Adventures with Aeroplan: Canadian North versus First Air

I use my Aeroplan Miles a lot to travel – after all, airline tickets are quite expensive in the north. My family often travel in the Qikiqtaaluk region for spring-summer camping and hunting; and Christmases.

I obtained an Aerogold Visa credit card just for this purpose – the 19.5 per cent annual interest is pretty steep compared to other credit cards, but I was willing to take that pinch, weighing the balance of using Aeroplan for travel.

I stopped using another credit card with a lower interest rate to switch over to this one. Aerogold gives me a point for every dollar spent. So, the points rack up pretty quickly if I only use the Aerogold for household expenses.

Now, Aeroplan is based in Vancouver and has its own website for account users. It waives the fee of $20.00 for administrative fees if you book a flight online for a flight with Air Canada.

However, the $20 fee is never waived in the North because the only two flight providers are Canadian North and First Air and the option to book online with those two are not available.

So, for a family of four, I have paid approximately $125 per round-trip on administrative fees and taxes with Aeroplan.

Getting a confirmation depends on seat availability, as both airlines restrict two seats per flight for Aeroplan seating. When I call Aeroplan, I usually get a quick reply about seat availability through Canadian North, but I have to wait 48 hours with First Air. If there’s no availability on a particular day with First Air, I have to wait another 48 hours for a different day, and on and on.

It was almost always next to impossible to find a seat with First Air because using Aeroplan Miles for travel is so popular in the North.

However, when Canadian North came on the scene with its Qikiqtaaluk routes a couple of years ago, it’s much easier to confirm and book a flight any day. We usually travel on Canadian North because it confirms seats faster, usually within 10 seconds and not 48 hours.

I once asked why there was a difference in service and Aeroplan just said, “First Air doesn’t like being called for every request – they only have one staff.” It made me wonder if Canadian North just had more staff or were more customer-friendly.

Unfortunately, seats are limited and hence it’s hard to travel with a family of four. We have often had to travel separately on different dates. Once, I wrote a letter to Canadian North and they kindly offered to waive the seat restriction for us to travel together.

I once booked a flight through Canadian North with Aeroplan for my husband at a different date than ours. What I didn’t know until it was almost too late was that there was to be a mechanical failure with the airplane and my husband’s name was taken off of the Aeroplan confirmation.

So I called First Air to see if they could take him.

I got a rude response, “He’s on a free ticket, we’re not ‘protecting’ him.”

“What do you mean you’re not ‘protecting’ him?”

“We’re not transferring his seat from Canadian North to First Air.”

“Why not? You’re ‘protecting’ the other Canadian North passengers by transferring their seats to yours because of the mechanical failure.”

“Yes, but your husband’s seat is a free ticket, we’re not obligated to ‘protect’ his seat.”

“Free, my upatiq”, I wanted to say. Free? All those Aerogold points I try hard to rack up? And at that interest rate?

The administrative fees I pay that southerners usually don’t have to pay with online booking, the time I spend to call Aeroplan instead of being able to access my booking online, the hours I wait on hold with Aeroplan, wasting my time instead of doing other things?
“Well, can you call Aeroplan to see if you can ‘protect’ my husband’s seat?”

“No, you have to call them yourself.”

“I only have a day left to see if he can be protected, and I need to make sure my kids will be safe as I’m leaving for the hospital now and I need to know if he’ll be able to make it to be with my kids.”

“No, you have to call them yourself.”

“But I’m going to have to wait 48 hours for confirmation because First Air has this policy of 48 hours and I don’t have 48 hours.”

“Sorry.”

“I can’t play phone tag for hours, calling you and then calling Aeroplan, I have to leave for the hospital now.”

I was almost crying at this point. Aeroplan was closed still as the centre is three hours away in time difference.

I called Canadian North and asked if they could ‘protect’ him.

“Gladly, I’ll get on it – what’s the booking reference number?”

My eyes were like saucers – he got ‘protected’ on the same flight that First Air did not want to let him!

So, I’m on a wait-and-see about Air Canada jumping on the board with its Iqaluit-Ottawa route, especially with its Aeroplan service, and whether I’ll be able to book online and pay administrative fees that it waives to its southern customers and whether it’ll have seat restrictions as well.

It’s good to know Canadian North will partner in its check-in and baggage service. In my experience, it has a better and exemplary customer service over the competition.

(Name withheld by request)
Iqaluit

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