Flight/Origin-Destination: AC 252 YVR-YEG
Date: August 16, 2012
Cabin: J
Status: E (on AE reward ticket, status not on BP)

I fly this route all the time, but wanted to write it up because

a) I never fly 252, the late night 22:55 departure
b) I never see J with much empty space, on this flight though, I was the only one!

Pre departure:

Was check in quick and efficient? -- OLCI done in YLW earlier in the day.

Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? -- Not offered in Kelowna, but it was quick anyways. Moved onto earlier YVR flight for free because of a slight delay by GA in YLW. Time from getting to terminal to having a new BP in my hand was maybe 10 minutes.

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? -- Used in Vancouver, where friendly agent tried to move me onto an earlier flight (delayed by over an hour), which was full. Lounge was busy before red-eye YYZ/YUL/YOW flights, but light snacks were available, with plenty of space to relax.

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient?-- Sort of- The gate next to us was going to YOW, and an automated announcement for priority boarding was made. Then the agent at our gate stood up, without a PA system or anything, and yelled "AC 252 also, Star gold, Elite, Super Elite, and Executive class boarding now"..... So I just went up and that was it.

If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? --NA

Onboard - J cabin:

Were the crew professional & well groomed?-- I boarded to find 3 FAs sitting in J. They looked up at me and said "oh, that was fast". 2 ran back to Y to prepare, and one came up to me. She was pleasant, and looked very nice.

If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? --We left 45 minutes late, even though boarding began 25 mins before take off, The pilot simply said that they were still loading bags.

Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes

Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? --No. This annoyed me, as the FA stood by the door talking to the pilot about how she was flying out on the same plane first thing in the morning and how he is DH to YYC and then going to Vegas the next day, yet couldn't give me (the sole J pax) a water in the almost hour that we sat at the gate....

Did crew offer to hang your jacket?-- No, I threw it in the overhead bin, but she never offered.

Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? -- The FA asked what I wanted to drink after departure on the ground, and had to double check what reds she had. She offered me a cab sav or a shiraz, and brought me a glass right after take off. No word on food on the ground though.

Did crew offer a hot towel prior to the meal service?-- Yes. She then gave me the salmon, with no choice. I was actually surprised to get an actual meal on the late flight.

Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service to be completed? (From takeoff to all items collected) -- Could have been 30 minutes, but she offered me a second meal, which I took, as well as more nuts, so almost an hour in total.

How was the quality of all the meals? -- The salmon was dry, but I was quite hungry. The presentation was nice, with cutlery wrapped in a linen napkin.

Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight?-- Yes-- The FA did go to Y to help with the service, so she wasn't there to top me up, but all I had to do was ring the call button and she'd be back.

Post departure:

If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time?-- Carry on only. I was walking out the terminal door within 10 minutes of landing.

Overall experience/any other comments

I am used to aerolotto and full J cabins, so to find an empty one was shocking. The FA told me that 3 pax moved onto an earlier flight, which was why I couldn't get on....It was quite strange having so much space to myself!

Something I didn't like was that the FA didn't close the curtain between J and Y-- Yes, I might be the only J pax, but it would be nice to do that. Also, not doing a pre departure drink did bring down the experience. That being said, my FA (the SD), was very friendly. She chatted during service and landing, smiled the entire time, and made me feel welcome.

It was a treat to end my vacation alone in J, but this is not a route that I would ever upgrade on, simply because of the short duration. Unless I have an odd number of eupgrades left and am on a Y/B fare, it's Y for me!