disappointing experience (Y)
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 65
disappointing experience (Y)
recently experienced three legs with AC, all in Y:
DEN - YYZ: indifferent staff, no food on offer other than a few cold sandwiches and snacks for a 3 hour flight, but flight on time
YYZ - FRA: indifferent staff, mediocre food and to top it off breakfast came in the form of one slice of banana bread! On a 7.5 hour flight that's a first for me. At least were on schedule.
YYZ - DEN: indifferent staff, 75 minute delay sitting on tarmac for no-shows and offloading of their bags and subsequent congestion behind the aircraft, followed by 1.5h of no service (not even water) and finally being offered chips or chocolate for purchase as all other food offerings were either not stocked or already sold to passengers in front! Unbelievable.
This for the most expensive ticket to Europe I have ever paid for! I have flown AC previously, but this was certainly a low. On the return, I used Austrian and was very pleased with their offering. DEN really needs a lot more competition for international flights! A major advanatage of going through Canada remains being able to clear customs early while in transit and arriving as if on a domestic flight.
DEN - YYZ: indifferent staff, no food on offer other than a few cold sandwiches and snacks for a 3 hour flight, but flight on time
YYZ - FRA: indifferent staff, mediocre food and to top it off breakfast came in the form of one slice of banana bread! On a 7.5 hour flight that's a first for me. At least were on schedule.
YYZ - DEN: indifferent staff, 75 minute delay sitting on tarmac for no-shows and offloading of their bags and subsequent congestion behind the aircraft, followed by 1.5h of no service (not even water) and finally being offered chips or chocolate for purchase as all other food offerings were either not stocked or already sold to passengers in front! Unbelievable.
This for the most expensive ticket to Europe I have ever paid for! I have flown AC previously, but this was certainly a low. On the return, I used Austrian and was very pleased with their offering. DEN really needs a lot more competition for international flights! A major advanatage of going through Canada remains being able to clear customs early while in transit and arriving as if on a domestic flight.
#5
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: EBB/KLA
Programs: AC*SE, IHG Platinum, Hyatt, SPG, FlyingBlueS
Posts: 100
That breakfast offering is unfortunately the new normal. Having recently flown ET and SN, they do the same for breakfast into Europe - a miserable muffin, which virtually no one eats. I also read similar complaints on the QF thread for flights into Australia from Asia.
#8
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,130
(Hint: AC's long haul Y product no longer compares favourably to US carriers, let alone Asian ones)
To OP, I brought up the banana bread with the local AC rep quite a few months ago. Suggested they serve something a little more nutritious (forget UA breakfast offerings, even a granola bar would mark an improvement). They're aware - and evidently don't plan on addressing it.
Noted the BoB situation with some interest. There was an interesting exchange here some time ago about AC having a policy of not providing things from the BoB cart to J pax to ensure availability for Y pax. Guess that isn't going to plan.
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC*SE 2MM
Posts: 16,647
#10
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: YVR
Programs: OZ Diamond, Jiffypark Manhattan Gold
Posts: 4,485
YYZ - DEN: indifferent staff, 75 minute delay sitting on tarmac for no-shows and offloading of their bags and subsequent congestion behind the aircraft, followed by 1.5h of no service (not even water) and finally being offered chips or chocolate for purchase as all other food offerings were either not stocked or already sold to passengers in front! Unbelievable.
This for the most expensive ticket to Europe I have ever paid for! I have flown AC previously, but this was certainly a low. On the return, I used Austrian and was very pleased with their offering. DEN really needs a lot more competition for international flights! A major advantage of going through Canada remains being able to clear customs early while in transit and arriving as if on a domestic flight.
DEN doesn't have the market for those flights or they'd exist. You got the 787 to NRT which is nice, PTY is also newish, that's great for connections southward. But the reality is, you've got a great network of UA flights, 1 stop you can get just about anywhere, east, west or south.
#12
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: YQR
Posts: 2,741
Not sure why the 1.5 hours of no service, but don't you dare even mention the 75 minute delay. That is in no way AC's fault. As a former baggage handler, I can tell you, I don't care who your frustration is at, but it's shameful if you place any blame on them. This is 100% passenger fault. Not yours, not the guy next to you, but the ....... who flakes out and disappears in the terminal. It happens far too often and as the baggage handler we get tasked with (often) totally offloading the plane to find a "black roller, tag ending 2222". Next time you want this done faster, feel free to come down on to the ramp and tell me how to do it.
The price of the ticket has nothing to do with it. You could've just as easily been on a cheap ticket and got the same service/product. Or you could've paid more and had the same results.
DEN doesn't have the market for those flights or they'd exist. You got the 787 to NRT which is nice, PTY is also newish, that's great for connections southward. But the reality is, you've got a great network of UA flights, 1 stop you can get just about anywhere, east, west or south.
DEN doesn't have the market for those flights or they'd exist. You got the 787 to NRT which is nice, PTY is also newish, that's great for connections southward. But the reality is, you've got a great network of UA flights, 1 stop you can get just about anywhere, east, west or south.
There is no defense for poor service, which is really the main place that AC falls down: sometimes service is great, other times fully indifferent, and yet other times, dismal. It's a shame that there is so much inconsistency.
The OP is entitled to their disappointment. Perhaps future posters should clear their daring observations through you first?
Last edited by tcook052; Jun 29, 2015 at 10:08 pm Reason: correct quotes
#14
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: YQR
Posts: 2,741
Surely AC can manage expectations better: just tell pax that if they want anything resembling real food to bring their own.
PY is disappointing because the regular meal service is pretty decent as far as airplane food goes.
PY is disappointing because the regular meal service is pretty decent as far as airplane food goes.
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC E50K (*G) WS Gold | SPG/Fairmont Plat Hilton/Hyatt Diamond Marriott Silver | National Exec Elite
Posts: 19,284
So perhaps the answer is to make the regular meal service worse? Be careful what you wish for