GVA-YUL on AC 835: get to the airport early!
Feb 17, 2018, 2:38 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Location: YOW
Programs: AC-SE100K MM, BA-S HH-D, MB-G LT Sil, IHG-Plt, Nexus, Global Entry
Posts: 3,803
GVA-YUL on AC 835: get to the airport early!
Wow! Learned today to leave lots and lots of time when travelling through GVA on a weekend morning during ski season. Huge queues for both check-in and security. Concierge picked me out of the priority check-in queue (thank you!) without me asking for any help. Priority security lane wasn't too bad, but you needed to do a 200m detour to access the lane.
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13F
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13F
Feb 17, 2018, 1:13 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: AC SE100k, Marriott Titanium, UA Silver
Posts: 2,648
Wow! Learned today to leave lots and lots of time when travelling through GVA on a weekend morning during ski season. Huge queues for both check-in and security. Concierge picked me out of the priority check-in queue (thank you!) without me asking for any help. Priority security lane wasn't too bad, but you needed to do a 200m detour to access the lane.
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13F
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13F
Feb 17, 2018, 2:36 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: YVR
Programs: Bottom feeder Star Gold
Posts: 2,652
Trying to spy a 2x3" tag - that may or may not be visibly attached - in a sea of travellers is not the most efficient way of locating somebody. If it works, it's called s___house luck.
Feb 17, 2018, 3:01 pm
#5
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: 44,346
There is this amazing little invention they call a mobile phone, on which one can receive information via telephone calls, emails, SMS texts, or any number of wifi messaging platforms. Most frequent flyers have registered a contact number and email on their airline profile. Or...the tried & tested method: holding up a card with your name on it. Perhaps you've seen it used in arrivals areas and other places where people are trying to contact those they have never met.
Trying to spy a 2x3" tag - that may or may not be visibly attached - in a sea of travellers is not the most efficient way of locating somebody. If it works, it's called s___house luck.
Trying to spy a 2x3" tag - that may or may not be visibly attached - in a sea of travellers is not the most efficient way of locating somebody. If it works, it's called s___house luck.
Feb 17, 2018, 4:06 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: AC SE100k, Marriott Titanium, UA Silver
Posts: 2,648
As an aside, the concierge also said she recognized most of the SE's that usually fly through GVA, and asked if it was my first time through GVA (it was) because she'd never seen me before.
Feb 18, 2018, 11:19 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: GVA
Programs: On Sabbatical, BA Bronze
Posts: 589
It can get pretty bad during ski season. They've done a LOT of work to improve though. It used to be much worse.
If you don't have status, I highly recommend buying your way into priority security. Only 9fr but you have to buy it the day before - no same-day sales for obvious reasons.
If you don't have status, I highly recommend buying your way into priority security. Only 9fr but you have to buy it the day before - no same-day sales for obvious reasons.
Feb 18, 2018, 3:35 pm
#9
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: sqrt(-united states of apologist)
Programs: *$ Green
Posts: 5,403
I almost got butt ducked in GVA too.
Arrived 1.5h before departure thinking it would be more than enough with priority security. I didn't even have any bags.
I somehow got to the gate exactly at boarding time, and I barely strolled through the shopping area.
I like how they send a whole bus just for Z1. It's hilarious, bit kind of useless if you ask me lol. Better than TK though where it's just straight up free for all bus boarding!
Arrived 1.5h before departure thinking it would be more than enough with priority security. I didn't even have any bags.
I somehow got to the gate exactly at boarding time, and I barely strolled through the shopping area.
I like how they send a whole bus just for Z1. It's hilarious, bit kind of useless if you ask me lol. Better than TK though where it's just straight up free for all bus boarding!
Feb 19, 2018, 4:23 pm
#10
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
Wow! Learned today to leave lots and lots of time when travelling through GVA on a weekend morning during ski season. Huge queues for both check-in and security. Concierge picked me out of the priority check-in queue (thank you!) without me asking for any help. Priority security lane wasn't too bad, but you needed to do a 200m detour to access the lane.
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13F
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13F
Thanks for the heads up!
Feb 19, 2018, 5:29 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Location: YOW
Programs: AC-SE100K MM, BA-S HH-D, MB-G LT Sil, IHG-Plt, Nexus, Global Entry
Posts: 3,803
Good to know. Am passing through there on Sunday on the way to BCN. Have an almost 9 hour layover (don't ask) so was going to exit the terminal and enjoy some free transit into town, get some sun and fresh/cold air, have a nice lunch with some colleagues and head back to GVA airport. I guess I will allow some extra time to get through security or risk missing my connection, which would suck.
Thanks for the heads up!
Thanks for the heads up!
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13F
Feb 21, 2018, 4:57 am
#12
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,775
This thread seems to be a good example of when an elite bag tag can actually come in quite handy.
You must not fly AC much. AC has some very good staff - the concierge who helped out the OP of this thread appears to be one - but it also has some people who not only have no clue about many basic aspects of their job, but who have a terrible attitude about it. Things like same day change rules or upgrading using Z/P space are not exactly obscure or arcane. There's no reason FT shouldn't be used to comment on things like that.
I accept that AC staff and call centre agents are experts in what they do. They may sometimes miss an arcane rule or misinterpret an obscure benefit, but I understand they know a heck of a lot more than I do about other aspects of their roles. Therefore, I won't criticize them, especially publicly.
You must not fly AC much. AC has some very good staff - the concierge who helped out the OP of this thread appears to be one - but it also has some people who not only have no clue about many basic aspects of their job, but who have a terrible attitude about it. Things like same day change rules or upgrading using Z/P space are not exactly obscure or arcane. There's no reason FT shouldn't be used to comment on things like that.
Feb 21, 2018, 5:17 am
#13
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Ideally YOW, but probably not
Programs: AC SE*MM
Posts: 1,827
Good to know. Am passing through there on Sunday on the way to BCN. Have an almost 9 hour layover (don't ask) so was going to exit the terminal and enjoy some free transit into town, get some sun and fresh/cold air, have a nice lunch with some colleagues and head back to GVA airport. I guess I will allow some extra time to get through security or risk missing my connection, which would suck.
Thanks for the heads up!
Thanks for the heads up!
Feb 21, 2018, 10:13 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: YVR
Programs: Bottom feeder Star Gold
Posts: 2,652
*Can once per month be considered frequent amongst this crowd?
Feb 22, 2018, 6:02 am
#15
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,775
Your earlier comment was actually mostly right (!!!) about the other side's attitude matching one's own (whether at AC out anywhere else), but sometimes no matter how pleasant one is, the person on the other end has a bad attitude. It happens in every large organization, but AC seems to have a disproportionate share of them, especially in certain areas, like the call centre.
*Can once per month be considered frequent amongst this crowd?