How to Request your eUpgrade

You can use your eUpgrade Credits to request an upgrade on any eligible Air Canada, Air Canada Express, and Air Canada Rouge flight which features a Business Class, Premium Economy or Premium Rouge cabin, so long as you have a ticketed reservation. You will also need to ensure that your Aeroplan number is entered as your frequent flyer number on your reservation in order to complete an upgrade.

You can request an upgrade for an entire one-way itinerary, or choose to upgrade only certain flight segments. Upgrades can be requested:

  • Online through your eUpgrade account Opens in New Window or by contacting Air Canada Reservations
  • When you check in online, on your mobile device, or at an airport kiosk (provided you are travelling alone on your reservation, and requesting an upgrade to Business Class)
  • With an agent at the airport
  • At the departure gate on your day of travel

How to Request an Upgrade

To request an upgrade, simply:

How eUpgrade Credits and Add-ons are calculated

As soon as you request your upgrade, the required eUpgrade Credits are removed from your account. Please note:

  • Your eUpgrade Credits must not expire prior to the date of the flight for which you wish to request an upgrade
  • The credits with the shortest validity period will always be used first

Also note that an eUpgrade Add-on may apply, depending on your Altitude status, your destination and your booking class.

If you end up not receiving an upgrade, or if you are upgraded for only a part of your itinerary, you may be entitled to a refund. If so, a portion or all of the eUpgrade Credits are returned to your account 72 hours after your travel has been completed.

Learn more about how eUpgrade Credits and Add-ons are calculated.

How upgrade availability is determined for upgrades to Business Class

Between the time of reservation and up to 24 hours prior to departure

Your reservation must be completed and ticketed and you must be within your booking window to request an upgrade.

When you request an upgrade within your booking window and upgrade space is available, your upgrade will be confirmed at the time of your request.

As of October 6th, 2020, you can request an upgrade at any time. Once your clearance window opens, if upgrade space is available, your upgrade will be confirmed. If no upgrade seats are available, you will be automatically put on a waiting list for an upgrade. If a Business Class seat becomes available up to 24 hours prior to your flight, upgrades will be assigned as follows:

  • Altitude members holding a reservation with Latitude (Y and B booking class) and/or Premium Economy Flexible (O booking class) fares
  • Altitude members holding a reservation in all other eligible booking classes
    • For members holding the same Altitude status, priority is given to the member holding highest eligible booking classes

Within 24 hours of departure

If you do not receive an upgrade email confirming your upgrade before you check-in, your request will be automatically transferred to the airport standby list. You can also view the status of your eUpgrade by logging into your account. Upgrades on the airport standby list will be processed by taking into account the following:

  • Altitude status level
  • Booking class
  • Time of check-in

Airport standby list – departure gate process

Air Canada has introduced enhancements at the departure gate which facilitate the processing of all customers on the airport standby list. At flight closure, based on the number of available seats in each cabin, all customers on the standby list are processed automatically. As such, if you are waitlisted for an upgrade and space is available once the flight is ready to board, your seat will be changed automatically between 45-60 minutes prior to flight departure depending on your destination.

As of November 8th, 2020, Iif you are travelling with eUpgrade Companions, your individual priority on the airport standby list will be considered for the whole of your party. As such, we ask that you are present at the gate at the time indicated on your boarding pass in order to ensure the orderly allotment of upgrades and seat assignments. In the event that you wish to cancel your eUpgrade, our agents will make their best effort to return your original seat; however, we cannot guarantee it will still be available.

eUpgrades are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the program.

Reservations with more than two passengers

If you are travelling on a reservation with more than two passengers, we strongly recommend that you request your upgrade prior to your day of travel or, at the latest, during check-in with an agent at the airport. Although we will do our utmost, it may not always be possible for us to honour upgrade requests made at the gate when travelling on such reservations.

Travel using another member’s eUpgrade Credits

Currently, only one member may sponsor an upgrade per reservation. For instance, if a Super Elite 100K and Prestige 25K member are travelling together on the same booking, it is not possible for the Super Elite 100K member to sponsor an upgrade for the departing flight(s), and for the Prestige 25K member to sponsor an upgrade for the return flight(s).

Earning frequent flyer miles or points

If you wish to use eUpgrade Credits to request an upgrade on your itinerary, you will be required to use your Aeroplan Number as your frequent flyer number. If you wish to earn miles or points with another program, your eUpgrade request will be cancelled.

Codeshare flights

If you are travelling on a codeshare flight operated by Air Canada (e.g., a flight marketed by United Airlines but operated by Air Canada), you may only request an upgrade with an Air Canada agent at the airport, or at the departure gate on your day of travel.

Cancelling an upgrade

If your upgrade request is waitlisted:

  • You can cancel the upgrade request by accessing your eUpgrade account, or by contacting Air Canada Reservations or your travel agent

If your upgrade request is confirmed:

  • You can cancel the upgrade request by contacting Air Canada Reservations or your travel agent. Note that if your originally purchased Economy or Premium Economy booking class is no longer available, you may need to pay the applicable fare difference

Upon cancellation of an upgrade request, any eUpgrade Credits applicable to that flight will be returned to your account.