by Have you always wanted to fly first class with an airline and enjoy all the benefits of luxury travel? This lesser-known travel tip could get you a seat upgrade on your flight without paying full price.
Air Canada offers passengers the opportunity to bid for a seat upgrade, which means you can choose what you are willing to pay to upgrade your seat to a higher cabin class.
AC Bid Upgrade allows you to bid for an upgrade to a higher class prior to your flight when you purchase Air Canada Economy or Premium Economy class travel.
In addition to Economy (the lowest class) and Premium Economy (a mid-range class of flight), Air Canada also has Business Class and its luxurious Signature Class cabins, where flyers can enjoy things like daybeds in personal pod-style seats for extra enjoyment Space and legroom as well as priority services.
If your flight is eligible, you can bid on Air Canada’s bidding page for how much you are willing to pay for an upgrade.
How to upgrade on an Air Canada flight
At least 48 hours before your flight departure, you can visit the Air Canada Offer Upgrade page and enter your flight details (including your booking number) to see if you are eligible for an upgrade.
Once you’ve set that up, you can make your offer by moving the slider to choose how much you’d like to pay for the upgrade and entering your payment details. Note that your bid price does not include the original airfare.
You will only be charged if your offer is accepted. If your offer has not yet been confirmed, you can cancel it up to 48 hours before departure. If your offer is accepted, you will be notified approximately two days before your departure time.
Your offer includes all applicable taxes and fees, says Air Canada. For the best chance of your offer being accepted, the airline recommends submitting the highest price you are willing to pay
It doesn’t cost you anything extra to create an offer. However, if your offer is accepted, you can say hello to a truly luxurious journey.
Is it worth upgrading to business class with Air Canada?
Air Canada’s Business Class offers perks like larger seats, access to the airline’s swanky Maple Leaf lounges, and an all-inclusive meal tray on flights longer than two hours.
Passengers in this class also enjoy preferential services such as an exclusive check-in area, a dedicated boarding area and priority baggage handling.
In Signature Class, offered on select routes, passengers can enjoy pod-style reclining seats, complete with a pillow, duvet and mattress topper, as well as an amenity kit and CleanCare+ kit.
You can also take advantage of concierge and chauffeur service and enjoy complimentary meals and premium amenities like Molton Brown skin care products in Air Canada’s exclusive signature suites.
While you might think that Air Canada’s top cabin class costs quite a bit, the cost difference between premium economy and business isn’t huge on some flights, meaning it might be worth trying an upgrade to the luxury cabin .
While not all flights are necessarily eligible for an upgrade, for example, a flight from Toronto to Vancouver in December on Air Canada could cost you $312 each way in economy class, while a flight in business class could cost you only a few hundred dollars additionally would cost a total of $849.
If you could bid on seats in that class, chances are you’ll pay even less!
