Starting tomorrow (April 20, 2020), Air Canada passengers will need to wear protective face-covering during various stages of their air travel journey as directed by Transport Canada.
You have probably read about different airlines and hotel chains extending their elite statuses. Now it is Air Canada’s turn. They are not only offering an elite status extension, but also the ability to gift your status to a family or friend. Below are the details of the initiatives.
Elite Status Extension
The 2020 Altitude status will automatically be extended through to the end of 2021.
I was hoping that it would be not come to this. But airline layoffs are real. Personally, I really thought that there would be more “leave without pay”, so that they can retain their employees and slowly bring them back. But maybe there is more to the story if they want to cut their ties. I guess they can always hire them back later?
Anyway, here’s the current count to date. May airlines are careful to say that these are temporary layoffs, so the door is open for people to come back.
A good friend of Pointshogger, Kathy Ye, went to the YVR Signature Suite unveiled on our behalf and shared her experience with us. Thank you so much Kathy for representing Pointshogger!
On March 14th, 2020, Air Canada unveiled its second Signature Suite at Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Pointshogger had the opportunity to get a sneak peak of the lounge and enjoy the premium amenities before it is opened to the public.
Loyalty programs across the board have implemented temporary solutions to deal with any COVID-19 related matters. Below is a list of hyperlinks to useful information. I also included a small blurb for each company that may be more commonly relevant.
I tried to include companies more relevant to Canadians, but please let us know in the comment section below if you see any other links that we can add to the list (in alphabetical order).
Seems like coronavirus warning is increasing in Canada. So more precautions are being taken, such as Air Canada cancelling all flights to China through April 10, 2020 over fears of the outbreak.
Canadians are being told to prepare for a possible coronavirus pandemic.
Flair Airlines (private airline based in Edmonton, Alberta) is offering passengers an unlimited travel pass on Canadian domestic flights between February 13, 2020 and May 13, 2020.
Unlimited Flight Pass
There are two passes available, below are the highlights of each before we get into our thoughts:
WestJet Rewards is currently allowing Air Canada (Altitude) and Porter Airlines (VIPorter) members to status match with its rewards program.
Looks like WestJet is aggressively trying to challenge Air Canada ahead of their full integration with Aeroplan in June 2020.
WestJet members can now achieve either Silver or Gold with WestJet Rewards that runs will March 31, 2020. You can extend the benefit period by completing additional challenges. Below are the details of the challenges.
It has been almost 2 years since I last wrote about Delta Air Lines (Delta). The main reason is because there are no major updates that would affect the Canadian members of its frequent flyer program, SkyMiles. There are some minor changes (especially to its hotel partners) though, so I thought I’d give this post a proper update.
Expiry Policy
SkyMiles does not have an expiry policy, so once you earn miles, they stay in a member’s account for as long as they want without worrying about activity.
The frequent flyer program, Asia Miles, made a significant change to its expiry policy this year. This change has increased the value of its program and I think it’s worth a deeper look. Furthermore, it’s been a while since I last updated this post, so it was due for one.
Expiry Policy
In the past, Asia Miles has a frustrating expiry policy whereby your miles expire within 36 months after they are deposited, regardless of activity. Effective January 1, 2020, there is a new expiry policy, but there is a transition period.