Question: award ticket availability during Covid days

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Aug 3, 2020, 2:30 pm

IBNR

Original Poster

Join Date: Jul 2010

Programs: AC E50K

Posts: 56

award ticket availability during Covid days

Background - need to fly back from Canada to China but could not find a ticket.

I am wondering if during COVID days(or at any time period deemed appropriate by themselves), can AC reduce(or not releasing at all) award tickets to Aeroplan members and/or partner airlines, or by Star Alliance agreement members need to maintain a min share of award tickets?

Thanks!

Aug 3, 2020, 3:02 pm

mahasamatman

A FlyerTalk Posting Legend

Join Date: Apr 2004

Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)

Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis

Posts: 52,140

Quote:

Originally Posted by IBNR

can AC reduce(or not releasing at all) award tickets to Aeroplan members and/or partner airlines, or by Star Alliance agreement members need to maintain a min share of award tickets?

There is no requirement for any airline to offer award seats on any flight.

Aug 3, 2020, 7:42 pm

expert7700

Join Date: Feb 2004

Location: USA

Programs: AC SE100K, F9 100k, NK Gold, UA *S, Hyatt Glob, Bonvoy Titanium

Posts: 5,195

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahasamatman

There is no requirement for any airline to offer award seats on any flight.

? hmm....

Aeroplan IKK award redemptions allow Air Canada Super Elite 100k members to redeem upto 10x per year at the standard mileage rates... all the way up to the last positive space economy seat (i.e. as long as flight is not already overbooked)

Also, Aeroplan contract with AC had required a certain % of seats overall available for award use. Granted, only the totals in aggregate had to work out..... so limited/no seats can be common on peak & holiday dates.... for which the answer above to use Super Elite IKK still applies.

Last edited by expert7700; Aug 3, 2020 at 10:27 pm

Aug 3, 2020, 11:08 pm

YYCCL3

Join Date: Aug 2014

Location: YYC

Posts: 2,074

I think because of the Chinese government restrictions on capacity to/from China there is simply not much available at this time.

There is tons of award availability within North America and to/from Europe.

Aug 4, 2020, 5:05 am

tecate55

Join Date: Apr 2016

Posts: 296

Quote:

Originally Posted by expert7700

Aeroplan contract with AC had required a certain % of seats overall available for award use.

With the merger, I always wondered if this was the first thing on the chopping block. I figured that was a good part of the value proposition for AC to buy AP 1.5 years before the deadline: AC could start selling seats that they were forced to set aside. And open up more seats on otherwise low-load routes.

Aug 4, 2020, 6:46 am

aznfreak007

Join Date: Jan 2008

Posts: 187

Quote:

Originally Posted by IBNR

AC only has one flight per week to china shanghai starting this friday with a tech stop at seoul probably for crew change so that the crew will probably stay at air-side for fast turn around.

with so much restrictions these days and limited supply, i guess that airlines prefer not to release reward space for these flights since they can make more by selling them for cash.