My trip to Australia last October, my 2 trips to Quebec in 2010 and a few small trips to Europe in 2010 allowed me to re-qualify for a 5th consecutive year at Air Canada Elite status ( Aeroplan) / Star Alliance Gold. As usual, I received an email confirming me getting my status. A major innovation this year in the privileges offered to senior status is the introduction of "E-Credits" which are simply units of credit serving as replacements for traditional upgrade certificates.
The idea is interesting because it obviously provides a significant saving paper. However, true to form, management Aeroplan has not hesitated to use the introduction of this new system to make a drastic cut in the privileges. Indeed, the number of E-credit is given to members Elites is relatively low (compared to the amount of units needed to be able to upgrade). Contrary to what was happening at the time of paper certificates, the number of E-Credits needed to be upgraded depends not only on the tariff code of the ticket but also the distance between the point of origin and destination.
Finally, the potential for upgrades for Elite members have simply been virtually cut in half, making it inevitable (unlike previous years) some routes in economy class on Air Canada during the year 2011. The only people who are not too many losers in this story are the super-elite members who receive an astronomical amount of E-Credits.
This is not the first time cut drastically Aeroplan privileges. Indeed, in 2007 and 2008, management had decided to remove certain tariff codes eligible for upgrades, forcing travelers buy at even higher rates in order to be outclassed. It seems clear now that Aeroplan is not a true loyalty system because it does reward frequent travelers by removing privileges from one year to another!
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