Airplane Thread

[v_tec]

Any idea why it's only until April 1st?

Apply by April 1st, 2014 and your welcome bonus can be eligible towards earning DistinctionTM‡ status in the Aeroplan Program

Any luck getting the 20~35% reward discount through Distinction?


I"ll probably start churning maybe next year

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by lowside67

I started collecting Aeroplan points about January 2013 have collected about 340,000 points in that time. That is broken down between: 81k in signup bonuses, 65k from flights, 110k in referrals, 84k in credit card spend.

Wow, that's pretty crazy!

Unfortunately I have no way of directing that much credit card spend onto my cards. Were those business expenses as well? I don't get to fly much nowadays either, it's all Prince George-YVR and back for me.

How did you get that many referrals? Self-referral plus family members?

Originally Posted by v_tec

Any idea why it's only until April 1st?
Any luck getting the 20~35% reward discount through Distinction?
I"ll probably start churning maybe next year

Probably due to the TD/CIBC Aeroplan transition. It's to entice people to sign up for the new TD AP cards, but applies to CIBC and Amex AP cards too. The Distinction reward discount is only for the market rewards flights, which kind of suck since they're about double the points of ClassicFlight rewards. On the other hand those flights are great if there's no ClassicFlight space, and don't have surcharges I think.

And, uh, want an Amex referral link?

[lowside67]

Originally Posted by v_tec

Any luck getting the 20~35% reward discount through Distinction?

This "benefit" they tout is 100% misleading.

You have two options to redeem Aeroplan points, you have ClassicFlight awards which are simply fixed mileage gets you from A to B subject to space availability. You also have MarketFares which are more expensive (by a lot - 2x typically) for flights with no availability and THESE are the flights that the 20-35% discount is applicable to. In most cases, you will still end up paying more points than just using ClassicFlight awards.

In all honesty, the ONLY benefit I receive as a dPlatinum member is simply that my calls go through to the call centre quickly as they prioritize platinum members to the front of the line. This is absolutely and truly the only benefit that is in any way usable.

Oh I see how it is... I post all the info, and you post the referral link......

Mark

[Teriyaki]

Let's keep the credit card point-gathering discussion in the credit card thread shall we? Lots of good information there already anyways.

Anyone fly United recently here? Wondering if they are enforcing the carry on sizers at YVR. Will be flying out in April with them and it'd be dog-gone annoying if my new "carry on size" luggage doesn't match their new requirements.

[lowside67]

Good point. There was a thread recently on Flyertalk, I dont have it handy, about them enforcing the carry on requirements, but you should be able to easily measure your new bag and see if it is in fact carry-on sized.

Carry-on Crackdown: United Enforces Bag Size Limit - ABC News

Passengers are typically allowed one carry-on bag to fit in the overhead bin, which can be no larger than 9 inches by 14 inches by 22 inches

[roastpuff]

New United Carry-On Sizer and Enforcement of Policy (eff. 1 March 2014) - FlyerTalk Forums

Here's the link from Flyertalk. Apparently the sizer has a bit of wiggle room in it, dimensions of sizer are as follows (from the thread wiki):

Published carry-on limit: 9"x14"x22"
Actual sizer dimensions: 10"x15"x23"

Published personal item limit: 9"x10"x17"
Actual sizer dimensions: 9"x11"x18"

[G]

Originally Posted by lowside67

I started collecting Aeroplan points about January 2013 have collected about 340,000 points in that time. That is broken down between: 81k in signup bonuses, 65k from flights, 110k in referrals, 84k in credit card spend.

[lowside67]

The itinerary I have posted above is 315,000 points... 210,000 for a first class ticket from YVR to BKK and 105,000 point for a business class ticket from IST to CPT.

For whatever it's worth, with my platinum AmEx I got 15,000 per person for referring them so that helped quite a bit, once I got my gold it only refers 10,000 per.

Also as to credit card spend... the platinum version has 1.25 points up to $25k and 1.5 points beyond it so it is not actually as hard as you would think to get to those kind of numbers. It is all personal but there were a few single large transactions that helped generate that. (Gotta love paying Paypal for something, off your Amex card!)

Mark

[CP.AR]

you guys are nuts... flying business and first everywhere... full fare...

[Hondaracer]

Originally Posted by lowside67

The itinerary I have posted above is 315,000 points... 210,000 for a first class ticket from YVR to BKK and 105,000 point for a business class ticket from IST to CPT.

For whatever it's worth, with my platinum AmEx I got 15,000 per person for referring them so that helped quite a bit, once I got my gold it only refers 10,000 per.

Also as to credit card spend... the platinum version has 1.25 points up to $25k and 1.5 points beyond it so it is not actually as hard as you would think to get to those kind of numbers. It is all personal but there were a few single large transactions that helped generate that. (Gotta love paying Paypal for something, off your Amex card!)

Mark

so with those points, is that taxes in?

[Hehe]

For people who wants to fly premium cabin for a relative low cost/hassle, open a few accounts with us airways... They run their 100% bonus miles promo so often that I don't see why would anyone travel in Econ.

I just bought 90k miles for around 1600usd tax in. Good for a round trip between na and Asia in J. Then I booked a ticket for my in law to a small city in china. The round trip Econ ticket would have cost me 1488usd. I'd gladly pay that 150 extra.

[no_mercy]

Originally Posted by Amuro Ray

Are all the seats on their own? One small thing I hate about business seats nowadays is that they concentrate so much on comfort they forget that sometimes people travel with say... a significant other...



not to mention faster cruise speeds
4 engines > 2 engines

haha remember the motto back then 4 engines 4 long haul from airbus or VS? I might've been Leahy who said that. Look at where we are at right now... A388 might be the last quad we'll see in a while. Darn...

Originally Posted by Lord Disick

Not too many Airliners are going for the 7478 to use on passenger routes because the 77X and A350 are the two airplanes most airliners are going to get for med-long haul looking a few years ahead. The 7478 has done well when it comes to cargo but passenger wise it hasn't and I don't know if Boeing was really intended it to be successful passenger jet.

I don't think Boeing or any aviation members thought the 748i would sell like hot cakes. From an development stand point, most of the cost was sunk into the freighter version so it made sense to spend a little more to develop a passenger version.

From a business standpoint, it offer an alternative to the A388 oppose to none.

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by Amuro Ray

you guys are nuts... flying business and first everywhere... full fare...

Screw that, who said we're flying full fare? Points ftw. Just because you have staff travel privileges...

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

so with those points, is that taxes in?

Probably not. A lot of the Star Alliance airlines charge fuel surcharge and taxes, but it's still worth it when you consider how much a first class ticket actually costs.

Originally Posted by Hehe

For people who wants to fly premium cabin for a relative low cost/hassle, open a few accounts with us airways... They run their 100% bonus miles promo so often that I don't see why would anyone travel in Econ.

I just bought 90k miles for around 1600usd tax in. Good for a round trip between na and Asia in J. Then I booked a ticket for my in law to a small city in china. The round trip Econ ticket would have cost me 1488usd. I'd gladly pay that 150 extra.

I like Lifemiles but I'm waiting for their bonus buy miles promo. Most underrated *A program right now.

[Slifer]

Quick question about Star Alliance.
I recently flew with EVA air and racked up 12k in points. Now, can the points be transferred to Air Canada's Aeroplan since they are also part of Star Alliance?
Its so confusing since every airline has their own mileage program.
Whats the deal?

[Hehe]

Originally Posted by Slifer

Quick question about Star Alliance.
I recently flew with EVA air and racked up 12k in points. Now, can the points be transferred to Air Canada's Aeroplan since they are also part of Star Alliance?
Its so confusing since every airline has their own mileage program.
Whats the deal?

No... you usually stick to whatever airline you fly most frequently. Alliance is just for redemption and collection. For redemption, it means that you can redeem EVA miles for Star Alliance rewards, which can be on AC, CA... etc

In collection, they would just usually also honor the membership from other airlines in the alliance. I.E.: I usually use United's mileage Plus. And I collect miles on all star alliance flights I fly (UA, AC, CA, LH... etc).

Recently though, many airlines have adjusted their policy so flights not operated by themselves tend to have many limitations. Sadly, I don't get much say in what airline to fly for work (they usually just book the cheapest J they have available)... so I'd stick with UA for now.

[lowside67]

Originally Posted by Slifer

Quick question about Star Alliance.
I recently flew with EVA air and racked up 12k in points. Now, can the points be transferred to Air Canada's Aeroplan since they are also part of Star Alliance?
Its so confusing since every airline has their own mileage program.
Whats the deal?

Basically it depends on what you mean by "racked up 12k points." Before you take a flight on a star alliance carrier, you have the option of entering any frequent flier program's member number you belong to. For example, last year I earned 17,000 air canada status miles on a series of flights operated 100% by united, by putting my air canada (aeroplan - they work cooperatively) member number in. Each carrier has specific rules about how many miles are credited from each partner - for example, at the time I flew, air canada credited all lufthansa economy flights to air Canada at 50% - ie fly 10,000 miles, get 5,000 points while united was 100% (this is no more). You do not need to fly air canada to get points for air canada/aeroplan. However if you flew with Eva and credited your miles somewhere else, you can not "switch" them to air Canada after the fact.

Last year I earned 6x,000 points from flying but only about 35,000 were on air canada, the rest were united. The trick is to put your aeroplan info on all star alliance flights. Do your homework in advance though, there are many carriers who do not give 100% in economy.

Mark
Posted via RS Mobile

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by Slifer

Quick question about Star Alliance.
I recently flew with EVA air and racked up 12k in points. Now, can the points be transferred to Air Canada's Aeroplan since they are also part of Star Alliance?
Its so confusing since every airline has their own mileage program.
Whats the deal?

No, miles cannot be transferred from program to program. It stays with whichever program you chose. However, you can choose different programs than the airline that you flew with. Each program has different redemption rates and rules, which can make it confusing.

The question is what you want to do with the miles - travel, gain status, etc.

Aegean is a favorite of a lot of Star Alliance flyers, because it takes very little mileage to get Star Alliance Gold status, which is good for accessing airline lounges, priority boarding, extra luggage allowance, priority check-in and so on. The status is also one of the longest lasting - 3 years vs. the usual 1 year for most airline programs. However, you can't really redeem the miles easily.

Originally Posted by Hehe

No... you usually stick to whatever airline you fly most frequently. Alliance is just for redemption and collection. For redemption, it means that you can redeem EVA miles for Star Alliance rewards, which can be on AC, CA... etc

In collection, they would just usually also honor the membership from other airlines in the alliance. I.E.: I usually use United's mileage Plus. And I collect miles on all star alliance flights I fly (UA, AC, CA, LH... etc).

Recently though, many airlines have adjusted their policy so flights not operated by themselves tend to have many limitations. Sadly, I don't get much say in what airline to fly for work (they usually just book the cheapest J they have available)... so I'd stick with UA for now.

UA recently had a big devaluation, so it's difficult to say whether or not it will be good to stick with UA or not... but we don't have many choices for *A in North America if you want to redeem miles. UA or AC.

[Harvey Specter]

If you want to get cheap J and F class fares to Asian than try the mom and pop travel agents. You'll get half the miles but you'll save quite a bit.


Btw, do you guys fellow any pilots on instagram? I'm following a few from Emirates and they post awesome pictures and videos from the flightdeck. I'll have to go through my list and post their usernames.

[CP.AR]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

Screw that, who said we're flying full fare? Points ftw. Just because you have staff travel privileges...


Probably not. A lot of the Star Alliance airlines charge fuel surcharge and taxes, but it's still worth it when you consider how much a first class ticket actually costs.

I like Lifemiles but I'm waiting for their bonus buy miles promo. Most underrated *A program right now.

who said I have staff travel

Originally Posted by Lord Disick

If you want to get cheap J and F class fares to Asian than try the mom and pop travel agents. You'll get half the miles but you'll save quite a bit.


Btw, do you guys fellow any pilots on instagram? I'm following a few from Emirates and they post awesome pictures and videos from the flightdeck. I'll have to go through my list and post their usernames.

I follow a few on twitter, damn it makes me jealous

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by Amuro Ray

who said I have staff travel



I follow a few on twitter, damn it makes me jealous

May be confusing you with another person... Weren't you Acura604 before changing your username?
Posted via RS Mobile

[CP.AR]

never changed my username...

[G]

I am noob flyertalk. Can someone explain all these J F Y stuff?

[lowside67]

No problem. F = first class, J = business class, Y = economy. They also have Y+ sometimes for premium economy, but it is more commonly referred to as PE. They come from the fare class of a highest price ticket in that class.

[G]

Thanks! Now I can actually read some of the comments on that forum lol.

Is anyone Elite 50k+? If so, have you received your lounge passes yet? Mine have not arrived...Should I contact AC?

[lowside67]

I am Elite 50k (pre-qualified in October), selected my benefits for 2014-2015 whenever they were first available, I think maybe January, and received my passes about 3-4 weeks afterwards.