qu1mby

Hi! Flying YYC/LAX a lot over the next three months, so considering the 10-credit pass from AC. Two questions:

1. How likely is the complimentary upgrade to business class if I use the Latitude pass? Is there a cap?

2. Is the business class worth it? Works out to about $150 more per segment (if I get the upgrade every time). The plane is an Airbus A319-100 both ways.

Adam Smith

YYC-LAX is covered by the Southwestern pass, so I presume you mean the 6- or 8-credit passes?

The complimentary upgrade depends on there being space for sale in business class (even one seat, i.e. J1 availability, will do) at the time the upgrade is requested, which you can do within 48 hours of the flight. The likelihood of it is quite good, but it's never guaranteed. Do you have any status with AC? If so, what many of us will do is use our eUpgrade credits to upgrade in advance, then cancel and use the comp up if it's available.

It's a very personal question. I buy the Latitude pass because with eUpgrades, the ability to upgrade is pretty much guaranteed, so I don't pay the extra for the J pass. But if you don't have status and/or really hate flying in Y, maybe it's worth it. The J pass can also give you slightly more flexibility if you need to change/book at the last minute, since if the flight is J1 Y0, you can book using the J pass, but not the Latitude pass. But how often you'll be booking or changing at the last minute like that, I don't know.

flyquiet

If you have status, you receive the benefit you selected for "qualifying FP activities" with pass purchase, so buying more passes with fewer credits generates this activity more times.

qu1mby

Really appreciate the detailed response. Following up:

Looks like YYC-LAX is covered by the Western USA 10-credit pass. Have I read this wrong?

No status with AC unfortunately, so no eUpgrade credits to my name. Do you still rate the likelihood 'quite good' of a complimentary upgrade to J using the Latitude pass 48 hours in advance?

To clarify, the $150 more per segment is assuming I buy a Latitude pass (over a Flex pass) for which I would receive a complimentary upgrade to J every time. I won't be buying the J pass. Still recommend the Latitude over the Flex for likelihood of complimentary upgrade availability to J?

Adam Smith

You certainly can use the Western USA pass, but that works out to $537 per flight credit on the Latitude pass, whereas the Southwestern pass is about $373 per credit. In Flex, $374 vs $268.

If you need the additional destinations offered by the Western USA pass (IAH, DEN, SEA, PDX), maybe it's worth it, but if you're only using it to go LAX, you're spending more money for exactly the same thing if you buy the Western USA rather than Southwestern

Yes. I'd say you're probably >75% if you're diligent at requesting it at T-48 or close to it. Could even be 100%.

Sorry for misreading the initial post, I didn't really focus on the title and it wasn't clear in the body. I would personally spring for the Latitude pass because your odds of getting in to J are high, plus the Latitude pass is totally flexible in terms of changes, cancellations, etc. The 25% bonus AQM is nice too.

SparseFlyer

Flex FPs are for FOTSG.

Buy latitude.

qu1mby

You're awesome! I missed that. Thank you.

Does it matter that the southwestern one has the Air Canada Rouge logo on it?

YYC traveler

Care to expand on the reasoning?

Bohemian1

While I get the theoretical advantage (as well articulated by Adam Smith up-thread), I almost always have e-ups credits to burn and have been thus far been successful with all of my upgrade requests on any Flex FP.

So maybe it might be more accurate to say the Flex FPs are for FOTSGs and SEs with bountiful e-up credits.

Adam Smith

Nope. It's a relic of a brief period years ago when pretty much all service to that area was on rouge. You're not limited to rouge flights or anything like that. Some destinations are served entirely (LAS) or mostly (PHX) by rouge, but you can take mainline, rouge, Express, it doesn't matter. It just depends on what aircraft serves the route you want to book.

SparseFlyer

Haha,although mostly kidding, it has a lot to do with the flexibility that the pass offers.

Considering that, generally, FP users will tend to fly a lot, often last minute, or with changing plans, the Lat FP can come in super handy.

Then add things like super easy IROP rebookings by self serving. Or self protecting on multiple flights proactively. The fact that a J1 flight is more likely to be J1R0 than J0R1. Or that during IROPs or heavy loads flights may be Y3B1M0, or J1R0Y3B1M1. You can also pretty much book anything within 48h and get J if a flight is J1Y1. Easier SDCs, well, you can pretty much do your own SDCs to earlier OR later flights.

I'm aware that Flex FPs are more than fine. But the value proposition between Flex and Lat is really strong. Some of the benefits can be had on the Flex FP by just throwing money at the problem and still come out ahead, but many others you just cannot.

It's also mainly to annoy yyznomad

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YXUFlyboy

Keep in mind that due to the MAX grounding AC has suspended the evening flight and this route is only once daily. It used to be twice daily .... scheduled to resume in April but with grounding extending to the summer it might not. Unless that time works for you or you don’t mind having to connect via YVR, you might want to reconsider a pass. WS is 2x daily.

canadiancow

I switched from Flex to Lat after missing a few flights. SFO-YVR requested at T-14. SFO-YYZ requested at T-14.

I have never flown in Y on a Latitude FP credit (unless there was an all-Y connection like YCD). I know people without status who use the Latitude FP as well, and they don't sit in Y either.

It's not guaranteed J, but it's basically guaranteed J.

painintheuk

I am also considering an FP for travelling YYJ-YYZ to visit parents. I just had to book a last minute trip for a health issue, and I just managed to get a last minute J award ticket, but that might not always be so easy. I suspect that there will be some planned trips and unplanned trips over the next year. This seems like a good match for an FP.

I just got back to 50k and have 'lots' of e-ups. The last 3 years, I've qualified mostly due to 1 or 2 TA J/PE trips (e.g. last year TLV and VIE), where i don't use them, plus a lot of short haul BC in single cabin planes.

So what are the functional differences between Flex and Latitude passes, apart from the price? I do have a strong preference for getting upgraded! I do have enough e-ups for it, though. I think that upgrades from M (which the Flex FP books in to) are pretty cheap e-up wise. How often are these likely to clear for a 50k? How often will I not be able to get a flight on this route in a last minute situation?

Thanks

Dr. PITUK

Adam Smith

How flexible can you be in making your travel plans? Are you always going to want the direct? Or would you connect in YVR?

If you don't need to be on specific flights and are willing to connect in YVR, you should have a very high chance of getting upgraded on the Flex FP - just wait until your upgrade window opens before you book the flight, then book whatever you can upgrade.

If you near high certainty of J on the flights that you choose, especially the direct YYZ-YYJ, and/or are going to make/change travel plans at the last minute, the Latitude pass may be better. But it also depends on how you value J, because the Latitude pass is substantially more expensive.