Flight/Origin-Destination: AC 565 (SFO > YVR)
Date: 19-May-2011
Cabin: J
Status: Super Elite

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Yes (OLCI)
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Yes: (Glad to see priority security in the international terminal too at SFO.)
Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? UA RCC
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Yes

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? [B]YesN/A
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes
Did crew offer to hang your jacket? N/A
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Newspapers, yes. Menus, yes. Orders were taken in the air.
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) ~60 Minutes
How was the quality of all the meals? Excellent: (I'm a particular fan of the three-cheese ravioli.)
Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes

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

Overall experience/any other comments
Excellent SD in-flight. Extremely attentive. Kudos. Unfortunately, experience at YVR was particularly abysmal as I've come to expect. We were ~40 minutes late arriving at YVR so the AC connections exit out of customs was closed. However, all the flat screen displays throughout the customs hall were still directing passengers to the dedicated AC exit. Frustrating. Then arrived in the MLL to find no soup, no bread, no chips/pretzels at 9:45 PM. Just veggies and cookies. A bit disappointing. Even asked and the attendant who indicated they were out of all of the above...

Bear with me, this is my first trip report! I'm gradually moving from being a frequent Y flyer to an occasional J flyer, so I would be particularly grateful for any feedback as to what I did not/could do to make my own experience better, and how to make the trip report more useful for others.

Flight/Origin-Destination: AC 889 LHR-YOW, equip: 767-300
Date: 22 MAY
Cabin: J
Status: N/A

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Yes, but I was perplexed that I used the priority lane to enter the counter area then was in a 30-pax line to actually get my BP scanned and into the gate seating area.
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? N/A
Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? I found the London Lounge to be crowded and a little dirty. Too many people clamoring over the food. Washroom facilities were small. Question: would I have been able to use the T3 AC Arrivals Lounge instead? (I arrived on a BD codeshare at T1). I guess I should have used the BD arrivals lounge at T1 but frankly couldn't find it!
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? N/A, arrived at gate while boarding underway
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? N/A

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes. Looked like I had a rookie FA, he was really trying hard, and doing a great job, but as a self-professed "not a big drinker" he needed instructions on how to make a rye and ginger :) (which I prefer to him winging it, and led to my favourite question -- 'is this enough rye'?)
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? Yes and no. 15 mins after scheduled departure we were informed (still at gate) that we had lost our departure slot (I suspect due to a minor medical issue as they had asked for a doctor on board a few minutes earlier). We pushed back 25 mins after that, were informed that we were 7th for departure, and rotation was another 30 mins later. Total delay 1hr, two announcements.
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes, due to delay.
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes
Did crew offer to hang your jacket? No. I noticed a number of folks stuffing their jackets into the overheads.
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Yes. Meal orders taken on the ground.
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) 1.5 hours.
How was the quality of all the meals? Salmon appetizer was excellent. Chicken main with ratatouille and wild rice was decent.
Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? No. 3 pcs tagged priority but pretty much the last off the plane. Waited 30 mins.

Overall experience/any other comments
It was an expensive ticket so three issues that would otherwise be forgivable were:
- discomfort in the lounge
- no priority line to get BP scanned and board
- luggage delay

Probably not - in any event, it's pre-security and very small with little to no food or drink offerings. Very utilitarian space.

LAX to YYJ
 

Flight/Origin-Destination: LAX-YVR-YYJ
Date: 24 May 2011
Cabin: J, Y
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient?
Yes, no lineups in LAX, ticket agent arranged to seat me and GF together.

Did you use priority security: Yes, great perk

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks?
Yes, MLL and ANZ lounges. MLL was busy, small, and did not give a favorable impression for visitors to canada. small drink selection and the usual veggie trays. ANZ next door was spacious and inviting, It made me want to go to NZ. A lounge in a foreign land should be a touchstone for Canadians abroad as well as a visitors first introduction to Canada. Perhaps AC might ask DFAIT to help renovate.

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes, love priority boarding

If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates?
No

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes, looked sharp

Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes, but rebooted after the safety video.
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes, OJ or water.

Did crew offer to hang your jacket? N/A

Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Menus and orders taken after departure. Customs forms before door closed

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) 1 hour
How was the quality of all the meals? Meal was good, ran out of the beef for my travel companion

Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes

Onboard - Y cabin: It was a Jazz connector, 15 minutes i will never get back, better than the ferry. not a bad flight, one cannot expect a 747 for a 38 mile flight.

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

Overall experience/any other comments
Great flight, my upgrade and my girlfriends upgrades cleared 3 days before the flight.

Flight/Origin-Destination: YVR - YYZ - YSB
Date: May 25, 2011
Cabin: J (second flight Y)
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Yes
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Yes

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes, and one of the first times out of all recent flights that agents actually turned some people away who were trying to board early.

If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? There was a delay - only one announcement. Again the text messaging service does not keep up with the delay.

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Fine
Was the IFE activated on the ground? No
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? No
Did crew offer to hang your jacket? No
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? In the air.
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) 2 hours?
How was the quality of all the meals? OK
Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? No


YYZ - YSB

Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? NO! Numerous delays. In MLL told flight was 'on time'. Surprising since there was lightning around the airport. Not told of delay until announcement (in gate area) a couple of minutes after flight was suppose to have left. Most of us had figured out there was an issue by then. Air Canada / Jazz clearly knew, as I listened to a pilot for one of the other Jazz flights saying that there would be a significant weather delay. Eventually allowed to board, then held waiting for last passenger - now 60 min late. Last passenger not allowed to leave terminal to come to plane til lightning risk decreased. Once he was on board they finally start to load luggage. All 'sky check' luggage left on cart in pouring rain this entire time (>60 min). Further delay for luggage to be loaded - finally taxi part way out and have to return to terminal for maintenance issue. Eventual take off is 2 hours late.

Weather delays are unavoidable but communication in the terminal was non-existent. Also makes no sense that airline cannot figure out a way to now leave all sky check luggage in pouring rain for over an hour.


Overall experience/any other comments
One of the least attentive crews on a domestic J flight I have had. They just didn't seem to care much about anything. Flight 5 days before YYZ-YVR was the best crew ( with SD Tom) I have ever had on a domestic J flight. Quite a contrast.

Flight/Origin-Destination:YBG-YUL-YYZ
Date: May 26, 2011
Cabin: Y/J
Status: Basic

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Used mobile chicken.

Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Flight 1: Everyone is a priority at Bagotville! Flight 2: N/A

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? Lounge in Montreal had no white wine. Food area looked a bit tired, but I managed to put together a light meal as usual.

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Priority boarding was offered on both flights and worked as designed.

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

YBG-YUL was delayed en route due to storms (I think) and headwinds. YUL-YYZ was delayed 45 minutes due to late incoming aircraft due to storms. I was in the MLL, so I don't know what the gate agent said.

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes. On behalf of all men everywhere, I would like to apologize to the female FA for every guy staring at her when they boarded.

If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? There was a further 1 hour delay after boarding (winds at YYZ). The flight crew informed pax of this fact. Power problems led to a very warm cabin. Crew explained and apologized. I believe headsets were offered in Y to give people something to do during the delay.

Was the IFE activated on the ground? It was not activated on boarding. It was activated about 20 minutes into the delay. I was scarlet with rage as The King's Speech was not available for me to finish from an earlier flight. The IFE was disrupted due to the aforementioned power problems. The Crew explained this situation when it happened.

Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Water and OJ, with seconds offered during the delay.

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: yes. No menus on this flight (not a dinner flight), so no orders needed to be taken.

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)

45 minutes.

How was the quality of all the meals? Warm chicken wrap was good. Seconds offered.


Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes.

Onboard - Y cabin: Apparently the Y pax killed and ate a Gypsy. Fortunately the curtain was drawn and we were not subject to this unpleasantness.

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? N/A.

Overall experience/any other comments Good crew in J.

Flight/Origin-Destination: YWG-YYZ
Date: 27.5.2011
Cabin: J (paid)
Status: None

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? There was no line when I arrived, and as soon as she saw me, the agent walked away.

Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? NA

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? More cold food options would be nice (i.e. sandwiches)

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? No -- they no longer seem to do this at YWG

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

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes.

If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? There was a short delay due to the late arrival of the aircraft from YYZ. Update given upon boarding.

Was the IFE activated on the ground? There was a problem with the system, so it had to be reset prior to take off. The crew did a manual safety demo.

Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? NO.

Did crew offer to hang your jacket? NA

Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? No menus were offered. Orders take in the air.

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) 2 hours. The crew seemed very slow and disorganised on this flight. She served dinner and left the trays uncollected for almost an hour.

How was the quality of all the meals? The chicken was dry.

Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? No. Coffee/ tea was not offered.

Amazing Flight
 

Flight/Origin-Destination: 620 YYZ-YHZ
Date: May 28, 2011
Cabin: J
Status: SEc

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Computer

Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient?
I checked in on the third floor at YYZ instead of through the priority and actually found it very smooth.

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks?

Time to change the chickpea salad! Can we get some friendlier staff at the Domestic Lounge check in? This cannot be too stressful, especially compared to doing a flight at the gate but why is there such grumpiness and apathy? They've even stopped writing in the gate, let alone making eye contact or saying "welcome" or "hi". Is it just me? There is a huge difference in the friendliness between the agents at the Domestic Lounge and the International Lounge at YYZ. Any thoughts on why?

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient?

The Gate Agents were in top form. They made some funny comments during the announcements and were very efficient. Two had walkie talkies so I think they were fairly senior. But there really were efficient!! And pleasant!! (Gate 141)

If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Yes, there was a delay and they did provide updates.


Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes

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

There was a further delay related to loading cargo but the first officer and cabin crew were very conscientious in providing updates.

Was the IFE activated on the ground? YES

Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes, water and OJ.........I still pine for a bit of variety. Does anyone remember the mango juice days?

Did crew offer to hang your jacket? Yes. And did so with a smile.

Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Yes. Orders taken on the ground. The SD addressed me by name and did the SEs first. She really was outstanding throughout the flight (see below)

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)

Service was appropriately delayed because of turbulence but the crew completed the entire meal service and just got the trays collected before touchdown. (In fact, my chicken arrived when the First Officer said "we have just started out descent into Halifax and are 140 miles west of the airport". However, to their credit, the cabin crew let us finish our meals without being hurried or harried.

How was the quality of all the meals? Chicken was good. Chocolate cake was disappointing.


Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes.


Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? N/A.

Overall experience/any other comments: Amazingly competent and engaged SD and cabin crew. Everyone was upbeat and positive. It was great.

YVR-YYZ
 

Flight/Origin-Destination: AC 100 YVR-YYZ Airbus 100
Date: 29 May
Cabin: Y
Status: Star All Gold

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? It was empty! Walked right up. However, agent didn't know about the $28 preferred seats. I wanted to take an earlier flight but only if I got keep my preferred seating. She had no idea what I was talking about.

Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? No but that was the fault of pax in front of me (who locks their cabin luggage??), not the employees.

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? Two soups and salad and cookies. Service pretty poor--spilled soup all over the counter and a lot of empty dishes around the lounge.

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes. I even silently applauded the GA in my head for turning away two people boarding ahead of their zone/row.

If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Less than 10 minute delay but there were no announcements why or when boarding would start.

Onboard - Y cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? For the most part. One older FA apparently never has learned "you're welcome" is the response to "thank you". And why did she bother to wear a name badge if it was blank? The lead FA was very good and we saw her throughout the flight back in Y.

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

Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes.

Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes

Post departure
Arrived on time but then wait about 10 minutes for the jetbridge. That was frustrating given the late hour and desire of folks to get home/hotel.

Overall experience/any other comments

4.5 hour domestic flight and they wanted $400+ fee to upgrade. The agent said there were three seats when I checked in landside. And right before boarding they called up three passengers so I'm assuming those were status upgrades as they couldn't sell the seats (my conclusion).

Point of comparison for AC: SFO-YYZ on Virgin earlier this year was a $200 upgrade at the time of check-in. MUCH more reasonable and for a better product. Before I asked about the upgrade, I'd already determined $300 was my max so I was already willing to go 50% higher than Virgin. But at $400+ that's almost a $100 per hour for the front. Kinda nuts. You could have had my $300 but you had to push your luck.

YYZ-HKG
 

Flight/Origin-Destination:YYZ-HKG
Date: June 2, 2011
Cabin: J
Status: Star Gold

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Yes. First leg was from BOS at 6:30 am; basically no queue.

Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? N/A

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? Yes; before noon so no alcohol available. Basically no food either except for a few muffins. Didn't have a long layover so okay.

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Priority boarding was offered and worked as designed.

If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? N/A

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes; except that one was slightly unkempt.

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

Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes

Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes

Did crew offer to hang your jacket? N/A

Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Newspapers: yes. Order taken in the air. Out of one entree but not the one I wanted so no big deal.

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)

1.5 hours.

How was the quality of all the meals? Lunch was very good; breakfast was pretty gross.


Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Not really; responsive when I asked.

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

Overall experience/any other comments My first time flying in executive class. Not as good as Swiss but better than Delta and close to Virgin (but liked seat much better). 15.5 hours went by as quickly as one could imagine.

Flight/Origin-Destination: HKG-YYZ
Date: May 21, 2011
Cabin: J
Status: SE

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? City check in. Very convenient
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? N/A
Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? Use Thai lounge. Not as good as SQ but much better food than MLL.
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes but long line up.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Delayed for an hour but updated frequently.

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? Yes
Was the IFE activated on the ground? NOT operational for the whole flight!
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes
Did crew offer to hang your jacket? NA
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Yes, newspaper and menus on ground. Meals in air.
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) 2 hours
How was the quality of all the meals? Dinner - good. Breakfast - bad. For years, only have choice of omelet or congee. Can you change the menu sometimes? How about waffle for a change. Even a muffin could give some variety!
Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? In YYZ, priority luggage always came AFTER others.

Overall experience/any other comments
In flight entertainment system not working on ground. Ground crew delayed flight over an hour trying to fix it but not operational in most seats at the end. 15 hours without movie nor reading lights was no fun.

WOW! another no AVOD story on the entire aircraft on a HKG-YYZ flight!

This should be a sticky....:D:D:D

Flight/Origin-Destination: AC 616 YYZ-YHZ EMB-190 C-FHKP
Date: 9 JUN 2011
Cabin: Y
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Connection

Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Connection

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? I beat the crowd by 20 minutes. Food is the usual stuff - soup, salad, cookies.

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes. Nearly half of the pax uses the priority line.

If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Yes, late incoming plane.

Onboard - Y cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes. Some FAs appears very tired. Overheard their convesation that they just come off from another flight from Germany. I am surprised they are allowed to work this flight.

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

Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes. They are off after the safety demo. Turned on again after airborne.

Did the cabin crew continuously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? No service at all due to turbulence.

Post departure
Priority and other luggage beat me to the luggage claim area. Wow.^

Overall experience/any other comments
FAs from Germany should rest instead of working their way back home to YHZ (I assume). Fortunately they did not have to "work" due to turbulence. In flight service was suspended for the whole flight, I did not get my pre-paid BoB. Need to figure out how to get refund.

Flight/Origin-Destination: ZRH-YYZ (AC 879)
Date: June 13, 2011
Cabin: J
Status: SE

Pre departure:
Was check in quick and efficient? It was pretty good.
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? I did not need to use priority security, because there was no lineup at normal security.
Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? I used the Swissair Lounge - it was excellent.
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? There was no line-up when I arrived at the gate, so I just got on the plane. The gate staff were very efficient and recognized me from previous flights, they greeted me by name.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? The plane left on time.

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes. Two of the crew members recognized me by name as I was entering the plane. That is always nice.
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? There was no delay.
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes, it was used for the safety briefing. I closed up the monitor after the safety briefing and did not look at it again.
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes
Did crew offer to hang your jacket? Yes
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken? Yes, newspapers and menus were distributed while we were on the ground. I asked for a 'quick meal' while we were still on the ground.
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) I was presented with the complete 'quick meal' about 15 minutes after the plane took off - that was really fast service, I ate it and then went to sleep.
How was the quality of all the meals? Great.
Did the cabin crew continiously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes

Post departure:
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? Bags arrived quickly, my bags (with priority tags) were the first to come off the carousel.

Overall experience/any other comments:
It was a delightful flight with a really top notch crew. Sherry C. was the in-charge F/A, she was cheerful, energetic, and very hospitable as always. This flight really presented Air Canada at its best.