Flight/Origin-Destination: AC034 YVR-YYZ
Date: 2011-06-09
Cabin: Y
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? yes, yes
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Yes, very quick and short line
Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? No, ate breakfast at Tim Horton
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes, slow, computer not working, GA has to write down pax name and seat #. Meanwhile the computer at the regular line is working, moving very fast.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? No delay, only 6 minutes behind scheduled departure time. Wow for AC034.

Onboard - Y cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? n/a
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Not until safety demo. Then off. Not on until after airborne.
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service/Onboard cafe to begin? About 30 minutes.
How was the quality of the meal/Onboard cafe? New chicken sandwich is a lot smaller than the old chicken wrap.
Did the cabin crew offer water regularly throughout the flight? yes

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? n/a. connecting to YHZ.

Overall experience/any other comments See above about priority boarding. GA can offer better service to priority pax by switching the line: priority pax use the line with working computer.

Flight/Origin-Destination: AC576 LAS -> YUL
Date: June 15
Cabin: J
Status: SE

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? -- Super fast, always seems to be at LAS.

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? -- N/A

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? -- Priority boarding was offered over the audio, but the gate was set up with only one lane, the Priority lane, and the normal lane didn't exist (terminated in front of the desk). Agents didn't care about Priority boarding, half the flight got up and went into the priority lane after the pre-boarding announcement. I had J ticket and SE status and couldn't even get anywhere near the priority lane to board. I asked the gate agent where's the priority line, and he just kind of waved in the general direction of the mob, then made an announcement that it was pre-boarding only. Nobody moved, so I just said to hell with it and stepped under the ribbons and cut in front of the gate lice so I could pre-board with the rest of the J ticket holders. One of the worst examples from Air Canada for gate management yet.

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

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

If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? -- Yes and yes.

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)? -- Yes to all, meal order taken on the ground and SE prioritized.

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) -- can't guess at the timing but I found it to be prompt and as soon as was feasible after takeoff.

How was the quality of all the meals? -- very good.

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? -- mine did, but some non-priority baggage came out first, then the entire luggage carousel ground to a halt right after my bag popped out. I ran away of course.

Overall experience/any other comments[/QUOTE] -- the flying experience for me has been routinely excellent, while the gate experience is routinely problematic. I want to continue to hammer home that Air Canada has a problem managing its gates. It's almost like a different airline on the ground and in the air. Priority boarding when offered must be offered correctly, and letting passengers fight it out is not the way to handle the situation. Perhaps the pre-boarding announcement needs to be sorted out, instead of starting with "This is a pre-boarding announcement" (boom everyone gets up) it should start with "We would like to invite passengers with small children and star alliance gold to approach the gate for pre-boarding. All other ticket holders, please remain seated until your row is called."

As soon as people hear the words "pre-boarding announcement" they take off and possibly this is the trigger for chaos.

Flight/Origin-Destination: AC462 YYZ-YOW
Date: 2011-06-16
Cabin: J
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? OLCI
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Nexus
Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? No
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes, yes
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? No delay

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? No. Notified 10 minutes after scheduled push back that one of the wheels did not pass inspection and maintenance was called to replace it and we should be on our way within 20 minutes. No further notification until 50 minutes after scheduled push back when they did the announcements to turn off electronics. Overheard the crew saying that part of the delay was that the onboard crew was about to go illegal.
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes.
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service/Onboard cafe to begin? About 10 minutes.
How was the quality of the meal/Onboard cafe? Good. Not sure what it was, remeniscent of the new fajita, but it seemed like it was baked and shaped like a pizza pop.
Did the cabin crew offer water regularly throughout the flight? yes

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? n/a only torurists check bags

Overall experience/any other comments: the issue with the tire could have been communicated better, as well as an update at 20 minutes past first announcement when we were originally told we would be underway.

Better late then never

Flight/Origin-Destination: AC115 YYZ-YVR
Date: 19 May 2011
Cabin: Y
Status: Elite

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Yes...nobody in line at priority check-in
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Yes...used NEXUS security...completely painless
Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? Yes...I was disappointed there was no soup available
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes...priority boarding was offered and used, however the flight was delayed so it really did not make a difference at the end of the day
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Yes...the gate agent (Wade) was extremely helpful and provided all the information he knew at the time

Onboard - Y cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes - no overall complaints
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? Yes....delay was caused by pax leaving the gate area so their bags had to be offloaded, and then they showed up at the last minute so they had to reload them
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service/Onboard cafe to begin? 20 min
How was the quality of the meal/Onboard cafe? I had the hot meal option (Canelloni)...it was great and not overcooked. The FA insisted it did not come with a snack so when I ordered it with the chocolate bar she was surprised that the total was still $13. I was in row 12 and pounced on the hot meal but there were a lot of other requests for it, and only 3 hot meals aboard.

People in Y I think want hot meals, especially for transcon flights, so AC should look to expand this programme.

Did the cabin crew offer water regularly throughout the flight? Yes

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time?
Yes, however I received misinformation regarding it. Due to the delay I misconnected to AC564 to SFO. The cx agent said it would come out of the regular luggage carousel...the baggage agent said it would sit in US customs overnight. I was just about to leave the airport when I saw it come out on a different carousel

Overall experience/any other comments

- Lights on AC115 kept at all bright white for majority of flight. Mood lighting system was not used. As these planes have mood lighting, it should be used.
- Delays happen so no harm done there
- Did not like getting conflicting info regarding my luggage as it could have been left at the airport
- When I misconnected, I was rebooked onto the next AC flight to SFO, however there was a UA/AC codeshare earlier that fit my schedule as I needed to be into SFO early. The cx agent said it was full, whereas the gate agent in Toronto showed me it had availablity on his screen prior to leaving for YVR and when I called reservations they switched it no questions asked.

Flight/Origin-Destination: AC048 HNL-YVR
Date: 2011-06-19
Cabin: J
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Yes to both, and extra credit to HNL check-in staff for actually enforcing the carry-on limits.

Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Yes, line moved as quickly as a line full of tourists can.

Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? N/A Given directions and invitation to use RCC by check-in staff.

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes. General boarding was in progress when we arrived at gate, but priority line was in place and enforced by GA's.

If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? N/A, on-time departure.

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

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

Was the IFE activated on the ground? No. IFE was inoperative for entire flight. Compensation vouchers were issued.

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

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 and menus offered on the ground, meal orders taken in the air by SD. Absolutely no priority given for SE/E, meals orders taken back to front (although there did not seem to be too many "status looking" travellers in J. Which, in retrospect, should have made taking orders by status easy)

Did the 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) From wheels up, it took 45 minutes until drink service was completed, 1 hour before trays started to come out, 2 hours before trays were cleared and 2:45 before dessert service was completed. Far too slow for a night flight, people want to eat and sleep.

How was the quality of all the meals? Good.

Did the cabin crew continously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? No, beverage service was infrequent, not to mention they ran out of two of my choices (Heineken and the Bordeaux)

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

Overall experience/any other comments
Although the crew was friendly and professional, they were far too slow. On night flights, I believe dinner service should be expedited as passengers wish to sleep as much as possible. I did note that at least half of the cabin wasn't awake when dessert service did finally come. And it does irk me that as a J passenger, I have to wait 40 minutes to get a drink and mixed nuts. That's far too long.

The Service Director was in the Y cabin throughout meal service, which was disappointing. The 2 FAs he left for the service seemed overwhelmed, which led to the drawn out service. Of course, Hawaii is a plum route, so the entire crew is "senior", and speed is no longer appears to be a priority to them.

Overall, a disappointing flight.

AC 196 YLW-YYZ

J

No pre-departure drink, no newspapers distributed (though I got one by asking), menus distributed after takeoff. SD was otherwise great so all is forgiven.

Departure on time, arrival slightly early.

AC 876 YYZ-FRA

J

No pre-departure drink, though flight was completely full so understandable that crew was otherwise occupied. AVOD failure (standard for A333)--took over 30 minutes to reboot. Cabin crew senior and unsmiling.

Had black cod with risotto entr�e. Fairly bland, even after empyting pepper shaker over it. Had pecan tart--not something I'll have again. Too sweet.

Departure pretty much on time, arrival a few minutes late.

Flight/Origin-Destination: AC002 NRT-YYZ
Date:June 25, 2011
Cabin: J (upgraded at gate)
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Yes, virtually no line at NRT for E's.

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? N/A, used both ANA business lounges.

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

Yes. I missed the initial priority boarding call but the priority lane was still open when I arrived at the gate. My boarding was processed immediately.

If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Checkin agent provided initial notification of delay - 5:45pm to 8:00pm, gate agent subsequently revised boarding time to 7:40pm rather than 7:00pm as originally speculated.

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes. SD seemed like a bit of a curmudgeon but can't complain about his professionalism. The other two FA's I primarily interacted with were quite friendly.

If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? Once on board there was little in the way of additional delay.

Was the IFE activated on the ground? Not sure, I didn't open my screen until the safely briefing.

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 and menus were distributed on the ground. Meal orders were taken in the air. Meal orders were NOT taken by status (unless there were ~39 SEs on the flight, including at least 2 that spoke no English). The order seemed to start with paid-J (speculation) and end with gate upgrades (almost certain). I was one of the last 3 or 4 to have my order taken (6D) the person beside me (in 6G) was also upgraded at the gate and had his order taken after mine. The SD skipped over me after taking orders from all other pax on my side of the plane and then proceeded to take orders from all pax on the other side of the plane (then skipped over 6G).

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) Between 1.5 to 2 hours.

How was the quality of all the meals? I had the Greenland halibut for dinner, it was excellent. On Asia-YYZ flights something other than breakfast should be offered as the second meal choice as this is served closer to lunch time or during the afternoon in this case. It would be nice to have a light breakfast option as a mid-flight snack (the dim-sum was good though).

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

Onboard - Y cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed?
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates?
Was the IFE activated on the ground?
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service/Onboard cafe to begin?
How was the quality of the meal/Onboard cafe?
Did the cabin crew offer water regularly throughout the flight?

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time? Yes, somewhat surprisingly for Toronto, my bags arrived within 5 minutes of entering the baggage hall. I cleared customs with Nexus.

Overall experience/any other comments
As mentioned on another thread I'm a little confused to how my upgrade was processed (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/16622802-post37.html and subsequent posts), but overall no major complaints.

Flight/Origin-Destination: AC922 YYZ-MCO
Date: Sat 25 June 2011
Cabin: J
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient?
NA - connecting flight with boarding pass printed at home.



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


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

Yes. Food - some cheese to put on the bread would be nice!


Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient?
Boarding was NOT efficient. See below.


If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates?
There was a delay, but it seem more due to gate attendants than anything else. The boarding pass seemed to indicate a boarding would begin 35 minutes prior to departure. It appeared that really not much was done for the first 15minutes of that period, at which point they seemed to start calling individual passengers (perhaps to assign seats?). Whatever the reason, actual boarding did not start till perhaps 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. This was further slowed by one of the two gate attendants spending considerable time taking a wheelchair passenger to the plane (that a great thing to do, but left the gate further short staffed).

Bottom line: something went terribly wrong in terms of organization. They either started doing what needed to be done way to late, or should have had 3 gate attendants. Whatever the issue, it caused half hour delay which, besides inconveniencing everyone, must have cost AC a small fortune. What does half an hour of a staffed A320 cost?

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

If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates?
Yes - seemed to try and do everything to get the plane in the air ASAP which was much appreciated.

Was the IFE activated on the ground?
Yes
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground?
Dont remember.
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)?
Newspapers on the ground, meal orders in the air (as I said, they tried to get going ASAP).

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)
Didn't get the time, but is was done efficiently.

How was the quality of all the meals?
Fair to good. The beef was tender on this flight - less so on others. The strawberry cheesecake a particularly nice desert.

Did the cabin crew continuously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight?
Yes - until I indicated I had enough.


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

Overall experience/any other comments
Good flight and crew. Only issue was with the gate boarding situation. Probably cost you way more than it cost me!

Flight/Origin-Destination: 907 MCO-YYZ
Date: 27 June 2011
Cabin: J
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?
NA

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

Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient?
Boarding was a zoo! The plane was perhaps 10 to 15 minutes late. The video screen at the gate showed the original departure times, including updates like "final call" and "departed" before we boarded the plane. That was probably the reason for the crowed of perhaps 2/3 of the passengers around the gate with no announcements being made to assure them that the screen was wrong and they would not be missing their plane. The "people with small kids and SE and E" almost together is a disaster when so many have kids. Perhaps the max age of kids should be specified (say 4 years) and only once they are in should us Es and SEs be boarded on flights like this. The crowed should also have been asked to move back as a courtesy to allow people with small kids to get through. Hard to say if they were using/enforcing the priority lane - I couldn't get to it anyway


If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates?
With such a short delay it would not have been necessary if it hadn't been for the video screen indicating the flight had left!



Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed?
Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates?
Delay so short - really was just waiting to get everyone on the plane.
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?
NA
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)?
I think the meal order were in the air but not 100% sure.
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)
We had a fair amount of turbulence for the first half hour so meal was appropriately delayed.
How was the quality of all the meals?
Fair - beef was bordering on the tough side.
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?
NA
Overall experience/any other comments
Again, good flight and crew. Boarding was a zoo.

It was either this flight, or my connecting flight AC464 to YOW where the Captain or First Officer said a particularity sincere "Thank you for flying with us - we really appreciate it" or something like that which was a really nice touch because it clearly wasn't a canned speech. (and don't try and force them all to repeat a canned speech of that type - it wouldn't have the same effect- but do appreciate your crews who do make the extra effort on behalf of your company).

Flight/Origin-Destination: YAM - YYZ
Date: July 1st, 2011
Cabin: Y
Status: None

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Mobile Checkin - worked great
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? N/A
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Only 6 people on the flight N/A
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Flight departed early as there were only 6 passengers.

Onboard - Y cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? N/A
Was the IFE activated on the ground? NO IFE Dash 8
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service/Onboard cafe to begin? 5-10 minutes
How was the quality of the meal/Onboard cafe? Only pretzels and drinks were offered. Pretzels are not very good. I asked for a Hot Tea and they did not have any. So I had a Sprite.
Did the cabin crew offer water regularly throughout the flight? Yes

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time?
No checked baggage.

Overall experience/any other comments Pretty standard flight everyone was nice a polite. Would think they could offer tea.

Flight/Origin-Destination: YOW - YVR
Date: June 26th, 2011
Cabin: J
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? On-line Checkin - printed BP at kiosk.
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Works great at YOW for Nexus card holders.
Did you use the Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? YOW MLL one coffee machine out-of-order. Need a wider slection of cereals. Everything is sweetened somehow either with sugar, nuggets of maple syrup or raisins. Could we have at least one plain grain cereal (e.g. corn flakes, shreddies, unweetened cherios).
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Boarded on-time.

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? Techncial delay. Pilot kept us updated.
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes. But several screens had to be reset approx 1 hr into the flight, mine included. Took 15-20 mins for reset to complete.
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service/Onboard cafe to begin? 20 minutes
How was the quality of the meal/Onboard cafe? No menus. Orders not taken by status. Omelet was fine. Love the cookies and ice cream.
Did the cabin crew offer water regularly throughout the flight? Yes

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time?No checked baggage.

Overall experience/any other comments Service was great, but had to run through YVR due to late departure from YOW.

Flight/Origin-Destination: YVR - LAX
Date: June 26th, 2011
Cabin: J
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? On-line Checkin - printed BP at kiosk.
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Used connections lane for YVR Domestic-Transborder security. Only one person ahead of me.
Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? tight connection, no time for YVR MLL
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Boarded on-time.

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? N/A
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes.
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service/Onboard cafe to begin? 15 minutes
How was the quality of the meal/Onboard cafe? Menus were handed out. Orders not taken by status. Chicken was just okay.
Did the cabin crew offer water regularly throughout the flight? Yes

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time?No checked baggage.

Overall experience/any other comments Service was fine. Had a great conversation with a seatmate whose oil patch work has taken him around the world.

Flight/Origin-Destination: LAX - YYZ
Date: June 30th, 2011
Cabin: J
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? On-line Checkin, but could not check-in at T-24 of my connecting flight. Could only check-in after calling reservations and having the agent "hide" something until check-in was complete, then unhiding it. (Perhaps my eUpgrade request?). Visited check-in counter to collect BP. Quick, but maybe not efficient. More later. See next report.
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Used priority lane at LAX, but waiting 20 mins in line.
Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? The oft criticized LAX MLL was fine. Coffee machine needs a training manual before you can use it, but otherwise the MLL was great. Lots of fruit, better bread selection than YOW MLL, etc.
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Boarded on-time.

Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? N/A
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes.
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service/Onboard cafe to begin? 25 minutes
How was the quality of the meal/Onboard cafe? No menus were handed out. Orders were most defintely taken by status.
Did the cabin crew offer water regularly throughout the flight? Yes

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time?No checked baggage.

Overall experience/any other comments Service was fine. Had another great conversation with a seatmate who has over 2 million Marriott rewards points in his account. He is less than 20 nights away from lifetime Platinum, an unpublished benefit.

Flight/Origin-Destination: YYZ - YOW
Date: June 30th, 2011
Cabin: Y
Status: E

Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? On-line Checkin, but could not check-in at T-24 of my flight. Could only check-in after calling reservations and having the agent "hide" something until check-in was complete, then unhiding it. (Perhaps my eUpgrade request?). Because I could not check-in at T-24, and could only call in nearly two hours later, I got sequence 16. Hopes were not high for upgrade of YYZ-YOW. Visited check-in counter in LAX to collect BP.
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? YYZ connections priority lane is a mess. The process is badly broken. I gave up and went upstairs. Happended to bump into the security supervisor and gave him some unsolicited user feedback. He thanked me and left immediately to investigate the conections security lanes. Here is the problem as I see it (in addition to the line marshals without any common sense): one the left there is a priority lane which is short, straight, and ends directly at the entrance to the screening station. On the right is a serpentine queue which feeds the other screening stations (plural). Only two lanes in total were staffed. The serpentine queue also ends directly in front of the priority screening station. Unless the line marshall is directing the non-priority PAX to the other screening station 15 metres away, they are all trying to jam into the station which is straight ahead. A mess. A logjam. I gave up and went upstairs.
Maple Leaf lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? I only had a few minutes, and used some of it to enquire as to the status of my pending upgrade. "I'll put you on the list." "You mean I'm not already on the list?" "No sir, you are not on the list. I will add you." "But when I checked in on line (with telephone assistance), the agent said I was on the list. And when I collected my BP in LAX, the agent said I was on the upgrade list." "Why am I not on the list." ""Sir, I've just added you to the list. Please check at the gate."
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? Yes.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? Boarded on-time.

Onboard - Y cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? N/A
Was the IFE activated on the ground? No IFE for the entire flight. E90 fin 325
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service/Onboard cafe to begin? 10 minutes
How was the quality of the meal/Onboard cafe? Juice
Did the cabin crew offer water regularly throughout the flight? N/A

Post departure
If you have checked baggage, did it arrive within reasonable period of time?No checked baggage.

Overall experience/any other comments N/A

AC 876 (YYZ-FRA) July 1/11

J/SE

This was the second time in the space of two weeks that I took this flight. It was average the first time, poor this time.

First there was a delay while apparently a no-show's luggage was removed. No estimate was given for how long this would take, and no further announcements about the flight's status were made after the initial announcement. We left about 40 minutes late.

No pre-departure drink was offered despite the fact that we sat on the ground for a good long time.

Food orders were not taken by status.

The IFE was not on while we sat on the ground.

I asked for the express (flexible) meal option, but was hoping to get the smoked salmon appetizer as well. The less pleasant of the two senior FAs assigned to our cabin said "Everyone gets the appetizer". Eventually, she came around with the tray, but no appetizer. I asked the more pleasant FA about it, and she said the express meal doesn't come with the appetizer, but "if there were any left", I'd get one. I didn't get one.

(I assume there are enough appetizers loaded for everyone. Are the rules about the express meal so rigid that you're forbidden to have an appetizer?)

I asked for some spicy Clamato to drink with dinner. The less pleasant FA thumped a half-full glass down. I was not offered a refill.

I was not offered bread with dinner.

Although we left about 40 minutes late, we arrived at our bus stand in FRA 50 minutes late. I misconnected. Tried twice to contact the concierge, left messages twice, but no one ever responded. There was a Lufthansa rep at the bus stop advising everyone about rebookings.

Summary:
-poor communication
-below average service on board
-peculiar rules about meals (or indifferent FAs)
-zero support from AC with respect to delay