Flight/Origin-Destination: BOS>YYZ>YVR>YCD
Cabin: J/XJ/Y
Status: SE100K ('double secret pterodactyl wings')

Pre departure

Booked these flights on short notice owing to a critical meeting in Toronto. Round-trip for two cost roughly CAD 3600, which is not all that bad considering that some of the segments (including the longest ones both ways out and back) are in J or XJ ('pod' accomodations).

Was check in quick and efficient? Yes, just fine. Had a bit of trouble in that Mrs. Mevlannen couldn't get the kiosk to read her passport, but the station agent was able to sort that out manually.

Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Wasn't available to us at either end. Boston's security people have always been polite and efficient; same goes for Nanaimo's people, although on the whole they're a bit more laid-back than might be seemly.

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? Yes in YYZ and YVR; YYZ was chaotic and crowded, and the ladies' room was filthy. YVR was quiet and almost deserted, but at least the loo was clean.

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes and yes. Boston was strange in that the jetway door kept alarming (the staff there mentioned this being roughly a monthly occurrence), and so we were shepherded along with the other passengers in little running groups of three or four people.

If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Surprisingly, no delays at all!

Onboard - J cabin:

Were the crew professional & well groomed? Absolutely. On the BOS>YYZ segment the service director was an absolute charmer, one of those rare gems that you wish you could always fly with.

If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates?

Fortunately, there were no delays. Captain's flight progress announcement BOS>YYZ was inoffensively incoherent as usual: do these guys all watch 'Airplane' on their days off?

Was the IFE activated on the ground? Don't know, as I don't use it. The fold-out displays played the departure safety briefing as usual; I folded mine away to avoid being subjected to the commercial messages thereafter.

Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Coca-Cola's bottled tapwater and orange juice as usual.

Did crew offer to hang your jacket? Didn't wear one. They did offer to do that for other people, men and women alike.

Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Yes, English-language papers only, as usual. It seems that Quebecois newspapers are only available in the YYZ lounge.

Did crew offer a hot towel prior to the meal service? Yes, and it was acceptably hot.

Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service to be completed? (From takeoff to all items collected) Guessing an hour.

How was the quality of all the meals? On BOS>YYZ it was the breakfast omelette. The sausages were tough but the omelettes were tasty and fluffy. My omelette came with the familiar old red pepper sauce, whereas Mrs Mevlannen received some sort of sweetened compote of coarse-chopped tropical fruit. We swapped, as she loathes pineapple. From YYZ>YVR I had the (presumably-farmed) Atlantic salmon, which was delightful. The quinoa salad was nice, too. Mrs. Mevlannen says that the butter chicken was good.


Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes, they brought me a lovely Chardonnay until I'd had enough, and then the water kept coming. I landed quite nicely hydrated, thank'ee much. As the Army saying has it, "drink white, pee white!"

Onboard - Y cabin:

The YVR>YCD puddle-jump lasts 14 minutes. The cabin attendant was pleasant and helpful, the tiny little plane made it up to 4000 feet and back down again as it should, and the trip was delightfully unremarkable.

We had one of the tiny little turboprops with the double-row 'passion pit' seating up-front (the ex-Pacific Western style). Our facing seatmate was a cheery burly sort of chap, maybe a logger. He shared some charming yarns with us as we ducked and weaved our way across the Salish Sea to Vancouver Island.

Post departure

[B]If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? Yes, even at YYZ, where it's always a bit of a crap-shoot.

Overall experience/any other comments

Good value for time and money. Neither Mrs Mevlannen nor myself were travelling for fun, but we had fun all the same. Meals have noticeably improved in transcontinental J and XJ, but I wouldn't bother booking (nor upgrading) to J in short-haul except perhaps at breakfast time.