Jan 1, 2020, 6:43 pm
Last edit by: yyznomad
Get more out of your eUpgrade Credits
Since Air Canada doesn't seem to provide these important links anymore, let us do it for them.
- Official eUp chart (as of Oct 2 2020)
- Upgrades can now be requested at anytime after booking (i.e. it can be requested prior to your clearance window).
North America / Sun
International
eUpgrade Clearance Windows
FAQ: How to Upgrade on Air Canada
Jan 11, 2009, 5:42 pm
#121
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC*SE 2MM
Posts: 16,842
Actually it is more than just a naming convention - "Executive Class" refers to the "domestic" product offered throughout North American and to points in Northern Central America (probably also applies to St John's - LHR). "Executive First" refers to the "International" business class with improved meals and wines (including real champagne in flight).
Jan 12, 2009, 1:53 am
#122
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: Alt E50K, Marriott (Gold)
Posts: 89
I am traveling to LA on Jan 20th from either
YUL - AC797
YYZ - AC 799 or AC 793
Can someone tell me if there are business class seats available for an upgrade cert? AC told me I would be waitlisted on AC 799 (preferred choice)
Thanks
YUL - AC797
YYZ - AC 799 or AC 793
Can someone tell me if there are business class seats available for an upgrade cert? AC told me I would be waitlisted on AC 799 (preferred choice)
Thanks
Jan 12, 2009, 9:26 am
#123
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: YQR
Programs: no status
Posts: 1,082
If you want to use a certificate you must request the upgrade from Air Canada. You can phone Air Canada reservations to request the upgrade (ignore the warning about a call center fee - it won't apply to upgrade requests).
If your booking class is Y, M, or U, you will be able to request your upgrade as soon as you make your booking. If you booked online you can request an upgrade online via Manage My Bookings. You will also need to be logged in so that the website knows you are a top tier member. You will also need to enter the certificate number if you make this request online. The numbers are all the same of all certificates. These are:
If you are SE or E wanting to use a SSWU on a lower fare class than Y, M, or U, you will have to wait until your upgrade window opens. SE can request the upgrade 7 days before the flight. E can make the request 4 days before.
How do you make the calculation? Suppose your flight leaves on August 11. Four days before is August 7. Seven days before is August 4. You can call at 12:00am. The relevant time zone is the one corresponding to the flight departure. So, if the flight leaves from YYZ, you can call at midnight YYZ-time.
If your booking class is Y, M, or U, you will be able to request your upgrade as soon as you make your booking. If you booked online you can request an upgrade online via Manage My Bookings. You will also need to be logged in so that the website knows you are a top tier member. You will also need to enter the certificate number if you make this request online. The numbers are all the same of all certificates. These are:
If you are SE or E wanting to use a SSWU on a lower fare class than Y, M, or U, you will have to wait until your upgrade window opens. SE can request the upgrade 7 days before the flight. E can make the request 4 days before.
How do you make the calculation? Suppose your flight leaves on August 11. Four days before is August 7. Seven days before is August 4. You can call at 12:00am. The relevant time zone is the one corresponding to the flight departure. So, if the flight leaves from YYZ, you can call at midnight YYZ-time.
Jan 12, 2009, 11:03 am
#124
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: YOW
Programs: AC E75K *G
Posts: 7,129
. You would do that only if you were concerned about being as high as possible on the waitlist.It could very well be the case that you can make these requests online, but
I've always phoned these ones in, since I've always used them on popular international routes and try to time it to get to an agent at 12:00am exactly. Mrs. Zorn continues to be baffled at my need to go to bed so late four days before trips, but she also continues to enjoy sitting in J, so we have a tacit agreement not to discuss the details my strange obsessions.
I've never left SSWU upgrade requests to the vagaries of AC/AP website functionality.
Jan 12, 2009, 11:36 am
#125
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: YYZ
Posts: 79
Jan 12, 2009, 11:42 am
#126
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: YQB
Programs: UA Gold - Hyatt Plat - Nexus
Posts: 400
In my experience, the availability has never kicked in online at 12:00am but rather some time after that (Pacific time rather than point of departure maybe?). So I have always ended up calling.
Jan 14, 2009, 8:39 am
#127
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: YYZ
Posts: 79
Taking advantage of SSWU and 35% off sale
I am flying YYZ-GRU at the end of this month. I have already rebooked this flight twice in the past 3 weeks (as more lucrative seat sales warranted) in Latitude fares to take advantage of using SWU's.
Now I find that we have a 35% off sale but the actual fare cost in Latitude has gone up. However, if I book a leisure fare (and go out a day early) I can pay about 25% of my latitude fare.
When I look at the SSWU they mention many places where I can use these certs but other than Venezuela, there is no mention of any places in South America let alone Sao Paolo. Can I use the SSWU for this flight?
I've checked with an online availability tool and right now it shows I6 for the outbound flight and I9 for the inbound. I'm wondering if it is worth it to try and book and get the upgrade on the 19th (I'm only Elite, this is the last day of the sale and coincidentally 4 days before my flight on the 23rd) and then cancel my Latitude booking once successful.
I'd then have to hope I can, a few days later, also get the upgrade on the inbound flight. Since both flights are overnight I'd really like to fly up front.
Now I find that we have a 35% off sale but the actual fare cost in Latitude has gone up. However, if I book a leisure fare (and go out a day early) I can pay about 25% of my latitude fare.
When I look at the SSWU they mention many places where I can use these certs but other than Venezuela, there is no mention of any places in South America let alone Sao Paolo. Can I use the SSWU for this flight?
I've checked with an online availability tool and right now it shows I6 for the outbound flight and I9 for the inbound. I'm wondering if it is worth it to try and book and get the upgrade on the 19th (I'm only Elite, this is the last day of the sale and coincidentally 4 days before my flight on the 23rd) and then cancel my Latitude booking once successful.
I'd then have to hope I can, a few days later, also get the upgrade on the inbound flight. Since both flights are overnight I'd really like to fly up front.
Jan 15, 2009, 7:44 pm
#128
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC*SE 2MM
Posts: 16,842
Jan 15, 2009, 7:49 pm
#129
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YYC
Posts: 23,953
But back to the topic, when asking for one way fares to GRU upgradeable with an SSWU on aircanada.com, the "Leisure" fares drop out. As if they were not upgradeable even with an SSWU.
For round-trip fares, they stay on.
Jan 21, 2009, 8:05 pm
#130
Join Date: May 2007
Location: YYZ, but my heart is in Asia
Programs: AC-SE, CX-DM, DL-G, Hyatt-DM, Hilton-DM, Fairmont-Plt, Marriott-S, Accor-Plt, SPG-G, IHG-Plt
Posts: 4,396
How many upgrades can I sponsor?
My wife and I have a YYZ-SFO flight booked in U class and we have confirmed I seats. Both of us are SEs. We would like to use two NAU, both under my name.
We have two friends traveling on the same flight as we, but not on the same PNR. They have no AP status. The question is, if they bought U fare and there are I seats, can I sponsor them to get the upgrades? I have 6 NAUs but my wife didn't pick her NAUs as her SE choice.
In this case, I would have to use 4 NAUs in my name to sponsor my wife (SE) and 2 friends (Basic members). Is it allowed? I know I can sponsor one person but don't know if I can sponsor 3. Of course I can sponsor one friend and my wife can sponsor the other but she only has SWUs and we don't want to burn 2 SWUs on a NA flight where we can use NAUs...
Any advice?
We have two friends traveling on the same flight as we, but not on the same PNR. They have no AP status. The question is, if they bought U fare and there are I seats, can I sponsor them to get the upgrades? I have 6 NAUs but my wife didn't pick her NAUs as her SE choice.
In this case, I would have to use 4 NAUs in my name to sponsor my wife (SE) and 2 friends (Basic members). Is it allowed? I know I can sponsor one person but don't know if I can sponsor 3. Of course I can sponsor one friend and my wife can sponsor the other but she only has SWUs and we don't want to burn 2 SWUs on a NA flight where we can use NAUs...
Any advice?
Jan 21, 2009, 11:48 pm
#131
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YYC
Posts: 23,953
My wife and I have a YYZ-SFO flight booked in U class and we have confirmed I seats. Both of us are SEs. We would like to use two NAU, both under my name.
We have two friends traveling on the same flight as we, but not on the same PNR. They have no AP status. The question is, if they bought U fare and there are I seats, can I sponsor them to get the upgrades? I have 6 NAUs but my wife didn't pick her NAUs as her SE choice.
In this case, I would have to use 4 NAUs in my name to sponsor my wife (SE) and 2 friends (Basic members). Is it allowed? I know I can sponsor one person but don't know if I can sponsor 3. Of course I can sponsor one friend and my wife can sponsor the other but she only has SWUs and we don't want to burn 2 SWUs on a NA flight where we can use NAUs...
We have two friends traveling on the same flight as we, but not on the same PNR. They have no AP status. The question is, if they bought U fare and there are I seats, can I sponsor them to get the upgrades? I have 6 NAUs but my wife didn't pick her NAUs as her SE choice.
In this case, I would have to use 4 NAUs in my name to sponsor my wife (SE) and 2 friends (Basic members). Is it allowed? I know I can sponsor one person but don't know if I can sponsor 3. Of course I can sponsor one friend and my wife can sponsor the other but she only has SWUs and we don't want to burn 2 SWUs on a NA flight where we can use NAUs...
Technically you can upgrade one companion and so can your wife. now, when at the gate, are they going to go and check if the certs match this, i.e. two from you and two from her?
My guess is, probably not. OTOH, if this is before February 28, they may not even bother asking for certs. Of my last three domestic/NA legs, when checking online, the "cert" mention did not show up on the BP, and no one asked for certs. Not that it mattered since I have more NA certs or SWUs than I can possibly use.
Actually trying to cancel and rebook traveling before Feb. 28 so that I'll lower the revenue I forward to Mapleflot, using SSWUs rather than SWUs. Not so easy if I insist in not losing all my confirmed upgrades.
Although I am very proud to say that yesterday I managed to cut $800 from my cash flow to AC.
Feb 3, 2009, 8:08 am
#132
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YEG
Programs: AC*E75
Posts: 885
If you are on a Tango Plus/Leisure fare, you can request an upgrade when your "window" opens - 7 days for SE, 4 days for E and 2 days for P. Note that this request can be both for yourself and for another person you might be upgrading even if they have lower status than you. gain depending on whether there is I space available, your upgrade either clears or you go on a waitlist. You need a SSWU to upgrade from Tango Plus/Leisure.
I am a lowly P and so I did not get the SSWU, the way I read the above (and other great information here) and I also confirmed by calling AC (prior to purchasing), was that on my flight YEG-LHR 2 days prior I could request the upgrade on a L fare. Since the flight looked fairly open in terms of I (it was I9, for other weeks on the same day). So I thought I would take a chance on aerolotto (the return is U and it is already upgraded) for this flight.
So did I totally misinterpret this and I am out of luck trying to upgrade a L fare using an SWU 2 days prior to departure or even at the gate? Or did I read right the first time? The flight departs in a few days (Feb 7) and is still showing I9.
Feb 3, 2009, 8:29 am
#133
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: YOW
Programs: AC E75K *G
Posts: 7,129
I am a lowly P and so I did not get the SSWU, the way I read the above (and other great information here) and I also confirmed by calling AC (prior to purchasing), was that on my flight YEG-LHR 2 days prior I could request the upgrade on a L fare. Since the flight looked fairly open in terms of I (it was I9, for other weeks on the same day). So I thought I would take a chance on aerolotto (the return is U and it is already upgraded) for this flight.
So did I totally misinterpret this and I am out of luck trying to upgrade a L fare using an SWU 2 days prior to departure or even at the gate? Or did I read right the first time? The flight departs in a few days (Feb 7) and is still showing I9.
So did I totally misinterpret this and I am out of luck trying to upgrade a L fare using an SWU 2 days prior to departure or even at the gate? Or did I read right the first time? The flight departs in a few days (Feb 7) and is still showing I9.
(if a kindly agent takes the cert and upgrades you anyway, that would be pure luck and outside the published rules.)
Feb 4, 2009, 11:21 am
#135
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: YHZ,SAN
Programs: AC*SE
Posts: 338
Forgive me if this is a newbie question (new *E trying to learn about upgrade availabilities) - but are there any 'free' online tools out there that DO show I-class availability for domestic and transborder routes?
Also - I've noticed that when using public backup, that while looking up simple domestic routes (ie. YHZ-YYZ) won't show me I-class availability, I can instead just type in any international routing that connects through the same city (ie. YHZ-HKG almost invarably goes YHZ-YYZ-HKG) and public backup will then show me all the domestic I-class availabilities for the YHZ-YYZ connecting flights. Am I missing something, or wouldn't this be a way around the domestic/transborder limitation for some if they have an international routing they can use to display a domestic route?
Also - I've noticed that when using public backup, that while looking up simple domestic routes (ie. YHZ-YYZ) won't show me I-class availability, I can instead just type in any international routing that connects through the same city (ie. YHZ-HKG almost invarably goes YHZ-YYZ-HKG) and public backup will then show me all the domestic I-class availabilities for the YHZ-YYZ connecting flights. Am I missing something, or wouldn't this be a way around the domestic/transborder limitation for some if they have an international routing they can use to display a domestic route?