do new AC flights periodically get released for award purchase?
Aug 31, 2019, 10:41 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edmonton, Canada
Posts: 89
do new AC flights periodically get released for award purchase?
I'm looking at booking a flight in February 2020 using my Aeroplan reward miles. YEG -> NYC -> MIA -> YEG. For the first two legs, the available flights aren't all that good--long layover and early-morning departure. If I were to wait a month or two, is there any chance additional reward flights might become available? Does that occasionally happen with Aeroplan? If the answer is "no", then I'll go ahead and book the flights now.
Aug 31, 2019, 10:52 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Halifax
Programs: AC SE100K, Marriott Lifetime Platinum Elite. NEXUS
Posts: 4,569
The answer is "maybe". In a few hours or days more space could open up. Or not. If it does open up, and you've already booked, you might be able to change with a tolerable change fee. Or not.
If the options today are tolerable: book it.
If the options today are tolerable: book it.
Aug 31, 2019, 11:06 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Edmonton, Canada
Posts: 89
Oh, OK, thanks...wasn't sure if they basically "locked in" award flights once they are announced, and that's it.
The itinerary right now actually looks doable now that I look at it again...the one thing that's killing me is that the return flight from MIA to YEG includes a 3-hour flight on rouge with its 29" pitch seats (I'm 6' 4"). I'm tempted to just book that flight separately on expedia or something
And unfortunately all the other possible departure points in the area (FLL, PBI) all use the same rouge flights out 
The itinerary right now actually looks doable now that I look at it again...the one thing that's killing me is that the return flight from MIA to YEG includes a 3-hour flight on rouge with its 29" pitch seats (I'm 6' 4"). I'm tempted to just book that flight separately on expedia or something
And unfortunately all the other possible departure points in the area (FLL, PBI) all use the same rouge flights out
Aug 31, 2019, 8:27 pm
#5
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: YEG
Posts: 3,925
Being ticketed in any segment in business will make the entire booking charged at business points. Aeroplan does not discount mixed cabin rewards; you’re charged the points in the highest cabin booked.
Aug 31, 2019, 9:43 pm
#6
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE100K, *G, Bonvoy Plat, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC, Avis PC, Enterprise Plat
Posts: 671
In this instance, if I did an open-jaw in economy that looked like this:
Option 1
Feb 3 - YEG - EWR
Feb 10 - EWR - MIA
Feb 17 - MIA - YEG
In Y, it would cost me 50,000 miles + $185.33.
If I did 2 separate bookings that looked like this:
Option 2
Booking 1
Feb 3 - YEG - EWR
Feb 17 - MIA - YEG
In J, it would cost me 67,250 miles + $114.87
Booking 2
Feb 10 - EWR - MIA (MIA-YYZ-YEG)
In Y, it would cost me 12,500 miles + $7.40
For an Option 2 total of 79,750 miles + $122.27. 29,250 miles more and $63.06 less than the first routing, with the return legs MIA-YYZ-YEG all in J.
All I was saying is that agents are sometimes helpful in being creative here, and it may not cost that many miles to do so.
Sep 1, 2019, 10:31 pm
#7
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,775
There are mixed cabin bookings all the time, but I realize that puts the reservation into Business. My point is that sometimes the redemption cost is reasonable.
[...]
All I was saying is that agents are sometimes helpful in being creative here, and it may not cost that many miles to do so.
[...]
All I was saying is that agents are sometimes helpful in being creative here, and it may not cost that many miles to do so.
If you're using an inflated Y price (either Y IKK or Market Fare) as the baseline for comparison, it might start to make sense, but I would doubt that's applicable to the OP's case.