Aeroplan and Air Canada - High Priced Escorts?
So I arrived at the airport several hours early... I just had very little left to do and thought that because I was booked to travel Economy Class I would arrive early for a better chance to be able to use an upgrade certificate. In theory members of the top-tier programs are supposed to receive benefits, and upgrade certificates is one of them.
When I arrived at the check-in the agent told me I would need to upgrade at the gate, and would need a Special System-Wide Upgrade Certificate. There are several different types of certificates, and when I checked my folder the only ones I had were the plain-Jane System-Wide Upgrade Certificates. These I am told are only valid to upgrade the full-fare tickets, and since the company had (as they always do) purchased the lowest fare, the certificates were useless.
I phoned Aeroplan and asked them why I did not have any of these SPECIAL certificates and they said that I did not ask for them... it was a longer story than that, but suffice it to say that is what it boils down to.
The gate agent did give me the option of paying the difference for the ticket... at a bargain price of $2,700... at which point I could have used the certificate.
In telling this story to my mother she laughed and called them whores. In order to use the benefits of flying eighty times in a year I have to pay through the nose. But on reflection I wondered what whore would charge $2,700? I heard the numbers of the escort that got former New York Governor Spitzer turfed out of office, and if I recall correctly the numbers were similar. I left my credit card in my pocket and will fly coach... if for no other reason then that I cannot afford to resign in shame right now.