I am amazed at the price difference between AC and the US carriers on "First class" flights to the USA.
As PHX is my destination of choice and I have flown it many times, here are my observations:
1. Price - While US, NW, DL are usually ~ $1,700 CAD, AC is rarely less than $3,000.
2. Seats / Aircraft - Pretty similar, nothing special. Mainly 320s and 75s to PHX
3. Meals - NO Comparison! My meals TO YYZ are much better than the meals from PHL, DTW to PHX! The difference here is unbelievable. Let's see, a great chicken teriyaki over rice with a great dessert vs. a horible cold sandwich and a cookie!
4. Booze - AC serves drinks professionally but slow. NW, US FAs deliver the little bottles of booze whenever you look at them.
Other notes, from YOW the pre-clearing here is a HUGE benefit (when flying American carriers) over picking up bags and changing terminals in YYZ. MLL access with F ticket on AC is nice. Schedule is much nicer on the US carriers.
Overall, you get what you pay for. AC kills the competition but charge you an insane amount for it.
Are there sites where I can purchase F fares on this route cheaper than the respective airline websites?
Sorry for the long post, I love to hear your comparisons / observations.