RangerNS

AC says upgrades are possible, as in they advertise it as binary: will or won't happen.... And then has a bunch of well understood rules we spend a lot of time here debating and explaining.

But even more obvious than the totally hidden meal priority and upgrade priority are that people who can board early obviously have early access to finite carryon space. Sure, AC should set the carryon limit to what planes can hold, but they don't, and neither does any other (mainstream) airline.

wjw

I think you are missing the distinction between a published benefit and an informal courtesy to a valued customer. I mean, Air Canada are the ones mailing out luggage tags for elite customers. Since those tags offer absolutely no utility beyond identifying your bags as belonging to an elite member I can only surmise that this scenario is at least part of their purpose.

When it comes to the discretion of a Flight Attendant, I can only assume that all else being equal they would give a little more leeway (within reason) to baggage that is clearly labelled as belonging to a loyal and frequent customer.

I’ve always just assumed that was at least part of the reason for the existence of elite luggage tags.

bigev007

I thought the tags were just for us to show off how important we thought we were

jazzsax

It may or may not be the purpose, but a published benefit is not "priority overhead bin space".

You have the same size requirements as everyone else. If you want to be given leeway, perhaps I should have the same leeway on a full fare last minute economy flight, even though you paid for a cheaper flight and used e-upgrade credits?

What's the difference in value to AC for someone who flies twice a year in J but pays 10K each time (say to SYD or somewhere crazy) vs an SE who churns on segments? Significant. Far less work or handholding for the flyer who comes twice a year, but far more profit.

If it's not a published perk, you deserve no better treatment than anyone else. If it's published, you are 100% entitled to it.

RangerNS

Bags of low zone people board the same time the PAX and, presumably, get a slot on even RJs;

If FAs mess about with bags already in place that compromises any inherent value of boarding early.

Adam Smith

You're both wrong and seem to have misinterpreted my comment.

The upgrade list is not "upgrade priority". Upgrade priority is knowing who gets prioritized for upgrades - cabin, status, fare, etc. There's definitely a hierarchy. The upgrade list is of little to no use to me in determining what I should book in advance.

The upgrade list also seems to be frequently wrong.

My having priority over a 25K at the gate isn't published anywhere, but I know it exists and I rely on it.

I never said I want "more rights". My bag fits in the bin in the correct orientation, but it may not always fit easily in the sizer. I don't want to bring a massively oversized roll-aboard, I want GAs and FAs to not waste their time and mine hassling me about my bag.

And if I take advantage of my ability to board late, I don't want that to cost me overhead space for the bag.

I don't think either of those is at all unreasonable.

So I'm not entitled to higher priority for eUpgrades, higher priority for meal upgrades, higher priority at the call centre? You need to get away from this overly legalistic interpretation of what the program benefits are or should be.

WaytoomuchEurope

According to AC he is more important in every single aspect of travel. When he has a challenge booking, they answer his call sooner. When he gets to the airport he gets a special line where he gets to check more bags than the average bear. Then he goes through a faster line to beeline it to the lounge where he will wait until he is invited to board the plane first, unless of course he wants to keep drinking and then cut in front of you in the boarding process. When he gets on he can put his bags pretty well anywhere while he is greeted by the crew and others are reminded to put their bags under the seat or just ignored.

So in a word…yes.

canadiancow

Unless....

The advertised perk doesn't say anything like "you can board whenever you want, unless you care about bin space".

It says something like "you can board whenever you want".

yyztozag

No, SEs shouldn't expect to board last on a full A320 in Y, bring a 22" carry on and duffle bag, and have two bags gate checked to make space for theirs, but it's perfectly reasonable that FAs make reasonable arrangements to accommodate their most frequent flyers within the rules.

So yes, it is more important in the context of making additional accommodations, which I believe is exactly what Adam Smith meant. Like putting his regulation-sized bag in the coat closet when he's coming in late from a connecting flight, or even just coming from the lounge. Non-status pax shouldn't expect that treatment, while SEs can expect (but not count on) it.

RangerNS

It also doesn't say "the lounge runs out of good food 5 minutes after they serve it"; we are back to the purpose of this site: "how not to let perks slip through your fingers".

jazzsax

Again, go read earlier comments where there was discussion about bags being larger than the sizer and bins and causing issues.

if your bag isn't regulation, I don't care if you're an SE. You're simply an SE bending the rules and expecting grace because you're an SE.

Well give me grace then because I booked full fare economy and didn't use my e-upgrades or game the system....

Non regulation sized bags are not a perk of the program unless something has changed recently....

ffsim

On my most recent flights operated by an A220, the gate agents made multiple announcement about how the plane wouldn't be able to accommodate all the roll-boards (in addition to the more common pre-recorded message to that effect) and in some cases pleaded with passengers to volunteer to check their bags to avoid (further) delays. One GA actually dragged out the sizer, put it smack in the middle of the Z3-Z5 line, and started asking pax to stuff their bags in it.

YVR4Ever

This neatly illustrates the point that a few people have been trying to make. They didn't put the sizer in the middle of the Z2 or Z1 lines. My bag is just about exactly regulation size, but if I overpack it isn't, and in that case it will weigh more than regulation. I have never been asked by Air Canada to put it in a sizer or check it in dozens of flights, and I attribute that to status.

I wasn't aware that accommodating my late boarding was one of those unwritten rules. This will aid me immeasurably in making YBYL decisions in the future.

newfbc

I didn't this weight really matters with a carry-on...

AC states..

• Although no weight limit applies to carry-on baggage, your bag must be light enough that you can store it in the overhead bin unassisted.

Ron.

YVR4Ever

Oh. Interesting. I guess I've been burned by LH a few too many times and assumed they all worked like that.