Thursday, May 7, 2020

May 7 Update: Aeroplan buy miles sale craziness and have we seen the last of WestJet's 767s?


The Aeroplan buy miles sale that launched at 10am this morning was so successful that it created a lot of issues. Some of our readers and ourselves couldn't even log on to the system and/or got errors and that seemed to be the case for a lot of people as Points.com who facilitates the process saw some of the highest traffic in their history. However there did seem to be some lucky people who did get in on the biggest bonus of 115% but there did seem to be some outstanding issues as well even for the 90% bonus offer. Seeing that they had issues Aeroplan has provided the following statement to share with our readers:
 We all believed that the two initial tranches of miles would sell out very quickly-and indeed they did.  Unfortunately, the response was so overwhelming that several members were unable to participate in the promotion, despite our joint effort with Points to add systems capacity in-advance of the sale. 
This was some of the highest traffic that our partner, Points.com has ever seen (more details on that to come)!  We're so grateful for the response, but there are no excuses for the access issues, and we own that.  We apologize for this and would like to make it right with our members.  Specifically: 
1.     all miles purchased between 11-12pm at the 65% bonus rate will automatically be increased to a 90% bonus. In other words, in case a customer was trying to purchase at the 90% bonus and was unable to, we are taking care of them and ensuring they get even more miles (note: the issues ended within the first hour of the sale). It will take us some time to reach-out and deposit the additional miles. 
2.     along with our partner Points, we will be donating an additional 1 million miles donation to our Aeroplan Member Donation program charity - The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation (CAMH).

Good news is that if you bought miles even at 65% between 11 and 12pm ET you're in for a surprise - you will get the 90% bonus! And the donation of 1 million more miles to CAMH is another great gesture from Aeroplan. Yes I know some of you were frustrated with the process and weren't able to get in on the bonus - we knew it would sell out fast - with most likely only somewhere between 20 to 40 people actually getting the 115% bonus. And the next 100 million points at 90% were likely taken by only a few hundred buyers excluding those who will get 90% for buying between 11 and 12pm. Now, the bonus remains at the 65% for the remainder of the promotional period which is until May 13. This is still a good bonus. You are buying miles at 1.8 cents CAD each. There are easily enough award options well north of 1.8 cents that it can be worthwhile to buy miles right now - that's even with no travel. You would be buying miles speculatively for a future award flight.
Image via Air Canada



Are WestJet's Boeing 767 aircraft done? Last week WestJet donated 115 galley carts from their fleet of four Boeing 767 airplanes to Alberta Health Services and aren't asking for them back. This makes me think that WestJet is planning on not having the planes return to service once more travel resumes. With the airline now the proud owners of five Boeing 787 planes and what will be several years of recovery to reach to pre-Coronavirus travel levels - the 30+ year old 767s will most likely not be required by the airline.
WESTJET DONATES GALLEY CARTS TO ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES SPRUNG PANDEMIC RESPONSE FACILITY

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect communities across the country, WestJet’s Catering Services team found a good use for 115 galley carts in time for the completion of Alberta Health Services’ (AHS) new Sprung Pandemic Response facility in Calgary.

The 767 galley carts will be used in isolation rooms to hold medical supplies and will help keep areas fully contained, reducing the risk of cross contamination between patients at the 8,250-square-foot facility located at the Peter Lougheed Centre. The temporary structure will only open if required to accommodate patients with confirmed, possible or probable cases of COVID-19.

The first delivery of galley carts arrived at the Peter Lougheed Centre on Thursday, April 23. Even if not used, WestJet has gifted the carts to AHS permanently.
Image via WestJet 

Airline Schedule Updates
This is now be a standard feature for the foreseeable future in our daily update posts as we summarize Canadian operations based on data from RoutesOnline and other sources. Remember that many of these route plans are subject to change and right now they are changing frequently!

British Airways latest schedule update shows them operating 1 daily flight out of both Montreal and Toronto to London Heathrow in the month of June. (Source RoutesOnline)

EVA Air appears to be pushing back the re-launch of their Vancouver to Taipei route to May 25 from May 20 (Source RoutesOnline)

Korean Air's plans for June currently has them flying 4x weekly service between Vancouver and Seoul and 3x weekly service from Toronto. (Source RoutesOnline)



Remember to visit and bookmark our COVID-19 resource page where we are keeping you up to date with all the latest airline, hotel, lounges and loyalty program news, policies, closures and more.
Other resources on Rewards Canada to help you make the most of your points and miles right now:


Posts since our last update:

Deals:

Travelzoo and Cape Mudge Resort on B.C.'s Quadra Island are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers for 2 night stays starting at $179 each for May 2021 or $229 each for summer stays in 2020 or 2021. Find out more here. 

Hello Fresh: save $65 in total, including free shipping on the first box! Find out more here.

Missfresh: Simplify your life with 45% off your first 2 consecutive orders with code SIMPLIFY45. Find out more here.

Enjoy up to 25% off for stays at Radisson Hotels in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific. Find out more here Book by May 10 for stays June 10 – August 31, 20

Rewards Canada receives a small commission when you use any of the above offers. You don't have to chose to use our links but we thank you in advance if you do.


Canadian Bonus Offers

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Other Bonus Offers

Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Up to 60% Bonus MilleMiglia Miles and up to 20% off when you buy or gift miles online. More... Until May 31, 20

British Airways Executive Club
- Up to 75% Bonus Avios when you buy or gift Avios. Buy Avios here. Bonus varies by member. More... Until May 18, 20

IHG Rewards Club
- 100% Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you buy 3,000 or more points. More... Until Jun 15, 20

Miles & More
- Earn up to 7,000 Bonus Miles & More Miles when you rent with Avis for 2 or more days Worldwide except for Latin America. More... Book by May 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 20



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