7E7

This is exactly why some are upset as it is not AC standard. Just because other carriers to Hawaii have a different standard dies not make a good excuse for AC. Does AC have a different standard from US carriers between YYZ and YUL to Florida? Yes they do.

I am using AC to Hawaii in a couple of months but I know what I am getting and based on that chose not to buy J but a less expensive Y fare. I just hope the carry on nonsense is sorted out so we can bring entertainment for our toddler!

YVR72

And, the stop in SFO? How do we address that?

shore9

You can't, but I'm sure if the flight is delayed enough that WS would compensate their guests. While I understand AC doesn't want to invest money into these a/c's, it seems they would rather simply be the same as their competition rather than be a leader and provide full IFE.

Commie

I was on the same flight from HNL to YVR (048), sitting in J as well....seems like we could've had a Flyertalk meet up there...lol

I could certainly understand the need to fly these old birds to the vacation spots to maximize the economy capacities...
However, at least try to put out a decent product....Here is just a few of the 'gaps' that I found:

- th dinner tray did not fold out properly, only the half of it could stand out, the 2nd part of the tray couldn't stand up, seems like the hinge holding up the trays were busted.
- the movie played on the overhead screen, old and boring
- the music on the audio stations, must've came out of the mid 90's....they were playing songs from Spice Girls, and similar tunes from that era.
- the fabrics on the headrest was tearing away
- some of the other seats, the arm rest were falling apart

Like come on, its fine to use older non-XM planes, but at least use a plane that is in GOOD operational conditions....I felt like I stepped back in time into the mid 90's....

Oh, i also have a further beef...When I did an online checkin in the morning, I checked into seats for my wife and I in row 2....then when I check in at the gate, they told me we have been moved to row 4...
I got on, and those seatbacks don't even move back 1 inch..
Seems like they put AC employees into my old seats in row 2... very nice of them to do that.

Shareholder

This is a tourist shuttle. There should be no expectation of anything but a comparable domestic/transborder J experience. The seats do have a moderate recline (save for the last row) and are the same as we lived with for a couple of decades before the revamp, so I cannot see what your complaint is? AC is operating a stripped down service with very low pricing to meet the market demand. It is not a premium luxury service nor has it ever been advertised as such. It is no secret that these are the aircraft used, this has been widely discussed here on FT and there is clearly an indication on the booking page that the aircraft do not contain the new interiors.

Upgrading seats and IFE -- cant be done without the other -- would cost AC more than the route generates in a single season, so economics dictate this is the high-capacity airplane to be operated on a tourist route. Check out the complaints on the UA forum about the service that carrier provides to/from Hawaii and it will be quite similar. As for the seat table, did you put in a report with the FA? I know on one of my last flights I had a maintenance man working on my seat tray prior to boarding to fix a reported problem. If nobody reports it, nobody will fix it.

Shareholder

Nobody is forcing you to buy a J ticket (even though they've been pretty deeply discounted on this route, given the level of actual service provided) and if you want to pay, then consider flying a US carrier via SFO or LAX or SEA.

Commie

My expectations are that I will be in an airplane that is in good operational condition...Not have rips in my seats, not have the tray tables fall apart, not have the lavatory door break.
Also, my expectations is that I will be honor with the seat that I was checked into, that shows on my printed boarding pass....And that AC does not move me to the last row, in favour of their own employees flying...


yeah...it was actually one of the FA that told me about the broken tray table and how to hold up the tray with my left leg.....Pretty comical to have to use my legs to support the tray table while eating....even in economy class, let alone in J.....and to have the FA tell me to do this...
Felt like I was in a 3rd world country in the 70's/80's...
They knew about it, and didn't bother to fix it.

shore9

The experience does not sound comparable to domestic/transborder J. And the pricing for a lowest exec seat YVR/HNL ($994) is more than the recent lowest exec price for YVR/YUL ($799), so it seems to me that the pricing is somewhat in line given the length of flight.

tracon

You are more likely to have a maintenance delay on an AC flight than a tech stop with WS.
You are more likely to experience a tech stop on a california-HKG B744 than WS YVR-Hawaii.
See this thread for recent WS tech stops.
AFAIK WS has only had one tech stop this year.

antirealist

I agree!!!

global happy traveller

that sounds like a great bargin...

YYZ-YVR J $1712
YYZ-EWR J $1171
YYZ-IAH J $1443
YVR-LAS Z / J $744/1201
YVR-MSY J $1310

so obiviously your J to Haiwaii does sound like a deal!

if u want go analyze the cost per hour...... long story short..... i am convinced that there were ample warnings - FT/AC.com/by calling AC Res, and the fare they charged were somewhat lower compared to some other continential routes......and if you dont like their old J, you have/had options!

worst off.....dont fly, go Y or look for another carrier... at the end of the day very little carriers can offer standardized fleet all at once esp when there is a varying age in its fleet (some of which will retire soon or deferred retirement because of awaiting replacement aircrafts).

Look at SQ, they have the new large J...... the Spacebed J......a new brown regional J and the old reclining seaters too......the newer products feature AVOD, but the old seaters only have reboardcasted stuff....and they run a variety of fleet along its HKG-SIN route all for the same price (expect the large bed Js for several hundred more).

antirealist

YVR-HNL J $1569

I'm not sure it's that obivious a bargin.

shore9

Don't forget that up until recently many other NA routes had the lowest exec class available for sale. You could do YVR - EWR for $549 plus tax each way, YVR - YYZ/YUL/YOW for $799 each way. In fact I think that since early in the summer you have been able to get similar prices in J for most of that period. I won't be surprised if they have another exec class sale for the spring time either.

global happy traveller

looking forward to see another spring J sale...recent took one up for $1700 YYZ-NRT!

yyzgigi

I did this flight on the 29th; however, I was lucky that one of the three aircraft had a run in with a bird on the way to Maui earlier in the week. They were running an XM 763. Ironically half the cabin was pissed off because they weren't sitting together anymore; however, I thought I'd won the lottery.

On the HNL flight the service director did a good job of musical chairs to get everyone close to their families and even tracked down the SEs to their new seats for meal orders. I don't think the Es got the same treatment.

Even with the plane crap plane based on what I saw they are still doing a very good product with the catering and service that will beat any of the US airlines hands down.

Came home via KOA which is running XM all the time, but has to be one of the worst run stations I've ever been to -- took and hour+ delay for no good reason.