Sep 15, 21, 4:27 pm
Last edit by: canopus27
A STATUS PASS DOES NOT CONFER YOUR STATUS TO THE RECIPIENT!
SO FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU ARE SUPER ELITE, YOUR BENEFICIARY DOES NOT GET OR HAVE SUPER ELITE PRIVILEGES! THEY DO NOT GET ANY KIND OF STAR ALLIANCE GOLD PRIVILEGES!
SEE WIKI BELOW!
What is a status pass?
A status pass (sometimes abbreviated as "STPA") grants passengers many of the benefits of elite status (detailed below). One status pass is applied to a booking and extends benefits to all passengers (up to 9), on all flights, on that booking.
The benefits of the STPA don't exactly correspond to any elite tier.
The status pass must be applied before travel commences. It cannot be applied after any flights have been taken. It is unclear whether there is a deadline to apply the pass. A pass can be removed from a booking up to 6 hours before travel commences.
What does a status pass get you?
What DOESN'T a status pass get you?
How does a status pass get added to a reservation?
The pass must be applied by the person with elite status (E50K, E75K, Super Elite). It can be done through the AC app or via the AC website.
In order to apply the pass, you will need the PNR (booking reference) and last name of any of the passengers on the PNR.
How do I know if the Status Pass actually was added? How can the PAX show to Airport staff that they have one?
The person granting the pass should see the pass applied in their Benefits section under Status Pass. Look at sent passes.
COWTOOL PNR lookup will indicate "A status pass has been applied" for reservations where it has been successfully applied.
The PAX should have "STPA" on their boarding pass.
Are status passes different depending on the status of the person giving the pass?
No. All status passes are the same. Whether the pass was given by an 50K or a Super Elite is irrelevant.
The AC website says "travel must occur within the current benefit year". What does that mean?
The recipient's trip must start before the end of the benefit year, which is also the calendar year, i.e. the first flight must be taken on or before December 31.
However, if there are additional flights on the PNR in the following year, the status pass will also be valid for those flights (not explained on the AC site, but verified in practice by FTers for bookings straddling 2021 and 2022).
Do they work for award and cash bookings?
They can be applied to both
SO FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU ARE SUPER ELITE, YOUR BENEFICIARY DOES NOT GET OR HAVE SUPER ELITE PRIVILEGES! THEY DO NOT GET ANY KIND OF STAR ALLIANCE GOLD PRIVILEGES!
SEE WIKI BELOW!
What is a status pass?
A status pass (sometimes abbreviated as "STPA") grants passengers many of the benefits of elite status (detailed below). One status pass is applied to a booking and extends benefits to all passengers (up to 9), on all flights, on that booking.
The benefits of the STPA don't exactly correspond to any elite tier.
The status pass must be applied before travel commences. It cannot be applied after any flights have been taken. It is unclear whether there is a deadline to apply the pass. A pass can be removed from a booking up to 6 hours before travel commences.
What does a status pass get you?
- Priority check-in
- Free checked bags (3 per passenger), with priority baggage handling
- Priority security
- Access to Maple Leaf Lounges ("MLL"), including international lounges, prior to your departing flight
- Priority boarding (Zone 2)
- Priority standby
What DOESN'T a status pass get you?
- Access to non-MLL AC lounges (i.e. Cafe and Signature Suites)
- Access to lounges not operated by AC
- Free seat selection
- MLL guesting privileges
- E50K status (some of the status pass benefits are similar, but are certainly not comprehensively equivalent to E50K)
- *G status
How does a status pass get added to a reservation?
The pass must be applied by the person with elite status (E50K, E75K, Super Elite). It can be done through the AC app or via the AC website.
In order to apply the pass, you will need the PNR (booking reference) and last name of any of the passengers on the PNR.
How do I know if the Status Pass actually was added? How can the PAX show to Airport staff that they have one?
The person granting the pass should see the pass applied in their Benefits section under Status Pass. Look at sent passes.
COWTOOL PNR lookup will indicate "A status pass has been applied" for reservations where it has been successfully applied.
The PAX should have "STPA" on their boarding pass.
Are status passes different depending on the status of the person giving the pass?
No. All status passes are the same. Whether the pass was given by an 50K or a Super Elite is irrelevant.
The AC website says "travel must occur within the current benefit year". What does that mean?
The recipient's trip must start before the end of the benefit year, which is also the calendar year, i.e. the first flight must be taken on or before December 31.
However, if there are additional flights on the PNR in the following year, the status pass will also be valid for those flights (not explained on the AC site, but verified in practice by FTers for bookings straddling 2021 and 2022).
Do they work for award and cash bookings?
They can be applied to both
Status Passes - what are they and how to use them?
Jul 2, 22, 11:39 pm
#301
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, DL PM, WS Silver, BA Bronze, Marriott Titanium, Hilton/Radisson Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 15,367
This was definitely deducted from my account, and they received the benefits, so it all worked out in the end.
Jul 4, 22, 2:26 pm
#302
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYC-PRG/VIE
Posts: 1,950
Jul 12, 22, 8:21 am
#304
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYC-PRG/VIE
Posts: 1,950
After calling in and being bounced around a few times between AC, ACV and AP, I was able to get one successfully applied to an Air Canada Vacations flight. The AC contact center has to do it, it can't be done from your account. The step by step instructions in what I presume was ACPedia were read out verbatim as the agent who ended up doing it had never done it before.
Jul 13, 22, 11:08 am
#305
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Titanium, IHG Diamond
Posts: 15,047
I would like to know if the status pass will work if I add it to a reservation that has a transit "layover" with the first leg the flight is operated by Air Canada and the other leg is operated by another Star Alliance carrier. For example:Flight from Montreal to Munich via Toronto (YUL - YYZ - MUC)YUL - YYZ operated by Air CanadaYYZ - MUC operated by Lufthansa Will the status pass applied to the booking? Getting the three complimentary bags and accessing the Mable Leaf Lounge at Toronto Airport?
I couldn't find any detailed terms and conditions on the Aeroplan website
I couldn't find any detailed terms and conditions on the Aeroplan website
Yeah. Thanks.
I wonder if they are able to get their outbound (LH) BP, printed up by AC when they checkin at YYC ... who knows, maybe the LH BP will have enough AC magic embedded in it.
I'm leaning towards trying it, and perhaps I'll tell them to make sure they have their original (YYC-FRA) AC BPs available too ... and if it doesn't work, then c'est la vie.
Will report back here once they've flown (in a couple of weeks) so that we can all learn.
I wonder if they are able to get their outbound (LH) BP, printed up by AC when they checkin at YYC ... who knows, maybe the LH BP will have enough AC magic embedded in it.
I'm leaning towards trying it, and perhaps I'll tell them to make sure they have their original (YYC-FRA) AC BPs available too ... and if it doesn't work, then c'est la vie.
Will report back here once they've flown (in a couple of weeks) so that we can all learn.
Brother is flying AC from YTS-YYZ and then UA from YYZ-IAD-DFW. I gifted him a status pass. (This is a UA reward ticket.) Will he have MLL access at YYZ?
Jul 13, 22, 11:52 am
#306
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, UA Gold, Bonvoy Tit LT Sil, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond, Accor Silver
Posts: 42,061
My guess would be no, but with an AC-printed BP, it's possible.
Aug 2, 22, 1:38 pm
#307
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Titanium, IHG Diamond
Posts: 15,047
I can finally answer this. My brother took Cdn Cow’s advice and got a printed BP at YTS. He scanned his BP at YYZ and was welcomed into the lounge. However, he feels confident that he would have got the same result by scanning the BP from his phone.
Aug 23, 22, 7:02 pm
#308
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: YXU, ON Canada
Programs: AC LT E50K; AC*MM; SPG LT Gold
Posts: 4,661
I may have missed this in the thread but it's time sensitive. I've given my wife a status pass for tomorrow, but now her connection time doesn't make it worthwhile for her to use the pass. I know I can cancel up to T-6, but how do I do that? The AC/AP website is not very helpful.
Aug 23, 22, 7:40 pm
#309
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SEMM / HH Diamond
Posts: 2,959
I may have missed this in the thread but it's time sensitive. I've given my wife a status pass for tomorrow, but now her connection time doesn't make it worthwhile for her to use the pass. I know I can cancel up to T-6, but how do I do that? The AC/AP website is not very helpful.
Aug 23, 22, 8:06 pm
#310
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: YXU, ON Canada
Programs: AC LT E50K; AC*MM; SPG LT Gold
Posts: 4,661
I've done that. I get to the page that says someone has a pass and states "Need to revoke this Status Pass? You can do so up to six hours before departure", but there's no way to go from there.
Sep 7, 22, 4:08 am
#311
Join Date: Jun 2010
Programs: AC SE 1MM
Posts: 324
Sep 7, 22, 10:58 am
#312
Join Date: Jun 2010
Programs: AC SE 1MM
Posts: 324
Did anyone else get any data points here? I'm sending family today on an International flight out of YYZ. They aren't savvy fliers and don't know whether to send them to the wavvy private area for 50K and above or the other priority area. I think YYZ is the only station that breaks out priority this way and the documentation on AirCanada.com is vauge.
Sep 7, 22, 12:36 pm
#313
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Ontario, Canada
Programs: AC*SE MM, Hilton Gold, Marriott Plat
Posts: 3,399
Nevermind, I didn't see the posting date.
Last edited by Tax Dude; Sep 7, 22 at 12:38 pm Reason: oops, missed the date!
Oct 5, 22, 10:25 am
#314
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 1
Would a Status Pass commute to a lower-tier AC Elite member a higher "ranking" when on an eUpgrades waitlist? I understand that the eUpgrade prioritization is determined by a mix of the fare class, OLCI time, holding credit card, as well as AC Elite status. I am wondering if a Status Pass influences the last variable. Thanks!
Oct 5, 22, 11:13 am
#315
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, UA Gold, Bonvoy Tit LT Sil, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond, Accor Silver
Posts: 42,061
I feel like we should replace the entire list under "What DOESN'T a status pass get you?" in the wiki with "Anything not mentioned above".
No.
Would a Status Pass commute to a lower-tier AC Elite member a higher "ranking" when on an eUpgrades waitlist? I understand that the eUpgrade prioritization is determined by a mix of the fare class, OLCI time, holding credit card, as well as AC Elite status. I am wondering if a Status Pass influences the last variable. Thanks!
