100,000miler

I am a 20 year SE [almost a 2 million miler] and I have never had more difficulty booking reward seats than in the last few weeks. I am booking 3 to 4 months out and even when I utilize my few Priority Bookings I still cannot get what I want.

flights such as YOW-GIG, Timmins-PEK, YOW-ABQ, LAX-YOW and on it goes.

The answer from Aeroplan is that AC is not releasing seats. Is this a deliberate strategy by AC to starve out AE? It does seem predatory and something I have not experienced before. Each and every time I am being forced to use up my limited number of Priorty choices. I only get 10 and most are now gone. SOMETHING SUCKS HERE.

On YOW-GIG for end of October, I booked a J ticket but only one segment is in J and I had to use another one of my 10 Priority opportunities to snag that.

It seems that AC is deliberately starving Aeroplan.

I am totally fed up in my attempts to book what should be normal flights and requests well enough in advance. As an SE and MM, I feel not well served by AC..

I have never seen anything like this before and I can only image the difficulties lower status members must be having with the deadline approaching.

100K

Jumper Jack

Doesnt the contract specific exactly x% of seat must be made available?

hydrogen

I was under the belief that this x% is not x% on every flight but rather x% based on route. So the available seats could all be on a day that nobody wants.

yyznomad

Did you check EF as well to see what inventory was left?

Jumper Jack

And we assume they just suddenly changed the inventory allocation recently as a result of negotiation breakdown?

Wasnt this always the case?

Wpgjetse

Sorry, I don't have your problems with AE bookings.

Stranger

I had a somewhat similar feeling. I have a trip planner for September. Expected my wife to come with me on a reward. Reasonable P fare was available. I could not get her a reward in J on the same itinerary. Ended up booking P for her too.

However, if you include IKK, the issue is not really AC starving AE, but starving us. There may be exceptions, but IKK usually goes with R inventory, i.e. upgrade inventory, and it looks like that may be what AC is "starving."

Nothing to do with the AE crookery. That's doomed anyway, for better or worse, probably better.

97gst

I think the more logical explanation is that there is a "rush to the exits" that didn't exist before.

Same number of seats overall "available" each month, but many times the number of people trying to cash out vs say July of 2016 when nobody thought their points program was about to go bankrupt.

pitz

That's the whole point of a FF program in which the seats made available are supposed to be worthless. If that weren't the case, then there'd be a whole world of hurt for AP customers from the CRA and many other quarters. The point of AP redemptions is to almost *never* displace the purchase of revenue tickets. AP redemptions were designed to be extravagances. Like being a Toronto-based Leafs fan and going to a game in Calgary against the Leafs, for instance -- something that few of us would dig into our wallets to pay for, but would gladly take a cheap/free ticket for.

Throw in the much anticipated major housing slowdown (and the consumer spending slowdown that comes with it), and AP inventory will most likely be raining from the clouds and talk of an AC/AP divorce will go away.

canadiancow

I assume you're looking for J, because an SE can get any seat in Y.

I don't look for international J on AC much, but I've had no issues booking SFO-YYZ flights, even a few hours out.

InTheAirGuy

I do.

As an SE, by way of example, little availability on YYZ-YVR for early October, and then looking at it with a Priority booking, only 1 flight in J.

1.

Availability down.

Priority booking availability down.

acysb87

Canada AC8602 Operated by AIR CANADA EXPRESS - JAZZ
Departs :Mon. Oct 2 06:00 Sudbury (YSB)
Arrives :Mon. Oct 2 07:11 Toronto Pearson (YYZ)
Flight Duration : 1h 11 min ECONOMY Class X
Dash 8-100 Meal Not available
Change plane in Toronto Pearson
Time to connect : 49 min
Air Canada AC103
Departs :Mon. Oct 2 08:00 Toronto Pearson (YYZ)

Arrives : Mon. Oct 2 9:54 Vancouver (YVR)
Flight Duration : 4h 54 min
BUSINESS Class I Boeing 777-300 Complimentary meal
Total travel time : 6h 54min

RETURN

Vancouver (YVR) Sudbury (YSB)
Thu Oct 5, 2017 Change flight
Air Canada AC106
Departs :Thu. Oct 5 08:00 Vancouver (YVR)
Arrives : Thu. Oct 5 15:18 Toronto Pearson (YYZ)
Flight Duration : 4h
BUSINESS Class I Boeing 777-300 Complimentary meal

Change plane in Toronto Pearson Time to connect : 1h 12 mi

Air Canada AC8611 Operated by AIR CANADA EXPRESS - JAZZ
Departs : Thu. Oct 5 16:30 Toronto Pearson (YYZ)
Arrives : Thu. Oct 5 17:35 Sudbury (YSB)
Flight Duration : 1h 05 min

50000 miles and a fee of 108.30 1st attempt,ex YSB no less.

I must add,however,that I had difficulty on a YYZ/FRA r/t for Mrs. acysb87 and could not get seats. Flights both had empty J seats ,both directions

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

Perhaps if you book a positioning flight to YSB you will have an easier time finding a J seat to YVR. ;-)
--
13F

InTheAirGuy

That must be one long flight - out Oct 2, arrives in Vancouver 18 days later!

In any event, I'm on the 730 flight on the 2nd (!).

I presuming you are looking on the return at a Priority Reward?

acysb87

My error in cut and paste. It was out on 2nd and back on 5th. Let me check on whether priority or not

Your observation on "priority" is accurate. I am not requesting that search. All choices are priority,only.
I do have 9 more priority awards available to me.