Flight/Origin-Destination: AC 865
Date: 15 Aug 11
Cabin: J
Status: SE

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Yup
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Yes, and yes - Heathrow is good at getting you to the shopping ASAP.
Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? Yes. Lounge at LHR is one of the better ones, I recommend partnering with SAS elsewhere.
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? NA
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? NA - I arrived at gate just at end of boarding

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? Yes, on the ground delay in pushback, and got the magic 'ten minutes' announcement from the FO.
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes but was reset after safety video which screwed up my viddy. But with a six hour flight not a problem.
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? NA
Did crew offer to hang your jacket? NA - no jacket
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Yes, meal orders were taken on the ground, and crew let me know they had my pre-ordered meal loaded.
Did crew offer a hot towel prior to the meal service? Yes
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service to be completed? (From takeoff to all items collected) - not sure but a bit slower than average. Not a prob for me.
How was the quality of all the meals? I ordered low-fat and low-salt as an experiment and it was better than I expected but very bland. I like spicy food and flavourful food; perhaps the chefs can look at fixing this with spices rather than simply salt? Note also that desserts, cheese, etc would all be ineligible for me if I wanted low-fat / low-salt all the way through my flight. Generally more HEALTHY food options would be much appreciated and keep me raving about J class. Yes, yes, I understand the taste-bud-at-altitude issues: now let's get to work. ^
Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? Montreal's international baggage delivery guys are alright but not very good. Generally I find the baggage in YUL is the worst in Canada and also the world except India, so far. Worst is arriving in Montreal domestic side after transferring in Canada from a long flight...sometimes on a weekend night the wait is 45 mins.

Overall experience/any other comments - Flight service crew was really good, a loaner crew from YYZ apparently. They needed better skills in French but that didn't bug me. What did bug me is that the captain didn't give us any notice that he was taking a more northerly route / had headwinds / etc, and we arrived an hour later than scheduled but with no announcement or notice from the cockpit. I appreciate a quiet flight but ...!