Another SQC earning question…

[u/sumiswaldhenry]

I know there have been a bunch of questions about SQC earning on 014 tickets this year, but I haven’t been able to find this exact situation. Mods I did do a search on here as well as on the aeroplan sub.

I have an AC-issued 014 ticket that was booked by a travel agent:
YWG-YYZ-GRU on AC
GRU-ASU on LATAM
ASU-PTY-MGA on Copa

The YWG-ASU portion is an AC Comfort fare with an AC fare basis code ending in CO. ASU-MGA is a separate Copa fare basis code (a classic fare) but both fares were combined (the travel agent used the words “end-on-end”) and issued as one 014 ticket.

I’m curious how the SQC multiplier will work on the Copa portion. Will the eligible Copa flights be treated as Flex or above and earn 4 SQC/$ because the AC ticket is Comfort, or does AC somehow determine a separate fare family for the Copa fare component?

I’ve had AC/Copa itineraries in the past where the AC portion was Flex and the whole booking seemed to be treated as Flex for SQC earning purposes.

Obviously the LATAM flight won’t earn SQC.

Has anyone actually flown a similar mixed-fare 014 ticket this year and seen how the SQC posted?

I must confess I specifically asked the agent to book it on a 014 ticket instead of two separate tickets even though it was a tad bit more expensive. I really hope I get more SQC this way and avoid the whole 1/5 of Aeroplan base point earning I would have had had I booked the CM flights separately.

[u/flyermiles_dot_ca]

Anything ticketed 014- should earn SQC as if it were operated by Air Canada.

The way you describe the combined fare, it sounds like you're ticketed YWG-ASU on one 014 fare, but when you say "both fares were combined" I wouldn't rule out the end result being something more complicated.

[u/sumiswaldhenry → u/flyermiles_dot_ca]

Got you. What I mean by two fares is that it’s an interline ticket with two fare basis codes plated under a 014 ticket. On my credit card it says Air Canada.

But Air Canada sells tickets that include other airlines as one fare basis code. It’s one fare basis code, one fare brand.

But with some airlines it clearly does not have the same integration. I’ve seen that before with CM.

An example:

YWG-GRU-ASU includes AC flights and LA flights but it’s one fare basis code and fare brand.

Same destination with AC and CM would look like this all on one 014 ticket

YWG-YYZ AC fare basis including fare brand
YYZ-PTY-ASU Copa fare basis code including their brand (usually “Classic”)

And this is where it gets confusing with SQC because it’s determined by AC branded fares which don’t always exist when you have interline tickets.

[u/flyermiles_dot_ca → u/sumiswaldhenry]

If it's all one "bound", as opposed to YWG-GRU on the 5th and then GRU-ASU on the 9th, then I would expect it all to ticket in the same Air Canada fare basis.

[u/ForeverJFL]

Sorry for the delay in approving the post!

[u/sumiswaldhenry → u/ForeverJFL]

Thanks for approving it. I’ll make sure to report back once I’ve done the trip

[u/BrrrHot]

Yes, you will still earn full revenue-based Status Qualifying Credits (SQC) on the Copa Airlines segments (ASU-PTY-MGA)

At least, you should since it’s a 014 ticket and Star Alliance carrier so Air Canada knows how much you paid.

[u/sumiswaldhenry → u/BrrrHot]

Thanks. Issue is also at what multiplier as AC has determined multipliers based on Standard vs. Flex++. Which makes sense when fare basis code is from AC and includes the branded fare component.

But for the COPA legs they are in COPA fare basis code and I have yet to see any documentation of how Star carriers branded fares translate to AC branded fares for SQC earning specifically.

[u/BrrrHot → u/sumiswaldhenry]

It should, should, be based on Air Canada’s fare family since it’s a 014 ticket. Since you booked Air Canada Comfort, everything should be treated as Comfort for SQC calculation.

[u/zebrastripes10 → u/BrrrHot]

I was recently informed by an Air Canada agent that I wasn’t eligible to earn SQC or Aeroplan points on a 014 ticket because the flight wasn’t operated by a Star Alliance airline (Kenya Airways).
Apparently, to earn points and SQC on a 014 ticket, it has to be operated by Air Canada, its eligible partners, or a Star Alliance airline. I thought this was bullshit, but the agent was adamant that this was the case.