ride red

Call the minute they open.

canadiancow

You should be calling United or Air Canada (in that order). Aeroplan has nothing to do with this.

tr3k

Called UA, who told me to call AirCanada.
Called AC, who told me to call Aeroplan.

So unfortunately - that's already a no-go.

canadiancow

The UA agent may have been correct (though I'm surprised wouldn't help).
The AC agent was not correct.

tev9999

Date is Sunday 3/20. The FRA routing was bookable on 3/22 but I really don't want to burn two more vacation days. There is a late flight to Windsor (YQG) that would get me closer to home than DTW, but I don't think it is easy to get across the Detroit River with ground transportation these days, plus my car will likely be at DTW.

The only one stop connection points I see are YYZ, FRA, EWR and IAD. YYZ would be the best overnight spot - closest to home and I could finally get around to seeing the hockey hall of fame. I could also work remotely Monday and only be out of touch for an hour or so and wouldn't have to burn another vacation day.

For now I will wait it out and see what happens. Thanks again.

Cerberus

Experienced some of this yesterday when I got text/emails suddenly from AC saying that AC213 for Jan 15th was cancelled. I called up SE100k concierge who checked and surprisingly said -- no, it's still on. Yet on their website and of course my messages said differently. I hung out on the line as he ran around checking with others and all the way to the route manager. Apparently I got notification faster than some of their internal systems I guess. Long story short -- after 45m of running around on hold, he was able to confirm that the flight was cancelled and moved me quickly to AC209. Which in hindsight, gave me more of a layover in YVR than AC213, always better to have more time to go through US Customs and the COVID stuff nowadays anyhow. Just thought I'd provide this info if it'l help anyone.

aznfreak007

since you used united miles to pay, despite the ticket is re plated on AC, you should talk with UA. the contract of sale is between you and UA.

canadiancow

Yeah, various systems take a while. But it should be pretty obvious looking at your PNR that your flight has been cancelled, and they're not going to be able to rebook you on it. I don't know why this would take 45 minutes.

Retired FF

Booked a yow-lax in PE and had two choices one leaving yow at 5:45 am and the other around 1:00 pm, both for the same number of points. booked the 1:00 p.m. and received an email a few days later that our seats had been changed to economy. While they did not mention, I suspect due to an aircraft change. My wife had a hip surgery and I really wanted the PE so I called AC to get them to book us on the earlier flight but now that I no longer had a status with AE/AC, my calls never got answered. In the mean time, number of points required on the earlier flight were now 20K more than at the time I had booked. Not getting to AC on a call, I canceled my original booking and paid the extra 20K points to book in PE on the earlier flight hoping that when I get through to AC, they will acknowledge that they should have offered me a choice of flying earlier for the same number of points.
I wrote to Customer Service and they flatly refuse to compensate me for the extra 20K I paid and instead offered me a 3K goodwill points.
I don't fly AC much any more so NOT sure of what is right and wrong.
The 20K points are not as important to me as standing up for what my rights are in this case. Any advise from the FTers!! thanks.

canadiancow

My advice would have been talk to an agent, don't cancel your booking, and get them to rebook you.

Unfortunately, you cancelled it.

It was the wrong decision if you wanted this to be "easy".

I'm not sure you'll get anywhere now, and I'm honestly shocked they gave you anything.

My advice for future people in this situation: Force Aeroplan to rebook you.

Retired FF

I did try to talk to an agent but now that I am no longer an SE which I was for several years, the regular telephone line would not even put me on hold and just hung up saying to go to their web site. In the mean time, I was afraid that the earlier flight may get sold out so I canceled and booked the earlier flight. Immediately after I booked the number of points require went up by another 20K for the same flight so in one way, I was pleased that I did pull the trigger.
I thought that AC should have offered me the earlier flight in their notification as an option which they did not and I am trying to understand what their responsibility was in this case!!

Adam Smith

If you had spoken to an agent, they would have offered you the earlier flight, at no extra cost.

I know the hold times suck, and yes, this simple kind of change is something you should be able to do online, but ultimately you chose not to speak to someone.

I would take the 3K points that they've offered you, because they don't owe you anything.

Retired FF

thanks, it wasn't that I 'chose' not to speak, they system would cut me off and would not allow me to be put on hold and wait for an agent in which case I would have just put it on speaker phone and waited.
Thanks for your advise, I will accept it as it is too late now so a lesson learned for the future...

tr3k

Speaking to a UA agent now is an ordeal. And the "agents" are 3rd level outsourced cs who have very little ability to manage things. They have to call a "supervisor" for any meaningful action (and that "supervisor" has to call yet another level for anything non-trivial - most likely that level is what used to be CS agents way back then).

Adam Smith

i understand your perspective, but in these difficult times, an abnormal level of effort is required to get through AC, as with other airlines (I think I had to call AF over 100 times a while back). You made the (understandable) decision that you had more important things to do with your time than keep calling to get through to AC, but the 17K net loss of points is effectively the price you paid to get that time back.

The takeaway for next time is to come to FTbefore you do anything with your ticket