Flight/Origin-Destination: AC 962 (YYZ > BOG)
Date: 21-Feb-2012
Cabin: J
Status: *A Gold (US CP)

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? No. Checked in at UA/AC desk at PIT. Priority line but not very efficient, no one in line but still had to wait longer than regular line. Seats were different than the ones selected one month ago and confirmed the DAY BEFORE over the phone with AC. Took them 30 min to figure out how to change seats. "Control-S instead of Enter" to save the seat selection! Stuck with row K instead of A on the long-haul.

Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Yes. At PIT.

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? Excellent for 2+ hr layover in YYZ. Hot and cold food, quiet, decent reading selection. Pretty good for North America.

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient?
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? No problems, on board quickly.

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes. Friendly, efficient, attractive all while retaining a professional demeanor. Had same crew on return - they remembered all the px by name from the outbound and greeted us like old friends.

If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? NA
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes, but horrid sparkling. Redeemed in the air with an excellent bottle from Reims.

Did crew offer to hang your jacket? Yes

Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Newspapers and menus circulated on the ground. Meal requests taken in the air in order of status - was quite surprised that even as a *A Gold (AC nothing, US Chairman) my order was taken after the AC top tier but before the AC lower and non *A status passengers (confirmed this with purser).

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) Est 2 hours.

How was the quality of all the meals? Far better than expected, especially since I had the Alaskan Black Cod. I eat fish all over the world and recently in Alaska. I expected "Cod" to be some no-name from who-knows-where but to my pleasure it was a fine piece of fish, probably from Alaska and cooked perfectly! Few on-the-ground places are able to avoid overcooking fish. This piece was moist, tender and tasty...trust me, I know what I'm talking about here.

Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Absolutely. I even asked to sample the 3 reds. They were happy to comply with this request. The Malbec was to my liking. Stayed filled. Almost too much; I had to cut myself off.

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? NA

Overall experience/any other comments:
Can't say enough good things about the crew. Same team both directions and equally great. They appeared to enjoy their job (rare for FAs) and interacted professionally but friendly with the passengers. Not a single complaint. The little cloth envelope for an amenity kit was anemic compared to other airlines --- if this was my first business class flight I would have been disappointed. See my return BOG-YYZ report too.