Booking flights with Aeroplan

[Manhattan]

Racked up a bunch of miles on Aeroplan in the past few years and haven't used it to book a flight yet. I went on to test out their system expecting 25,000 pts to fly me anywhere in the continental US/Canada. But it seems to charge 50,000 miles to go to many places in the US (Atlanta, DC, New Orleans, Charlotte, etc.) Only cities that have worked with 25,000 have been Montreal and NYC (times sucked). Anyone else noticed this recently or has it always been this way?

[timdog]

i noticed this too last year when i booked some flights with aeroplan. if i recall correctly, the same city costed different points depending on the day and time you pick. for example, i was flying to portland for i think 25,000 points, but if i chose a certain day it would change to 40,000 i think. i ended up calling aeroplan and they explained things better to me and basically outlined my options. so i would recommend just doing that.

[dj_honda]

I flew to NYC, return trip, direct flights, for a week for (edit) 25,000 points. I traveled Wed to Wed in the middle of July.

I think you have to look around and be willing to be flexible with dates to get the best deals. Obviously if you are looking to fly out Fridays and return on Sundays etc., it will take a lot more points.

[jacky4566]

Here is the chart:
https://www4.aeroplan.com/use-your-m...entLanguage=en

You should note there is 2 classes of flights, short haul and long haul. Always been that way.

And it would also depend if you are trying to book on fixed milage (cheapest but most restrictive) or market fare.

[Manhattan]

Originally posted by jacky4566
Here is the chart:
https://www4.aeroplan.com/use-your-m...entLanguage=en

You should note there is 2 classes of flights, short haul and long haul. Always been that way.

And it would also depend if you are trying to book on fixed milage (cheapest but most restrictive) or market fare.

That's my point. A long haul to US should only be 25K but I'm finding lots of flights to the US that are 50K based on fixed mileage.

[jacky4566]

Originally posted by Manhattan


That's my point. A long haul to US should only be 25K but I'm finding lots of flights to the US that are 50K based on fixed mileage.

Oh weird. Can you post a screenshot?

[Manhattan]

Lol go have a look for yourself. Atlanta, DC, New Orleans, Charlotte, and there's probably a lot more.

[yellowsnow]

It's because there aren't any 'award' flights available for those dates you selected. So they give you the wonderful option of using double the points to book it anyway.

With aeroplan, you have to be flexible on your dates, and a lot of the popular routes have very few availability.

I can see flights from Calgary to Atlanta for 25,000 points on Oct 10, return Oct 17.

[jacky4566]

Not trying to smartass you but this is why i asked for a screenshot :P

[Manhattan]

Nice work beyond haha. Weird that I tried dates in November and all those cities came up as 50K. You'd think there'd be more availability.

[austic]

Originally posted by Manhattan
Nice work beyond haha. Weird that I tried dates in November and all those cities came up as 50K. You'd think there'd be more availability.

you are just learning now why aeroplan sucks. you have to book as soon as the flights become available to get it for 25K, aka a year or so in advance. Otherwise they fill up and you get the market fare option which as you found out is way more.

[rinny]

Can I point something out here....you can book a return ticket to Europe through United using aeroplan, for $100-120 in taxes total and 60k miles. Anytime you have Air Canada on a flight segment with aeroplan your taxes fees will be huuuuge.

[holden]

There are certain ways to use Aeroplan to maximize it's benefit. One thing is to not have exact dates and times you need to fly. Another is to avoid AC metal and fly on carriers with no YQ. The bad thing is on complicated routings it's not possible to book them through the Aeroplan website and you have to call. Lastly, then actual purchase cost per mile is greatly increased if you fly business or first.

If you really want to learn this stuff, spend a few days reading the Aeroplan section of FlyerTalk.

[Danish]

I used to have an Aeroplan card, best trick I've learned is to call in their support line to book your flight. They have a nominal fee ($20 or $30) but can get you better flights (i.e. direct) for the same amount of points - flights not typically advertised on the website.

[Manhattan]

Do you pay for the nominal fee with a CC or with your points? This could be a really good option as most of their flights to Montreal listed online are red eyes departing at midnight with a connection in Toronto.

[cream]

My dad uses the same method as above ^.

He says it's definitely worth the nominal fee. You gotta pay with CC I believe. It'll tack onto the fees & taxes you pay along with the flight.

[Jlude]

I have always found it to be hit or miss, I book a lot of family flights with Aeroplan points because they don't really really care when they fly, which keeps the cost (miles required) down.

[davidI]

Originally posted by rinny
Can I point something out here....you can book a return ticket to Europe through United using aeroplan, for $100-120 in taxes total and 60k miles. Anytime you have Air Canada on a flight segment with aeroplan your taxes fees will be huuuuge.

Most important tip here. Some airlines charge YQ (basically a fuel surcharge) and others don't.

Choosing particular airlines for your redemptions can result in saving hundreds.