Johnlathropa
Oct 27, 03, 5:27 pm
THUR OCT 23 YYZ-YVR
AC 141
747-400
Sked Depart 9:25 am, Arrive 11:59 am
Actual depart 10:00 am, Arrive 12:35 noon
(discrepancy between manifest and load, then a sticky bridge on arrival, then a sticky cargo door on arrival...)
Experienced the new meal service in J for the first time: unimpressed. Starter of crabcake on salad, which I can't eat - was replaced without my asking by a mixed green salad, dressing in a packet. Main "chicken with rice" was four MINUSCULE pieces of chicken with skin on on a mound of rice - a vaguely sweet and sour dressing on the bird. That was it ! A single chocolate dipped strawberry completed the tray. A few hours later the crew came around with coffee, tea, ice cream and the ubiquitous (and tasty) choc chip and oatmeal raisin cookies. They made two passes through the (full) cabin, two cookies being plated first time, one the second time.
MON OCT 27 YVR-YYZ
AC 142
343
Sked Depart 8:30 am, Arrive 3:49 pm
Actual depart 8:30 am, Arrive 3:20 pm
(strong tail winds; baggage took 30-35 mins to appear, one of my party's suitcase lost)
First experience on the new breakfast service. While the lunch en route to Vancouver had been merely disappointing, this breakfast was plain weird. The choices were a ham omelette with vegetables or an apple blintz, each served on a tray after a preliminary juice and meagre fruit plate, and a service of plain unwarmed brown rolls - no danish, cinnamon rolls, muffins, anything breakfastlike ! I opted for the blintz, and initially told the FA he must have given me the omelette, since I saw a heap of "stuff" topped by asparagus and surrounded by tomatoes. No, he said, that is it. Scraped away the veggies and there were two fairly tasteless blintzes, the apple filling warmed in some spots but not in others, charactetistic of microwave heating. These objects lay on AC's version of lyonnaise potatoes ! It was awful !
Ice cream and cookies were offered an hour before landing, a single cookie doled out as if it were gold (I noticed a pile going back to the galley !) and no second pass, though I was offered a refill on my tea.
Service on first flight was pleasant, on the second brisk though not rude - the difference possibly between a female lead FA on the outbound and an older male on the in-bound.
I was impressed that the in-charge came up from the back 15 mins before landing at YYZ and asked each of us (again a full cabin) if we had enjoyed the flight, and thanked us for our business. I did not go into the above as I was tired and didn't want to make a fuss.
AC's on-line J prices are now much more reasonable. That is undeniable. Their meal service is strange, however - anemic in portion size, strange in composition. Gracious touches such as a decent-sized hot towel, juice poured from a beaker, breakfast pastries rather than ordinary rolls, etc., are almost entirely lacking. Customers should not be limited to a single cookie, should not be served four thumbnail sized pieces of chicken as a main course and should be able to expect more even for this money.
AC 141
747-400
Sked Depart 9:25 am, Arrive 11:59 am
Actual depart 10:00 am, Arrive 12:35 noon
(discrepancy between manifest and load, then a sticky bridge on arrival, then a sticky cargo door on arrival...)
Experienced the new meal service in J for the first time: unimpressed. Starter of crabcake on salad, which I can't eat - was replaced without my asking by a mixed green salad, dressing in a packet. Main "chicken with rice" was four MINUSCULE pieces of chicken with skin on on a mound of rice - a vaguely sweet and sour dressing on the bird. That was it ! A single chocolate dipped strawberry completed the tray. A few hours later the crew came around with coffee, tea, ice cream and the ubiquitous (and tasty) choc chip and oatmeal raisin cookies. They made two passes through the (full) cabin, two cookies being plated first time, one the second time.
MON OCT 27 YVR-YYZ
AC 142
343
Sked Depart 8:30 am, Arrive 3:49 pm
Actual depart 8:30 am, Arrive 3:20 pm
(strong tail winds; baggage took 30-35 mins to appear, one of my party's suitcase lost)
First experience on the new breakfast service. While the lunch en route to Vancouver had been merely disappointing, this breakfast was plain weird. The choices were a ham omelette with vegetables or an apple blintz, each served on a tray after a preliminary juice and meagre fruit plate, and a service of plain unwarmed brown rolls - no danish, cinnamon rolls, muffins, anything breakfastlike ! I opted for the blintz, and initially told the FA he must have given me the omelette, since I saw a heap of "stuff" topped by asparagus and surrounded by tomatoes. No, he said, that is it. Scraped away the veggies and there were two fairly tasteless blintzes, the apple filling warmed in some spots but not in others, charactetistic of microwave heating. These objects lay on AC's version of lyonnaise potatoes ! It was awful !
Ice cream and cookies were offered an hour before landing, a single cookie doled out as if it were gold (I noticed a pile going back to the galley !) and no second pass, though I was offered a refill on my tea.
Service on first flight was pleasant, on the second brisk though not rude - the difference possibly between a female lead FA on the outbound and an older male on the in-bound.
I was impressed that the in-charge came up from the back 15 mins before landing at YYZ and asked each of us (again a full cabin) if we had enjoyed the flight, and thanked us for our business. I did not go into the above as I was tired and didn't want to make a fuss.
AC's on-line J prices are now much more reasonable. That is undeniable. Their meal service is strange, however - anemic in portion size, strange in composition. Gracious touches such as a decent-sized hot towel, juice poured from a beaker, breakfast pastries rather than ordinary rolls, etc., are almost entirely lacking. Customers should not be limited to a single cookie, should not be served four thumbnail sized pieces of chicken as a main course and should be able to expect more even for this money.