Travelling on Aeroplan rewards ticket Business Class ...do I have access to concierge
May 7, 2018, 8:52 pm
#16
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This is the "price" mutually agreed between AC and Aeroplan. This is not a "mistake fare". In fact, it is a "published fare". So how much AC actually gets, I don't care. I pay for a business class seat from A to B at the no. of Aeroplan points demanded, and I should be entitled to the same service as any other business class passengers. There is nothing complimentary about redeeming a business class reward seat. I "paid" what was demanded.
This is another issue with Aeroplan to agree to such arrangements.
Anyway, it's never AC's intention to allow non-SE to use the Concierge Service even if one is on a P or higher booking class. A good example is the Concierge office at the business check-in at YYZ. Non-SE's are specifically excluded and are not allowed to enter to seek assistance.
This is another issue with Aeroplan to agree to such arrangements.
Anyway, it's never AC's intention to allow non-SE to use the Concierge Service even if one is on a P or higher booking class. A good example is the Concierge office at the business check-in at YYZ. Non-SE's are specifically excluded and are not allowed to enter to seek assistance.
AC has decided that the concierge, and the SSL, are not benefits provided to people who have purchased access to J seating via I or R "fares".
However, Aimia also has substantial operating costs to cover and needs to generate a profit for itself. Its gross margin (i.e. revenues less cost of rewards) is about 40%.
I'm actually going to use a higher revenue number than the cow, since I seem to recall it coming out that Aeroplan was earning around $0.01 per point when the TD deal was announced. So let's just go with that, rather than cow's $0.008. But when you consider that Aeroplan is only spending about 60% of revenue on redemptions, that's 0.6 cents per mile. So your 75K J ticket to HKG is now generating more like $450 in revenue, plus YQ. Although of course I space is tightly controlled on international J, meaning a lot of J redemptions are probably done by SEs using IKK. And YQ is waived for SEs.
May 7, 2018, 9:16 pm
#17
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This is the "price" mutually agreed between AC and Aeroplan. This is not a "mistake fare". In fact, it is a "published fare". So how much AC actually gets, I don't care. I pay for a business class seat from A to B at the no. of Aeroplan points demanded, and I should be entitled to the same service as any other business class passengers. There is nothing complimentary about redeeming a business class reward seat. I "paid" what was demanded.
You can buy BA, TG, FL, CO, or LT, or X for the Y cabin. In all cases, you've paid a fare (except X - that's not exactly a "fare" in the traditional sense). But they all entitle you to vastly different things. On the higher end, EL and EF fares also have different included benefits (one of which, Adam pointed out).
I probably mentioned this in the SS thread (but the logic and arguments there are identical to here), but my roommate booked a flight on Etihad (I think?). His outbound fare included a limo to the airport. His inbound did not. Both were paid J. But they were Etihad's equivalent of AC's D and P (or something like that). Different levels of J, with different things included.
AC is not the first to draw a line in J offerings, based on fare, and I doubt they'll be the last.
May 7, 2018, 9:28 pm
#18
Join Date: Aug 2013
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May 7, 2018, 9:42 pm
#19
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I think you will soon see AC continue down this road of monetizing every single thing on board, if you redeemed a business class ticket using Aeroplan miles, you will be asked to use the bathroom in the back of economy class. You didn't pay for that special amenity called J class Lav which is very exclusive and private. As some here will say, "If you want to use the special Lav in J, you should pay for it by buying a J ticket, and Aeroplan J ticket doesn't count".
May 7, 2018, 9:46 pm
#20
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: YVR
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Different published fares have different published benefits though. For instance, some fares allow free SDC. Others do not. Someone who buys a Latitude ticket and upgrades it has also paid the published fare (Latitude fare + eUpgrades). A member of AC staff flying on a staff pass has also paid the published fare but exchanging their pass for a J seat.
AC has decided that the concierge, and the SSL, are not benefits provided to people who have purchased access to J seating via I or R "fares".
AC has decided that the concierge, and the SSL, are not benefits provided to people who have purchased access to J seating via I or R "fares".
I would like to see some kind of SSL access opened up for S100K, if only for +1 guest on I fares.
May 7, 2018, 9:54 pm
#21
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More important than +1s is providing a similar benefit to the large number of paid J ex-YVR. There are many of them on many routes and huge spend out of there. Plus, the International MLL is now packed such that before my Asia flights, there were days where there was nowhere to sit on the main floor. And, if anyone is following the real estate boom in YUL, there are likely to be more paid J from there, and yet no Suite for them.
Anyway, the Suite is the other thread and none of us will agree.
As I and others have said more than once, AC decided where it wants to deploy its resources. It decided on the rather high $20,000 AQD requirement (relative to the US3 for e.g.), and it decided on where it will offer premium products and services. This includes the concierge.
And if one has read the posts by others on this forum, even those of us with access to the concierge by way of status, often we can't even reach them.
just saying......
May 7, 2018, 9:58 pm
#22
Join Date: Aug 2013
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More important than +1s is providing a similar benefit to the large number of paid J ex-YVR. There are many of them on many routes and huge spend out of there. Plus, the International MLL is now packed such that before my Asia flights, there were days where there was nowhere to sit on the main floor.
About to cool my heels in the YVR International MLL and expect a moderately full house.
May 8, 2018, 8:56 am
#23
Join Date: Jan 2016
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End of the day there are airlines where travelling on a reward gives you pretty much the same as buying CDZP equivalent fares. Then there are airlines that won’t let you into the lounge without paying full J (and not CDZP).
Airlines make the rules. Some like em, some hate em. Abide and live with them or pick another airline. Vote with your wallet, nothing else will make AC care especially where there are limited alternatives.
There’s a few reasons I have a total of one AC booking at present. The above is one of them.
Airlines make the rules. Some like em, some hate em. Abide and live with them or pick another airline. Vote with your wallet, nothing else will make AC care especially where there are limited alternatives.
There’s a few reasons I have a total of one AC booking at present. The above is one of them.