Originally Posted by cbob

It's the old "if you don't like the service, don't bother" pill.
This thread has been concentrating on the YVR-HNL "tourist" flights but these aircraft are also used on the YVR-VRA service and "Y" was certainly NOT on sale.
I flew J (for 50% more points) because they wanted 100% more for "Priority" seats in Y - the only seats available FIVE MONTHS before the flight.
This was not a "domestic, trans-border" flight. We needed visas for Cuba.
There was NO "warning" message as I've seen posted here when I booked to tell me that the front cabin was not upgraded but I guessed that the 2-2-2 config was a hint.

Unlike a normal international J flight (over 6 hours) there was :
No AVOD -indeed my seat audio was not even working.
No "amenity pack".
No drink before takeoff -just water. On the return leg they added orange juice.
No priority for E/SE staus when ordering meals. They started at the last seat on the opposite side of the aircraft and had run out of the edible option by the time they got to me.
And I was not happy to find my armrest tightly taped down as there was NO tray table inside. I was in luck on the return leg: different bird so others got the broken armrests and I got a table to eat from.

I think that most of us (well some anyway) who are posting in the FlyerTalk AC forum are experienced travelers who have come to expect a degree of good service from our preferred airline. Foisting these old, damaged and dirty aircraft on us with the excuse that "it's essentially just a charter vacation flight" does not cut it.

CB