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?
#46
Join Date: Aug 2014
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#47
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Definitely AC. They advertise priority security for the status pass, and your BP didn't show priority security,and therefore, you were not granted it.
#48
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#49
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Yup. Even called in to see if they could do it since the website would not allow it but no-go
Was able to redeem the status pass for another friend. Student going to Univ on the East Coast so primarily for the free bags. Will report on her experience at the end of the month.
Was able to redeem the status pass for another friend. Student going to Univ on the East Coast so primarily for the free bags. Will report on her experience at the end of the month.
Last edited by Adam Smith; Jul 26, 21 at 11:32 am Reason: Merge consecutive posts by same user
#50
Join Date: Mar 2016
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Posts: 1,252
Friends are flying YYZ - FRA - JNB. It's a Lufthansa booking, but the first flight, YYZ - FRA, is on an Air Canada aircraft.
It's my understanding that I can give them a status pass so they can get benefits at YYZ, including the MLL. My question is, would the status pass also entitle them to the MLL lounge in Frankfurt during their layover?
It's my understanding that I can give them a status pass so they can get benefits at YYZ, including the MLL. My question is, would the status pass also entitle them to the MLL lounge in Frankfurt during their layover?
#51
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So, just wondering: Has anyone been successful in applying a status pass to an Airmiles redemption booking?
I know it's possible to apply status passes to AE award bookings, but Airmiles bookings have traditionally been a PITA.
I know it's possible to apply status passes to AE award bookings, but Airmiles bookings have traditionally been a PITA.
#52
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To be clear, this was a roundtrip booked on the same PNR?
#53
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Anyone with recent failure stories?
I'm thinking of giving them to my parents for an int'l flight... and from above it looks like they can be used at an Int'l MLL?
I'm thinking of giving them to my parents for an int'l flight... and from above it looks like they can be used at an Int'l MLL?
#55
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#56
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Thanks, good to know.
For the friend that was able to use a status pass of yours, did they take advantage of every or most perks available to them?
I feel like it would be a waste if they used the status pass just for, say, a domestic MLL and that's it. Also, I'm sure a FOTSG might not even know where to go or what to do in certain situations with the status pass.
For the friend that was able to use a status pass of yours, did they take advantage of every or most perks available to them?
I feel like it would be a waste if they used the status pass just for, say, a domestic MLL and that's it. Also, I'm sure a FOTSG might not even know where to go or what to do in certain situations with the status pass.
#57
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I feel like FOTSGs should get a briefing before travelling with a status pass. I think I will require that anyone I give it to spend 5-10 minutes on the phone with me for me to explain their entitlements.
#58
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Would you also want them to maximize (like, a pinky swear) the use the requirements though?
#59
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Something like that. I'm sure there are many people to whom I could give a status pass, so I'd like to make sure that whoever gets it makes good use of it. I would hate to find out that one friend paid a bunch of baggage fees and sat in the terminal on a long layover while someone else to whom I gave a status pass only used it to get into the lounge for 5 minutes.
#60
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Something like that. I'm sure there are many people to whom I could give a status pass, so I'd like to make sure that whoever gets it makes good use of it. I would hate to find out that one friend paid a bunch of baggage fees and sat in the terminal on a long layover while someone else to whom I gave a status pass only used it to get into the lounge for 5 minutes.
