vancouver25k

Apologies if this has been covered before - I did not find my answers in a search...

Searching YYC-DUB in J on google flights shows fares for April around 38xx. All options that price out to this range seem to have at least one leg not on AC metal (eg. YYC-YYZ-DUB(EI)-LHR-YYC).

Booking options are AC and Expedia. The AC link shows a summary but is "unable to process your request" after entering passengers. Searching on AC for the same itinerary is over $6700.
Expedia, on the other hand, lets me get as far as picking seats (on the AC segments) and the checkout page where I enter payment information. I'm hoping to answer my questions without clicking through with payment...

Would anyone know how this will earn SQM/SQD? Is it going to be a 014 ticket, and earn accordingly? Or any other sagely advice about booking flights through Expedia?


Calgary (YYC) to Dublin (DUB)
Fri, Apr 15
12:35 pm - 8:15 am +1 (12h 40m)
Arrives Sat, Apr 16
2h 44m stop in YYZ
Air Canada 140
Air Canada 800
Dublin (DUB) to Calgary (YYC)
Mon, Apr 25
9:45 am - 2:30 pm (11h 45m)
1h 30m stop in LHR
Air Canada 6906
Air Canada 851

Your price summary

• Traveller 1: AdultCA $3,863.04
  FlightCA $2,580.00
  Taxes & FeesCA $1,283.04

Total: CA $3,863.04

canadiancow

I can basically guarantee that will be 014, and I believe AC-marketed EI segments earn points (though not SQx), but the rest would earn everything.

My general advice, however, is "don't"

lcohen999

If you are booking in J, you should get the full allotment regardless where you book it

ACflyerDE

The EI segment booked as AC 6906 will earn according to the AC earning chart, which is 150% SQM in any revenue booking class in the J cabin. I personally never had any issues with Expedia but others can tell a lot of rather unpleasant stories, so YMMV.

You could also call AC and see if you get the same price as Expedia on the phone, it might be even a bit less since there won't be any booking fee.

canadiancow

The partners page is pretty clear that it earns Aeroplan points, and makes no mention of SQM (unlike every *A airline listed).

LondonElite

I know you are not directly asking this, but keep in mind that until the day of travel, you deal with whoever you booked through. So if any flights are cancelled, or the schedule changes, etc, you will be dealing with Expedia if that's where you bought the ticket. Without commenting on the quality of customer service at either company, it does add an additional entity to any problem resolution. An when you have a multi-leg journey, a change/cancellation of flights is not unheard of.

YVRtoYYZ

I am one of those who had a negative experience using Expedia. Now, I was far less travel savvy when this occurred, but I learned the benefits of booking directly with the airline and have continued that practice.

vancouver25k

Thank you ACflyerDE and canadiancow for making me notice that I didn't get credit for EI6909/6906 last year. Of course the automated system rejected my claim because the airline has no record of my ticket, so email sent to customer service...

Really? I would not have expected that!

That is, in fact, the sort of information I'm after.

That is my preference as well. But I need to at least consider the options with the nearly $3000 fare difference. I'm also particularly concerned about getting the SQD and 100% from the promo because if I took this trip, it would be my MR to get to SE this year.

ACflyerDE

You are right, the partner page does not explicitely mention SQM but just refers back to the Air Canada earning chart. Given that Aer Lingus is (different to *A carriers) not a partner airline on its own, you would think that the select flights you can book with AC flight numbers are treated as AC metal flights for SQM purposes.

canadiancow

No, you would expect it to not earn any SQx, just like every(?) other non-*A airline.

ACflyerDE

Other non-*A airlines like Oman Air show the airline logo and have a dedicated section outlining the earnings in the various booking classes and it explicitely states that you don't earn SQM on Oman Air. Aer Lingus has the AC maple leaf as the logo and refers to the AC earning sheet. Looks to me that AC flights operated by EI are being treated differently than other non-*A airlines, why would the website refer to the AC earning sheet?

canadiancow

Any question that starts with "why would the website..." could have a multitude of answers.

If it doesn't explicitly state "You can earn Aeroplan points and Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) based on the miles flown on most scheduled flights operated by [insert airline]", you should not expect to earn SQx.

ACflyerDE

Let's wait and see what vancouver 25k reports back once the EI/AC flights from 2021 have posted.

vancouver25k

Closing the loop on this...

I got a response back a couple of weeks ago but have been too busy to investigate.

I finally had time to go look at the booking. My booking was Standard L and Standard K for the two bounds. Buried in the fare rules was:

So I guess no miles for these segments!