Symmetre

Client hosting a conference in the US later this year booked me on AC rogue so I could attend. Today I received an email from AC with the subject line "See you soon on Air Canada Rouge!" and a bunch of yipping in the email body about me "getting ready for your upcoming flight."

The trip isn't until the end of October. I just re-checked the confirmation from AC and the dates on it are correct. So what gives?

Is this "Gosh darn we can't wait to see you" enthusiasm something new? I know many here have long complained about AC's inept IT but I've kind of lost touch with it since I began actively avoiding Err Canada for my own travel. No other airline gets this excited about the prospect of seeing me four months from now. Is there something I should know?

Jasper2009

I believe AC sends out these e-mails a few days after making the booking if the itinerary involves segments on AC Rouge so that pax are aware of the differences between AC mainline and AC Rouge.

Symmetre

Understood - thanks Jasper. But if that's the case they should change the wording ... "Thanks for booking with us" or something like that. When it starts with "See you soon" and goes on to reference my "upcoming flight" for a booking that is so far in the distance, the first thing I think is gaaaaa ... are the dates messed up?

Jasper2009

I agree. Don't quote me on this, but I believe AC switched around the time that e-mail is sent from "x days before departure" to "shortly after making the booking" (and possibly anytime inbetween or not at all), and my best guess is that AC didn't bother to change the content.

jc94

Sean Peever

It can't be an IT failure. AC doesn't have Information Technology. They just have Technology.

jc94

Adam Smith

Logical. I've assumed they changed up the timing because they felt it would be more effective at cross-selling hotels, rental cars, etc to start getting in front of people earlier rather than later.

I thought the problem was that they had information but no technology?

Sean Peever

I thought about saying that, I really did, but then I realized it would be crazy to suggest they had any kind of information as well.

I think their IT is more related to the movie IT than it is Information Technology.

Adam Smith

Maybe the problem is that it's Idiot Technology?

yyznomad

OP, make sure you clear your cache, clear your cookies, and restart your computer.

If you don't see anything, then make sure your computer is plugged in.

(paraphrasing any random tech support script)

Bartolo

24left

Oooh, I have a collection of those. Real keepers. As others here have mentioned before, AC IT doesn't have the ability to know that if you buy a one-way ticket say back to where you live, you are generally going home, not visiting (although.......)

My other favourite is how there is a difference between an original ticket with a connection in say YVR, Manage Bookings and what appears in the app. Due to flight times on some routes, the sometimes can only connect to a transcon that is 6 hours for my arrival. Thus some of these things think my destination is YVR, but there is no break in my ticket or the married segments. I do not worry about such things since I think I know where I am going most of the time. Perhaps the next time I buy a ticket somewhere, AC will instead have me going somewhere more exotic than I intended.

yyznomad

OP will also get "it's time to check in!" emails but only after s/he's already completed OLCI.

canadiancow

I've found those are coming much closer to T-24 for me lately. Usually still after I've checked in, but not 12 hours after I've checked in any more.