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?
Dec 22, 22, 8:23 am
#346
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: 15,331
- Usual AC IT nonsense - try again later, or there's something wrong with this STPA or your account or this PNR or some combination thereof, who knows
- Does this person's first flight depart after 00:00 GMT? For example, a flight leaving YYZ at 20:00 local time on 31/12/22 would be 01:00 1/1/23 GMT, and given AC's love of GMT, the STPA might be set based on that rather than local time
- AC has changed the policy to only allow bookings completed within the calendar year
The way AC works, I suspect the last of these is the least likely.
Dec 22, 22, 8:48 am
#347
Join Date: Nov 2021
Programs: Aeroplan Super Elite
Posts: 81
A bunch of people confirmed last year that status passes worked just fine for bookings like this. Plausible explanations:
The way AC works, I suspect the last of these is the least likely.
- Usual AC IT nonsense - try again later, or there's something wrong with this STPA or your account or this PNR or some combination thereof, who knows
- Does this person's first flight depart after 00:00 GMT? For example, a flight leaving YYZ at 20:00 local time on 31/12/22 would be 01:00 1/1/23 GMT, and given AC's love of GMT, the STPA might be set based on that rather than local time
- AC has changed the policy to only allow bookings completed within the calendar year
The way AC works, I suspect the last of these is the least likely.
Dec 31, 22, 4:42 am
#348
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 805
A couple of interesting notes about status passes... Have one expiring today, so did some experimenting.
Tried to apply to an in-progress itinerary (outbound already flown, inbound in January). Received an error because some segments were upgraded to J (the outbound ones) and said to call in. Called in, agent was helpful and able to apply the status pass.
Also, 3:30am PT, no snowstorms, zero wait time on the phone.
Edit: Perhaps not - still does not show the SP as used in my account. Will check PNR in cowtool
Edit: Nothing shown in cowtool (I don't know where it shows up, but there is nothing different than a non SP PNR)
Tried to apply to an in-progress itinerary (outbound already flown, inbound in January). Received an error because some segments were upgraded to J (the outbound ones) and said to call in. Called in, agent was helpful and able to apply the status pass.
Also, 3:30am PT, no snowstorms, zero wait time on the phone.
Edit: Perhaps not - still does not show the SP as used in my account. Will check PNR in cowtool
Edit: Nothing shown in cowtool (I don't know where it shows up, but there is nothing different than a non SP PNR)
Last edited by vancouver25k; Dec 31, 22 at 12:07 pm
Dec 31, 22, 5:28 am
#349
Join Date: Jun 2010
Programs: AC SE 1MM
Posts: 324
Can confirm I used two of these for people this year whose return was well into January. No issues either using. One gave an error when applying but when I went to apply it again it gave me an error saying it was already applied. Pax had no issues and had BP indicating Status Pass.
Dec 31, 22, 2:35 pm
#350
Join Date: Aug 2022
Posts: 24
Sharing an interesting DP from yesterday. Flew yyz-fll with my wife - both upgraded to J 14 days in advance with R space as an SE. Our 35k daughter on the same flight but different PNR (flex reward) was number 3 on eUp waitlist using her credits after online check in.
For kicks, I decided to apply my status pass (expiring anyway) to her PNR & surprisingly that moved her to the top of the list in the app (and ultimately the only upgraded seat)! I thought status passes did not effect upgrade priority, but clearly did here. Regardless, a nice holiday present from AC with Apologies to the 2 people whose spot she jumped over.
For kicks, I decided to apply my status pass (expiring anyway) to her PNR & surprisingly that moved her to the top of the list in the app (and ultimately the only upgraded seat)! I thought status passes did not effect upgrade priority, but clearly did here. Regardless, a nice holiday present from AC with Apologies to the 2 people whose spot she jumped over.
Jan 12, 23, 8:39 pm
#351
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: YVR
Programs: AC75K
Posts: 22
I gave my dad (no status) a status pass and he flew on AC7 this week (Y standard fare). Economy was full with lengthy standby list, and he got op-up to PY. Maybe it was pure dumb luck but curious if the status pass might have moved him up on the op-up priority list.
Jan 26, 23, 2:17 pm
#352
Join Date: May 2018
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE100K, HH Diamond, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 18
Status pass expiry
Hello,
I have gifted a friend a status pass they fly to Sydney December 10 return Jan 1st. I know the pass expires at the end of the current benefit year. Do you think his family will sneak in before the system clock expires the pass? Sydney is GMT+11. Thanks
I have gifted a friend a status pass they fly to Sydney December 10 return Jan 1st. I know the pass expires at the end of the current benefit year. Do you think his family will sneak in before the system clock expires the pass? Sydney is GMT+11. Thanks
Jan 26, 23, 2:57 pm
#355
Join Date: May 2018
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE100K, HH Diamond, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 18
Jan 26, 23, 3:47 pm
#356
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: 15,331
Jan 27, 23, 5:09 pm
#358
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: 15,331
Jan 27, 23, 5:41 pm
#359
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE 100, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 82
Because on the status pass page there is no mention of MLL lounge access for 2023
Here is the webpage. https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...us-pass.html#/
Here is the webpage. https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...us-pass.html#/
Last edited by Adam Smith; Jan 27, 23 at 5:49 pm Reason: Merge consecutive posts by same user
Jan 27, 23, 5:47 pm
#360
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 805
Here is the webpage. https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...us-pass.html#/
