Aeroplan's Best Kept Secret: award flights into Iqaluit
#91
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 30
Booked another award flight on 5T the other day, and was again charged the $30 Aeroplan booking fee, so it now seems like a consistent policy to charge this fee for 7F/5T bookings. As far as I could gather, the policy used to be that the Aeroplan booking fee was only charged if you used the call centre to book something you could have booked online (which is not the case for award flights on any of the northern airlines - you have no choice but to book through the call centre).
#92
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Iqaluit
Programs: Programs? I don't need no stinking programs
Posts: 1,189
However, applying the booking fee to 5T or 7F redemptions is definitely a new thing.
Last edited by nolens volans; Aug 24, 18 at 5:28 am
#93
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Iqaluit
Programs: Programs? I don't need no stinking programs
Posts: 1,189
The ticket I just booked was YFB-YZF o/w, not YFB-YOW, so I can't say whether there has been an increase in 5T surcharges on YOW-YFB. Total fees were around $28 plus the $30 booking fee.
#94
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: AC SE; SPG Platnium; HH G
Posts: 551
#95
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: YVR
Programs: AC Black Card, Nexus
Posts: 292
A few quick questions on this! I've had this thread bookmarked for some time, and I think I want to start looking into this more seriously.
Is flying out of Toronto eligible for the 15000pt spend (ideally to YXY)?
And for a separate itinerary, I'm interested in flying to Nain (Air Borealis?), is that also part of one of these itineraries I can book over the phone with? Any insight on points for that?
Is flying out of Toronto eligible for the 15000pt spend (ideally to YXY)?
And for a separate itinerary, I'm interested in flying to Nain (Air Borealis?), is that also part of one of these itineraries I can book over the phone with? Any insight on points for that?
#96
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Iqaluit
Programs: Programs? I don't need no stinking programs
Posts: 1,189
I don’t believe there is any way to get from eastern Canada to YXY for 15k Aeroplan miles.
Don't know too much about this since I haven’t flown above YYR in the last couple of years, but I don’t think PAL/Borealis have any partnership with Aeroplan at all. I have the impression Air Labrador had (or maybe were just contemplating) some kind of not-connected-with-anybody-else frequent-flier scheme of their own before the merger, but no idea what's happened since they became Borealis. I do believe they interline with Westjet so maybe Air Miles...
#97
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
Programs: AC 50K, Hertz President’s Circle, Accor Platinum, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 9,932
Just booked YWG-Churchill via Calm Air. You actually call Calm Air, they contact Aeroplan to redeem the points and Calm Air charges $15 in taxes
Best 7,500 miles I’ve spent! Taking the train with sleeper back for $260 on a Black Friday Via Rail sale. The flight to Churchill is oddly operated by First Air on a 737.

#98
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: YLW
Programs: AC- SE100 1MM, HH Diamond, National , Nexus/GE
Posts: 4,086
Just booked YWG-Churchill via Calm Air. You actually call Calm Air, they contact Aeroplan to redeem the points and Calm Air charges $15 in taxes
Best 7,500 miles I’ve spent! Taking the train with sleeper back for $260 on a Black Friday Via Rail sale. The flight to Churchill is oddly operated by First Air on a 737.

NIce, something I like to do and i think i will call also........perhaps when its less snowy though!
#99
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 7,581
Any chance there's a stop in YRT on your way?
We went to YYQ a few years ago with Air Miles tickets.
Supposed to stop in YRT. Due to runway conditions there, the 737 was subbed for an ATR.
We left YWG 3 hours late and went n/s to YYQ.
Got $25 each in meal coupons for the departure delay. Not bad for arriving 90 minutes late.
We went to YYQ a few years ago with Air Miles tickets.
Supposed to stop in YRT. Due to runway conditions there, the 737 was subbed for an ATR.
We left YWG 3 hours late and went n/s to YYQ.
Got $25 each in meal coupons for the departure delay. Not bad for arriving 90 minutes late.
#100
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
Programs: AC 50K, Hertz President’s Circle, Accor Platinum, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 9,932
If YRT is Rankin Inlet then I can advise that such a routing was possible in the afternoon but I needed an AM flight as I want to spend the day in Churchill before catching the train in the evening. Will bring some wine for the train as it’s a loooooooong trip
. Free checked bags - yes 2 bags on the flight to Churchill. One of these days I’ll remember to add Iqaluit to an award to Toronto


#101
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: YYJ
Posts: 4,016
Just booked YWG-Churchill via Calm Air. You actually call Calm Air, they contact Aeroplan to redeem the points and Calm Air charges $15 in taxes
Best 7,500 miles I’ve spent! Taking the train with sleeper back for $260 on a Black Friday Via Rail sale. The flight to Churchill is oddly operated by First Air on a 737.

#102
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: YXE
Posts: 3,050
Could've been even better value if you did the segment run as I posted in another forum:
VIA Preference: $200 for 10,000 Preference Points
If there's one thing to say, AC could take a lot of lessons from VIA in terms of meal service, particularly to J customers. Look at what they served me in the dining car on YWG-YXE:
https://imgur.com/a/Nj2bqTE
VIA Preference: $200 for 10,000 Preference Points
If there's one thing to say, AC could take a lot of lessons from VIA in terms of meal service, particularly to J customers. Look at what they served me in the dining car on YWG-YXE:
https://imgur.com/a/Nj2bqTE
#105
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: East Coast Canada
Programs: Aeroplan, AirMiles
Posts: 9
Hubby and I just tried to book YUL-YVM through Iqaluit (Sept 2019) and the quote was for $388 CDN per person plus $33 booking fee. So our ~$150 pp budget is blown because of a "newly implemented" $300 YQ surcharge. The agent told us both First Air and Canadian North are now charging this fuel surcharge. Don't know what the next step is, other than just to suck up the costs. Anyone else have this issue?