Air Canada moving to Amadeus; Communication issues with AP/AC post-migration result
Nov 15, 2019, 11:35 am
#226
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YVR - MILLS Waypoint (It's the third house on the left)
Programs: AC*SE100K, wood level status in various other programs
Posts: 6,232
This scared me enough to book a December customer TATL trip today that I was going to take care of later next week. Normally I would wait for everything to be 100% confirmed with the client, but it's a Flex fare so I have options.
The kicker for me was getting my O to J upgrades out of the way and confirmed before the Amadeus Apocalypse.
Mission accomplished. At least for now.
The kicker for me was getting my O to J upgrades out of the way and confirmed before the Amadeus Apocalypse.
Mission accomplished. At least for now.
Nov 15, 2019, 12:17 pm
#227
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,309
Complimentary and discounted Preferred Seats will not be available to companions
Like today, you can continue to enjoy complimentary and/or discounted access to Preferred Seats. However, temporarily, this will not be available to companions travelling with you in the same reservation.
SE: ok honey, enjoy 57G
wife: *prepares divorce papers*
This is just stupid. I realize most people eligible for free preferred seats fly alone and/or for work - but this is beyond dumb
Like today, you can continue to enjoy complimentary and/or discounted access to Preferred Seats. However, temporarily, this will not be available to companions travelling with you in the same reservation.
SE: ok honey, enjoy 57G
wife: *prepares divorce papers*
This is just stupid. I realize most people eligible for free preferred seats fly alone and/or for work - but this is beyond dumb
Nov 15, 2019, 12:34 pm
#228
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE100K, Bonvoy Platinum Elite, IHG Gold, Hertz 5*
Posts: 2,132
Complimentary and discounted Preferred Seats will not be available to companions
Like today, you can continue to enjoy complimentary and/or discounted access to Preferred Seats. However, temporarily, this will not be available to companions travelling with you in the same reservation.
SE: ok honey, enjoy 57G
wife: *prepares divorce papers*
This is just stupid. I realize most people eligible for free preferred seats fly alone and/or for work - but this is beyond dumb
Like today, you can continue to enjoy complimentary and/or discounted access to Preferred Seats. However, temporarily, this will not be available to companions travelling with you in the same reservation.
SE: ok honey, enjoy 57G
wife: *prepares divorce papers*
This is just stupid. I realize most people eligible for free preferred seats fly alone and/or for work - but this is beyond dumb
SE: sorry I can't sit with you honey, enjoy the signature service. I'll be grumbling to myself at the back of this god forsaken bird.
Nov 15, 2019, 12:44 pm
#229
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: YYZ
Programs: Recovering long-time AC SE100K (currently E50K), Accor Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 1,033
This snippet from yesterday's "Important Information about your Air Canada Altitude privileges" email caught my attention:
This is a feature of certain ticket classes. That is, we pay for that feature when we buy certain tickets. I recently used this feature.
If the feature is nevertheless going to be temporarily unavailable, does that mean we won't be able to make same-day changes at the airport? Or that we can make same-day changes at the airport but they won't be confirmed?
Over the next few months, other Air Canada products and services will also be temporarily unavailable, such as Same Day Confirmed Changes at the airport.
If the feature is nevertheless going to be temporarily unavailable, does that mean we won't be able to make same-day changes at the airport? Or that we can make same-day changes at the airport but they won't be confirmed?
Nov 15, 2019, 12:45 pm
#230
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: YYC
Programs: AC E75K, spouse E75K (MM), National Emerald, various hotel programs
Posts: 372
New email just received. My spouse and I both have two upcoming flight pass bookings for next weekend, waiting for upgrades to clear on the outbound (not likely) and have confirmed upgrades on the return.
Hello,
We will be migrating to a new reservation system to improve your travel experience. Please note, if you have a Flight Pass credit booking made on or before November 18, 2019, for travel on or after November 19, 2019, you have been assigned a new Booking Reference. For these affected bookings, please use your new Booking Reference, available as of November 19, to access your reservation, including when checking in for your flight.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
I will most definitely be checking the new booking references and making sure upgrade requests remain intact. I will also make sure I have screenshots of the current booking reference and upgrade status. Trust but verify.
Hello,
We will be migrating to a new reservation system to improve your travel experience. Please note, if you have a Flight Pass credit booking made on or before November 18, 2019, for travel on or after November 19, 2019, you have been assigned a new Booking Reference. For these affected bookings, please use your new Booking Reference, available as of November 19, to access your reservation, including when checking in for your flight.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Nov 15, 2019, 1:56 pm
#231
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Vancouver
Programs: AC SE100K 1MM, FB Platinum, Bonvoy Platinum Elite, IHG Gold Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,605
I gotta admit in reading all this it sounds like this is going to be a horror show. Having just been involved in the launch of Connect Care in Alberta (the new provincial electronic health record), there have been a large number of headaches requiring a huge amount of IT support. Based on the how the log in change over was handled by AC and Aeroplan, I can't say I am optimistic that this is going to go well. Hopefully, I get to Heathrow as planned on the 22nd.
Nov 15, 2019, 1:59 pm
#232
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YVR - MILLS Waypoint (It's the third house on the left)
Programs: AC*SE100K, wood level status in various other programs
Posts: 6,232
Data migration between systems is never fun and is rarely without issues.
Compound that with the agents historical ability or tendency to 'bend' the system (often to our benefit) and there could be some tears. But let's hope not.
Compound that with the agents historical ability or tendency to 'bend' the system (often to our benefit) and there could be some tears. But let's hope not.
Nov 15, 2019, 2:01 pm
#233
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
Complimentary and discounted Preferred Seats will not be available to companions
Like today, you can continue to enjoy complimentary and/or discounted access to Preferred Seats. However, temporarily, this will not be available to companions travelling with you in the same reservation.
SE: ok honey, enjoy 57G
wife: *prepares divorce papers*
This is just stupid. I realize most people eligible for free preferred seats fly alone and/or for work - but this is beyond dumb
Like today, you can continue to enjoy complimentary and/or discounted access to Preferred Seats. However, temporarily, this will not be available to companions travelling with you in the same reservation.
SE: ok honey, enjoy 57G
wife: *prepares divorce papers*
This is just stupid. I realize most people eligible for free preferred seats fly alone and/or for work - but this is beyond dumb
The way I see it AC is slowly revealing the issues passengers will encounter when Amadeus arrives. It will be interesting to see what the truth is when this system rolls out and what the overall passenger experience may be. Based on these emails I'm beginning to think we're only being shown the tip of the ice berg we're being directed to.
-James
Nov 15, 2019, 2:10 pm
#234
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: YYJ
Programs: AC SE*MM, Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Gold, National EE, Sixt Plat, Hz 5*
Posts: 2,440
I'm still concerned about latitude pass complimentary upgrades. All my flight passes are empty. I was going to pickup a flex pass, but, given the new limitations of eups that might be a bad idea. If I buy a latitude pass (or 3) and I cant comp ug + SDC via concierge I'll be more than a little annoyed.
Nov 15, 2019, 2:12 pm
#235
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: AC SE100K, Emerald Exec, HHG
Posts: 631
Many of my upgrades this year have been involuntary op-ups at the gate due to oversold cabins. I wonder if GA's will have the ability to bump up pax if Y is overbooked to make room for stby pax for the next few months
Nov 15, 2019, 2:18 pm
#236
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: YYC
Programs: AC 50k 1MM, Marriott LT Titanium Elite
Posts: 3,402
I'm still concerned about latitude pass complimentary upgrades. All my flight passes are empty. I was going to pickup a flex pass, but, given the new limitations of eups that might be a bad idea. If I buy a latitude pass (or 3) and I cant comp ug + SDC via concierge I'll be more than a little annoyed.
Nov 15, 2019, 2:43 pm
#237
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
Interesting comment under Kate's column
farnorthtrader says:
November 15, 2019 at 2:10 pm
farnorthtrader says:
November 15, 2019 at 2:10 pm
First Lins77, this is not just a first world problem, in the traditional sense of the phrase. This is not whining about not getting an upgrade (although there was mention of upgrade issues, but not the point of the post), it is about a complete shutdown of a booking system for a major piece of the Canadian transportation system. This is about people trying to get to business meetings, people trying to get to family emergencies and any number of other possibilities and there will be, in many cases, no other options.
Now to what I was actually going to write about before that silly comment caught my eye!
We will be flying Edmonton to Dubai (connecting in Toronto) on the 21st and I am concerned about what this might do to us. I left a 10 hour connection and 10 other possible routings that they could switch us to and still make our connection, but if our flight gets cancelled and they can’t move us to another that day, we are screwed. (yes, Lins77, in our case, this is a first world problem!)
For them to do it in the winter (in Canada), when there are very likely to be delays, misconnects and cancellations, seems ill planned. They are already unable to even put your calls into the hold queue much of the time, so I don’t imagine anybody will be getting through to them when this hits. Yesterday, I had to call them because they had somehow, because of a 9 minute schedule change, decided to leave 5 members of my family on the same flights, but to switch my flights to completely different ones. My first call was terminated because the hold queue was too long and they could not put anyone else into it. My second call (2 hours later) was picked up after roughly 75 minutes. This is pretty much the experience that everyone can expect all winter in Canada, so to add this mess to it doesn’t make much sense to me. I have to assume that on the 21st, if there are any problems, our only option will be at the airport and even that may not be of any use. September, October, April, May sure seem like better times to try this experiment.
Now to what I was actually going to write about before that silly comment caught my eye!
We will be flying Edmonton to Dubai (connecting in Toronto) on the 21st and I am concerned about what this might do to us. I left a 10 hour connection and 10 other possible routings that they could switch us to and still make our connection, but if our flight gets cancelled and they can’t move us to another that day, we are screwed. (yes, Lins77, in our case, this is a first world problem!)
For them to do it in the winter (in Canada), when there are very likely to be delays, misconnects and cancellations, seems ill planned. They are already unable to even put your calls into the hold queue much of the time, so I don’t imagine anybody will be getting through to them when this hits. Yesterday, I had to call them because they had somehow, because of a 9 minute schedule change, decided to leave 5 members of my family on the same flights, but to switch my flights to completely different ones. My first call was terminated because the hold queue was too long and they could not put anyone else into it. My second call (2 hours later) was picked up after roughly 75 minutes. This is pretty much the experience that everyone can expect all winter in Canada, so to add this mess to it doesn’t make much sense to me. I have to assume that on the 21st, if there are any problems, our only option will be at the airport and even that may not be of any use. September, October, April, May sure seem like better times to try this experiment.
Nov 15, 2019, 2:51 pm
#238
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: YYJ
Programs: AC SE*MM, Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Gold, National EE, Sixt Plat, Hz 5*
Posts: 2,440
All I can tell you is that I have booked 60-70 flights per year for the last many years on Flex FP (M Class). Of those, I have a 98-99% success rate of being upgraded at time of booking. Yes, I have some flexibility in my schedule most times, which helps. But if you can book at 2 weeks out, I don't think you have much to worry about.
Nov 15, 2019, 2:56 pm
#239
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: YYC
Programs: AC 50k 1MM, Marriott LT Titanium Elite
Posts: 3,402
Then you are screwed. 
If I read the (new) rules you will have to (for an indeterminate number of months) buy Latitutde FP and book at least 2 hours out (IIRC that is the window in which you get a complimentary upgrade to J). Or just buy J, but that kind of seems like capitulation, doesn't it.
If I read the (new) rules you will have to (for an indeterminate number of months) buy Latitutde FP and book at least 2 hours out (IIRC that is the window in which you get a complimentary upgrade to J). Or just buy J, but that kind of seems like capitulation, doesn't it.
Nov 15, 2019, 3:07 pm
#240
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: YYT
Programs: M-Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Aeroplan 50K, DragonPass, AMEX MR, NEXUS
Posts: 1,715
Seeing all the posts about this morning's email now...
So I guess this will be the case until at least August 2020 based on what the email says? This will be a huge inconvenience in cases when you are waitlisted for an upgrade where it would normally clear at the gate.
Besides the many other inconveniences in that email. All I can say is ugh, this is going to be a long transition
So I guess this will be the case until at least August 2020 based on what the email says? This will be a huge inconvenience in cases when you are waitlisted for an upgrade where it would normally clear at the gate.
Besides the many other inconveniences in that email. All I can say is ugh, this is going to be a long transition