Air Canada Super Elite 100K: The Best Top-Tier Airline Elite Status

Super Elite for 5 years, my number one benefit would be Air Canada concierge benefit. I was heading to a wedding from YVR to MXP via yyz and I left my suit for a wedding at home. It was 60 mins before departure for my flight to YYZ. The concergie agent offered that she can bring the suit to me, if I can arrange someone to bring it to the curbside from my house. The agent brought me my suit with 10 mins before gate being closed.

Amazing benefits - real shame about the spend requirements... but reading your primer on the spend requirements being 50% for non Canadian domiciled... looks like a real benefit for Americans that travel to Asia from the West Coast

Thanks for the write-up, Kate! All true, and we look forward to improving these (and other tier) benefits with the Aeroplan relaunch next year!

I was expecting sarcasm but got a well informed post. Didn’t realize the extensive “soft” benefits that AC provides!

This is a great "What one gets" piece. As a defiant AC "hub captive" who rarely flies AC, I learned much I didn't know.

I hope Kate will soon provide the "How to Get it" piece, perhaps including different angles, approaches or "hacks", if any.

"Our family had the status from 2013-2018, and we benefited from it immensely."

I wasn't aware AC awarded status to families.

Oh for the days when SEs got access to last seat availability in business class for award redemption...!

I'd point out a couple of benefits top tiers are offered from other programs, to at least consider whether Air Canada's is truly best...

* Malaysia Airlines Platinums receive airport meet and greet. A porter unloads bags from the member’s car, takes them to first class check-in, escorts them through VIP immigration and to the lounge and then waits at the lounge until their flight is ready. Members receive an escort to the gate, to the front of security, and onto the plane — putting bags away in the overhead bin.

* China Eastern offers unlimited domestic upgrades; 4 international upgrades on any paid fare nearly always available; guaranteed award seats for member and nominees; account overdraft; and a choice benefit of 3 free hotel nights, flight simulator time, or a medical exam (!)

* Hong Kong doesn’t have priority security lines, but when a Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Club Diamond member checks in at first class they’re given a ‘courtesy channel‘ invitation which allows them to use the security lines for airline crew.

Very informative, thank you Kate. I have just returned to Toronto after 14 years in Sydney (have been ow emerald with QF for the past 10 years). Learning what benefits AC provide is immensely helpful as I will now be flying mostly with them. Thanks for your insights and I look forward to more posts from you.

@Kate

Fantastic post. I'm former Canuck but have been stateside for 40 years.

I use aeroplan mostly to book flights IAH to Asia, buy hey maybe worth looking up to see how to qualify and arrange flights through YYZ

So what exactly are the mileage, dollar (USD or CAD?) and segment requirements for a US citizen living in the USA to achieve the 100k or Super Elite status? I’m United Platinum but I’m reconsidering my commitment lol. Air Canada is a good option as I travel to YYZ from LAX often, and next year I’m moving to Portugal and Air Canada has nonstops LIS to YYZ. Plus it’s a member of the same global partners program as TAP and UAL Often I fly on Air Canada tho ticket it through United to get the Premier miles and dollars

@Gary
For MU Platinum, the upgrade certificate requires an available award seat but with the guaranteed award seat access it's fairly easy to snag one. The guaranteed award seats are only for the platinum member him/herself only but still incredibly useful. Medical exam is gone this year I think and the hotel offerings are not very attractive (iirc there is a St. Regis in the list but the price is cheaper than usual and review is soso). The flight simulator is absolutely worth it especially on the triple 7 simulator. Better have some experience before so you can save the practice time and go creative mode since you have 60 min to enjoy. Only wish the service can be a little better but meh that's just day dreaming for mainland airlines.

These are indeed great benefits. And of course that's on top of the usual things one expects like Star Alliance Gold status benefits, priority baggage, priority check-in, priority security, three free checked bags, lounge access in any Star Alliance lounge (including LH Senator lounges).

I've been SE100K for 4 years, heading into year 5. It's a much nicer way to fly. Even in economy.

@Patrick Oh!

SE status requires 100k miles or 95 segments plus $10,000 AQD for non-residents of Canada. ($20,000 for Canadian residents).

Details here https://altitude.aircanada.com/status/overview

And don't forget SEs get to arrive on time 40-50% of the time given ACs industry leading OTP!

Cant wait to see how Air Canada screws up their award program.

The concierges make minimum wage and lack training with high turnaround in the position. It's only a good program on paper.

Benefits sound nice but not much better than other top-tier programs.

Comparing with the HON program as a sample, I think the benefits are on-par + you can enjoy Lufthansa’s + Swiss nice First Class lounges even when traveling in Economy.

Getting up to 4 award seats whenever one seat is for sale is also a nice benefit there which saves me a lot of money when flights are expensive.

And if you’re really needing to fly you’ve got confirmed seats even on booked flights also for Business seats (e.g. BA only confirms this for Economy seats which is useless for the long-haul business traveler)

Lovely read and completely accurate....glad you are helping with the cancon perspective...hugs from da rock....tj

As a Super myself, I can confirm all the great features Kate calls out above. The Concierges are really great...even in a mega hub like Toronto Pearson, they make travel a little more tolerable. Another benefit which has recently been added (though not guaranteed) is on tarmac transfer in a BMW SUV from check-in to the Signature Suite when originating in Toronto and travelling in paid J on a long haul overseas flight. On my last flight to Doha via Zurich they called me that morning to advise that I could get that service, previously only available for those making connections. I'll be interested to see if I get it again in a week when I fly to Tokyo. I'm not sure it saved much time, but it was fun and the Signature Suite is easily the best airline lounge in North America...although this comes only with a paid J ticket regardless of status.

Nice post but it completely ignores Air Canada's many warts, including the steady erosion of its hard and soft product and the consistent devaluation of its frequent flier program. The concierge program used to be good, but today most staff are poorly trained and in any case almost impossible to reach when IRROPS occur. The value of this perk is now highly questionable.

The post also ignores the simple fact that Air Canada's fares are frequently quite a bit higher than those of competitors. I regularly find business class seats on competing airlines for less than Air Canada charges for economy. Not just now and then, but all the time. So why should I fly on Air Canada and play upgrade roulette when I can just buy the J seat on the competitor for less and be done with it?

Add Air Canada's aforementioned industry-worst on time performance and there is little reason to fly with them at all when alternatives exist.

Great article Kate and yes I concur. I surely miss the SE status when I had it for so many years & the concierge at YYC was simply the best!

I'm grateful that Air Canada has finally stopped saying "Improvements" to the program when they were taking away benefits. Couldn't believe they really think we (consumers) are that gullible.

A couple of comments/responses:
- Yes the AQD is in CAD$ (base fare of ticket)
- Note for the our USA friends, if you want to jump on the SE bandwagon, know that the benefits are really more geared towards Air Canada planes, thus Air Canada will not allow you to fly USA to USA destinations. So it will limit your choices if you are mainly a USA domestic flier.
- Since Air Canada is usually not the lowest fare option out there, it may help you attain the AQD requirement faster than other airlines with the same requirement.

I was an SE for maybe 10 years and seldom if ever had a use for a concierge, and the one time I needed help due to a delayed arrival and connection, nothing was done for me, nobody met me off the plane and I got handled in the huddle with dozens of other misconnects.

As for better benefits as top tiers in other programs, OneWorld Emerald elites from any member airline get extra legroom seating on partner airlines that offer it at no charge, and if flying AA they get comp'd alcoholic drinks and on domestic flights anything off the buy on board menu . They also get access to First Class lounges where offered...ever try to get into SQ or LH F lounges if you're not flying that class of service as an ACSE?

50 eUpgrade credits don't go very far (even after earning a few more through the year) and hardly compare with the top tier elite benefit of comp upgrades offered by AA, UA and DL on North American flights (albeit space available).

I certainly would not rank ACSE as the best top tier elite status around given it lacks in so many other areas and benefits offered by other airlines.

I would say right not its the Worst Airline for frequent flyers. They have treated their most loyal customers ie Super Elite they didnt matter. This is one of the Harvard Business review cases how not to do things. This is paid writeup but avoid Air Canada for now if you can.

Not anymore!