wants to be competitive: internationally. domestically they own the market anyway, but they are kicking those premium passengers who fly their planes where they DO have a choice of carriers, albeit less convenient from a lot of cities, and driving them away to do what? Fill the rest of their planes with 16.5" 28" pitch cattle seats?

When it's all said and done there won't be enough paying passengers to fill their J or even PY cabins. Even now they can't fill them and use them as overflow seating for their oversold Tango fliers.

I do think AC miscalculated last year, but got sufficient numbers of SEs to pay up in order to maintain status. This year, they might have just turned up the heat quickly enough for a lot more frogs to jump out of the pot than they planned on.

The result: In my case, I might be able to keep my SE status (and with some smart management on my part I can use many of my benefits for my other family members as well), but the other 2 will likely not. In that case it'll be the lowest fare, or maybe another airline status for them, or I just fly them on points, which I have trouble using now.

xLuther

Been doing a lot of studying of AC AQD / *A options based on where I have to fly and restrictive '014' code share rule, I am gone unless SE100K/ME75K /ME50K improve ( not holding my breath on that one.)

Between my Amex Platinum for lounges will probably go with Delta/KLM ( KLM AQD counts on Delta so can use my current little used Delta FF account ) probably get to their mid / higher level easily. Throw in WJ for domestic I will survive.

It appears AC is firing me, so there is no way I fly AC at all if that is the case. I am not sure they have factored that into their calculations.

Instead of getting 1/2 of my $15K to $25K *A spend they get nothing and *A also loses me as well

drvannostren

This made me think, a bit conspiracy theorist sure, but, is there any chance they do this, get to 50-60% of the way through the year, see how many people LOOK like they'll qualify then base the benefits off that? Hypothetical, 1 system wide upgrade on any flex fare, no eUPs, no copay, any flight flex fare, one way upgrade. A very simple cert. If there's 100,000 people who look like they'll requalify, maybe that disappears, or maybe it changes to include a $500 co-pay or something. But if there's only 10,000 qualifying, maybe they say "see how happy they'll be with this!" and drop that bomb of "check out our sweet new benefits!".

Has anyone toyed with switching to Copa Elitemiles? I've skimmed through and it looks like a decent program. Also if you travel to south America I'd bet there's lots of upgrades. Their J cabin is nothing to write home about, but getting bumped just for being elite would be nice, plus they've got the auction process for upgrades, pay what you like and if they don't like it they won't accept it. The flying requirement as I recall is only about 4 segments. Flights between MDE-PTY can be super cheap, but I'd make the 4 segments easily as I would just make sure to make connections on to CM since I like flying them anyway.

The biggest thing holding me back from switching to another program is the hassle of trying to use lounges and such if I'm not using my AP number, but mostly not getting that 100% mileage bonus. You guys fly a lot and have lots of disposable miles, I don't. So building up a cache of miles to fly for "free" when this higher paying job ends for me is important. Also not being diversified over a whole whack of airlines and not having enough miles to redeem for anything good. I know you don't wanna have all your eggs in one basket due to possible devals, but I've got accounts with AC (major balance) AA/AS (credit card signup sized balances, good for an Econ return or J one way) then irrelevant balances with UA/AV/CM. So switching to UA/CM/AV sure I can probably make the requirements (maybe not AV, I remember theirs being a bit stiff if you're not living in south America) to hit a good status level, but I'd be losing that 100% bonus. And as I recall UA specifically, I think credits AC flex to 75% for the type of flex I usually end up in.

canopus27

Yes, but ... it's a huge pain to fly on codeshares. If you book an LH flight using an AC codeshare number, then it's a pain to get seats assigned, you don't even have the option of paying for preferred LH seat (I've tried, and it can't be done), you are not in any way eligible for a star alliance upgrade ... it's a second class experience.

FlyerTalker683455

AC guys won't have any problem telling you that you are free to go and then shoot you in the back. I think the one thing they think most about at their executive suite is "how do we screw our over entitled seat cheapening elites this time".

And no, i am not being sarcastic.

jsfrSE

Perhaps, but nowadays it comes down to a simple question when you fly to Asia:

"When you fly coach to Asia, would you rather fly Air Canada than CX or SQ?"

cperciva

On the other hand, if you book an LH flight on an LH ticket then AC has no way to find out how much it cost, so really, how do you expect them to award AQD for it?

Dorian

All of my AC codeshares have booked in business class on the non-AC carrier.

That being said, I have seen what you are saying (YVRLHRJNB) but it has never impacted me.

FlyerTalker683455

If you booked FULL J, yes, they do.

I think anyone regularly booking Full J fares doesn't need to concerns themselves with status.

Dorian

No, you are incorrect.

Do you really think I've been seated in Y and didn't realize it?

xLuther

Worst case if LH which is one of their *A partners does not share info ( unlikely but lets go with that ) use flat $ amount based on Fare type/Miles x cents per mile.

AC has no excuses here they are devaluing the *A partnership with this buy AC tickets only rule. It will impact them more then they think, at least with me it will.

Dorian

drvannostren

In theory, but as such your travel would have to be planned that way as well.

Scenario, YVR-LAX for a meeting. Meeting ends and it's decided you need to meet a client in NRT. United is right there with a flight waiting for you, so is ANA. But that won't earn you AQD, so you head to AC.com...not one of those options is NH/UA, the options all route back through either YVR/YYC on Rouge then overseas. So not only are you subject to rouge (another discussion) but a connection, possibly customs (I've never done it so I don't know for sure) and then an overseas flight. You've wasted time and money. Just for AQD? If somehow there were a way to force the website to give you a 014 on an NH direct flight, great, hell they could even charge a bit more for it so that you get your AQD, but as of now I don't know a way of doing that. Even searching it as a multi city it still forces back through Canada, so who knows, could you call and maybe get them to issue you an NH 014 ticket? The only way these really work is if it's Canada->TB/INTL->onward connection. Sure you can get the AQD there, but there's also plenty of point to point travelling done by people where no AC codeshare exists, or is a horrible inconvenience.

The scenario is obviously very specific. It would never affect me, but based on what I've read from you guys, this isn't out of the question.

FlyerTalker683455

Let me rephrase: I have NEVER (in years of frequent travel) seen J seating offered on a Flex, PY or discounted business codeshare connection in Asia or Europe. NEVER.

Dorian

I'm almost to the point of not understanding what you are talking about....