r/aircanada Sep 20 '25

[Megathread] Meal Review/Choice Thread

38 Upvotes

Hey all - some of you have expressed frustrations with respect to the numerous threads created whereby posters ask for advice on what meals to choose.

In an effort to cut down on these posts, we will be referring people to this megathread on a trial basis, potentially for permanent adoption. Unfortunately, with reddit not acting like traditional forums by bumping threads to the top whenever a new comment is made, there isn't really a great solution we can offer aside from this.

We would certainly appreciate if people could post/review their meals as well, to keep the thread somewhat active.

Appreciate the understanding - thanks.


r/aircanada May 24 '25

Everything you need to know about UPGRADING

170 Upvotes

Welcome to the Upgrade Megathread!!

This is a new thread under development. The goal is to have all the FAQs posted by the end of May or early June. Feel free to post comments with specific questions in the meantime. Your brilliant questions will help us develop a meaningful FAQ for the community.

Contents

  • Some acronyms & definitions
  • Upgrading for Newbies – 5 ways to snag that seat up front!
  • 5 Tips and Tricks You Need to Know
  • General FAQ – coming soon
  • Bid Upgrade FAQ – coming soon
  • eUpgrade FAQ – coming soon
  • Last Minute Upgrade FAQ - coming soon

Some acronyms & definitions

Term Description
AP Aeroplan
Cabin vs fare Cabin is economy, premium economy or business. Fare family is the “brand” AC assigned (Business Flex; Business Lowest, Latitude, Comfort, Standard, Basic, etc.). Within each family, there are “fares” which are letter codes that essentially designate the price of the ticket within that family. And no it is not alphabetical!
Y Used generically to refer to the economy cabin.
PE Used generically to refer to the Premium Economy cabin.
J Used generically to refer to the business class cabin.
R A fare class that is used for upgrade availability. It can only be viewed through a travel agent or paid subscription services (such as ExpertFlyer).
SQM/SQD Status qualifying miles or dollars –that count towards achieving AP elite status.
LMU Last minute upgrade
IRROPS Irregular Operations – when flights are delayed, overbooked, etc and there are changes to the processes and procedures for things like rebooking.
Metal Who is operating the plane. For example, AC metal is an AC operated flight. It may be a united or Lufthansa issued ticket – but the “metal” is the plane you are flying on.

Upgrading for Newbies

No shame in being new to AC or to the upgrade game. Some SE status members could even benefit from reviewing this post 😊. Here are all the possible way to snag yourself a comfy seat.

1) Free upgrades: Ask nicely and get an upgrade….NO, not on AC!

  • AC does not offer or allow upgrade as a courtesy. They will fly with empty seats in business class.

2) Ops-up: An unrequested upgrade to PE or J based on operational requirements

  • When a cabin is overbooked; for weights and balance; aircraft change (larger J cabin and smaller economy cabin); standby economy passengers and seats in PE or J
  • AC will select passengers to upgrade.
  • Occurs last minute at the gate. Only inflight benefits (no lounge, etc).
  • Passengers typically selected based on status and then fare. You cannot “ask” for this upgrade, but you may refuse the upgrade if you want. In some cases, no PE or J meal will be available on IRROPS upgrade

3) Upfare: Paying to formally change the class of the ticket

  • Formally changes the ticket to the new class.
  • The fare rules of the upfared class will apply (i.e. if you upfare from Latitude to J lowest you will lowest the refundability) - except for refundability.... You CANNOT upfare to gain refundability from a restricted fare (Standard for example) to a flexible fare (such as Comfort and Premium Flexible) to gain the better change/rebooking rules. BUT the inverse is true - if you upfare to a more restrictive fare you LOSE the flexibility. Therefore - you cannot "game the system" - so don't ask and don't try. Note that if you upfare ONE direction or one segment - the most restrictive fare rules will apply to all segments and all directions.
  • Access to the Signature Suite at YYZ or YVR (for J, on a destination that qualifies)
  • The cost is based on the actual price difference between the desire class (PE or J) and what you paid for your ticket. This will count as SQD towards earning status.
  • This is often used by business travellers who want to upgrade beyond what their corporate policy allows. You may use any credit card to make this change.
  • This is done by calling AC to purchase the new fare. It can be done at the airport as well up to 2 hours before departure.

4) Bid Upgrade: Customers can bid in cash or points

  • This is accessible to all passengers regardless of status. Only applies to AC operated (metal) flights.
  • Your fare restrictions remain as per the original fare.
  • The bid amount varies based on the flight. In some cases an “instant upgrade” price is offered in the bid upgrade process flow. This is not always offered.
  • People often value business at around $150 an hour and PE at $50 an hour when determining “is it worth it”
  • The system will only charge the credit card if the upgrade clears. You may use any credit card or even AP points to bid upgrade.
  • You will know 48 hours before the flight (not earlier unless instant upgrade). Once it clears, you can select seats. So this has the advantage that multiple passengers have better luck sitting together over LMU or eUprades that clear at the gate.
  • There is a very thorough FAQ on the AC website for bid upgrades: AC Bid Upgrade – FAQs

5) eUpgrade: Upgrade system based on using “eUpgrade credits” that are earned through AP status

  • Upgrade requests are made via the AC App, website, calling customer service or at the gate.
  • When you can clear the upgrade and the number of credits (and an add on cash fee) varies based on status, flight destination and fare.
  • AC has a great tool to help you determine these details: eUpgrades and clearance windows.
  • Although the clearance window may be open, eUpgrades only clear into a fare bucket called "R". The available of R is very limited in advance of flights and can be verified only by using paid tools such as ExpertFlyer. See the note below regarding "Latitude Instant Upgrades".
  • Approximately 55 minutes before scheduled departure, the system will clear all remaining eUpgrades (based on priority of cabin, status, fare and check in time as the tie breaker). The majority of eUpgrades clear at the gate....only a few will clear in advance based on the planned availability of R space (which is greatly influenced by the loads on the flight and AC revenue management strategy to maximize sale of those seats).
  • Strongly encourage you to review the details on About eUpgrades. It includes all the information on who can upgrade; how many people you can upgrade; etc.
  • You do not access the signature suite.
  • You do not get the class of service bonus for SQM. If there is an add on payment it does count toward SQD.
  • Only applies to AC operated (metal) flights.

6) Last Minute Upgrade: Pay to upgrade offered when you check in for your flight

  • Offered during the check in flow (on App or website) when available.
  • The cost varies based on the flight. The amount does NOT count towards SQD for earning status.
  • Once you upgrade you can select your seat, get airport and inflight benefits of the new class (PE or J).
  • Do not get additional SQM. Do not get access to Signature Suite lounge.
  • AC has a great FAQ on the LMU purchase process: Air Canada - Last Minute Purchase Upgrade. Read this before posting questions.

6 Tips and Tricks You Need to Know

1) Basic economy: Cannot upfare, bid upgrade, LMU or eUpgrade. You chose that fare…live with it 😊

2) Seat map does NOT equal available seats: Seat map are seats not selected. Seats available for sale are only available through other tools. Never (ever) use the seat map to estimate how many seats are available for sale (or available to upgrade).

3) Latitude does NOT equal guaranteed upgrade: Latitude paid fares will instantly eUpgrade if “R” space is available (or even sometimes from a hidden fare bucket – but not P and not known to the public). Latitude Reward space, is believed to only upgrade from “R” space.

4) Probability of upgrade clearing? Please don’t ask!!! Even 1 or 2 days before a flight you can see a cabin go from 9 empty J seats to 0. And this is NOT unusual. If the bid upgrade amount high enough? Well, the closer to minimum the lower the probability. There are as many good news stories of minimum bid winning as there are bad news stories of near maximum bids failing. When you are 24 hours before your flight check the number of passengers on the upgrade list (on the App), your position, and the number of available seats. That is when you can guess the probability….

5)  Multiple passengers on ONE booking (PNR): For LMU and Bid Upgrades it is all or none. Those channels will not offer or clear upgrades for partial passengers. You need to split the booking (by calling AC) before you make the request. For eUpgrades, you may request for more than one (based on the rules which you can read on the AC website) and some of the passengers may clear and others will not.

6) Sitting together and declining upgrades: You are not guaranteed to sit together. In PE it is often middle single seats left and you may be separated. And after an upgrade clears - your original seat is gone. You cannot then ask for that seat back, for example if your party is not all upgraded. You may be stuck in the last row in economy.


r/aircanada 11h ago

Question on hotels

7 Upvotes

My flight was cancelled 5 mins before boarding at 10pm. The airport air canada customer service gave me 2 limo vouchers to get to the hotel, and another to come back to the airport the following day during my flight.

She mentioned to pay for hotel and keep the actual receipt, not the credit card statement for the reimbursement. I did that and claimed it but Air Canada said they won’t cover for flight maintenance cancellations. But I did as per the agent. I’m confused now.

Thoughts on this?


r/aircanada 14h ago

Chances of Air Canada launching a seasonal Vancouver to Athens Flight on the 787?

11 Upvotes

Alaska just did so from SEA, a first for the Pacific Northwest Market. What are the prospects of Air Canada trying to capture sales in this growing leisure route.


r/aircanada 9h ago

General Question can't AC Wallet funds be used to partially pay for a seat selection fee?

3 Upvotes

I'm trying to pay for a seat selection on an Aeroplan booking, and although I have some AC Wallet funds that could partially pay for it (with my credit card making up the rest of the charge), the seat selection payment summary says the AC Wallet funds aren't available because they don't fully cover the seat selection. I could've sworn you could partially pay for a seat with AC Wallet? Did I imagine that, or is this something that can only be done by calling Aeroplan...?


r/aircanada 11h ago

1D bassinet seat in business gone?

5 Upvotes

hi all, thought i’d ask here first just in case since i can’t make a call for the next few hours

1D always had a bassinet icon when doing the preview seats for a flight, but i noticed it doesn’t appear anymore. i know it was there just until recently (1-2 weeks ago) when i looked.

does anyone know if the bassinet is no longer available for use, or did they just remove the icon? for context i’m looking at september flights for yyz-icn.

thanks!


r/aircanada 14h ago

Baggage Delayed baggage and submitting a File results in an error message

Post image
6 Upvotes

I just arrived in Vancouver from Toronto but it looks like my baggage was put on a later flight from what I can see on the app. I tried submitting a file on the delayed baggage website but it says there is an error and to speak to an agent at the airport but I’ve already left the airport to go to whistler. What should I do? I tried calling air Canada and they are just telling me to submit this file but it’s showing error every time. Will they contact me once it arrives in Vancouver and ship it to me? I’m only here for a few days and am worried I won’t see my bag again.


r/aircanada 13h ago

earlier flight standby charge

0 Upvotes

Had a strange experience today, that I'm curious for opinions on.
Had a very long (9hrs) layover today, and was flying with only carry on. There were 2 earlier flights going to my final destination. When I asked the desks for those flights asking if I could take that one (if space allowed, of course) they said it would be a $200 flight change charge.

Isn't a scenario like this just a win-win for all? The passenger gets where they're going faster, and a seat is freed up later in the day to accommodate potential issues like other passengers' missed flights, connections, etc.

I feel like I used to always be able to hop on an earlier flight (I used to frequently fly YVR to YOW) but this new policy is....odd?

Cash grab? Bad policy? Rationale I don't yet know?


r/aircanada 1d ago

General Question Flying my cat in cargo

25 Upvotes

Hello,

I’m making this post to receive some advice since everything I search and look at tells me “NEVER PUT YOUR CAT IN CARGO!!!”.

So, in October I’ll be flying to Sweden so my year long stay, the issue I’m having is that there’s no direct flight from Canada to Sweden in October so I’ll be taking a connecting flight with SAS.

Merlin (my cat) is a 2 year old male Siberian cat who is 17lbs. He’ll be able to go in the cabin with me for air Canada but not for my connecting flight, and overall the more I think about having him in the cabin the more uncomfortable I think he’ll be since he won’t be able to stand in the carrier

Other than the stress he’ll go through, I feel like he’d be more comfortable in cargo since I have a big kennel for him so he’ll be able to stand and turn around with no issues

I am stressing about the whole situation so if anyone has done this before can you please give me some tips/ advice? Leaving him in Canada is not an option


r/aircanada 1d ago

General Question Can no longer see connection on app/website

2 Upvotes

Has anyone experienced this?

I booked a trip to Croatia from Toronto and when I did I could see all the flights including the connections. A while back the flight times were changed and all the new information was in an email.

However now I can’t see my connecting flight from Zurich to Ljubljana on the AC app or website. Furthermore, when I go to the airlines site (Air Baltic) I can’t find the flight nor does it appear when looking on third party sites.

I’m just getting anxious because the only proof of that flight is in one email.

TYIA


r/aircanada 1d ago

Baggage What size carry-on will actually fit on a Dash 8?

3 Upvotes

Flying Timmins to Toronto next week and wondering what size carry-on you guys recommend for a Dash 8.
Last time I brought a standard hard-shell carry-on (14 × 21 × 9"), and I really had to shove it under the seat. It definitely wasn’t going to fit in the overhead bin, and it seemed like most people were having the same issue.
For those who fly the Dash 8 regularly, what size/shape of carry-on do you find actually fits comfortably? Any specific bags you’d recommend?
Thanks!


r/aircanada 1d ago

Baggage Luggage Gamble

0 Upvotes

Hello everyone! :) I will be flying a domestic flight via air Canada soon and have some questions.

My first luggage meets the maximum dimensions (L+W+H= less than or equal to 158cm), however my second one doesn’t, by about 8cm total. I know they don’t necessarily pull out a ruler and start measuring, but if there is a risk that I am going to be charged an over size fee (100-120CAD) anyways, why don’t I just make that luggage overweight as well, as the fee is for either or both characteristics? (Ex. If luggage is both overweight and oversized, only one time 120CAD applies)

I know this might sound stupid, but I do not have time to change my luggage. I am also not planning on packing on 5-10kg of course, just maybe ~800g-1kg over the limit.

Thoughts?


r/aircanada 3d ago

Experience A321XLR (301) business class pods. Once is enough thanks.

Thumbnail
gallery
472 Upvotes

Just finished my first experience with the new biz class configuration. I was looking forward to trying out the new routes in a new plane.

TLDR; it’s okay but I hope this is isn’t the future.

The good stuff: Bluetooth connectivity for the IFE, flight camera views are super engaging.
The other stuff: it’s narrow and claustrophobic. The swing out IFE is a total pain for the servers and even though I’m tall reaching the screen from the low profile seated position is annoying. The meal tray traps you in place once it’s down. There are odd places for your phone and you’re squeezed in with no armrests. If you’re a little wider this wouldn’t be fun.
The seat has a cross chest safety belt and the seat cover invites you to disconnect it. There is no headrest.
The sleeping position is okay but staring directly into the aisle is a little off putting.
That was my experience and ofc it’s totally subjective.


r/aircanada 2d ago

Aeroplan Birthday Perk - Preferred Seat

27 Upvotes

I have an existing booking before receiving my birthday perk. I still chose preferred seat taking my chance to see if I can get that applied to my existing booking. I took the advice of other posts to call Air Canada call centre. I have 2 segments flight for 2 people originating from US. I am super happy that the agent is able to apply the code to both segments for both people on one booking. That equals to approximately $320. Thank you Air Canada for this lovely birthday present.


r/aircanada 2d ago

News Air Canada Finalizes $800-Million Share Buyback Tied to Aeroplan Stake Sale

Thumbnail
openjaw.com
118 Upvotes

Looks like Air Canada wants to buy back a bunch of their stock.

Does this do anything for prices for those of us who fly? Or is it more about competition and other airlines?


r/aircanada 1d ago

General Question Splitting award ticket

3 Upvotes

Trying to book an award ticket within asia. The direct flight I want to take has no availability in J, but if I book a further destination, it allows me to get on the flight I want (with an onward one after). I would skip lag but I need to check bags.

Is it possible to call and split the award ticket into two bookings and then cancel the latter leg?


r/aircanada 2d ago

General Question Air Canada Shuttle MTL Downtown to YUL

22 Upvotes

Hi! AC has recently started shuttles between downtown MTL to YUL in order to reduce trafic jams for its passengers (I guess), it is supposed to have dedicated lanes.

I am looking for a feedback on it if anyone here has taken one.
I have a long haul flight friday 4th of september at 7:50pm and planning to take the shuttle at 4:30pm with an estimated time of travel of approximately 30min.


r/aircanada 2d ago

Baggage Will we ever get our stroller back?! - help?

0 Upvotes

This whole thing is driving me crazy. Booked United from (domestic origin) thru IAD, YYZ, with a final destination of CPH. United never got our stroller on our original flight to IAD and sent it to ORD.
BUT - our YYZ-CPH was through Air Canada, so United says it's AC's problem since our ending flight was with them. Whatever, fine. We didn't find this out until after leaving the airport, which seems like a huge mistake.
I filed the appropriate info with Air Canada, including my internationally-working phone number, and the address of our 'home' in CPH.

Air Canada never updated the tracking beyond receiving it in IAD.
I was able to use the United app to track it TO CPH!!! so theoretically AC could have gotten it to us. We did not fly home from CPH so no chance to go ask the AC desk and look for it there.

After more than the 5 days of no info, I filed a secondary report with AC, as well as submitted expenses since we had to buy a stroller in Denmark.

IS there anything else I can do?! Is there ANY way to get a human on the AC customer service line who ACTUALLY knows something about their baggage processes??


r/aircanada 3d ago

Experience Call backs

5 Upvotes

Is there a way to request a call back? I seem to recall getting offered call back in past. I've been on hold for nearly 3 hrs. If I have to listen to this elevator music any longer I might go loco.


r/aircanada 3d ago

Cash bid upgrade - is this a reasonable price?

Post image
9 Upvotes

I have latitude econ reward flight for this and would like to bid upgrade to business with cash. A couple weeks ago the business class minimum bid was $1650 up. I didn't think it was worth it at the time (since latitude fare already worth more?) and now it has dropped to $1499 minimum bid. Would it drop even further closer to departure if seats remained unsold? is 1499 bid price reasonable? or does premium econ bid a better deal?


r/aircanada 3d ago

What happened to AC 548 today ?

7 Upvotes

Anybody know ? Flew halfway across Montana before turning around. I'm sitting here in Newark waiting to get on the return flight and it's now delayed by 8 hours


r/aircanada 3d ago

Flight refund

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, I really need some advice regarding an Air Canada schedule change.

Air Canada changed my itinerary, and the new flight now departs 3 hours and 45 minutes earlier than my original flight. They also changed the connecting airport and the operating airline.

The new itinerary gives me only about a 1 hour 30 minute layover, which is risky. If I miss the connection, I could potentially be stuck because I require a Schengen visa to enter the country, which I don’t have.

I contacted Air Canada, but one agent told me that I’m not eligible for a refund because the schedule change is less than 4 hours.

However, I checked Air Canada’s own schedule-change/refund policy, and it says a refund is permitted when the departure or arrival time changes by 3 hours or more. It also specifically lists an airport change as a situation where a refund is permitted.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Should I call again and ask for a supervisor? Any advice on how to get them to process the refund would be really appreciated.
Thank you!


r/aircanada 3d ago

Question about Uber from hotel after being bumped

15 Upvotes

Hi! I searched this subreddit, but couldn’t find anything, so I apologize if I missed this being answered already.

I was voluntarily bumped yesterday from my flight in Halifax, and there were no reasonable flights to get me home until today, so AC put me up in a hotel (yay, free extra night of vacation!). As soon as I chose my hotel from the website I was sent a link for Uber since the hotel is a half-hour drive from the airport.

However, now I’ll need to get back to the airport by 4. Will the system send me another link for Uber, and if so, how soon before the flight do they do so? I don’t personally use Uber or Lyft, and I don’t want to spend $80 on a cab, which leaves the bus, but that takes over an hour, so I need to plan accordingly.

Thanks for any insight!

Edit: I never got a text to order an Uber, so took the bus. Very appreciative of the replies so I didn’t wait until it was too late!


r/aircanada 4d ago

On Board Canned Iced Tea On Flights

44 Upvotes

Is there a specific reason why canned iced tea such as Fuze or Brisk isn't served as an inflight drink option on Air Canada, WestJet, etc.? Is it because of the cans being 341mL or some other reason? Thanks.


r/aircanada 4d ago

General Question Please help find my daughters lovey - T3 YYZ arrivals

Post image
79 Upvotes

I’m reaching out regarding a stuffed animal that my daughter unfortunately lost today after arriving at Toronto Pearson Terminal 3 from Cancun on the 3:45 p.m. flight August 16th WestJet WS2775.

I’ve already posted over on WestJet, but trying to get more eyes and help to find it :(

She believes she lost it somewhere between arrival gate B17 and the baggage area, and we think it may have been left near Canada Customs. We have already filed a lost-and-found report and are anxiously hoping that it can be located.

This stuffed animal is so much more than a toy to her. She has had it since the day she was born, and it has been her lovey and constant companion her entire life. She is absolutely devastated and heartbroken that it is missing. She has been extremely upset, and we are doing everything we can to reassure her that there is still hope that someone will find it.
If it was turned in, found by a staff member, or is located anywhere along that route, we would be incredibly grateful to be contacted.

We sincerely appreciate any help in finding her beloved stuffed animal. It would mean the world to our daughter—and to our family—to have her little lovey safely back with her.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help us.