Medhatter

I would like some advice on a incident that just occurred. I booked on aircanada.com YYC to IAH return in flex, out bound was on AC metal through YYZ but return was on United codeshare AC 4958/ UA 2198. The first problem on the return was I had to spend 30 min explaining to 1 gate agent 2 supervisors and a manager on why I did not have to pay to check my bag. Even after I showed them my booking docs they still did not know what to do. The next is I just checked Aeroplan and I only was credited 50% miles but it was by United. I am very about this as I am booked again this weekend to MCO returning through DEN so I know it will be with United. Does AC not transmit the carriage conditions with the reservation or do they just reserve a seat?

rankourabu

They were correct to charge you for the bag without status.
Flex is purely an Air Canada term. It has no relevance on other airlines, just like other airline's labelling and terminology has no relevance when flying AC metal.
Mileage credit when flying other airlines is based on the fare class - not AC fare brands

Write in to Air Canada to get your mileage adjusted, and get your bag fee refunded due to their deceptive selling practices with codeshares.

Medhatter

If this was not a mistake I would not call it deceptive but fraud. If AC tells you you get 1 free bag it is up to them to make sure they purchase the proper fare not me.

RangerNS

Then take them to court. And when court asks you if you tried to fix the issue through customer service, then call customer service.

Or skip court, and call customer service first.

Depending on what customer services tells you, we may be able to help more.

rankourabu

Its not fraud, as they do advise when booking codeshares on a Flex fare that bag rules do not apply.
Its buried, you have to do a few clicks, scroll down a page or two, but its there

Deceptive, unfair, makes one angry, yes. Fraud, no. Their (sleazy) butts are covered.


As far as mileage earning, its also there, also buried, but makes it very clear, that Flex only applies to AC flights

• 100% Aeroplan points
• The equivalent in Status Qualifying Miles
• For all flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Express and Air Canada Rouge

jjclancy

True of aircanada.ca/.com, but not of other booking channels.
Most say Flex offers 1 checked bag (and Latitude 2) included in the fare, without warning about codeshare exceptions.

rankourabu

But then the customers problem is with the other booking channels. AC is absolved of any responsibility, whether that's right or wrong is a different debate.

Medhatter

Here is the section from the Booking PDF I was sent and the only section in the PDF that mentions baggage.

Booking referance

emcampbe

actually, apparently can be both.

I�m a MileagePlus guy, and looking at a primarily AC-based booking to Asia in summer (I don�t usually, but UA is stupid expensive). UA mileage on AC now earns based on fare class and AC fare brand, plus distance. See here - https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...ir-canada.html. So a T fare in flex earns differently than one in standard, for example. They even point out the fare codes to look for to tell what you should earn. Award miles are a percentage of distance, then PQP is award miles/5 (who said they make these programs easy?).

OP should be checking the award chart to determine what earnings should be, and wrote in from there if it is against published info.

rankourabu

The OP is crediting to Aeroplan. So it will credit based on the fare class since it was United metal.