RatherBeInYOW

I suspect they'll do whatever is cheaper, which will depend on the number they screwed up before they realized it ... but I suspect what is cheaper is sending an email saying "oops" and then mailing out new packages as applicable.

yvr76

If it's every person that was E75K from the previous year that might be excessive. Potentially for those who qualified for 50K they can just bump to 75K and keep the rest as is?

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billdokes

Define "cheaper"...I think there are 3 possibilities here...75k last year, dropped to 50k; 75k last year, dropped to 35k; 75k last year dropped to no-status.

What does it really 'cost" them to mint someone at 75k that should have really been at a lower tier? Is it really material given that the benefits between 50k + 75k are basically negligible, and for the 35k/no status, they are getting MLL access, which is pretty much a fixed cost. Pushes more e-Ups into the system but AC controls how many e-Ups they grant through inventory management so that's a wash for them. I guess there's the extra bonus AP points if that's chosen at a select benefit, but again, how much of a burden is that? Probably a few other benefits that I haven't called out, but how many have then a hard, quantifiable cost?

If it was my call I'd be inclined to do the right thing by the Customers affected which is let them keep the status I notified them that they had (many probably had no idea as not everyone is in tune with all of the AC minutia or how they are tracking towards their future status as us FT-ers), unless someone could show me that it was going to be a major financial hit that we could not absorb.

Interested to hear other opinions!

canadiancow

And *A lounge access, which has a cost to them.

And I have no idea how it works for checking bags on partners. Is that passed back to the airline providing status the way lounge access is?

They'll run the numbers and figure things out.

I agree 50K to 75K provides negligible benefits, but *S (or no status) to 75K could be a lot more substantial.

RatherBeInYOW

Everything has a hard quantifiable cost. The FF program benefits all have costs and they are amortized across all of us frequent fliers. Every 75K costs Air Canada $X and is and I am going to bet X is a lot less than mailing out some new kits.

Even 50K to 75K costs them another FF in a 35K nominee or free WiFi or more eUps, more Priority Rewards ... probably hundreds of dollars in additional benefits. I doubt it is even close.

Symmetre

Biggest cost would be in terms of goodwill to all 25k, 35k and 50k elites. Someone who actually did display loyalty to AC and fly their tail off to properly earn 75k would likely be extremely upset - and rightly so - to see another flier who should be at 35k or 50k get the same benefits. I know I would be.

billdokes

Actually, not everything has a hard, quantifiable cost as many costs within the Airline of FF program are fixed or managed. How many 75k's actually nominate a 35k and what is the cost of the 35k for the limited benefits that they get? Free WiFi...we are spitting distance apparently from free WiFi across the network, and again, how many people take that 'benefit' and how often do they use it, which would not be a cost, but lost potential revenue but only if the person would have bought wifi regardless. More eUps, again, that one is a managed cost...the system could be flooded tomorrow by a million eUps but AC meters how and when they can be redeemed through inventory management, and the 35k nominee, or even the 75k who should have been a lower tier, is still behind a ton of others to redeem.

Cow brings up some more tangible hard costs in terms of *G lounge access, baggage fees (a potential cost towards partners, but we're not sure) or lost revenue to AC on their metal...are there others?

canadiancow

I mean then you're getting back to all the promotions they ran. The only year I didn't qualify for SE was 2020, and that was because multiple flights I was booked on were outright cancelled and I had to book other airlines on other ticket stock, but I still took "the trips". I still qualified for 75K in 2020, but I maintained SE (without having to use a banked year). And then there were all the people who had their business travel curtailed, did not actually fly enough to earn the status their previous status from 2020 through 2022, but maintained it regardless.

I believe there's a whole thread about the many times AC gave free status to people, while others were still actively earning it, and the annoyance a lot of us felt.

So while I agree with you about being "extremely upset", AC has demonstrated on multiple occasions that they don't care.

Beyond lounge access I actually don't know.

Everything on AC metal probably has an accounting value, but the monetary cost of moving a "fake 75K" into an empty J seat rather than a "real 50K" is 0.

Preferred seat benefits could prevent someone else from paying (or take it away from a lower status pax who would get it free at check-in).

But it's much harder to measure anticipated loss of revenue than it is to look at the size of their bill from LH for Senator lounge access.

canopus27

I imagine the cost to AC would be very dependent on the number of people who were impacted.

I think we're speculating here that it's "only" people who were 75K in 2023, but then failed to re-qualify for 75K for 2024. My guess is that most people who were 75K this year, likely qualified for some status for 2024. As discussed above, the cost to AC to bump up someone who is already 50K (to 75K) is pretty negligible ... so the only category representing any sort of significant cost to AC is people who had 75K this year, and qualified for less than 50K for next year.

I have no idea how many people that is ... but my gut is "not that many in the big scheme of things"

Put all of that together, and I would not be surprised if AC just decided to gift it to them.

Note that the original option was written as
(bolding added by me)

Again, I think it's unlikely that was the original plan ... but I still think that might be where they end up landing.

flyingcrooked

I think the 50k to 75k jump is undervalued; the difference in PRs is huge. With worldwide Y and PY available at 50% off, it’s way cheaper for 75ks to fly overseas on points. Moreover they are more likely to be in J, because they will be upgrading from the PY cabin or because latitude redemptions are pretty cheap when they’re half-price and they’ll book flights with R space.

That said, people who don’t hit 75k organically are unlikely to get many PRs. Still, it could make a real difference if enough people are 75ks who wouldn’t otherwise be but for the error.

iwillflytheworld

This error is just unbelievable... I don't see how AC can backtrack now without creating a PR nightmare in the best case, lawsuits in the worst. Another non-insignificant difference between 50K and 75K is preferred seats worldwide at time of booking (restricted to Canada/continental US for 50K).

Meanwhile, no elite package for me yet (first time SE).

billdokes

I think that either a "PR nightmare" or "lawsuits" are highly unlikely...don't really see this is as press worthy (unless you consider FT to be part of the 'press') and what would the legal basis for a lawsuit be, 'extreme disappointment'?

It's a Customer Service issue fundamentally between AC and those customers, the rest of are just bystanders with lots of opinions and buckets full of popcorn, with many reveling in yet another AC screw-up.

gadflyboy

Sadly it's not unbelievable at all but rather is consistent with AC/AP's :
1. plain and obvious commitment to dilute elite member (particularly SE) benefits across the board - examples include lounge overcrowding, concierge wait times, dynamic pricing inflation etc ...and / or

2. Clear inability to execute most/ all aspects of the program - examples include pervasive sqd f ups, sqm delays and errors, timely benefit recognition , (waiting months for 2k and 4K gift cards) most useless app in the industry and so on ...

margarita girl

I have a friend who was a few SQDs short of requalifying for his E75, so he booked a last minute mileage run from YYZ-YUL for Dec 28. When he got his notification that he had requalified, he was mystified but cancelled his MR ticket. They should definitely honor the E75 status in his case.

yyz_consulted

I also cancelled my mileage run that would have gotten me to 50k... Interested to see how AC will approach this. I don't really care if I get 50k or 75k (*G), but would feel slighted if they did nothing. Especially after being passed up on inclusion in the 10k points maintain promo when I earned 40k in the promo period.