Contest: "Spot the loonie"
Apr 15, 2003, 2:47 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: YVR
Posts: 9,999
Contest: "Spot the loonie"
From the G&M: New fees hit Aeroplan members
So here's the contest: who can find the most occurances of AC/AP spokespersons (i.e. Laura Cooke) stating that they give away "free travel"?
Think back to and look through postings around January 2002 and I'm sure you'll find case after case where various AC and AP people stated that they gave away "free travel" typically in the context of "why are they complaining about Aeroplan changes -- look at all the free tickets we've been giving away."
Have these people no shame?
Or is the left hand still pretending the right hand doesn't exist? (And forget the 'bad sitcom' reference. This is starting to remind me of Peter Sellers in
"Dr. Strangelove".)
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Aeroplan spokeswoman Michèle Meier said the booking fee will help fund Aeroplan's aggressive growth strategy, which includes freeing up additional reward seats, improving the Aeroplan Web site and giving customers new opportunities to use their points.
"We never actually have called it free travel," Ms. Meier said.
"We've always called it reward travel."</font>
"We never actually have called it free travel," Ms. Meier said.
"We've always called it reward travel."</font>
Think back to and look through postings around January 2002 and I'm sure you'll find case after case where various AC and AP people stated that they gave away "free travel" typically in the context of "why are they complaining about Aeroplan changes -- look at all the free tickets we've been giving away."
Have these people no shame?
Or is the left hand still pretending the right hand doesn't exist? (And forget the 'bad sitcom' reference. This is starting to remind me of Peter Sellers in
"Dr. Strangelove".)
Apr 15, 2003, 2:55 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Posts: 5,075
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
By KEITH McARTHUR
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
Tuesday, April 15, 2003 - Page A1
</font>
By KEITH McARTHUR
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
Tuesday, April 15, 2003 - Page A1
</font>
Apr 15, 2003, 3:36 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: YVR
Posts: 9,999
Just to help you all along on the contest, here's some hints:
http://www.flyertalk.com/pasttalk/ft...ML/005636.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/pasttalk/ft...ML/005699.html
http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/Se...6.html/34891-0
http://makeashorterlink.com/?O21153734 (CIBC)
That should be enough to get you started.
http://www.flyertalk.com/pasttalk/ft...ML/005636.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/pasttalk/ft...ML/005699.html
http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/Se...6.html/34891-0
http://makeashorterlink.com/?O21153734 (CIBC)
That should be enough to get you started.
Apr 15, 2003, 6:54 am
#5
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Canada
Programs: AC SE 2MM, HH Dd, SPG; IC Pl/A; AA; DL
Posts: 14,321
I thought it said in the Elite and SE member guides "Give the gift of free travel" (ie not just a slip of the tongue in a live interview but actual carefully considered PR)
Apr 15, 2003, 7:50 am
#6
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Ontario, Canada
Programs: AC*SE MM, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 3,440
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by BlondeBomber:
I thought it said in the Elite and SE member guides "Give the gift of free travel" (ie not just a slip of the tongue in a live interview but actual carefully considered PR)</font>
I thought it said in the Elite and SE member guides "Give the gift of free travel" (ie not just a slip of the tongue in a live interview but actual carefully considered PR)</font>
Apr 15, 2003, 12:45 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: YVR
Posts: 9,999
That's true of course, but it's the hypocrisy (and outright dishonesty) of the statement that galls me. Laura Cooke spent the majority of 2002 stating that the travel was "FREE FREE FREE". Now they claim, "no we never said that."
You'll notice (if you followed the links above) that both CIBC
and even Aeroplan itself
explictly use the word "free" with regard to "reward travel."
So come on gang, let's do some research!!!
You'll notice (if you followed the links above) that both CIBC
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Earn even more Aeroplan Miles when you use your CIBC Aerogold VISA Card at participating partners. 1,400 Aerogold cardholders fly for free every day.</font>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">In 2001, more than 1.4 million round-trips were redeemed for free
travel on Air Canada and its worldwide Star Alliance partner airlines.</font>
travel on Air Canada and its worldwide Star Alliance partner airlines.</font>
So come on gang, let's do some research!!!
Jul 3, 2003, 2:10 pm
#10
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,014
What is free, anyway? Obviously only a matter of dropping an r and everything is right again.
Perhaps some heat needs to be applied! Anyone have specific, documented statements that can go to the press as a "refresher" for a story?
[This message has been edited by msn (edited 07-03-2003).]
Perhaps some heat needs to be applied! Anyone have specific, documented statements that can go to the press as a "refresher" for a story?
[This message has been edited by msn (edited 07-03-2003).]
Jul 3, 2003, 9:14 pm
#11
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: MEX/YVR/YYF
Programs: AS MVP/AC75K/AM Gold/UA*S/SPG-Marriott Lifetime Titanium/Accor-FPC Gold/HHDiamond/Hyatt Exp
Posts: 5,035
God, this post makes me laugh. I only wish that Ms Cooke would read it! I truly feel as though AC marketing staff think were idiots much of the time.
Jul 3, 2003, 9:30 pm
#12
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: 44*38.670N 63*37.548W
Programs: several
Posts: 1,870
Their website says "Free*" with an astrisk:
*Taxes, landing and departure fees, and other charges and surcharges may apply to Aeroplan reward travel. Aeroplan rules and regulations are subject to change without notice.
https://www.aeroplan.com/en/about/about_membership.jsp
[This message has been edited by jral (edited 07-03-2003).]
[This message has been edited by jral (edited 07-03-2003).]
*Taxes, landing and departure fees, and other charges and surcharges may apply to Aeroplan reward travel. Aeroplan rules and regulations are subject to change without notice.
https://www.aeroplan.com/en/about/about_membership.jsp
[This message has been edited by jral (edited 07-03-2003).]
[This message has been edited by jral (edited 07-03-2003).]
Jul 3, 2003, 9:43 pm
#13
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: SW BC Canada
Posts: 240
"We never actually have called it free travel. We've always called it reward travel. Even before, you had to pay various taxes," Ms. Meier said.
Many "Free's" from Aeroplan partners:
http://www2.cibc.com/english/persona...visa_main.html
http://www.visa.ca/smallbusiness/get_card.cfm
Many "Free's" from Aeroplan partners:
http://www2.cibc.com/english/persona...visa_main.html
http://www.visa.ca/smallbusiness/get_card.cfm
Jul 3, 2003, 9:57 pm
#14
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: MEX/YVR/YYF
Programs: AS MVP/AC75K/AM Gold/UA*S/SPG-Marriott Lifetime Titanium/Accor-FPC Gold/HHDiamond/Hyatt Exp
Posts: 5,035
Who is this Ms. Meier, anyways? By any chance is she related to the former Iraqi Information Minister? 
[This message has been edited by PointWeasel (edited 07-03-2003).]
[This message has been edited by PointWeasel (edited 07-03-2003).]
Jul 7, 2003, 1:26 pm
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 13,344
As Empress points out in the thread below on the Air Pass in Europe, AC (or is it AP?) mentions that an airpass cannot be used with a free ticket. Apparently this is on their website someplace, but I couldn't find it. So nice to see that they are consistent in their marketing efforts 
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum82/HTML/001603.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum82/HTML/001603.html