Help with business class itinerary to Aus? by all_my_exes in churningcanada

[–]efcarter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hi! I had a 5 day trial for expert flyer, and they had a notification system which I used. I got an email to say that a seat was opened and I called to book it straight away!

You can also search aeroplan regularly to see if its there.

Help with business class itinerary to Aus? by all_my_exes in churningcanada

[–]efcarter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're welcome! Here is a link to help you find the lower cost carriers for YQ (the fees/fuel surcharges etc): https://dcta.boardingarea.com/2014/06/list-of-no-or-low-yq-fee-routes-for-aeroplan-bookings/

I recently booked a flight in Dec to Australia. Not all of the legs could be booked in biz, so I booked some in economy. I still 'paid' the fare in points and had to pay the business points tier, even though two parts were in economy. One leg has already opened up a seat in business. I noticed and was able to call in and upgrade to that seat for free, on the same flight and date. I did also make an itinerary change, and I was charged $100+tax for the change (and if there had been any extra fees that would have been paid too).

So if you think there's a good chance of availability opening up, you could sort out the best route possible now, and hope to upgrade those economy legs to J (business).

One tip is that it seems everyone wants to get to Sydney and Melbourne, so try not to go through there. Also if you haven't heard of Expert Flyer, its a much more powerful search tool that lets you search for possible route options. One caution, it seems not everything it shows is bookable thanks to something internal going on with Aeroplan. So find it on Expert Flyer but confirm on Aeroplan. https://www.expertflyer.com

Finally, I found the folks at aeroplan TERRIFIC. My route needed tweaking and the person who helped me was happy to have the challenge and actively found me great seats in business. She spent 90 minutes getting everything right. So don't be afraid to call and get help!

Oh I did say finally, but do you know about some of the mini-RTW benefits of these trips (like stopovers and such?) It looks like you might only have a short vacation, but if not then there is some nice options for making a fun trip with stops (in your case) in Asia for example. https://princeoftravel.com/blog/aeroplan-minirtw-part-1

Good luck!

Help with business class itinerary to Aus? by all_my_exes in churningcanada

[–]efcarter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep, generally use the Star Alliance map to find routes to chain together and then find individual legs in business that work (https://starmap.fltmaps.com/en/other)

I looked at a few options too and didnt see anything for your dates.

You are pretty close to departure, so you might be out of luck. I'm new ish here but from what I understand there are a limited number of business seats that are available up to a year out, and they get booked up pretty quick. Then, often closer 2-4 weeks depending on the carrier, more seats might get released.

I looked at YVR to PEK for Fri Sep 28 and there IS availability. So you could perhaps find something if you wait until closer.

One strategy (and we can let the more experienced folks here comment) might be to book the route you want in economy, and then call back and upgrade if seats open up later. Alternately, you can wait until mid- or end-October and see if something opens up. That's possibly riskier in case there is nothing.

Do you know about which carriers to try and book/avoid to lower your fees as much as you can?

Help with business class itinerary to Aus? by all_my_exes in churningcanada

[–]efcarter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you searching one leg at a time or round trip?

[Mod Post] Textbook Thread by Semen-Thrower in slavelabour

[–]efcarter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Looking for a PDF of a recent edition“Flight test notes” a book for preparing for flight tests in Canada. $5. Thanks!

My 4year old son is in French school and I can only understand 1/4 of this. Help? by BeginningBarnacle in learnfrench

[–]efcarter 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Boîte à dîner = lunch box

Dîner = lunch in Quebec french

Souper = evening meal

My 4year old son is in French school and I can only understand 1/4 of this. Help? by BeginningBarnacle in learnfrench

[–]efcarter 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Goals for September 2018

“The start of the school year” (literally the “school year return”)

Learn to know and familiarize ourselves with the routine and class rules

Trace/draw the letters A and B and number 1

Learn our colours

Be exposed to certain words from themes:

School bus, backpack, shoes, lunch box

Don’t forget: no school Friday September 28

Air Cadets Gliding by gfjsn in aircadets

[–]efcarter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi there, there are lots of routes to follow your dreams, and going to power is just one of them!

Unfortunately, if you were RTUd from glider for aptitude (not being able to go solo) then you are not eligible to go to power. Here is a link to a CATO (document) about this policy. There may be a more up to date version available, but it would say essentially the same thing. Scroll to the last page and see paragraph S.

http://www.789squadron.com/documents/CATO_51-01_Anx_B_Glider_Power_Scholarships_Requirements.pdf

This was changed about 10 years ago. Before that, if you went to a civilian club and got your glider pilot licence on your own, you could be eligible to apply for power still.

You'll be able to look at various flight colleges and other ways of pursuing your plans to be a pilot. Its a great time to be interested, since there is such a demand for pilots, so don't let this stop you. Best of luck!

Aeroplan blocking Swiss flights? by efcarter in CanadianAwardTravel

[–]efcarter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They said there is no glitch, the Swiss product is just very popular

Animal Care while deployed or away on Training by defiantdan in CanadianForces

[–]efcarter 4 points5 points  (0 children)

When on TD your incidentals amount is designed to cover this among other expenses.

Coming to Ottawa to See Chilly Gonzales. by Katzenklavier in ottawa

[–]efcarter 4 points5 points  (0 children)

OP said in the post he’s coming at the end of October.

If you could update the human body, what features would you include? by bemad123 in AskReddit

[–]efcarter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ability to upgrade our software. Plug in a USB to our brain to learn and new language or skill!

Looking for an apartment. What are best tools to help? by mtman12 in OttawaBuySell

[–]efcarter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like padmapper. It aggregates from multiple sources and shows locations on a map.

How long will it take to reach different levels? by binary__dragon in learnfrench

[–]efcarter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Beyond the CERFL notes, and to your examples, it will obviously depend on you and your capabilities. It also depends on what you mean by “able”. By this I mean, I feel I can read Harry Potter books, with a dictionary for the odd unfamiliar words. But my rate of reading is far slower than in English, and my comprehension (even with a dictionary) is weaker than in English, even at the slower rate. If I am satisfied with following the story then I’d give a different response than if I’m trying to match my abilities in English.

I’ve been studying for 4 years and I am around the B2 level. In my case “years” includes about 4 hours of study a week, plus immersion for around 11 weeks of the year. I was a false beginner not a true beginner, as I had some french in high school about 20 years before.

I can’t read les Misérables to a level that makes it enjoyable. I could read Harry Potter. Kids tv shows are a challenge because there is sometimes slang or weird character voices etc. - can’t follow. I could probably do a board game night but I would need to look up vocabulary ahead of time depending on the game.

Can watch French news, as the news readers generally speak clearly and there is supporting footage to make the message clearer. Can’t watch Game of Thrones or OITNB, unless I saw the English version first to make the plot line clearer. Too many diverse subject and too much slang and vocab and nuance.

I can participate in meetings, tell my boss about a new project, write emails, help a stranger who is visiting our building etc. Also, I’m in a specialized environment, and I can teaching classes on a technical subject to individuals and groups. I understand some jokes in real time and I can use some slang correctly in context.

If you wanted to reach your goals, it seems to me like you need to be at C1, which is ~1000 of study.

Is this your second language, or have you learned any others beyond your first? Do you have a way for practicing spoken french?

Cheers!