Downgraded from Premium Rouge
May 23, 2019, 11:24 am
#31
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 2,342
I was just looking at one of my reservations, and looks like I've also been hit by a change to a single cabin rouge A321 and a downgrade. Had a reward flight booked YUL-YYT that was originally an AC Express E175, moved to a rouge 319, and now moved to a single cabin rouge A321 and downgraded to economy. It's on a UA issued reward ticket, so unfortunately this may be a hassle to try to get resolved.
IME it shouldn't be. UA and AC share a very close relationship. For instance, last year I was originally flying SIN > LAX > SFO > YYZ on UA with SFO > YYZ being operated by AC. As we all know UA dropped SIN > LAX and when I called in, the agent didn't bat an eye to rebooking the SFO > YYZ on AC at a time that worked for me. Similarly I've had a CPU upgraded flight (ORD > YYZ) go into IRROPS and UA ended up rebooking me into J on AC at a time that worked for me.
My recommendation would be checking to see what's available now in that routing, then calling up UA and explain the situation. I would be shocked if they charged a change fee given it was AC that altered the ticket causing the issue in the first place. What might be an issue is whether AC will open up award availability to re-accomodate you another flight with J service if no such award availability exists. In that case, I would then three-way AC and UA and have them work together to get this sorted.
Safe Travels,
James
My recommendation would be checking to see what's available now in that routing, then calling up UA and explain the situation. I would be shocked if they charged a change fee given it was AC that altered the ticket causing the issue in the first place. What might be an issue is whether AC will open up award availability to re-accomodate you another flight with J service if no such award availability exists. In that case, I would then three-way AC and UA and have them work together to get this sorted.
Safe Travels,
James
How many times have you been able to get UA to get other operating carriers to open up award availability on the other carrier? The issue is that there's no J award availability on the route, UA doesn't operate the route, and my experience is that it's not exactly easy to get award availability opened up when the operating carrier and ticketing airline are different. There wouldn't be any change fee, as I'm a 1K on UA, but there needs to be award space bookable. The examples above are quite different, as your examples were rebooking revenue tickets for schedule changes or IRROPS, so I'm well aware of what UA can and will do in those scenarios. But if you've been able to get UA to convince AC to open up award space, I'd love to hear about it. But my experience is that it's not quite as simple as you may think.
James, do you really think this is a simple fix?
May 23, 2019, 11:44 am
#32
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,331
So after 1 hour and 10 mins on the phone with the UA 1K desk and AC, AC is unwilling and/or unable to do anything for a YUL-YYT segment that's downgraded from a Business Class reward booking to an economy only configuration, and the departure time has changed by 5 hours. There's no "I" reward space available that day, but I'd offered some other routing suggestions if AC could open up "I" class reward space. The AC agent was apparently helpful and tried to change the flight to another routing option with a J cabin, but the system wouldn't let her, and the AC Supervisors also weren't able to do anything. They basically said they don't have any way to be able to reaccomodate for a schedule change for award travel issued on anything other than 014 ticket stock, and are unwilling/unable to release I inventory. The UA agent was helpful, but pretty frustrated that AC wouldn't do anything to fix a major schedule change that they created.
James, do you really think this is a simple fix?
James, do you really think this is a simple fix?
It sounded like you were going through front-line channels, and I'm not sure they can handle this situation that way. I don't know exactly the process for this, but I could envision UA waitlisting you on the segments you want, and then having AC clear it. Just opening I space isn't very smart, because someone else could potentially grab it.
I did one time have AC RM open I space for me. But that was when IKK was broken, so I couldn't make a booking at all. Every other RM involvement (fewer than 5 times) has handled my specific PNR without opening space that anyone else could snatch.
May 23, 2019, 11:56 am
#33
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 2,342
It doesn't sound like they were unwilling. More like unable.
It sounded like you were going through front-line channels, and I'm not sure they can handle this situation that way. I don't know exactly the process for this, but I could envision UA waitlisting you on the segments you want, and then having AC clear it. Just opening I space isn't very smart, because someone else could potentially grab it.
I did one time have AC RM open I space for me. But that was when IKK was broken, so I couldn't make a booking at all. Every other RM involvement (fewer than 5 times) has handled my specific PNR without opening space that anyone else could snatch.
It sounded like you were going through front-line channels, and I'm not sure they can handle this situation that way. I don't know exactly the process for this, but I could envision UA waitlisting you on the segments you want, and then having AC clear it. Just opening I space isn't very smart, because someone else could potentially grab it.
I did one time have AC RM open I space for me. But that was when IKK was broken, so I couldn't make a booking at all. Every other RM involvement (fewer than 5 times) has handled my specific PNR without opening space that anyone else could snatch.
I know with similar schedule changed on Aeroplan issued 014 ticket stock, they seem to put the request into a ticketing queue if they can't resolve it on the spot, and it usually gets addressed shortly after the call. Frustrating that there doesn't seem to be a similar process or option for tickets issued by other airlines where AC makes a significant schedule change, and there's no reward availability.
May 24, 2019, 8:07 am
#34
Suspended
Join Date: May 2018
Location: ord
Programs: UA 1k SPG Platinum
Posts: 365
hehe the President of Rouge just got downgraded.
https://ca.travelpulse.com/news/peop...ir-canada.html
https://ca.travelpulse.com/news/peop...ir-canada.html
May 24, 2019, 11:05 am
#35
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Toronto, ON, CANADA
Programs: AC SE100K, Marriott Bonvoy LTE
Posts: 1,881
Yes, agreed, it was more likely a case of being unable, as they tried to make the change and couldn't, but also potentially unwilling to try other ways to resolve it. And yeah, I'd called the UA 1K desk, and they'd called their AC liasion in ticketing, who had involved at least one supervisor. They tried to change it, but weren't able to offer any solutions other than keeping an eye out for award availability.
I know with similar schedule changed on Aeroplan issued 014 ticket stock, they seem to put the request into a ticketing queue if they can't resolve it on the spot, and it usually gets addressed shortly after the call. Frustrating that there doesn't seem to be a similar process or option for tickets issued by other airlines where AC makes a significant schedule change, and there's no reward availability.
I know with similar schedule changed on Aeroplan issued 014 ticket stock, they seem to put the request into a ticketing queue if they can't resolve it on the spot, and it usually gets addressed shortly after the call. Frustrating that there doesn't seem to be a similar process or option for tickets issued by other airlines where AC makes a significant schedule change, and there's no reward availability.