tomst

I am trying to book a one-way award consisting of two flight segments (operated by partner airlines), but the second flight doesn't have award availability yet. I booked a flexible (refundable) Aeroplan award ticket for the first flight segment. Adding the second flight shouldn't change the points required, though there could be a difference in taxes.

Should I:
1) Book the second flight as a separate award ticket immediately when it becomes available to reserve the seat, and call Aeroplan later to merge the tickets and get the excess points refunded, or,
2) Call Aeroplan right away to change my existing award ticket and add the second flight, and risk that availability disappears while I'm on hold?

Since flight awards can disappear quickly, my preference would be 1) so I can reserve the flight right away and call Aeroplan at a later point at my leisure to move the second segment to my first ticket and get my second one refunded.

Are they technically capable to merge and/or amend the tickets, even if the booked flights no longer show availability?

LondonElite

You cannot merge two bookings into one. They would stay as separate tickets. You could of course rebook as soon as availability on the second segment opens, but there is no guarantee of availability.

tomst

Thanks. Rebook as in option 2 I described above? I.e. I'd call them to add the second flight to my existing ticket. I'm assuming that would work as long as the second flight shows availability while the agent is rebooking, even if the flight on the ticket no longer shows availability?

LondonElite

When you cancel award ticket one, there is no guarantee that this will be rebookable by the agent when you call. And the agent can't merge two separate tickets into one.

tomst

I'm not intending to cancel the ticket. I'd just have the agent add a new segment to the existing ticket once I see there is availability for the second flight. Can they do that?

Adam Smith

Yes, they can do that. But your comment above that "[a]dding the second flight shouldn't change the points required, though there could be a difference in taxes" is not necessarily true. The price could change between now and when you add this other segment, and you may have to pay the difference.

If the second flight is within the same zone for pricing purposes and it's all on partner airlines, you should be good unless AC changes the award chart. Historically, they haven't done that often, but it's a new world, and who knows what they'll do.