Mar 012013
 

Decided to try something new, and asked one of my frequent-traveling friends, John Chamberlin, to write a guest blog on one of his recent flights. I thought it would be interesting to people to read, since I’ve yet to travel Air Canada outside North America, so I thought the perspective would be interesting. Feedback welcome…and hopefully more guest blogs soon!

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Greetings from the great white north of Ottawa, Canada readers!  Having been a friend Jason’s well over 10 years now, I owe my obsession and hoarding habits of airline miles all to him pretty much.  Most of my friends will joke that I’m the real life George Clooney from the movie “Up In The Air”.  When I fly or stay somewhere, if it doesn’t involve me earning miles or points, I just don’t do it!

I’m a Youngstown, Ohio native, and have worked in IP or telecom engineering now well over 15 years now.  In 2007, I was presented the opportunity to make a large career change and go to work for a telecom OEM in Ottawa, Ontario.  Six weeks later I was settled and starting my new life in Canada.  Since telecom is pretty “wrapped up” in most of the modern developed world, my company finds itself working in emerging markets and many developing nations.  Azerbaijan, Fiji, Nigeria, Ghana, Republic of Benin, Korea, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka just to name a few.  So I am not stranger to long haul routes to say the least.

Jason scolded me early on while flying Air Canada and BMI on a YOW-LHR-GYD routing to Baku, Azerbaijan- and not even fully aware of WHAT or WHO the Star Alliance was.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Since 2008, I have banked approximately 350,000 EQM and flown well over 750,000 in combined reward travel.  In 2008 I easily tiered into Star Gold status for 2009, as AC only required 35,000 EQM to make the alliance status back then.  In 2010 and 2011 I tiered in to Air Canada “Super Elite” status, which is their 100k program.  AC’s rewards programs are administered by a spin off company called Aeroplan.  Reward miles on AC are typically worth a tad more that of your standard UA or US levels.  Fares on AC are a bit higher in Canada given the industry structure, and I’ve commonly found that my miles are worth as much as $.06 each.  In 2011, I booked two business class tickets from YOW-YVR via YYZ for 100,000 Aeroplan miles- a website booking fare of $6300.00 that same day when I checked!  The taxes and fuel are the only gotcha in Aeroplan.  You have to pay them, unlike that of programs with UA or US.  On the other hand, they also allow regional reward fares.  I fly YOW-PIT via YYZ for 15,000 miles + $173.00 in taxes etc on a very regular basis.  That fare is typically $600.00+.  So it’s a bittersweet relationship.

Now onto the good stuff!  When Jason asked me to review and guest write for his quite well known blog, I was pretty stoked.  A good bit of him has rubbed off on me, and I take note of the smallest things anymore regarding air travel.  I fly the Air Canada metallic baby blue as my mainline carrier.  Air Canada has been voted the #1 Full Service North American Airline for 3 straight years including 2012 by the Sky Traxx reader survey.  I have to admit, Air Canada goes above and beyond the call of duty many days in handling passenger issues and giving a custom touch to their Super Elite fliers.  Even Jason has been witness and first hand helped by Super Elite representatives in a pinch!  They have a one of a kind top tier system, in that Super Elite members also have access to EVERY single open seat on an AC route.

Air Canada maintains a “Super Elite Concierge Desk”, both virtually via phone and in all their main Canadian/International points of presence.  These Super Elite representatives work in private unmarked offices and function to personally handle all their top tier customers.  When I arrive at YOW, I go directly downstairs outside of CATSA security to this unmarked office.  Inside the ladies or gents happily greet you by name (they DO remember you), print your boarding passes, tag any luggage and then walk it back upstairs to the belt, while you continue into priority screening.  It’s a service that I have come to respect and love so much, that the mere thought of losing it makes me wanna cry!  These folks accomplish miracles in a pinch and they have helped me SO many times in international connection situations.  Their admin levels to the AC reservation systems seem to be at “Super Concierge” levels.  Ok ok, bad joke.

Now- on to our flight!  Today, we’re on board:

Flight: AC839, FRA-YOW

Equip: B767-300

Tail: C-FMWU, Manufactured 1995

Nose: 633

Gate to Gate:  8hrs 15mins

Distance: 3916 miles

Seat: 01F

IMG_2369

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