Air Canada announced some changes to the elite program when it launched the 2011 Air Canada Top Tier Program. Upgrades will now be issued electronically in the form of eUpgrade Credits that can be used for travel starting March 1, 2011. Upgrade requests can be made online at aircanada.com through your eUpgrade account. Before eUpgrades are launched in March, members qualifying for upgrades will receive 2010 Top Tier upgrade certificates that can be used through Feb. 28, 2011. After March 1, the upgrade waitlist will automatically be transferred to the airport standby list and members whose upgrades do not clear will no longer need to request an upgrade again at check-in. Top Tier members will also be able to share their credits with eUpgrade nominees, even when the nominated traveler is not traveling with the elite member. To learn more about the new eUpgrades, visit http://www.aircanada.com/eupgrades

A new Super Elite Select Privilege option is the ability to give a Maple Leaf Club membership to a friend and a new Prestige Select Privilege option is a 35-percent discount on a Maple Leaf Club membership (up from the 15-percent discount previously offered).

As we mentioned last month, another change to the Top Tier program is the additional flight requirement of five status flight segments or 10,000 status miles on Air Canada or Air Canada by Jazz, Air Georgian Limited (doing business as Air Alliance), Exploits Valley Air Services LTD, Central Mountain Air and Sky Regional Airlines. The minimum flight requirement counts as part of the regular elite qualification. For example, an Elite member will need to fly 35,000 status miles or 50 status segments, and either five of those segments or 10,000 status miles, will need to have been flown on Air Canada or eligible partner flights.