found via flyertalk.com last week, air canada is changing its domestic check-in times (except for flights from YTZ) starting on april 10, 2013. i can't find the actual thread anymore, but the announcement on aircanada.com was apparently dated on march 22, 2013. instead of the 30 minute check-in deadline and bag drop off cutoff time, it's now 45-minutes. no other changes to other flights. this is in line with westjet's policies. thank goodness for flyertalk -- these are all things i never would have known until it was too late.
i guess they've had too many issues with people like me, coming right under the wire because i end up booking those 8am flights, waking up approximately 90 minutes beforehand and getting my luggage in right under the wire. maybe it just started taking too long to get the luggage from the drop-off station to the airplane, delaying the flight. or maybe it allows control of the flight to be transferred by the gate agent a little bit earlier, allowing for confirmation of e-upgrades to occur before the actual boarding time. current boarding time is now at the 35 minute mark, although in reality, it has never started on time in my experience in the last 4 years. heck, sometimes the plane hasn't even arrived at that time.
so it just means that i'll have to arrive earlier if i have baggage. which means that i'll have waste time in the lounge using my star alliance gold status.
have you ever missed a flight? I always get to the airport just in time, and walk up to the gate as they are in the middle of boarding. Some say that is cutting it too close. I've never missed a flight, so I will keep doing it until I get in trouble.
ReplyDeleteif i don't have baggage, then it's not an issue. but i remember last year, the bf had a bag to check in, and we were at the 29 minute mark (cutoff time was 30 minutes!). they let us go, had a "runner" to fast track his luggage, and we got a finger waving ... it's one of those things that i don't like experiencing too often ;)
ReplyDeleteoh wait ... two years ago, i was actually 5 minutes late for baggage drop off (25 minute mark). i was sweating until i learned that my flight was cancelled anyway and i was put on the next one out ...