Applying an Air Canada Bistro code to a Comfort fare
 

Using an Air Canada Bistro code gets you PR07 on your boarding pass which entitles you to some free food. Buying a Comfort fare gets you BVRG on your boarding pass which entitles you to a free alcoholic beverage. But what happens when you try to combine both?

It turns out PR07 wins.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5a04562498.jpg

However, I am left to wonder if I should still have gotten the BRVG. Would the crew have both the BVRG and PR07 noted on the PIL?

@canadiancow, I feel like this is the kind of stuff you would know!

I just went through this on a couple of recent flights where I ordered a meal tray and upgraded beverage and much to my frustration was charged $10.00 for the privilege. Sent in a complaint via the online form and got some aeroplan points for my troubles (not that I really need more of them) and much to my surprise got an e-mail from their service provider telling me they are looking in to it.

Please do as I did and send in your complaint - the more people who bring this to their attention the more likely they are to actually try to solve it.

Currently, the BVRG code does not show up on the same spot on the PIL or on the boarding pass stub as the PR07 code, so you can have both on the PIL. I have seen that numerous times. We have been trying to get IT to get the BRVG code in a better spot on the PIL. Currently, we have to manually transcribe it to the Y FAs. Depending on the flight, it can take a while and delays the start of service in all classes.

But to answer your question, they do not overwrite each other and you would have gotten the BVRG if you asked and were entitled to it.

I had had BVRG not show up on a few comfort fares.

There was no free drink offered/given.

@_Clouds Thanks for the reply. Who has to manually transcribe the BVRG remark on the PIL? GA, SD...? This definitely seems to be hit or miss based on my own experience and that of other people in this thread.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...31b9b0fba.jpeg
Just flew YXU-YYZ-YVR-YYZ-YXU this week on comfort fare with the Bistro credit. All boarding passes showed PR07/BVRG. Even the upgraded leg in J, and the flight attendant was then convinced I had a special meal.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by _Clouds (Post 30985713)

Currently, the BVRG code does not show up on the same spot on the PIL or on the boarding pass stub as the PR07 code, so you can have both on the PIL. I have seen that numerous times. We have been trying to get IT to get the BRVG code in a better spot on the PIL. Currently, we have to manually transcribe it to the Y FAs. Depending on the flight, it can take a while and delays the start of service in all classes.

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That's good news - I've been flying on comfort fares a few times and never seen the BVRG code. Once the crew just gave me a drink, but mostly it was denied. Once I tried to get a fancy tea instead of a drink and was told I had to buy booze... but that's a different issue. Once it shows up on the BP it will be much smoother.

That's consistent with my experience. I haven't seen it on three or four comfort fares (all times I've traveled on them).

That's noted on the Bistro menu.
What isn't noted is that the Freshii Pangoa bowl is also subject to an upcharge. It's value is $13.50 (including a snack) and the FAQ assigns the voucher to a value of $13.57, but I still had to pay the extra $5. Not sure why there's an inconsistency.

I had BVRG on my BP today....but it did not print on any manifest when the drink cart came around

Did you show your BP and they denied you because it wasn't on the PIL?

It seems to me that AC changed the Bistro pre-purchase, increasing the price and "value" slightly. What I find puzzling is that they seem to provide conflicting T&C in terms of whether or not the meal tray is included at the new price. It claims to be valued at $13.57 plus tax, so at $13.50 the meal tray plus snack should fit in the total value and they say get "any item" from the Bistro menu (which clearly shows the meal tray on page 5). On the other hand it does state "Fresh meal menu items include pizza, pasta, wraps and sandwiches, all from $8.85 to $11.74" - no mention of meal tray as a fresh meal item.

Excluding the meal tray and Pangoa bowl, the most expensive items on the menu are $8.95 yet they claim that items range up to $11.74. Even with tax added, $8.95 doesn't come to $11.74. Similarly they say snacks range up to $5.90 but the most expensive item I see is $5.

if i were @skybluesea I'd be tempted to launch a complaint to Transport Canada and file a lawsuit for misleading advertising. :p

delete

Sorry, I didn't make it clear enough. A bit of west to east jet fog

She told me it happens far too often and takes people on their word (I did show my BP regardless) and got my drink.

@jasdou

You didn't report back in this thread regarding your Friday, April 12, 2019 flight!

I know you might think I'm crazy dredging this up for kicks, but I'm creating a full on wiki of codes for this forum, so the behaviors/BP codes exhibited in this thread are of value! :)

@yyznomad
@jasdou and I both bought CO fares and used Bistro codes. But our upgrades cleared so didn't think about it while having our westbound adventure in J........ of which you've seen photos.

EDIT to add: I found my BP

On the front, the cute little knife & fork icon. On the back the code for both the Bistro and the CO fare.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d83830b65b.png

Oh ok. Thanks.
I hope you didn't expect me to remember that I saw your photos of this April 12, 2019 flight in question. :p

I just edited my post to add the BP with codes.

​​​​​​​Yes I did.

Great, thanks.


You know me well enough to know something like that ain't gonna happen (not by choice). ;)

Thanks for the update. So this jives with one or two other posters upthread showing both codes in the remarks.
I wonder if @jasdou still only had the PR07 and no BVRG.

Hmm, interesting. So @24left received the correct remarks but you did not.
Should I be surprised? :p

(and that story does sound like a cluster)

Guess this is still an issue. Flew Rouge last week on a Comfort fare + prepaid Bistro voucher.

BP on both the outbound and return had BVRG only (no PR07).

GA saw it in the system but couldn't get it to print.

FA list didn't show the drink, but had the meal (listed as "special meal").

I flew two flights on a comfort fare last week, and neither one had BVRG printed on the BP.

I asked the GA about it (before they started boarding), and she checked in the system and said that she did in fact see my BVRG indication in the system, and so it was ok that there was nothing on my BP because the FA would have the information onboard.

Except she didn't. When I asked, onboard, she said there was no indication that I was on a comfort fare. I insisted, and eventually she did give me the (pre-paid) drink ... but only reluctantly, and only after a protracted discussion that I would really rather not have had.

It was déjà vu all over again on the return flight ... no BVRG on the BP, the GA said everything would be fine, the FA said it wasn't on her system, and we had to debate at length about it. sigh.

Well, I'm flying again tomorrow, also on a comfort fare, and I've just checked in. Guess what? There's no BVRG indication on this BP, either.

No idea if this was a downstream effect of Amadeus or something else ... but it seems to me that the system is broken again. I'd love to hear from others ... has anyone else flown on the comfort fare in the past month or so? Did you see BVRG on your BP?

@canopus27

Data point for the BP: This was in December. Ticket was purchased well before Amadeus migration.
Called in for the upgrade requests due to PNR and upgrade page issues.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...41bc2ce519.png

But you were already in J, so BVRG is irrelevant. :p

Does it mention Comfort on the top left above the ticket number?

That might help if you pull out the Bistro menu and show the part about Comfort fares.

​​​​​

I flew 3 segments on a non-upgraded Comfort fare last week, none of my boarding passes showed BVRG. I did not notice it at check in and did not care about it on board so I only noticed now when I read your post and went back to check my BP.

Good suggestion, but ... nope.

Last week I pulled out my phone and showed the FA the email copy of the ticket, which *does* say "comfort" .... but ... sigh .... it's a PITA, and I hate to have to argue my case like that in the first case.

I've just submitted a formal customer service ticket for this. Not really interested in the 2.37% coupon they may throw my way, but hopefully it will help get some attention paid to fixing the actual problem.

OK, I'm now back at the airport. This time I decided to talk to the checkin agent. Found a super helpful woman at the YYZ TB SE checkin, who would not let go of the issue. I was early, so I had time for her to work the system ... and after she made two calls to the help desk, I now have a BP that correctly says BVRG on it.

I asked if she could give me any details about the problem, but all she would tell me is that one internal system is copying the BVRG note into another field in DCS - but DCS a field that neither shows on the BP nor the manifest. She said that all I could do was continue to check the BP at checkin time, and then ask the checkin agent to call the help desk and have them fix it. She did also note that the help desk had logged this as an issue, so hopefully it will get addressed properly, too.

Actually... I was in a similar situation, comfort fare, upgraded to J, had BVRG on boarding pass. I wanted one of those San Pellegrino lemon sodas. The FA said no, that he didn't have that. I mentioned that they were available in Y, thinking he could just grab one for me, but he said it wasn't part of the J service and I'd have to pay for it! So, the BVRG took care of that. I couldn't believe that he wouldn't just give me the darn soda, lol.

I am flying to MEX tonight on a comfort fare. No BVRG on the BP and Comfort not indicated either. Went to the check in agent. After 30 mins on the phone with IT, she added BVRG manually to the remarks section of the BP.

Same issue here as well. No BVRG on recent Comfort fare flights. I used eUP to upgrade to J so did not really paid attention to my BP until I read this thread. As others, I have more upcoming flights on Comfort fare that I do not anticipate to upgrade. Hopefully, this issue will be solved sooner than later. Thanks to @canopus27, the issue has been logged and we now know that it can be fixed with a call to the Help Desk.

This is why I only buy CO during EYW :p

No BVRG on any of my comfort fares for the last while. Getting the AQM bonus though.

Today was the first time it mattered: paid for my single scotch on a jazz flight. Do I dispute the airfare or the drink? ;) will note that FA confirmed nothing special on the PIL

Why not dispute both? You paid for a service you did not receive, and you paid for something you were entitled to.

So for now, it's (free) SDC on latitude fares and free BVRG on CO fares that are advertised as part of the fare, but not being properly offered by AC?