The 2025 Air Canada eUpgrade Strategy

eUpgrades are a valuable benefit offered to those who hold Aeroplan Elite Status, as members can apply them to bookings and possibly enjoy travel in a higher class of service. 

Understanding the intricacies of eUpgrades and how to best leverage them involves a bit of a learning curve, but the payoff for your time can also be substantial.

In this article, we’ll go over the current state of Air Canada eUpgrades and how to best position yourself for success with them in 2025.

A Brief History of Air Canada eUpgrades (Post-2020)

Prior to diving into our recommendations for a 2025 eUpgrade strategy, it’s worthwhile to discuss what’s changed (and what’s the same) since Aeroplan was revamped nearly five years ago, at least as it pertains to eUpgrades.

The Rise of the Latitude Attitude

One of the biggest (and perhaps underappreciated) developments that occured in Aeroplan’s 2020 relaunch was extending the ability to apply eUpgrades to bookings made with Aeroplan points. Previously, eUpgrades were only applicable to cash bookings.

This ushered in the dawn of a new era – the “Latitude Attitude” – which became one of the best ways to book Air Canada business class for less.

By purchasing Economy (Latitude) fares using Aeroplan points and applying eUpgrades to instantly confirm a seat in business class (assuming there was eUpgrade availability), members were able to leverage their Aeroplan Elite Status to travel near and far in style. 

As pandemic-era restrictions began to lift and people took back to the skies, this strategy became one of the best ways to squeeze extra value out of your Aeroplan points and your eUpgrades.

Many people who found themselves with status through Everyday Status Qualification, credit card promotions, or pandemic-era status extensions had a nice stockpile of eUpgrades at their disposal, and many options to use them.

For a couple of years, it wasn’t difficult to find eUpgrade availability for multiple passengers on domestic, transborder, and even many international routes. 

During this period, I redeemed eUpgrades many times to fly across Canada in the comfort of a lie-flat seat, and confirmed eUpgrades in advance on flights to Europe, Asia, and Australia with minimal effort.

At one point, I managed to apply eUpgrades in advance on an Economy (Latitude) booking to fly myself, my wife, my sister, and my two nieces from Australia back to Canada in November 2022, all for the low price of around 65,000 Aeroplan points and 13 eUpgrades each. That was a screaming deal.

These days, the availability of eUpgrade inventory on international routes appears to be a bit more scarce than it has been in the last few years, which makes it more difficult to confirm an eUpgrade in advance. This is more so the case with Aeroplan bookings, since cash fares have access to a larger bucket of eUpgrade inventory.

Anecdotally, eUpgrade inventory is still relatively bountiful on domestic and transborder flights, as well as to some international destinations (South America and some transpacific routes). However, it’s comparatively limited on many transatlantic routes and some transpacific routes, as well as on flights to Australia and New Zealand.

While the Latitude Attitude remains a great approach to score Air Canada business class seats for less than what it might cost in cash or points (especially with dynamic pricing on Air Canada business class), it’s fair to say that confirming eUpgrades in advance on long-haul routes using Aeroplan points is more challenging now than it was previously.

If you don’t have an ExpertFlyer subscription, consider getting one to quickly search for eUpgrade space and to set alerts for “R” space. If it works out for you even once, it should more than justify the annual fee.

Effects of Dynamic Pricing

When Aeroplan was relaunched, Air Canada introduced dynamic pricing when redeeming Aeroplan points for its own flights, and it also became possible to book different types of fares within a fare class. 

With Economy (Standard), Economy (Flex), Economy (Latitude), Premium Economy (Lowest), and Premium Economy (Flexible) fares (amongst others, but these are the most relevant to eUpgrades), Aeroplan members could choose to spend more points for a fare with more inclusions (or less for a more restrictive one). 

At the outset, the differences between Economy (Standard), Economy (Flex), and Economy (Latitude) fares booked with points were much less stark than the same fares paid for with cash. In other words, the gap in points between an Economy (Flex) and an Economy (Latitude) fare was much less pronounced than the same cash fares.

This presented Aeroplan members with an excellent opportunity, since Economy (Latitude) fares didn’t cost remarkably more than Economy (Flex) fares booked with points.

When paired with ample eUpgrade availability and no clearance windows for Economy (Latitude) fares, this resulted in one of the best-value and reliable ways to leverage your status and points balances for a few years.

As with any loyalty program that uses dynamic pricing for award flights, it’s difficult to keep track of any changes in award pricing that occur over time. Award prices rise and fall depending on the underlying cash value, and higher costs in points are attributed to higher costs in cash.

For example, here’s a look back at a sample of price differences between Economy (Standard), Economy (Flex), and Economy (Latitude) fares from an analysis of the preferred pricing benefit that we did back in Winter 2020/2021. This chart showed sample award pricing on flights from Vancouver to Toronto.

As you can see, the difference between the middle and bottom rows, which display Economy (Flex) and Economy (Latitude) fares, respectively, was consistently around 5,000–7,000 points (at least in this sample). 

Flash forward to today, and the difference in points required between fare types is more pronounced.

Depending on the route, it’s not uncommon to see Economy (Flex) fares cost twice as much in points compared to Economy (Standard) fares, and Economy (Latitude) fares can also cost nearly double Economy (Flex) fares.

When researching this article, I tried to find an example from our previous analyses that had similar to pricing to the ones listed in the above chart. Of course, this is just a single example amongst tens of thousands of possible flights, and there are going to be instances with lower and higher pricing.

The takeaway here is over the past few years, the pricing difference between various fare types booked with points appears to have risen.

Whereas in years past it was pretty common to book Economy (Latitude) fares for around 25,000 points for domestic widebody flights (and then apply eUpgrades to confirm a spot in business class), it now appears to cost more on average. The same is true of other routes.

Furthermore, Economy (Latitude) (and Premium Economy (Flexible) fares, for that matter) aren’t necessarily a great deal when it comes to using eUpgrades, since they can sometimes mirror or exceed the cost of booking in a higher class of service with partner airlines to begin with. 

Premium Cabins Are (Pretty) Full

Over the last few years, the demand for premium leisure travel has been steadily increasing. 

Air Canada, like many airlines, is selling more premium seats in advance, which leaves fewer seats available for paid upgrades, saver-level award seats, and of course, eUpgrades.

One of the spinoff effects of this is that since eUpgrades really only apply to unsold inventory, waitlisting for an eUpgrade is more relevant now than it has been in previous years.

If you’re a part of any groups with Aeroplan Elite Status members, you’ll likely see a constant drip of posts about eUpgrade waitlists (and parsley omelettes, and cashew counts). 

Many of the posts are about a similar scenario: a nearly full Air Canada business class cabin with few seats left and a running commentary about whether or not their eUpgrade waitlist request clears.

While going through the emotional rollercoaster of watching the eUpgrade waitlist like a hawk is something that anybody with Aeroplan Elite Status should experience at least once, it can also result in disappointment if things don’t go your way. This is especially the case if you’re not familiar with waitlist ranking and how it works.

Therefore, it’s important to arm yourself with knowledge about eUpgrade waitlists so that you can best set yourself up for success.

When I discussed this factor with some Air Canada frequent travellers, some reported that it’s not uncommon to find great deals on Business Class (Lowest) “P” cash fares on long-haul flights nowadays. If you can take advantage of a great deal on premium fares, you won’t have to consider using eUpgrades and can count on a comfortable flight rather than being subject to waitlisting.

The 2025 Air Canada eUpgrade Strategy

With the above discussion in mind, let’s turn our attention now towards our recommendations for a 2025 Air Canada eUpgrade strategy.

Be Prepared to Waitlist

If you’re not willing or able to shell out the points or cash required to book into the premium economy or business class cabins to begin with, and if you can’t find eUpgrade inventory in advance, you’ll need to prepare yourself for an eUpgrade waitlist.

While it’s not possible to predict whether or not you’ll be successful (due to many factors, including last-minute bookings, flight cancellations and subsequent rebookings, aircraft downgauging, etc.), you can set yourself up for greater success by understanding how the waitlist works and weighing your options accordingly.

Since the most important factor in waitlist ranking is the original cabin class, you’re more likely to find yourself at the top of the waitlist if you book into the premium economy cabin to begin with. While this almost certainly comes at a higher cost, it could wind up being the difference between travelling in a lie-flat seat (if you clear the waitlist) or not.

Plus, if you don’t wind up clearing, you’ll at least be in a higher class of service to begin with, which is especially important for long-haul flights.

This is particularly relevant if you have a lower tier of status, since you’re likely to be farther down on any waitlist due to the other waitlist ranking factors.

If there’s not a premium economy cabin on your flight, then it’s worthwhile comparing the price differences between various economy fare types. Paying a bit more up front might bump your place up on the waitlist, and the difference between fares isn’t always substantial.

Be Flexible with Your Destination

Air Canada operates long-haul flights from its hubs in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal, as well as a single flight from Calgary to London. 

As you’re deciding on a flight, you may have better luck clearing an eUpgrade in advance or clearing the eUpgrade waitlist if you’re flexible with your destination.

For example, you can expect the business class cabins from Vancouver to Toronto, Toronto to London, or Montreal to Paris to be fairly full year-round, as these are busy routes.

However, if your primary goal is to fly in business class with Air Canada and you can be more flexible with your travel plans, consider routing through or flying into other cities for better chances with eUpgrades.

Heading to France? Consider flying to Toulouse, Lyon, or Nice instead of Paris.

Heading to Japan (like everyone else)? Consider Air Canada’s routes to Osaka from Vancouver and Toronto instead of Tokyo.

Familiarize yourself with Air Canada’s current route network, as you may find a worthwhile option that you didn’t previously consider.

Of course, the aircraft type also matters, since some have substantially more business class seats than others. In any event, you could consider monitoring flight loads through the Air Canada app or a tool like ExpertFlyer, which should give you a realistic expectation of how full flights tend to be.

This approach can also work for domestic flights on widebody aircraft.

I’ve had a fair amount of eUpgrade success by routing through Calgary on my way from Vancouver to Toronto or Montreal, whereas my success rate with eUpgrades in advance or waitlists has been less fulsome on the non-stop routes.

While this adds an extra stop, the price is usually cheaper, and you might get to fly in a higher class of service than you otherwise would have.

Fortunately, Air Canada’s business class experience (marketed as Signature Class) is fairly consistent (with a few exceptions) across its widebody fleet. Therefore, you should get a vastly similar experience onboard no matter where you fly.

Of course, not everyone can be flexible with their destinations, and this approach won’t be useful to all. However, you may find that there are more empty seats available on these secondary routes, which bodes well in your eUpgrade favour.

Consider Cash Latitude Fares

One important consideration to keep in mind is that cash Economy (Latitude) fares have access to a different eUpgrade inventory than Economy (Latitude) fares booked with points.

While this has always been the case – and it also applies to Premium Economy (Flexible) fares – it’s an important factor to consider if you’re looking to score Air Canada business class at a discount by leveraging eUpgrades.

For example, you might see eUpgrade availability on a cash Economy (Latitude) fare between Toronto and London…

Whereas the eUpgrade availability is absent for the same flight booked with Aeroplan points…

In some cases, the combination of a cash Economy (Latitude) booking and eUpgrades might be less than the corresponding Business Class (Lowest) fare, while in other cases it might have a similar or greater cost.

However, the best way to leverage this expanded access to eUpgrade availability is on bookings for two when used in tandem with a Worldwide Annual Companion Pass (earned by spending $25,000 on a premium Aeroplan co-branded credit card).

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Again, this isn’t anything new, but it remains one of the best and more reliable ways to squeeze extra value out of your eUpgrades.

Suppose you and your significant other would like to fly from Toronto to London for a summer holiday.

Round-trip non-stop flights might price out at $9,949.26 (CAD) for two passengers on a Business Class (Lowest) fare.

Meanwhile, on the same dates, you might find eUpgrade availability on Economy (Latitude) fares and apply your companion pass. This brings the total cost down to $6,028.25 (CAD) , or a savings of $3,921.01 (CAD) between two passengers for the exact same experience.

Considering that you’d need to use 44 eUpgrades for this itinerary, it works out to a “value” of $89.11 (CAD) per eUpgrade (or less if you take into account the $599 annual fee of your premium credit card). 

In either case, combining eUpgrades with Economy (Latitude) cash fares remains one of the best and most reliable ways to score value from your eUpgrades.

Plus, as a premium co-branded credit cardholder, you’ll enjoy a two-year validity period for your eUpgrades, which gives you first dibs on eUpgrade space and more time to make use of them.

Be Realistic with Your Expectations

Lastly, I think it’s important to be realistic with your expectations when it comes to eUpgrades.

When used strategically (taking into consideration your status level, your flexibility with travel dates/destinations, and your ability to book with cash or points), eUpgrades can be an incredibly valuable benefit for Air Canada frequent flyers.

I know of many people with Aeroplan Elite Status of different levels who use up all or close to all of their eUpgrade allotment, and they find excellent value in the program year after year. We also have great success with leveraging eUpgrades for our Concierge clients.

However, I also know people (and read about others on various online forums) who become frustrated that they’re unable to make good use of their eUpgrades, mainly because they never clear.

If you’re a 25K member waitlisted for an eUpgrade on an Economy (Flex) fare on Monday morning from Vancouver to Toronto, I hate to break it to you but your request probably wasn’t going to clear in the first place, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise when you’re way down on the waitlist with only one or two available seats.

Those seats are almost certainly going to someone who booked into the premium economy cabin to begin with, and/or who hold a higher status (likely a Super Elite Million Miler with a premium co-branded credit card).

Rather than treating eUpgrades as something that’s set in stone 100% of the time, consider them as a tool that can be leveraged to help stretch your dollar or points further.

As with many aspects of loyalty programs, the more the know about them, the better chances you’ll have at making use of and finding value in them, so take the time to learn through reading and asking questions, as well as by trial and error. 

One of the most satisfying eUpgrade redemptions I’ve been involved with was booking my in-laws on a Premium Economy (Lowest) fare for 19,000 Aeroplan points each from Vancouver to Toronto, and having their eUpgrade waitlist request clear at the gate (my mother-in-law enjoys 25K status through Everyday Status Qualification).

Not only did I score some brownie points with my in-laws (who were perfectly happy to fly in premium economy and weren’t expecting the eUpgrade), but they also likely cleared ahead of other passengers with higher statuses booked on lower fares who are less familiar with the ins and outs of eUpgrades.

Conclusion

Air Canada eUpgrades are a valuable benefit offered to members with Aeroplan Elite Status. When used strategically, they can offer access to Air Canada’s premium cabins at a steep discount.

To set yourself up for success with leveraging eUpgrades in 2025, be sure to familiarize yourself with waitlist ranking, Air Canada’s route network, and the differences between Economy (Latitude) fares booked with cash and points. 

It’s also important to approach eUpgrades with reasonable expectations, knowing that they won’t work in your favour 100% of the time.

No matter what your Aeroplan Elite Status is, there’s a lot of value to be found in the program. Leveraging it in your favour will require some learning and strategic planning, but the pursuit is certainly worth your while.

I’m grateful to Gabriel Duschinsky, the Prince of Travel Concierge team, and anonymous Super Elites for their input and contributions to this article.