Aug 12, 2020, 12:02 am
Last edit by: Adam Smith
You must call in for stopovers, multi-city, or complicated routings, until the new booking system launches in 2021.
I hope others will significantly improve this wiki!
There are four zones: North America (inc Central), South America, Atlantic (including India and Western Russia), Pacific (inc Eastern Russia) and the chart is based which one you start from and which one you end up in, there's ten of these.
Cost is based on distance, which zone pair your flight is in, which class you are flying in.
Partner airlines (again) are a better deal because while Air Canada will calculate cost on a wide ranges but partner airlines are fixed to the bottom of the range.
YQ is eliminated. There's a 39 CAD fee for booking a ticket which contains a flight on a partner airline. Aside from this, there's no incentive any more to book a return flight it seems and every incentive not to.
Note: The partner booking fee is refundable, so it's basically a YQ, rather than a booking fee.
Most flights are devalued. However, the elimination of YQ sweetens this significantly. Within North America, a lot of flights became cheaper, YVR-HNL very significantly. YVR-TYO is much cheaper while YVR-AKL is a little cheaper.
A vastly more powerful booking system is promised for 2021.
There are a lot of new tricks to be learned. https://princeoftravel.com/blog/new-aeroplan-flight-rewards/ is a good start.
Information that is harder to find:
I hope others will significantly improve this wiki!
There are four zones: North America (inc Central), South America, Atlantic (including India and Western Russia), Pacific (inc Eastern Russia) and the chart is based which one you start from and which one you end up in, there's ten of these.
Cost is based on distance, which zone pair your flight is in, which class you are flying in.
Partner airlines (again) are a better deal because while Air Canada will calculate cost on a wide ranges but partner airlines are fixed to the bottom of the range.
YQ is eliminated. There's a 39 CAD fee for booking a ticket which contains a flight on a partner airline. Aside from this, there's no incentive any more to book a return flight it seems and every incentive not to.
Note: The partner booking fee is refundable, so it's basically a YQ, rather than a booking fee.
Most flights are devalued. However, the elimination of YQ sweetens this significantly. Within North America, a lot of flights became cheaper, YVR-HNL very significantly. YVR-TYO is much cheaper while YVR-AKL is a little cheaper.
A vastly more powerful booking system is promised for 2021.
There are a lot of new tricks to be learned. https://princeoftravel.com/blog/new-aeroplan-flight-rewards/ is a good start.
Information that is harder to find:
- SE IKK redemption from the old program can be changed ("within reason") without repricing. Dates, routings, no problem. Origin/destination should be fine. But nothing that would have required a repricing under the old program. This is from Mark Nasr in https://www.facebook.com/pointsmiles...44878252851420
- The "Activity" page only shows you the most recent ~48 transactions. See this post for information on how to get older data.
- A partial refund may not be possible (e.g. if you book RT and outbound flight is cancelled by you or AC, to delete the first flight segment, you have to cancel the entire ticket and rebook the inbound at a potentially higher fare. It seems supervisor can grant exceptions.)
2020 Air Canada Aeroplan Program
Jan 1, 2021, 2:10 pm
#1186
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 524
Right. But it didn't used to have this tax when booking the same flight from NY to NRT last year. Do you know if this is a new surcharge levied by the US government or if it is just a new way for Air Canada to charge more fees?
Jan 1, 2021, 3:58 pm
#1187
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Posts: 5,075
The US CARES Act put the US Transportation tax and US Flight Segment Tax on tax holiday up to Dec 31, 2020. The holiday/exemption has now expired so is now levied by the US government.
However, award tickets are exempt from both of these taxes, however AC has a history of charging these taxes on award tickets anyways and has resumed doing so. See the previous discussion in this thread.
It's not clear whether these taxes are incorrectly charged and remitted by AC or just charged and pocketed.
Jan 1, 2021, 4:28 pm
#1188
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 524
Both.
The US CARES Act put the US Transportation tax and US Flight Segment Tax on tax holiday up to Dec 31, 2020. The holiday/exemption has now expired so is now levied by the US government.
However, award tickets are exempt from both of these taxes, however AC has a history of charging these taxes on award tickets anyways and has resumed doing so. See the previous discussion in this thread.
It's not clear whether these taxes are incorrectly charged and remitted by AC or just charged and pocketed.
The US CARES Act put the US Transportation tax and US Flight Segment Tax on tax holiday up to Dec 31, 2020. The holiday/exemption has now expired so is now levied by the US government.
However, award tickets are exempt from both of these taxes, however AC has a history of charging these taxes on award tickets anyways and has resumed doing so. See the previous discussion in this thread.
It's not clear whether these taxes are incorrectly charged and remitted by AC or just charged and pocketed.
Jan 1, 2021, 8:49 pm
#1189
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2009
Location: FRA / YEG
Programs: AC Super Elite, Radisson Platinum, Accor Platinum
Posts: 11,874
Just out of curiousity: Has anyone who had Aeroplan black/diamond status last year received 25K status for 2021 as promised?
Jan 2, 2021, 5:37 pm
#1190
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Canada
Posts: 129
It’s just starting to hit me how much more the itineraries I’m used to flying are gonna cost with the new program. 😂
Jan 2, 2021, 11:19 pm
#1191
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Calgary,AB
Programs: Aeroplan 25K , UA ,WJ, HA, AMEX AP Reserve
Posts: 1,289
Do you recall where the promo was listed? Prob on the old AP site which is gone now.....
Jan 3, 2021, 12:01 am
#1192
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,357
Jan 3, 2021, 12:57 am
#1193
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2009
Location: FRA / YEG
Programs: AC Super Elite, Radisson Platinum, Accor Platinum
Posts: 11,874
(I though this was also applied to AE black members, but I#m starting to think that's incorrect)
Jan 3, 2021, 12:15 pm
#1194
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: YLW
Programs: AC- SE100 1MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, National Executive, Nexus/GE
Posts: 4,319
Pre Nov 8th You could download your transactions from both Altitude and Aeroplan. Under the new system, I am trying to figure this out. Is this option not available yet?
Jan 3, 2021, 8:12 pm
#1195
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 42
Did anyone get their carryover SQM posted yet? (Either from threshold rewards or CC benefit)
Jan 3, 2021, 8:20 pm
#1196
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,357
Jan 3, 2021, 8:39 pm
#1198
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,357
Hypastyla's profile says SE, which is why I'm asking.
Jan 4, 2021, 4:15 am
#1199
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 42
I thought they continue to carry over, my mistake. But the CC, that’s the important one
Jan 9, 2021, 4:38 am
#1200
Join Date: Mar 2016
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 1,506
Has anyone booked points flights under the new program, then a) seen the points requirement decrease later on b) seen a mixed cabin open up to full business class?
I've booked several flights and have been keeping an eye on them for several weeks, but have not seen either of those changes. I'm just wondering whether it makes sense to continue tracking them from time to time.
I've booked several flights and have been keeping an eye on them for several weeks, but have not seen either of those changes. I'm just wondering whether it makes sense to continue tracking them from time to time.