Sometimes it all goes horribly wrong...
 

Had a confirmed I reservation for AC848 YYZ-LHR this evening and have fallen victim to the dreaded equipment change, bumping me back to economy.

I'm first on the waiting list, hoping for a no-show, but to make matters worse I didn't receive the SWUs I was expecting from a fellow FT'er, so have no certs to upgrade with anyway. I should add that the missing certs are through no fault of the other party in the transaction -- rather the idiots at Canada Post who apparently can't get something from Montreal to Toronto by registered mail within seven days.

Anyway, I guess sometimes these things just happen...

Sorry you didn't get your certs in time, but is that seven calendar days or seven business days?

Registered mail is slower than regular, always has been. Delivery standard for registered mail is 3 business days "within province" and 4 days "national". eXpresspost is usually a better bet.

=aw

From an A330 to A340?

You are able to track the whereabout of your registered mail at this site:

https://obc.canadapost.ca/emo/basicP...e=en&?sblid=dc

(or www.canadapost.ca and click Track A Package)

Seven calendar days, but the last time I did registered mail it arrived in one day, and my local post office staff have told me that it's actually almost always faster than regular mail.

I assumed it was from an A330 to a 767, but come to think of it I didn't actually ask the agent. I have alread tried the tracking site, but it simply shows that the item was received at the post office in Montreal last Saturday -- no further tracking information since then.

Sorry to hear but I think the letter has been stolen if the tracking system is showing no other information.

In the past 12 months, I have lost 2 registered letters. Very similar situation as yours: no further entry for other than confirmation of initial posting. Registered mail used to be a cheap and secured method of sending important stuff. Not any more. For real important items, I have switched to courier. When you return from your trip, you may go to this site to file a tracer/claim request:

https://obc.canadapost.ca/orc/claimsEntry.do

AC848 is operating with A340 equipment this eve. (Sept 16th) Acft 905

Thanks for this information. Oh well, I'm hoping since the flight is apparently oversold that I'll get an op-up...

Actually I guess it's not oversold after all...

[KVS Availability Tool - Apollo: ITN/CWT/US-NY]

I just looked at the seat maps (via Galileo) and it shows just 9 unallocated seats in the Y-cabin, so it may well be oversold. Good luck!

Never use Registered Mail for cert exchanges. Always opt for XpressPost if you want some form of registry and fast delivery, confirmation of transit/delivery. I have done dozens of these deliveries in both directions and find this is the best way to handle it with confidence. However, have also used regular mail when there's no rush and never lost an item. A recent swap with someone in Montreal started on Monday morning and the regular mail delivered the cert Wednesday morning in Toronto. Same speed with my envelope to him.

Did lose one XpressPost earlier this year when sent from a small private depot in Calgary. Canada Post did compensate the sender $100 or so, the basic claim level.

With the advent of XpressPost, I cannot even see why Canada Post even offers a Registered product any more.

Sorry to hear that things didn't work out RC.

Like SH said, use Xpresspost, but in the same breath, I must say... CPC moves millions of pieces of paper and packages a day -- it's a wonder that they don't lose MORE stuff! I just find their service slow.

Now a good postal system is like the UK -- next day delivery for 1st class mail and two day deliver for 2nd class mail.

Of course, the size of the UK is that of a pea... alright, alright, peanut...

Other than mechanicals etc. how do these downgrades happen? For instance if the 18:15 YYZ-LHR which is a 340 sells out J and the 20:15 330 is fairly open in J would AC switch the planes for that reason?

AFAIK thats what happened to me back in June from YYZ-LHR. The later A333 I booked on had >9J seats up to about 2 hours before departure but the slightly earlier 343 had none (might even have been oversold). So the planes were switched over - at least that was the most logical explanation for my bump.

Anyone know if the 343 gets a mini-J cabin back for the winter or is this an all year round difference in the number of J seats?

Do you mean the 333?

Of interest, this almost happened to me the night before on the same flight, which was also "downgraded" from a 333 to a 343. After we had boarded and were settled in, the GA tried to extract my wife who had "upgraded using a certificate".

I then engaged her in a lengthy discusison about loads, the # of people up front who were flying paid J vs. using a certificate or that were up front through other means, the fact that a SE and his companion should not be the first to be downgraded, the fact that there were I seats available for a week+ before the flight, why someone (or us) couldn't be moved to the 22:15 flight instead if J was now full, etc., etc., and btw, where were the concierge and the in-charge, please?

In the end, this all worked out and we stayed in our seats.

But it's a nasty thing to have happen at the last minute.

Simon

I would be very interested to know the policy, I for one will not book a flight on a 333 for this very reason, as a 333 downgraded to a 762 could mean up to 18 pax being downgraded, and as someone on a lower fare and lower status than many, I will probably be one of the first to go. I hope they at least give them an exit rows to whoever they can, that would be the least that they could do. But who gets priority in a downgrade between a P who confirmed the upgrade months ago, or an Elite who confirmed the upgrade 4 days ago? assuming both are on the same fare. Personally I think the priority order should go paid J, and then in order of the time the upgrade was confirmed. Afterall many buy an M fare because they want to make sure they get J. Buying an H fare is a gamble, even as an SE, you must admit there is some risk.