wannagoexplore

On my usual YQU (Grande Prairie) - YYC trip, I usually book this one-way ticket the day of travel as AC usually adds YVR as a possible cnx point via YEG on their web-site when inputting YQU-YYC into their web-site and, moreover, the price for this route is sometimes less than the direct YQU-YYC route. Given that I like to fly and collect miles/segments I enjoy taking YQU-YEG-YVR-YYC. With the NAU/SWU promo I used 1 certificate recently to upgrade my YEG-YVR and YVR-YYC segment. The certificate was handed to the YEG agent as there is no Executive Class from YQU. No problem using the one certificate for the YEG-YVR and YVR-YYC segments.

This past week I booked YQU-YEG-YVR-YYC as a one-way YQU-YYC ticket on the day of travel and upgraded my YEG-YVR and YVR-YYC flights right away with one NAU...I was confirmed in J. I gave the cetificate to the nice YEG gate agent for my YEG-YVR segment, but when I went to board my YVR-YYC segment a few hours later the Lead Gate Agent insisted I needed to give her another certificate. I patiently (with a friendly demeanor) tried to explain my routing and the T & C's of the certificate (which includes cnxs) and that I gave my certificate to the YEG agent. She didn't get it and was extremely rude, demanding that I must give her another certificate because my YVR-YYC segment was one-way, and therefore I needed to give her another certificate. I again tried to explain the T & C's of the certificate and said I did this the previous week with no problems. She was literally raising her voice to me in the gate area in front of many other waiting passengers, making me feel like I was trying to get into J for "free". I asked her to look at my booking in her computer, and then she said, and I quote, "I don't have time for this or you, just go ahead, but next time don't try to get into Executive Class without a certificate." I couldn't believe her attitude and I was shocked. I didn't want to hold up the people behind me (as I would have wanted to sorted this out with her) and I simply boarded the flight and took my seat in J. I regret not getting her name, but was extremely disturbed by how rudely I was treated, not to mention that she obviously didn't know the T & C's of the certificate, nor could have been bothered to look-up my itinerary on her computer.

I didn't want to make this a big deal, and hesitated to post this, but still after a few days could not believe how rude and loud she was, especially in front of other passengers. I have given AC lots of business this past 3 months (approx. $25,000).

Have any others experienced that the Gate Agents don't understand the T & C's of the certificates being used? Any thoughts.

j_the_p

Yes, I've had this issue before. YEG-YYC-YYZ. I gave the cert in YEG, then had the YYC agent ask me for a cert also. However, my dealings with the YYC agent weren't as bad as yours. I explained the situation, she then looked something up in the computer and then said it was okay.

The thing is, when you have a connecting flight and you give your cert at your departure point, they are supposed to record the fact that you gave your cert. Then at your connection point, they can easily see that your cert was pulled in the previous city and all is well. Lots of times they are busy and forget to do this. I ALWAYS remind them to record it. That's the best way. When you're in YEG, tell the agent to record your pulled cert because you have a connecting flight in the J cabin. That way, in YVR, they will not have any reason to question you.

global happy traveller

arent they supposed to write "Cert Pulled" and on occasion an inital on every boarding pass issued after they recieved your upgrade certificate???

sorry to hear OP had a bad experience like that.... definitely not cool. I would write a feedback to AC to let them know - try your best in giving them a phsyical description of the GA!

margarita girl

This has happened to me as well. Apparently, instead of just writing "cert lifted", the agent who collects the cert should remove the alert that signals to the next agent to ask for a cert. So make sure you ask them to remove the "cert alert" when you give your cert.

Now for my most "notable" experience. I was flying NRT-YVR-YYZ. They took my cert in NRT and made a note in my file. When I got to YVR, I went to the lounge and asked the concierge to verify that this did happen. She confirmed it and then stamped my BP with something like "Cert Collected". Yet, when I went to board, the YVR GA still insisted that I had to hand over another cert!!!! When she realized I was about to blow a gasket, she finally let me through.

Braindrain

Yeah, this problem has been talked about extensively and the AC people know about it.

Hey AC Lurkers - Can't you fix this issue that's been going on for years?

canolakid

The solution has been discovered by other airlines- use electronic certs!!! PLEASE... we are ready, oh so ready for this step.

Stranger

Please, as long as Lise is around, don't. Imagine the mess...

Sopwith

I have had the same problem once or twice. A couple of months ago I asked a GA to do this and got some attitude. You can't win.

canolakid

I have hopes, high hopes that the nation that brought the world the Blackberry can do it! But then I cheer for the Bombers as well...

zkzkz

This does nothing to fix the problem the user encountered. Surly and rude agents would just find something else to be surly and rude about.

Send email to [email protected] or use the web site to send feedback. They should be able to find out who worked the flight and maybe even who checked you in to your flight. In reality they probably already know who on that crew is a problem case.

They won't be able to do anything about it of course but at least they'll know there's still a problem and maybe sometime they'll have a convenient way to deal with it.

BlondeBomber

I haven't had attitude but have had same issue with routing YEG-YVR-YYC at the YVR station.

I always do two things--keep my boarding pass showing upgraded class from previous flight handy as well as make sure I write U/G cert lifted in Y## (or get them to write) on my ongoing boarding pass. Seldom get problems. Quite often, the agents will not write on the ongoing boarding pass but say they are going to fix it in the computer. I have had several occasions where it hasn't been fixed but having the previous Exec/Exec First boarding pass showing I had already been upgraded on the routing as well as my ongoing boarding pass with "U/G cert lifted in Y##" overcomes issues quickly.

I did have one agent who missed me and came on board to collect a certificate that didn't need to be collected. I still had my boarding passes and she accepted that with minimal harrumphing.

Jazzed91

When you cert is pulled in your first station (YEG in the OPs example), ask the gate agent to write "Cert Pulled in YEG" on the YVR-YYC boarding pass. If they refuse, let them know you've been burned in the past and this would help.

Every GA is human so they may forget to put the comment in the computer, but having something else on the boarding pass might prevent issues downline.

jbb

Yeah, last two times I've used SSWU's on two-segment flights I've gotten asked at the connecting airport for the cert. Both times the gate agent let me on through without a big deal. On the most recent flight from LHR-YYZ-YEG, the exchange at YYZ went something like this:

I give him my bp; 'Thank you sir,'; the gate agent notices the flashing light on his screen saying he should demand a cert; 'Oh wait a minute do you have your cert',; I reply: 'No, they took it off of me in London'; the GA looks perturbed and in an annoyed tone says: 'London... which one?'; I reply 'Heathrow' and he concludes by saying 'Oh, ok'.

There was a bit of a weird incident once on an ORD-YYZ-LHR flight I took in Tango Plus. I had called in for the upgrade within the 4-day Elite window and was told they could only confirm me on the ORD-YYZ portion and that the YYZ-LHR portion was in stand-by. At check-in at ORD, I was given my exec class seat. I asked if I had to hand in my SSWU seeing as I had not been confirmed on YYZ-LHR and that I would not want to use it up if I were only getting ORD-YYZ. She said no, I wouldn't have to give in my SSWU, but flipping through my cert booklet, the check-in agent took off an SWU and attached it to the BP. She said that the GA's will want to see some sort of certificate so just use that. I knew that this probably wasn't the proper protocol (as it was a tango plus fare so the SWU should have been useless) but I let it go seeing as the SWU was due to expire in a few weeks (it was Feb). Ultimately, there was no questioning by the GA in ORD and I got the upgrade for YYZ-LHR and handed in the SSWU at YYZ.

Minicooperman

My last few SSWU's were used SYD-YVR-YYZ-LHR and back. L fares ($1200 ret.) all cleared in advance. (a little while ago.... )

Always asked that my file was noted that the cert was collected previously.

Other than a big grumble by the concierge at LHR, everything always went smoothly. Just made sure that my stops were less then 24hrs.

I always thought that this was the best use of a cert, although I'm sure a few here did better.

MCM.

jbb

I too tend to save my SSWU's for intercontinental flights. In a month I plan on trying an SSWU on HNL-YVR-YYZ-LHR and will take your advice on asking the agent to put a note on at the origin.