Air Canada Unveils New Livery Inspired by Canada (CNW Group/Air Canada)
On a recent trip through Montreal, I finally had a chance to stop by Air Canada’s new International Lounge and was pleasantly surprised! AC has been aggressively pursuing premium long-haul passengers and this is one step in that strategy.
The Good News
It’s a beautiful lounge; large, airy and well-appointed with a catering section on par with any North American lounge aside from the Centurions.
Air Canada is notorious for leaving out nothing much more than a few urns of soup complete with heart-shattering salt content, a bit of bread, a parsley salad, and a cookie jar, so it was a real surprise to see a chef preparing fresh pasta to order with shrimp and chillies. There was even a properly-stocked buffet of appetizing food.
The lounge offers both a self-serve bar for those seeking just a bit of beer, wine or soft drink, as well as a large, fully-stocked bar that was turning out what looked to be properly-constructed cocktails.
Air Canada has done a decent job of raising their beverage game, adding premium-but-inexpensive brands like Bulleit Bourbon and the occasional craft beer. Hopefully, this will continue and maybe, just maybe, we’ll see local Canadian microbrews in each city!
The Bad News
As with the previous International Lounge, the access policy for this lounge is a bit convoluted; only business-class passengers and those with Star Alliance Gold status or higher, with a same-day departure on a Star Alliance partner airline, where the departing gate number is 50 or higher.
This is a bit clumsy on Air Canada’s part. All flights outside Canada, including those to the USA, depart from 50 or higher, so this restriction is essentially meant to exclude domestic passengers who are relegated to Air Canada’s tiny, worn-down, ill-equipped Domestic lounge at the far end of the airport.
…except that several domestic Air Canada flights depart from Gates 50 and higher, specifically those operated by aircraft that have recently arrived from overseas.
I wouldn’t normally devote this much of a review to access rules, but this is just plain weird.
Hopefully, Air Canada will give the Domestic Lounge its sorely-needed overhaul so all of these rules won’t matter, but I’m not holding my breath.
On a recent working trip to both South Africa and Australia, I had the opportunity to fly Qantas for the first and most likely last time on the iconic 747-400. This trip took me on one of the southern-most routes in the world, crossing the Indian Ocean while skirting the coast of Antarctica.
Qantas use one of their oldest aircraft on this route and since there’s basically nowhere to divert in case of a mid-flight emergency, ETOPS rules require a four-engine aircraft. As this route doesn’t do enough business to warrant one of Qantas’ shiny Airbus 380s, I was off for one last run aboard the Queen of the Skies!
As I’ve divided my loyalties between Air Canada / Star Alliance and Delta / SkyTeam, there was to be no lounge access for me as we awaited our flight in Johannesburg. It’s a nice enough terminal, with a decent set of shops and restaurants so it wasn’t too bad.
After we cleared the security and emigration checkpoints, I bought a large bottle of water to keep myself hydrated on the flight but I was frustrated to get to the gate only to discover that we needed to re-clear security, meaning all our liquids confiscated – even those I’d just bought it at the shop a hundred yards away!
It’s a beautiful plane, I only wish I’d gotten a decent photo of it!
The seat was quite comfortable, pretty stock-standard Premium Economy stuff that’s certainly as comfortable as any armchair-style Business Class seat I’ve flown on a narrow-body airliner from Air Canada, Delta, American or United. It reclines quite far, as you’ll see below, which does make for a bit of awkward contortion if one wants to get up mid-flight, but together with a sturdy recliner-style footrest that props up in front, most of the cabin slept throughout the flight.
Provided at every seat were a set of (mostly) noise-cancelling headphones, a proper-sized pillow, and a blanket that managed to be both lightweight and warm. A small amenity kit contains the usual thin socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, foam earplugs and an eye mask that blocks no light whatsoever!
I expected a less-comfortable seat from one of Qantas’ oldest aircraft, but the seat has solid lumbar support and a foldable headrest that slides up and stays where you set it, which is always a plus for a tall guy!
I prefer the in-flight TV screen to be in the back of the seat in front of me, rather than folding up out of the armrest as is the case for every seat in the Premium Economy cabin on this flight. Given the deep recline of the seats it means you’ve got to completely put away your screen if your seatmate wants to get up for any reason, which is annoying.
The dinner service looked quite nice, but as we’d just had a large team dinner in the airport before departure, I settled for a light meal consisting of two or three glasses of excellent Australian red wine! On the downside, this failed to have the desired effect and I stayed awake throughout the 12-hour red-eye flight. On the plus side, I ended up chatting with the flight attendants for over an hour after the meal service and they were nice enough to gift me with a set of Qantas-branded business-class pyjamas “to help me sleep once we arrived”. A wonderful gesture and as it turns out, the most comfortable flight pyjamas I’ve ever had!
The flight attendants were truly attentive and friendly throughout the flight, topping me off with caffeinated drinks once I’d abandoned all hope of sleep. As it’s only Premium Economy, we were limited to the galley snack basket though I was offered a packet of potato chips somewhere in the deep hours of the night.
Unfortunately, it was dark until the last hour or so of the flight, as I had really hoped to catch a glimpse of Antarctica. Qantas’ Johannesburg-Sydney route is one of only a handful of commercial routes that take passengers within sight of the frozen continent and as the purser cheerfully explained at the midway point across the Indian Ocean, the two hundred or so of us aboard the flight were almost as far away from the next-nearest group of humans as it is possible to be without leaving Planet Earth!
Breakfast came round as we crossed into Australian airspace, with a choice of a hearty English-style breakfast or a lighter fruit plate. My seatmate chose responsibly, while I tucked into the greasy bacon, so I got photos of both.
Altogether, a pleasant flight. I certainly disembarked feeling well-treated for the minor extra cost of Premium Economy.
We’ve all been anxiously awaiting news from Marriott and there have been rumours aplenty swirling around. Now that the press conference has concluded here’s what you need to know.
The SPG Program
As everyone has expected, the SPG program will be fully integrated into the Marriott program and while there are many SPG loyalists that wish this wasn’t true, we all knew it was inevitable in our heart of hearts. From today’s announcement, we know that the SPG website will no longer function as of August 1, 2018, and the SPG Program will cease to exist on December 31, 2018.
Your SPG Points
If you currently have SPG points, you will still be able to transfer them at the standard 1:3 ratio to Marriott points. If you still have SPG points when the program ceases to exist, it is expected that they will automatically be converted to Marriott points at the same 1:3 ratio.
New Status Tiers
As has been widely anticipated, Marriott has revamped their status tiers. The change is intended to completely amalgamate SPG and Marriott status members into a standardized tier program. There will be 5 tiers with the following qualifications:
Silver status at 10 nights
Gold status at 25 nights
Platinum status at 50 nights
Platinum Premier status at 75 nights
Ambassador program at 100 nights + $20,000 Annual Spend
While we have heard that there will be spend requirements at every level, this rumour has turned out to be FALSE. Rather, only the Ambassador level will have a spend requirement, which is $20,000 per qualification year, which is a LOT of money.
Your Existing Tier
If you currently hold status with Marriott, here’s what you can expect to have for status come August:
Status Benefits
As with all loyalty programs, the more you stay, the more you are rewarded and the new Marriott benefits are no different. Here’s what to expect with each level:
Silver Elite
10% bonus points
Priority late check-out, subject to availability
Dedicated elite reservations line
Gold Elite
A 25% points bonus
2PM late check-out, subject to availability
A welcome gift of points
A room upgrade subject to availability, excluding suites
Platinum Elite
A 50% points bonus
Guaranteed 4PM late check-out, except at resorts (where it’s subject to availability)
A welcome gift of points, breakfast, or an amenity
A room upgrade subject to availability, including suites
Executive lounge access
Annual Choice Benefit (5 Suite Night Awards or gift option)
Platinum Premier Elite
A 75% points bonus
A further annual Choice Benefit (5 Suite Night Awards or gift option)
Platinum Premier Elite with Ambassador service
Ambassador service
Your24 (the ability to check-in and check-out over a 24 hour period, subject to availability)
The most significant change here is the devaluation of the Marriott Gold status stripping away free breakfast and lounge access. Unfortunately, Marriott chose to offer their Gold members the benefits from the less rewarding SPG Gold status which does not offer free breakfast and lounge access.
The Marriott Platinum Suite Night Awards benefit is a welcome carryover from SPG Platinum status. A guaranteed suite is always good, but I hope the issuance of Suite Night Awards does not affect the chances for a suite upgrade when you are not using the award.
Lifetime Status
There have been many Marriott and SPG Lifetime Status Members that have been concerned about what happens to their benefits. Current Lifetime Members will have a positive result, especially if you are Lifetime Platinum as you will be grandfathered into Lifetime Platinum Elite Status.
If you aren’t Lifetime Status with Marriott by December 31, 2018, you have to earn your lifetime status in a different way. Previously you earned lifetime status by meeting both night and points earned requirements. With the new program, you will now in need a minimum number of nights (less than before) but you will also have to maintain that status for a minimum number of years. Unfortuantely, even at the highest Lifetime Platinum Elite Level, you are still two steps from the top of the pyramid, which is certainly disappointing.
If you are close to acheiving lifetime status with Marriott, you have until the end of the year to meet your qualification.
Award Redemptions
First of all, there will be re-categorization of hotels based on a new redemption chart starting August 2018. There will be 7 hotel categories with a standard redemption ranging between 7,500 and 60,000. There will also be a Category 8 at 85,000 points being introduced later in 2019.
New Marriott Rewards Redemption Chart
Award redemptions have been rumoured to move towards dynamic pricing, meaning that the number of points required for a stay will vary depending on demand and seasonality. It turns out that this rumour is TRUE.
In 2019 there will be an introduction of seasonal pricing with off-peak rates priced ~20% lower than standard rates and peak rates priced ~20% higher.
Starting 2019 – Seasonal Award Pricing
This is very bad news for the consumer as it means that you cannot expect the price for your hotel room to be one flat amount like we see now. Outside of not having rooms available for redemption during busy times, hotels do not have a mechanism to reflect demand. Currently, a Marriott Category 5 property can be redeemed for 25,000 points regardless if it’s low, high or shoulder season for the property. With dynamic pricing, this changes as Marriott and each individual property will have much more fine control of pricing.
During the live event, Canada was announced as one of the countries to receive a co-branded credit card enhancement so we can only hope for the best here. However, I don’t believe it will be better than what we currently have with the Amex SPG card.
I could totally foresee the “enhancement” of the Amex SPG card to offer 2 points (Marriott) per dollar spent which is double the current 1 point (SPG) per dollar earn rate. The reality is the value of 2 Marriott points is (was) equivalent to 2/3 of a SPG point and is not the definition of an enhancement. This was exactly how Marriott announced the refresh of the US Chase Marriott Visa and US Amex SPG today at the live event.
SPG Credit Cards
The American Express SPG Personal and SPG Business cards will no longer be available effective January 1, 2019 (if not earlier). If you currently have these cards, you will be sent new Marriott branded cards. It is unclear what the new Marriott cards will feature as a sign-up bonus, but we would expect that the signup bonus will not be as lucrative as the 20,000 SPG point sign up bonuses that we see with the SPG Personal and SPG Business Cards.
If you were ever on the fence about these cards, we would encourage you to get off the fence and sign up for these cards immediately before you lose the opportunity.
Airline Points Transfers
Some great news coming out of the annoucement today is that Marriott will not only retain but gain additional airline transfer partners. With today’s annoucement, that means that there will be 40 airline transfer partners!
You can transfer between 3,000 and 240,000 points per day to the 40 programs and the 25% bonus that SPG was well known for when you transfer in 20,000 SPG batches remains in place, only this time it is with Marriott points. Transfer 60,000 Marriott points, and Marriott will top up your balance by an additional 15,000 points. This 75,000 Marriott point transfer will result in 25,000 airline points.
To make this more clear, with the current SPG program, with Aeroplan, you can transfer on a 1:1 basis. If you transfer 20,000 SPG to Aeroplan, SPG will throw in another 5,000 SPG points, meaning that you will receive 25,000 Aeroplan points.
With the new program, and in keeping with the current 1 SPG to 3 Marriott points valuation, you can transfer 60,000 Marriott (same value as the 20,000 SPG) to Aeroplan and receive and additional 15,000 Marriott (same value as the previous 5,000 SPG bonus). This transfer will result in 25,000 Aeroplan Miles.
In short, nothing chages, except now as a Marriott member, you can transfer directly from Marriott to airline programs, which is a HUGE positive.
What Else
Outside of the major changes to items we discussed above, here are some additional tidbits that might be of interest to you regarding the new Marriott program:
No blackout dates – this benefit has the potential to be program defining if enforced properly … in general, chain hotels are notorious for purposely blocking award space on key dates even with a no blackout policy
Easier to qualify for elite status – starting in August 2018, it is confirmed that SPG night credits from January 1, 2018 will combine with Marriott night credits to reach elite status through 2019
20% more points per dollar spent at hotel – this seems positive but I’m skeptical whether this is just a net effect of dissolving the more valuable SPG program with Marriott
Marriott Moments – seats to sporting events, exclusive VIP backstage access, etc … definitely a postive to see a continuation of the SPG Moments program
5th Night Free remains – redeem for 4 award nights and get the 5th night free!
The Marriott Travel Package will remain!
Conclusion
After what has been a highly anticipated announcement from Marriott, we are left to individually decide whether this is a positive or negative change overall. For the most part, this seems to be a fairly positive change but as each individual has their own opinion, I’ll leave it to you to decide.
Tell us in the comments below how you feel about these changes and how they might affect your willingness to stay with the program.
If you travel often enough, especially in Northern Ontario, you are bound to encounter the dreaded flight delay/cancellation. While I have been lucky to rarely get stranded in a city, it is inevitable that a missed connection or a weather event would throw a wrench into the travel plans.
Fortunately, as with my last insurance post, there are ways to protect our interests and insure we get the most out of one of these unfortunate events.
Trip Delay Due to Weather
After finishing a course in Ottawa for my Master’s program, I was ready to begin my journey back home in loop Northern Ontario with a connection in Toronto. Before my trip, I checked the weather forecast in Toronto and I knew there was a good chance that I would experience a flight cancellation.
After landing at Toronto Pearson Airport, I walked towards the lounge while noticing the windows starting to frost up due to a freezing rain storm. From the lounge, I glanced at the departures screen and sure enough, the words CANCELLED flashed beside my flight number. And since all the other flights from Toronto to my destination were also cancelled, I knew my fate was a trip delay that would span overnight.
What was the first thing I did? I turned to the Golden Contract for guidance, of course. And so I began to read through the details of my trip delay coverage from eligibility to the required necessities I was entitled to purchase and claim.
Trip Delay Eligibility
Generally, in order to be eligible for flight delay insurance on a credit card, the flight must be delayed by a minimum number of 4 hours. Here is how the entitlement read for my certificate.
If due to the delay of the insured person’s incoming flight, the insured person misses a confirmed onward connecting flight and no alternative onward transportation is made available within (4) four hours of deplaning, we will pay the insured person’s necessary and reasonable living expenses incurred within forty-eight hours of deplaning and other sundry items.
Whenever you are delayed on a flight past 4 hours it’s always worthwhile to submit a claim. This is when you put the credit card’s annual fee to good use with just one successful claim of reasonable living expenses aka a scrumptious meal and/or a nice overnight hotel. You can sum up a significant Return on Annual Fee (RAF) each year from travel insurance benefits alone.
Insured Without Being the Cardholder
You may think your name must be on the card in order to be covered. This is not true for many cards. Rewinding on my trip delay in Toronto, I had actually booked my flights on my wife’s American Express SPG card to chase a minimum spend at the time.
I had read the Golden Contract in advance to ensure that myself, as the spouse, would be covered even if I was not travelling with my wife. The wording for an insured person is
a cardmember, a cardmember’s spouse, and a cardmember’s dependent children, whether travelling together or not
And the definition of a cardmember’s spouse is
the person who is legally married to the cardmember, or has been living in a conjugal relationship with the cardmember for a continuous period of at least one year and who resides in the same household
As noted in my previous post, you often have to keep referring back and forth between the policy details and the definitions to decipher the coverage.
First Steps
Once you confirm that your trip would be delayed by at least 4 hours, you can call the third party insurance company to start a claim file. The claims service number would be on the insurance package or you can call number on the back of the credit card and ask to be transferred.
The claims agent indicated that I was required to save and submit all receipts and print off a screenshot of the flight cancellation on the airline’s website. She also confirmed the trip delay coverage limit was $500.
After the call, I immediately accessed Air Canada’s website to grab a PDF print of the cancellation. I then proceeded to book a stay at the Sheraton Centre, one of my favorite hotels in Toronto. I reserved my room for a total of $179.80 and off I went.
Reasonable Food
After hitting rush hour and finally checking in at the hotel, I started to feel a bit of hunger set in. While deciding where to eat for dinner, I pondered about the “reasonable food” wording in the insurance certificate. What would their definition of “reasonable” mean in terms of a dinner meal?
This is where I decided to test the “reasonable” limit by taking a stroll over to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Once I grabbed a spot at the bar I perused the menu and ordered absolutely everything I wanted. After a cocktail to start, I ordered the lobster bisque and a $65 steak with a side of creamed spinach and glass of red wine.
Usually with memorable dining experiences comes memorable dining bills. The total of $136.57 was put on my credit card, again helping with the minimum spend.
Sundry Items and Toiletries
Most card contracts include the term “sundry item” which is defined as
items such as toiletries, a magazine, a paperback book and other reasonable small item purchases as determined by us
Interesting to note, when I told the claims rep I would also be purchasing “sundry items,” she was not even familiar with the language. I assume not a lot of people claim this little know clause.
Before to heading dinner on my delayed trip, I stopped at Shoppers Drug Mart to pick up some toiletries that I was short on. I then headed over to Chapters bookstore to pick up a book from my reading list and some other reading materials. The cost of the “sundry items” purchased aqua added up to $75.65.
The Cheque
After submitting all of my claim documents, 30 days later, I received the following cheque in the mail.
Reimbursement cheque for expenses due to flight delay – $424.12
To my delight, the full amount paid matched the full amount submitted. It looks like the insurance rep thought that my steak dinner was “reasonable”. I thought so too! The rep also paid out all my sundry items including my reading materials from the bookstore.
Other Reasonable Categories
While I have found that most cards have standard policies around baggage delay insurance, the CIBC Aerogold has a few interesting perks that set it apart from other cards.
The wording in the Aerogold contract covers accommodation and meals, but it also covers two other categories that are not seen in any other card contracts that I have reviewed.
Entertainment
The Company will reimburse the Cardholder up to a Limit of $100 for entertainment expenses incurred if, as the result of a covered flight delay/missed connection, the Insured person attends a ticketed event such as, but not limited to, a movie theatre, theatre, concert hall, opera or sports event.
Isn’t this an amazing benefit? To be able to charge $100 to the card issuer to see a Toronto Blue Jays game or hit a hockey game while being inconvenienced with a flight cancellation.
Transportation
The Company will reimburse the Cardholder up to an Limit of $100 for ground transportation expenses if: a) As a result of a covered outbound flight delay/missed connection, the Insured Person returns directly to either the Insured Person’s principal residence or a place of overnight accommodation.
Also, it is great to see that Transportation is covered. With my claim example above, the Amex SPG did not cover my transportation costs to and from the airport.
Travel Insurance for Award Tickets
The Aerogold Visa can also be used for reward travel coverage on Aeroplan tickets. Although the reading is tricky, a deeper dive into the wording and definitions indicates coverage.
According to the Golden Contract, in order to be eligible for travel insurance,
The FULL FARE for the delayed flight was charged to the card […]
Most would think that this phrase would exclude award tickets, HOWEVER here is their definition of FULL FARE.
Full Fare – means at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the Common Carrier ticket price, which was charged to Your Card. Full Fare is extended to INCLUDE a Common Carrier ticket obtained through the redemption of points from the Card travel reward program.
At a glance the coverage uses the terms that may lead you to believe that you are not covered, but you actually are. This is a huge clause for us points junkies to stay insured on our travels.
Final Note
One parting note that I should mention on flight delay is that it applies even at your home airport. I have had claims occur when I have been waiting at my home airport. This is different than baggage delay which would not apply at your home airport.
The last part of my series on credit card insurance, we will take a look at an example where I had to use Trip Cancellation coverage on an award flight to Arizona. I assure you that you don’t want to miss it 😉
