txtxyeha

Departing LHR at 13:00 and arriving YYC at 15:00 which makes this a 9 hour flight. I have never flown over an ocean before, thus what should I expect on the flight? One meal/one snack? Drinks free or is it a "cash bar"? The iPad will be loaded up with movies and this season's "Mad Men" which I have been purposely avoiding so I can watch on this upcoming trip. Any other suggestions to pass the time?

Jasper2009

I assume you´re talking about economy class.

Meal service: One (main) meal after departure, small snack before departure
Drinks: alcoholic beverages are complimentary on TATL routes, the wines are quite nasty IMO, but a few drinks tend to ease the pain IMO
AVOD: you´ll find AVOD at all seats, but it certainly doesn´t hurt to bring your own laptop

mountainboy

If the skies are clear, look at the immense ice of Greenland. Around the middle of the flight.

zkzkz

Bring the charger for the ipad, the seat back has usb and a universal power outlet. When you get bored explore the other sections of the AVOD aside from the "Hollywood" movies -- sometimes they hide some interesting stuff in the other categories.

There's usually only one or two good movies but there are often a few episodes of some good tv shows too. However The movies and tv shows all start with the same commercials which get really annoying, especially if you're watching 30-minute tv shows. I usually start it, then head to the bathroom and when I get back rewind to the start of the show.

Do go to the bathroom often, you don't want to the seat belt sign to come on just when you really need to go. And besides, you should stretch your legs a few times anyways.

I recommend against drinking alcohol. I inevitably feel pretty ill by the end of the flight if I drink. Instead drink tomato or fruit juice to keep hydrated in the dry air.

Sadly, the view from the window is usually just of clouds. it doesn't matter as much on your outbound but on your return you would really be best off closing the window as soon as there's nothing to see to allow passengers that are trying to sleep the best chance. I can never manage it but the best strategy on the return trip is definitely to put the seat back and the eyemask on as soon as the seat belt sign goes off and sleep the whole way.

zorn

Was contikipaul from Providence on your flight too?

yulred

AVOD IFE is pretty good. The seats are also quite comfortable (for Y).

Food-wise, if you are in economy, raid the Marks and Sparks (just outside the arrivals area in T3) or the Eat (in the mall that passes off for the departure seating area of T3) for sandwiches or salads.

The meals tend to be small, so unless you really, really like bread and butter (literally), the main portion might not be enough, especially if you skip lunch before the flight. The snack is also pretty tiny and, in my opinion, hit or miss depending on the selection of the day. Its one of those posh Monty wraps. I usually carry a sandwich with me from Eat and give the wrap a pass (borne out of experience) and I d advise you to carry something with (a bag of chips, if nothing else) in case the wrap isn't to your taste.

Otherwise, its a pretty decent experience. Try to sit closer to the front or else you might not get your choice of chicken or beef (happened to me a couple of times). AC does a front - to - back service with only one cart in each aisle (on the 767, not sure about the 330 - been ages since I flew one).

Other than that, enjoy the flight.

heraclitus

Is this just a LHR thing? Because I have flown on AC to other TATL and TPAC destinations and I have never felt hungry (and I don't bring my own food on board)... between the meals and snacks sometimes it feels like you're eating half the time you're in the air.

Understand that I'm a fairly big guy (6'2" 205) who can pack away prodigious amounts of food in one sitting, yet I don't know that I have ever felt a pang of hunger when going overseas in AC Y.

WhiteYUL

Flights to PVD are on a Beech 1900, 19 pax, 2 pilots and no FAs. I know of no BEH operators that has FA onboard... FWIW.

172pilot

You realize that you can ffwd through the commercials right?

DavidYYC

I think there is always plenty to eat. The quality is variable. The wraps (or pies as they used to be) just before arrival are Ok and can be somewhat dry, there is ice cream with that snack.

Get your fill with drinks before and with the main meal, it can be difficult to get any drinks (alcoholic) after that depending on the crew.

Greenland is be amazing, obviously if there are no clouds, but all the blinds are slammed shut, so keep looking at the IFE map to see where you are, so you can take a peek.

LAman

He's baaack. I was just thinking the same thing

LAman

I have frequently kept my blind up on these flights, especially LHR-YYC which is a daylight flight. Never had an issue with the FA's "slamming" them shut. Last week on SYD-YVR, I kept my blind up the entire flight. No one said a word.

Jagboi

Wise advice, I quite dislike the wraps. A sandwich from M&S would be a lot more appealing to me. Ever noticed how far into the future the best before dates are on the wraps?

CZBB

Air Canada don't fly from YYZ to PVD, it's contracted out to a company called Air Georgian, and branded "Air Canada Express". Other than buying the ticket, no part of the journey would involve an Air Canada employee.

For a really good understanding of this, watch the PBS/Frontline special "Flying Cheap": http://video.pbs.org/video/1412744270

yulred

I think it would be the same for all TATL flights. Granted, my aversion to LH means the last time I flew AC out of FRA was in 2005 and I can't remember what was served. I m racking my brain but IIRC, on my last AC LHR-YOW flight, it was bread, butter, a mildly oily unidentifiable salad, a TV dinner (think 2inches by 2.5inch piece of chicken), some kinda orzo with tomato sauce, and an oatmeal raisin cookie( of the 'meh' variety). Presumably the fat content is high and keeps one filled? I dont know if I d pass that off as lunch under any other circumstances. The posh wrap isn't substantial either, though I imagine pastry dough packs a significant amount of butter and oil.

I think it might also be my tendency to compare with other airlines. Many of my AC flights are tag ons to other long haul flights, where the servings are pretty substantial.