2023-06-09 08:40 ET - In the News
The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that airfares can easily be 50 per cent higher than they were before the pandemic. Guest columnist Barry Choi writes that is because flights have never been more full, and demand never higher. While cheap travel is getting tougher to find, one way to save is with loyalty points. However, many travel loyalty programs, including Air Canada's Aeroplan, have switched to a dynamic pricing system. Simply put, when there's more demand for certain routes, destinations, or rooms, the number of points required for a redemption will also increase. For example, according to the Aeroplan flight reward chart, a one-way ticket from Toronto to Hong Kong should cost 65,000 to 110,000 Aeroplan points in economy, 80,000 to 180,000 points in premium economy and 105,000 to 250,000 in business. When there is more demand, you will see the number of points required on the higher end of the scale. To make matters worse, dynamic pricing with Aeroplan can see rates that far exceed what is listed in the chart. Prices for flights to Hong Kong from Toronto can be mind-boggling. An economy seat was going for 125,000 Aeroplan points, premium economy for 240,000 points and business was 350,000 points.