Aeroplan question

[ccudmore]

My wife and her friend are planning a trip this summer. Both I and her friend's husband have done a fair bit of travelling and have racked up a bunch of Aeroplan points and they plan to use them.

My question is, how should they go about booking their trips to make sure they both are able to get on the same flight and get to sit together on the plane? The easy thing to do would be to call the Aeroplan phone number, but that costs $30/person. I'm thinking that their only thing to do is to book separately and hope that there's 2 Aeroplan seats available on the flights and then when they check in online 24 hours in advance, make sure they book their seats together.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

The last time my family and I flew on Air Canada from Toronto - Orlando was in December 2008 using my Dad's Aeroplan points. Well we had made the reservations on the Aeroplan website and assumed we got our seats, because the confirmation said we were in seats 19 A, B, C. Fast forward months later it turns out we never had confirmed seats for our Toronto - Orlando flight, we only had seats for our return flight from Tampa - Toronto and told us we had to go standby and if we didn't get on we would get seats on their second flight to Orlando which left at 8:50 PM, when the first flight was at 10:15 AM. So that would have meant spending all day at the Airport and we couldn't leave since we would have already cleared US Customs. Well we were lucky that we got on the first flight and we got 3 seats in Business Class since that's where all the standby passengers were sitting because those seats weren't purchased. Now what I could have never figured out and sometimes still think to this day is why did the Aeroplan website not say the Aeroplan seats from Toronto - Orlando in Economy on the specifc flight we selected was sold out, because had we known that we would have not accepted it and agreed to go standby. So ever since then we said the next time we travel on Aeroplan points we will call and speak to someone because I don't trust their website.

 

[coastgirl]

If one of them has enough for two tickets, one person could buy both on one itinerary. You can buy tickets from your account for people in your immediate family, ie, husband and wife. Then they'd be booked together. Other than that, can they set up "duelling computers" and book both at the same time? Or one immediately after the other? It's not certain, but likely, as long as there's not only ONE AP seat left on a given flight.

(We did this once to get four tickets, I booked myself with one child through my account, and dh booked himself and the other child through his account. There was a moment there when we could've ended up on separate flights, but at least we'd set it up so no kid would be alone on a flight!)

 

[ccudmore]

Thanks for the input everyone. Problem is they're not related so they can't buy for each other.

I went back to the site and checked that you select number of tickets. Then when they book they'll enter "2" and check that the flights do have at least 2 tickets available, and then do the "duelling computers".

Then they'll check in 24 hours in advance again using "duelling computers" to get seats together.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

My wife and her friend are planning a trip this summer. Both I and her friend's husband have done a fair bit of travelling and have racked up a bunch of Aeroplan points and they plan to use them.

My question is, how should they go about booking their trips to make sure they both are able to get on the same flight and get to sit together on the plane? The easy thing to do would be to call the Aeroplan phone number, but that costs $30/person. I'm thinking that their only thing to do is to book separately and hope that there's 2 Aeroplan seats available on the flights and then when they check in online 24 hours in advance, make sure they book their seats together.

Aeroplan has an infamously glitchy website. I would recommend checking available flights via the website but book by calling.

If they book seperately there is very little chance they will sit together. Sadly, Aeroplan makes it very difficult to use miles easily. I would bite the bullet and call.

The last time my family and I flew on Air Canada from Toronto - Orlando was in December 2008 using my Dad's Aeroplan points. Well we had made the reservations on the Aeroplan website and assumed we got our seats, because the confirmation said we were in seats 19 A, B, C. Fast forward months later it turns out we never had confirmed seats for our Toronto - Orlando flight, we only had seats for our return flight from Tampa - Toronto and told us we had to go standby and if we didn't get on we would get seats on their second flight to Orlando which left at 8:50 PM, when the first flight was at 10:15 AM. So that would have meant spending all day at the Airport and we couldn't leave since we would have already cleared US Customs. Well we were lucky that we got on the first flight and we got 3 seats in Business Class since that's where all the standby passengers were sitting because those seats weren't purchased. Now what I could have never figured out and sometimes still think to this day is why did the Aeroplan website not say the Aeroplan seats from Toronto - Orlando in Economy on the specifc flight we selected was sold out, because had we known that we would have not accepted it and agreed to go standby. So ever since then we said the next time we travel on Aeroplan points we will call and speak to someone because I don't trust their website.

Oh my goodness! My guess is that 3 economy seats were available when you reserved through Aeroplan, but they were likely individual seats (i.e. middle seats) in various rows. The seat assignment tool on the website tries to book parties to sit together, that is likely why you didn't receive a seating assignment.

Sounds like Air Canada oversold economy after you booked your aeroplan. Thank goodness those business class seats were available!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Oh my goodness! My guess is that 3 economy seats were available when you reserved through Aeroplan, but they were likely individual seats (i.e. middle seats) in various rows. The seat assignment tool on the website tries to book parties to sit together, that is likely why you didn't receive a seating assignment.

Sounds like Air Canada oversold economy after you booked your aeroplan. Thank goodness those business class seats were available!

Well l guess that's the answer I have been wondering about, although I wish the website would have said the Aeroplan seats were sold out because we would have tried going on WestJet, using the Aeroplan points for another day or flying from Toronto - Tampa and from there drive to Orlando. Now if they only had indivdual seats in Economy we would have taken them but we weren't given that option. However in the end things did work out although it was very stressing until the gate agent said we were on the flight, because the other standby passengers got called before us and I think we were the last ones on the flight.

 

[amw]

We've booked aeroplan seats online many times -- for 2 adults, 2 small children. The computer always prints seating information together. HOWEVER, the last 3 times we've gone to the airport, we've discovered that they randomly assign the seats -- not together -- not even 2 seats together. I asked why that kept happening since we booked a year in advance and my husband was super-elite status. I was told booking online was the problem, and although there is a fee, we would have to call for bookings if we wanted to be seated together.

Not sure if that's still the case, but I don't want to take any more chances of having a 5-year-old alone in the emergency seat!

 

[minnie56]

You can book for another using your miles..they don't have to be family.
Also...I have never had an issue with the seats I get at time of booking once I get to the airport ...but I imagine that for those that have it could be that the aircraft has been changed since the original time of booking. That happens all the time and even though it can be a switch to the same aircraft..the seating configuration can be different...

 

[aristocat65]

You can book for another using your miles..they don't have to be family.
Also...I have never had an issue with the seats I get at time of booking once I get to the airport ...but I imagine that for those that have it could be that the aircraft has been changed since the original time of booking. That happens all the time and even though it can be a switch to the same aircraft..the seating configuration can be different...

I agree. This can happen on any airline. I noticed this recently for our upcoming flight on Alaska. I had chosen seats in row 15 and they had moved us back to row 26 when the aircraft changed. I went in and changed them back, but If I hadn't been in the habit of checking I would never have known.

 

[braddillman]

Yeah, why do they have to be related to buy for each other? I think that doesn't matter (how would they even know? e.g. consider common law marriage with different last names). Give it a try.

Everything I learned about AP came from here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-canada-aeroplan-375/

There is a lot of info there, but it's pretty good and mostly reliable.

We're a family of 5, and can't seem to get more than 3 seats on the same flight, in the same booking. On this trip, we got 3 together using AP point for the 3 girls. The next day, we searched for the 2 boys (thinking we'd take separate flights but at least arrive and leave the same days). We still had enough points for 1 more flight, so we gave AP a try, and surprise, they had 2 more seats on the same flights down and the 1st flight back, so we bought some more points and booked them. (On the way back, the girls go direct Toronto -> Halifax, while the boys detour through Montreal - if it had been the other way around, I would've set up a little amazing race envelope for the girls )

What I learned was that AP doesn't START creating AP seats until about 11 months before. Then it seems they create them 1 at a time, say a week or so apart. So it was about 10 months out when we got 3 together. I have no explanation about getting the 4th and 5th seats the next day.

Also, this is the 1st time we were able to book on-line. The intel I got from FlyerTalk forums was that it was worth the $30 because they couldn't get much at all that was worthwhile by booking online, everyone usually resorted to phoning in. The web site has slightly improved, but I've had better luck phoning.

After all the fees, taxes, etc. for the AP flights, it doesn't seem much cheaper than flying out of Portland, ME or Manchester, NH (though I've never done that, just priced it). But if it's the same money I'd rather fly out of YHZ since I'm like 5 minutes away.

 

[minnie56]

You can book for someone outside of your family because I have done it...you can give a 'pass' to anyone you like. You just can't share miles from one account to another account. You have to sell them..even to a family member.

When the website isn't complying..call. If something is tricky...I always call. They seem to have much more access to addt'l seats and flights.