ALW

I noticed this week's 'domestic' specials on AA include Calgary-Dallas. I only recently subscribed (I think this my second edition) and thought perhaps they were staying out of Canada to give CP more revenue, even on the weekend specials.

Is this YYC-DFW a new thing? Or have they always offered a few transborder specials into Canada? Based in Ottawa I have relatively few opportunities to earn full points on weekend specials, compared to Toronto (Vancouver is pretty dry now that CP doesn't offer x-border specials), although my questions on that will make a separate thread on their own.

[sorry, I meant to ask: are those AA net fares upgradeable using my CP stickers from last year? this year? AA upgrades from my Limited Gold status? pay cash for stickers? just wondering.]

Thanks!

andrew


[This message has been edited by Andrew Webber (edited 04-26-2000).]

Shareholder

Never heard of any voluntary holdback on transborder operations by AA as a result of the changes. If anything, they have taken a more aggressive stance, increasing their flights/destination between Canada-U.S. as equipment permits. Thus weekend specials would not be unusual.

AA weekend web fares are upgradable according to my own experience on YYC-DFW route last year [with Cdn stickers], as well as from postings on AA forums. Not sure of upgrade fare policy for AA Gold, however, but Platinum and ExecPlat are from any fare.

Although AA should accept the old CP stickers, you'd better confirm this with all the changes going on. They may not be under obligation to accept them on the old terms, and have already adjusted this year's upgrades to reflect CP's new eligible fare categories. This is definitely the case for the new CP stickers, which would not be useable on a weekend special fare.

[And remember upgrades on AA are in 500-mile increments, with the NAmerican system-wide CP stickers valued at just 1,000-miles.]

Shareholder

Never heard of any voluntary holdback on transborder operations by AA as a result of the changes. If anything, they have taken a more aggressive stance, increasing their flights/destination between Canada-U.S. as equipment permits. Thus weekend specials would not be unusual.

AA weekend web fares are upgradable according to my own experience on YYC-DFW route last year [with Cdn stickers], as well as from postings on AA forums. Not sure of upgrade fare policy for AA Gold, however, but Platinum and ExecPlat are from any fare.

Although AA should accept the old CP stickers, you'd better confirm this with all the changes going on. They may not be under obligation to accept them on the old terms, and have already adjusted this year's upgrades to reflect CP's new eligible fare categories. This is definitely the case for the new CP stickers, which would not be useable on a weekend special fare.

[And remember upgrades on AA are in 500-mile increments, with the NAmerican system-wide CP stickers valued at just 1,000-miles.]

ALW

Thanks for the info. The only AA destinations out of Ottawa are Boston and Chicago, as far as I know, but it would be handy to use a weekend special to those places and use up some CP stickers. I'll be sure to check before assuming.

I phrased my "holding back" comment badly. I meant that AA had been holding back in some areas back when CP was struggling against AC (e.g. limited or no promotions to Canadians). I thought transborder web specials might have been something they didn't do when CP was their partner not AC's.

Thanks again!

andrew

transborder

I fly between LGA-YYZ on an almost weekly basis, primarily home during the weekends. I have been doing this for the last several years. AA has rarely had the weekend BreakAAway or other specials on this route. CP however, until the merger, had specials almost every week. As an AA FF I am having to get used to flying AC using their web specials.

ALW

Hopefully they'll start offering more transborder specials now that they're not sheltering CP (assuming they were). And with all the promotion they're doing, some extra-tasty transborder specials would be just the thing to make a bigger ripple in the Canadian market.

andrew

ffs852

AA is definitely going to lower their transborder fares, because CP is already codesharing with AC and the AA planes are horrible.

For example AA flys the bumpy Saab 340 prop planes from LGA to YUL, which takes 2-3 hours, compared to AC's Airbus/DC9 which takes 1 1/2 hour max. Customers would obviously prefer Jet aircraft over turboprop planes, especially when prices from AA, AC and CP are the same.

DrHowser

My understanding of using CP upgrages on AA flights is:

If it isn't a codeshare, then it falls under the oneWorld rules. Once oneWorld is finished (June 1st) then you are outta luck (that is, unless it has a CP number on the flight).

Shareholder

This is not at all clear, DrHowser, since AA has a separate agreement with CP that predates the oneworld agreement. That is why reciprocal mileage accumulation [and qualifying at that] will continue after June 1st and I don't believe it is restricted just to codeshares. Obviously, we need clarification but I have been unable to find it on AA or CP web sites, or mailings from either carrier. Changes on AA website re: upgrades only refers to newly-introduced fare class restrictions versus "all published fares" that applied to PLAT and EXECPLAT AA members [and CP GOLD AND PLATEXEC members] last year. Will post anything on this matter I discover in the coming days. Now back to work...

Ken hAAmer

Notwithstanding that I have been flying almost exclusively on AA metal and numbers of late, a quick walk through DFW last night showed a CP flight number on almost every gate, as well as the raw AA number.