YOWgary

From what you've told us, it sounds like you may have expected more than you should.

Under the Aeroplan rules in effect since November 2020, what you book is what you fly, unless you eUp or buy an upgrade.

So, if you're booked FCO-YUL- YYZ, with the first leg confirmed in business and the second in economy, that's what you'll fly, even if every business seat on YUL-YYZ is empty. Only under the pre-Nov-2020 rules would you have been waitlisted.

You mention having booked before dynamic pricing, I'm not sure what you meant by this? Or did all of this happen to you quite some time ago?

vinnmann

I guess I was thinking of pre 2020 rules even though I booked in 2021. Seeing the segment as "Business (X)" made me think of the old rules.

It also looks like I am out of luck for MLL in YUL.

Interestingly, when checking in, I was offered a paid upgrade. I tried to buy it 4 times and keep getting a payment error. Anyone have a tip for that?

stevendorechester

Keep contacting Air Canada. Under Canadian law an airline must rebook you in your ticketed cabin on their next available flight or on any airline if they can't get you out on in your ticketed cabin.

There might not be seats available but usually they open up. If there are J seats it is illegal for an airline not to book you into them if you originally had J seats.

Make sure you get a printout of the law ( CTA passenger bill of rights) bring it with you to the counter and insist they respect the law. Looks like there are flights available. The agents are well aware but sometimes don't care. This is the the CTA needs to start imposing massive fines against airlines as well as employees who refuse to obey the law.

canadiancow

Their ticketed cabin was Y.

stevendorechester

I was confused when the OP mentioned " business X".

vinnmann

There you go... Business X. Hence my confusion also. I thought I booked J but was seated in Y until a seat opened up in J. Note that after the schedule change, the YUL-MCO segment became listed as "Economy (X)" which further added to my confusion.

canadiancow

I don't know what you mean by "was seated in Y until a seat opened up in J".

You were booked in Y. The emails often show wrong cabin information, but that's completely separate from what you were actually booked in.

vinnmann

Pre 2020, if you booked a J award, but were in a mixed cabin situation, I thought they would seat you in J if there was a seat available at check in. Is that not how it used to work? I thought I booked a J award because it said Business on the email, but was seated in Y because there were no J seats available.

canadiancow

This is not 2020. There is no "J award". There are "J bounds". You have a J bound and a Y bound.

It's a completely different situation for so many reasons.

Adam Smith

Aren't there J segments? With a couple hours to connect, wouldn't this all have been one bound?

vinnmann

I agree it is different now, but can we agree that AC's poor IT should not have indicated Business on the confirmation if it was in Y? Even worse for AC is that they offered me a paid upgrade at check in which I tried to buy several times, but I keep getting "payment error". I tried with several cards with no luck. It's not the card since one I tried was successfully used before and after trying with AC. I guess they don't want my $$$ either.

rankourabu

Now its just Business (X)

canadiancow

Okay I'm going to apologize here. I've been super busy this weekend and clearly skimmed over the itinerary way too quickly.

This is a single J bound. But you booked business lowest. If you wanted J, you could have paid more for business flexible, which would have put you in J.

Because you chose to save points, you have no entitlement to J on the second segment.

It's a business "fare", booked in X class, which is economy. This is exactly what a full J SYD-YYJ would show for the YVR-YYJ segment. Though it would usually see "you will be seated in economy". (And your entitlement to J would be different).

The Aeroplan reward terms are very explicit that there is no airport standby for a higher cabin on mixed cabin redemptions.

vinnmann

Mr. Cow, thanks for your input. So there are different rules if it says "you will be seated in economy"? That is what it says later on down in my confirmation email.

Overall, it is my fault that I was thinking of the old rules. However, AC's poor IT reassured my thinking by indicating Business for both segments. Live and learn. Hopefully when I get to the airport AC will take my money and put me up front for the second segment since their website and app won't.

Update: At the airport, I asked to be seated in J for the second segment and if I needed to buy the upgrade. Agent indicated she could not sell me an upgrade, but they would move me to J when I get to YUL. I interpreted that to mean she did not want to deal with it so she will let the YUL staff tell me no. (haha) Surprisingly, my boarding pass for the YUL-MCO segment says Invitation Lounge/Salon so I am hoping I will at least get lounge access in YUL.

Adam Smith

Since this is actually a case of a mixed cabin reward booking rather than the originally purported downgrade, I'm going to merge it with the existing in-depth thread on mixed cabin bookings so that @vinnmann might potentially benefit from information posted here, while others in future may be able to learn something from this.

As has been stated above, and as you can see from the posts upthread, you're clearly not entitled to J. However, keep in mind that many AC staff have been off for significant periods of time, and that even those who have worked through the pandemic without interruption have had limited experience with some features of the new program, as well as the new airport computer system, which was implemented just as the pandemic was taking hold. This particular agent may simply have been confused and, like you, thinking about the old rules.

Not entirely surprising, given some of the experiences posted in the mixed cabin lounge access thread.