I have 39 segments / but only 23297 status miles :S
I'm flying from New York -> Shanghai tomorrow (Oct 31st) which will bring me to Elite, but i doubt i'll get early recognition :(

Welcome to the Forum.. !

I have 122K on 34 segments.. (2 transpsacs + 1 RTW). Probably finish around 150K and 40 segments.

Yippeee.... made early status as Elite! 40k with 16 segments... including those long transpacific legs between YVR-HKG!

It does seem rather odd that it takes so long. Mine also says it was mailed on October 24. I'm hoping it arrives before my next flight on Nov. 6!

Ditto here!! Still haven't received it.

I'd call again and make the point that you want them posted so you receive early recognition. You should not be penalized for their inefficiency.

Just a note regarding this update at the begining:

NOTE: There is evidence as of Oct 2008 that the following paragraph no longer applies:
An important reminder for those who qualify for Elite from no prior status: You will get 2 System-Wide upgrade certificates (SWU) for having passed the 20k status miles threshold independently of the benefit package you select. These certs will arrive around the middle of the next calendar month after you qualify (at the same time everyone else gets their threshold certificates). Keep this in mind when you select which upgrade certificates you want in your package.


I just wanted to say that I passed the threshold and got my E in September, received my early E package about two weeks ago and today received two threshold SWU certs. Wasn't expecting them, but I suppose they might come in handy. So maybe it does still apply then?

Did I make it?
 

I had a big suprise logging into my aeroplan account today. Based on the first page of this thread I had written off getting early recognition as the trip that would put me over 35,000 was yesterday on Oct 30th.

Today I found that the flight had already posted and I am listed as elite on the mileage widget (39k on 22 segments).

I now have a tab for Air Canada Top Tier and a button to select privileges that expires by November 29th. I didn't, however, receive an email nor is there a message anywhere that indicates a package is being sent to me. Perhaps the site automation hasn't kicked in yet? Or should I rush to select privileges before it is taken away from me?

Now I need to figure out what privileges to take :)

Last year, I got the e-mail asking me to pick up a package a few days after I had picked one.

It's just that their computers are slow. Get used to it. :D

And you haven't passed 40K yet?

=aw

Got my SE package today in the mail. So it took them 7 days to arrive.

Got my E package today

I hurried home today in anticipation of getting my E package after reading omkhar got his. Found an envelope marked "Air Canada elite", tore it open, and found...

... two System-Wide Upgrade Certificates for passing the 20K threshold! :confused:

I guess this confirms CdnFlier's observation that you do still get the SWUs from the 20K threshold when going from no status to Elite status. I currently have just over 38K status miles, so it can't be from the 40K threshold. I got early recognition for elite on October 15.

So, I'm still waiting for my elite package. I'm really hoping that it'll arrive before my flight to HKG this Thursday.

Were you Prestige or Basic?

I was basic.

So they must hate me! Both my wife and I became E this year and we didn't get any 20K SWU. The first set of SWU we got was for the 40K. :mad::mad::mad:

I was Prestige and received my 20K SWUs earlier this year as expected.

Me too - or I only got the 20K and not the 40K; I don't believe there was any indication of which threshold it was for.

The elite package finally arrived today! So, that makes 11 days from the day it was sent out.

My wife finally passed the 35,000 threshold with a flight on Oct. 31, which didn't post til Nov. 3. I called Aeroplan to find out if she would get early status recognition, was passed to a rude supervisor who stated that if the flights had not posted by Oct. 31, it was past the cutoff and there was nothing that could be done, and nobody I can escalate to. I find it extremely strange that the inefficiency of their systems is my problem, not theirs...

3 days is the normal posting time. And the deadline was officialy "posted by Oct 15" (unofficially extended to Oct 31 to allow for slow posting).

BTW, I sympathize. I'm missing a segment because the very nice lounge agent who fixed an AC's-IT screwup, missed putting my Aeroplan number on one segment (I assume she was rebuilding it by hand, since it was only the one segment).

=aw

The cutoff date should be Oct 15, not Oct 31. Maybe they knew that their system is inefficient that they made Oct 31 the internal deadline to catch any inefficiencies? This is just my speculation, not an official answer.:eek:

It was announced at the beggining of the year that early recognition would run until october 15th. They processed it as a *courtesy* until october 31st. So technically, if she really wanted to make sure she qualified early she should of done the necessary flights by oct 15th.

Something I'm still not clear on and I hope someone can enlighten me:

I will hit 35k status miles in 2 weeks (mid November). I realize that this is past the early recognition cut-off.

My question: Does that mean that I get absolutely no Elite benefits until March 1? I realize that they won't send me the package and junk before March, but is it at all possible to take part in priority boarding or MLL access prior to March 1?

I think I know the answer, but I'd like someone to confirm that for me. Thanks very much.

See the last paragraph of the first post in this thread.

The official answer is that you will receive no Elite benefits until March 1, 2009.

People have reported in the past that the AP website will nevertheless think you are Elite not long after the 35k'th mile posts. (The website has different looks for Basic/P/E/SE), and people have reported that boarding passes reflect Elite status (especially if they book the flights after crossing 35k, or if they had the AP number removed and put back onto old bookings).

If that happens in your case, you could very well parlay that into using a few of the E benefits. But not officially.

Traditionally Elite status starts to show up online in January. Getting access to the benefits can be hit-or-miss since in some situations (e.g. priority boarding) the agent may not have time to look up your file. That said, status should show up on boarding passes though.

=aw

You will start getting the 50% Elite bonus on your flights on Jan 1 assuming that's one of the benefits you select.

Or at least I did when I moved from Elite to SE. But I had already selected the 50% bonus as one of my Elite benefits, so I started getting 100% bonus SE benefit on Jan 1. Not sure if it's different if you move from basic to Elite and had no previously selected benefits.

Ya me too! I was able to login to my AP account and it showed Elite and had a big link to choose my options. I choose my options and interestingly enough, I got the email a couple days later.

I checked my AP account and it mentioned that my package was mailed out on October 31, 2008. I was expecting it late last week. So hopefully, it should be in my mailbox this week. Cross my fingers.

Does anyone know where the packages are mailed out of? If it was mailed on the 31st, it's already been six business days (as of Monday).

I'm wondering if there are any FT'ers that have already received their packages after making the early status deadline?

Post-Early Recognition, Pre-Year End Status Change
 

Hi,

Finally, after 9 years of trying, I'm a "soon to be" SE for the first time!:D

I passed 100K status miles with 92 status legs on Nov 07.

Spoke to an Aeroplan agent today, and she informed me that my status would change with the next "snapshot" of my account which would be first week of December. My online status should change at that time.

I can wait. I've waited a long-time already ...:) This is still better than 01 Mar 09!

I thought others might find the "snapshot" method informative. I didn't see that mentioned in the thread.

Cheers,

niner

My benefit package arrived in the mail on Wednesday. I guess I was just a bit too anxious.

So when do we get to choose our package benefits for 2009?

See the paragraph with title Early Status "Lite" at the end of the first post of this thread.

After the website allows you to do so, which is usually before you get the email inviting you to do so :) and probably in mid-to-late-December.

Hmmm... So then I should get more certificates for some early January flights? (This is assuming I've used up all my certs from early status recognition) Would they be mailed out shortly thereafter?

Woo hoo! 100 posts on FT. Just 2,230 more to catch up to zorn and 1,582 for margarita girl... thanks to all FT'ers for thier feedback over the last couple of years.

I made Elite on 4th October, and was sent the email regarding privilege choices a few days later. I dutifully selected them and sent them off.
Received an email confirming choices on Oct 19th. My package was sent 24th October.

This morning I receive an email congratulating me on reaching elite status on Nov 23rd, and soon I'll be able to make my selections. :rolleyes:

Is this normal with AC?

I did the same. I made Elite status in late October and got all my benefits for the 2008 year and that expires February 29, 2008.

The email you received was for making Elite and the benefits you choose will be for January 1, 2009 to February 28, 2010.

Hi CP

Many thanks for the clarification

Early 2009 question
 

I am AC*E for 2008, but don't expect to have any more than 10k miles this year, which means I would become Basic in 2009. But I can see myself flying 35k+ miles in Jan+Feb 2009.
Would that mean I am an early qualifier for AC*E for 2009 and it goes through 2010 to Feb2011? If so (or if not), when would I expect to receive my AC*E package?

Welcome to Flyertalk!

Assuming qualification requirements stay the same next year, if you were to fly 35k+ in Jan/Feb of 2009, you would earn Elite status for 2009. Experience from this year indicates that it would be recognized at or just after March 1. You would be directed to select your package and it would arrive in a few days/weeks/whatever, and you'd get a 2009 Elite card that will be good until Feb 28, 2010.

In December, you will be notified (along with everyone else who earned Elite from 2009 flying) that you earned Elite for Mar 2010 to Mar 2011.

This is getting so far into the future that it is impossible to predict what will happen. Perhaps by then all airlines will be bankrupt and we are all living in caves. Or, perhaps we will all have flying cars by then and won't need airlines at all.

Early 2009 question
 

Approximately what date in the year does AC normally say what the status qualifying rules are for the year after?

Wrt the future of flying, I think it is more likely to depend on peak oil than the credit crisis. There is certainly scope for other uncertainties than these.

Thanks.

The qualification requirements for the subsequent benefit year is considered to be a part of the current benefit year.

So we will find out what the levels are when they announce the rest of the 2009 programme, which could be any day now.