Flight/Origin-Destination: AC844 YYC-FRA
Date: Feb 13, 2012
Cabin: J
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? No. At YYC, three agents for transborder flights doing nothing while two agents handling flights to europe were backed up.
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Yes and yes.
Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? Yes. Drinks fine (appreciated more after recent vists to UA & US lounges). Food less so. Mediocre soups, salsa w/o chips, bruised fruit.
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? No delay at the gate.
Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes.
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? Delay due to de-icing, communicated well from the flight deck.
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Did not check.
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes, OJ / sparkling wine / water.
Did crew offer to hang your jacket? Yes, but not until shortly before take-off.
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Newspapers were distributed on the ground. Meal orders taken on the ground by status.
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 timed, but approximately 2 1/2 hours.
How was the quality of all the meals? Ordered the beef tenderloin. Well done, but surprisingly moist for so being. Tart for desert was nothing special. Breakfast was OK.
Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Beverage service stopped about 45 minutes after meal end, resumed after breakfast.


Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? N/A, checked through to TXL.

Overall experience/any other comments:
Due to (understandable) delays at YYC and the puzzling decision to only open two non-EU passport control lines at FRA, nearly missed my connection to TXL.

Other than that, I feel that there has been a noticable albeit ineffable decline in service on this route over the past year. Can't necessarily point to any one thing, but it's definitely there.