What do you think about Air Canada's service?

[SN30952]

What do you think about Air Canada's service?
Some individual in the forum pretends: Air Canada offers a very average - or should I say poor - product.
As far as I remember, the service on Air Canada and Canadian was correct.
But it is already some time ago I had the opportunity to enjoy their welcome on board.
Can someone fill me in on the recent and actual situation.

[sn26567]

My experience is rather old (late 80s), but excellent. I was booked on Sabena from Montreal to Brussels in business class. At that time, Sabena was flying Brussels-Montreal-Detroit in a 747. When I arrived at the airport (connecting from White Plains, NY), the Sabena 747 was there, but stuill had to fly to Detroit.

An SN agent took me to the AC desk, where I was re-booked on an Air Canada 747 to Heathrow, with a connection on Sabena to Brussels. However, there were no business seats left on AC, hence I was downgraded to Economy, with the apologies of the check-in agent who carefully took note of my home address. One week later a check was in my mailbox with the difference between C and Y.

On board there was another surprise: my Y section was in the upper-deck, where the other airlines usually put their business class.

Service was attentive and food was good (choice between two hot meals, free wine, etc.).. I had an excellent sleep!

The SN connecting flight to Brussels was, surprisingly, on an A310.

[website-info]

Hi All,

I just got back from a business trip to Canada and flew Heathrow to Ottawa on a B767-300, and back Toronto to Frankfurt on an A340 and I have to say AC has some of the best Business Class service I have sampled (those of you who know me will vouch I travel a lot) I'll even go as far to say better than Emirates C/CLass (though not First !). Their ground staff are very friendly, airport lounges are excellent and the service on board superb !. Welcome drink and newspapers in choices of languages (English, Canadian, French and German), individual reference by the crew to you by name. They have a wonderful drinks menu and food choice - I can recommend this months cocktail, although I tried 3 to make sure. They also have a wine menu, with several French, Argentinian and the best of all Canadian wines.

Individual TV screens with multiple choices, which stop, start and freeze when you want. Seating config on the 767 is 1-2-2 and the A340 2-2-2, both of my flights were full in Business class (with fare paying passengers - NO FREELOADING JOURNALISTS HERE !!!!), the seats don't lay flat, but fairly close to it.

All in all EXCELLENT. I also did a domestic leg on an A320 Montreal - Toronto 1hr20min flight, in C/Class, again wardrobes for your coats, welcome drinks and hot menu choice. I sat next to an Air Canada captain going home and we both enjoyed each others company, so much so we were still talking 2 hours later in the hotel bar !

Hope this gives you an update,

Rgds
Tony

[SN30952]

those of you who know me will vouch I travel a lot
Hope this gives you an update,
Rgds
Tony

I indeed rather have the opinion of an experienced expert (in Dutch called ervaringsdeskundige) than of freeloading journalists.
Either are they fishing for more free tickets, or they got paid to write in favour.
It is nice to read this first-hand experience.
Tony, in 235 words you filled us in on the actual situation, a feat some expert journalists do not achieve, for the simple reason they think they are more important than the subject.
77 words here now.
Thanks and best regards, and congrats to all AC, who made it happen.

Suppose the flights were these:
Air Canada: AC 889
Heathrow (LHR), London, Terminal 3 16:45
Ottawa Int'l (YOW), Ottawa, Ontario, 19:20 Non-stop / 763 7h35min

AC 872
Pearson Int'l (YYZ), Toronto, Ontario,Terminal 1 17:15
Frankfurt Int'l (FRA), Frankfurt, Terminal 1 07:00 + 1 day Non-stop / 333 7h45min

[website-info]

thanks for the kind words,

you got the flights right on, just the type on the 872 on the day I flew was an A340-300,


Rgds
Tony

[Avro]

So in fact it seems that AC has a good product (at least in C).

I can recommend this months cocktail, although I tried 3 to make sure

:frantic:

Chris