Snow Goose

AC is now offering Executive Class versions of their standard North American and Rapidair/Commuter passes. Pricing for the long range products (e.g. Eastern, Cross-Canada, North American) is quite high, averaging more than twice the price of the latitude version of the same pass. The most expensive (i.e. North America) executive pass is $15k for 10 credits, which works out to $1500 per OW credit . That pricing certainly makes the identical Amex Aeroplan Platinum pass product (at $900 per OW) seem like a bargain.

Pricing for the Commuter and Rapidair options are more closely aligned with the Latitude option, as you would expect given the flight dynamics. The unlimited 3 and 6 month versions of the executive pass come with instant SE status as well as 20,000 status miles per month. For anyone who needs to commute between YYZ/YUL/YOW or YYC/YUL/YVR a couple of times per week, that option could be really attractive.

For example, purchasing the 6 month Executive version of the Western Commuter Pass ($3,390+ GST per month) could net:

* unlimited Executive Class travel between YYC, YVR, YEG and YYJ
* instant SE Status, including status miles and/or upgrade certs assuming you do not already have SE status
* 120,000 status miles (20,000 miles per month of pass ownership)
* additional status miles or SSWU depending on SE package choices (e.g. up to another 2,500 per month if you choose to credit status miles from flight pass activity or 2 additional SSWU per month if you choose to receive upgrade certs.
* promotional sign-up bonuses? Not sure if these apply to the unlimited version of the pass.

Total price over six months: $21k. Extending pass ownership to a full year and choosing mileage as the SE pass benefit would net a whopping 270,000 status miles independant of any other flight activity

Anyone care to guess how much longer the Latitude pass 24 hr complimentary upgrade benefit will persist now that a line of Executive pass product has been released?

SG

antirealist

I'm not sure why introducing J passes would cause AC to remove the Lat comp upgrades. But if the comp upgrades are abolished or become very much harder to obtain, there will be no real benefit to the Lat pass over T+. Unless they raise change fees to exorbitant levels, of course.

Also, AFAICT, the pass is "only" good for J. What happens if you need to take a flight which has seats available in the back but is J0? Or if your E90 flight is canceled and you get rebooked on a CRJ, which just happened to me last weekend?

UPDATE: I note that you can fly in Economy if J is not available. It's not clear if you still earn 150% status miles in this case.