c3m5frssvt

Flying out of YXU entails frequent ground-stops/flow-control directed by Pearson resulting in many misconnects at YYZ or outright cancelled flights out of YXU, even if weather is fine here and the plane is sitting at the gate.

In October I was going to misconnect to AC33 on an upgraded latitude fare, due to Pearson flow-control. With R/P=0 (and J>0) the following day, not knowing my priority in securing an upgrade, I chose to pay 300 CAD for a taxi from YXU to YYZ (I did not think to consult concierge at the time).
In December my partner and I were flying AC33 (again) using an AP J award and again were ground-stopped. It would have been touch and go whether a cab could get us to YYZ in time, so we rode it out. When the ground-stop was lifted, we flew out of YXU but arrived too late to catch AC33. The concierge simply rebooked us in J the following day, as I expected, and gave us hotel/taxi/meal vouchers.

My question is: when I choose to buy a latitude fair because I can immediately upgrade, if I misconnect, does AC make any special effort to open P-space on a later flight for a SE? Before posting, I searched this forum but was not successful in locating an answer. I am now really twitchy about flying upgraded long-haul flights from YXU, regardless of weather/season.

Cancelled connector flights cause headaches for London travellers - London - CBC News

Diabeetus

I don't know if this is official policy, but every time I've misconnected as a SE100k on an upgraded fare (Latitude or Flex), they have re-accommodated me in J. The odd time, I even earn J mileage.

canadiancow

I have misconnected on upgraded fares, and been rebooked in Y, even when there was positive space in J.

I've also been rebooked into various fare classes from J down to P.

It's very hit or miss.

Upgrades don't reissue your ticket. You're still ticketed in Y, and at the end of the day, I suspect you're only entitled to Y.

Your status is going to have a much larger impact than your fare class.

yvr76

Unless you're on a North American Latitude FP, and do the complementary 48 hour upgrade, which puts you in J, not R in which case I assume you're protected all around.

The days of getting COS bonuses for upgrades / IRROPS are over, I haven't seen this happen for a while now.

Diabeetus

Yes. I think having SE status has helped keep me in J on rebookings of upgraded fares.

montrealer

Operating from a smallish data set, but including both me (SE100K) and my spouse (E50K) and a colleague (E75K):

- I've generally kept upgrades through IRROPs, but had the sense this was largely because my rebookings were manually processed by concierges and the upgrade immediately made to clear if I was already upgraded. (Unlike OP, I rarely fly on Latitude fares. I'm either in personally-paid Flex or N eupping, or in paid J or at least P/Z). It's possible that this is because I'm being proactive, and e.g. when my connecting flight to YYZ or YUL is delayed, emailing the concierges from the tarmac.

- Spouse and colleague have been more hit & miss, consistent with being semi-automatically rebooked into purchased class of service and being re-upgraded or not based on whether they re-cleared the waitlist according to the usual process. As one can imagine, this doesn't always happen, since Irrops usually means there are fewer transatlantic J seats to go around (supply) but the same demand, paid and upgrading.

c3m5frssvt

For me the distinction is that I paid-up to latitude for the extra-cost feature of instant upgrade. I could have booked flex and played the 7-day upgrade lottery. The value proposition of latitude + upgrade on day of booking has been worthwhile for me. How IROPS affects this equation is what I am now trying to comprehend, given my location and AC's 12+ month track record out of YXU. Last year was brutal with the Pearson runway construction project. YXU flights cancelled repeatedly. More of same to come, no doubt.

SparseFlyer

If you are in confirmed R (not waitlisted), and your flight is cancelled/misconnect, you are entitled to be rebooked in J or O. You just have to ask. They likely won't even bother to "open" P/R space. You'll just get booked in anything up to J as long as there's space.

The only difference between Between J/I and R is that you cannot ask to be rebooked on another airline in J (but you can in Y).

yyznomad

+1x10^6

This has been my case since for awhile now.

jasdou

canadiancow

I have asked, and been told no, they can only book me in Y, because I was an upgrade.

So no, you don't "just have to ask". You need an agent willing to do it, and they most certainly are not all willing to do it.

I remember one time (2013?) I actually pressed a GA about this (the flight I was rebooked on was something like Z9 R0), and he called a support line, and they said if there was no R space, I had to get back on the waitlist.

Another time (2017), the concierge said "there's space in business, but not for upgrades".

SparseFlyer

​​​​​​You know already you need R space for everything.

Out of all the things you don't believe agents tell you, how come you believe it when they tell you this?

I don't trust AC's "support" line either. They are the same people who say you need R space to upgrade latitude tickets.

But 2013 was 5 years ago. Things may have been different back then, and things may change again in the future (for better or for worse).

yyznomad

Of all people here, you should know better than to go with what a GA/AC employee says to you.
After all, they work at the airport.

(ha I saw @SparseFlyer's post above alluding to similar.)

canadiancow

I was responding to "You just have to ask", which is patently false.

In fact, I don't think asking has _ever_ helped. They either rebook me into J without asking, or they refuse to.

SparseFlyer

I'm surprised you are particular about this level of detail, but when it comes down to complimentary latitude upgrade you are not