songsc

Row 14 is my favorite as no one seats behind. I tend not to recline if there is someone sitting behind. Though some people, especially the ones who don't need much legroom, prefer row 12 because of the knee room.

yyznomad

Same here. It's all about minimizing any external douche neighbour factors.

eigenvector

I find with the additional recline in PY, it can be difficult to get out if you are at the window and the person in front of you is fully reclined. It's also difficult to watch IFE or use a laptop on the tray table in this scenario. For that reason I generally prefer row 12.

vernonc

Same here but I choose 14 because of the hard divider so no one behind uses my seat as support to stand up - the seat shaking wakes me up.

yyznomad

The best is when the d0uchebag sitting behind you reaches around to the front of your seat for full grip, while pulling your hair, to help themselves get up. This is then followed by full recoil, and some of your hair being ripped off. Oh, and not to mention their pillow hits you on the side of the head because they decided to reach around with the pillow in their hand as well.

jc94

14C is the most polite seat on that side in PY imho as you don’t recline into anyone nor disturb them to use washroom. 12A is also good for not disturbing people if you are careful. Just avoid jamming fingers on the IFE (which is easier if ACs system is responsive).

TPJ

Ahh - the aisle seat in row 13 is gone, will stay in 12H.

Not a very long flight, so will somehow survive

But thank you for all the feedback.

taupo

Spent eight hours yesterday in AC's E+ cabin on a YYC-LHR flight, first time I have flown in this cabin of theirs.

Their branding it Premium Y does a great dis-service to other airlines (NZ in particular as that is the only other airline I have flown Prem Y in), and the shows a lack of the understanding as to what the word premium means, unless referring only to the price difference between Y and Premium Y.
Legroom is tight.
Seat is hard.
Seat seems narrow.
Headphones are Y ones.
Meal service is Y.
Drink service is Y.
Part of Y cabin.

It is Y+ in that is offers more leg room that Y, unless in the row behind (18) me, in which case Y has more leg room.
Here is their own picture: https://www.aircanada.com/uk/en/aco/...ard/fleet.html

I have three more segments booked in this, one for Sunday when I return to YLW and two in July when I make another quick trip to LHR. Seriously thinking I should have booked a different carrier or fare.

ffsim

This is probably the wrong thread to have a discussion about a TATL flight in PY (this thread is supposed to be about North American PY routes and service) but I'm surprised to read about your disappointment in seat width and legroom. It looks like you flew a 787-9 on that route which IME has offered a pretty decent hard product in rows 12-14. I can't speak to your points about the meal service and headphones, but the seat itself is one of the highlights for me in that cabin.

24left

@taupo

Your link just takes you back to the main AC fleet page

1. Which aircraft were you on for the YYC-LHR

2. Yes, many would agree that Premium Economy on AC is not as good as on NZ in terms of seat, meals and service. SQ, QF and LH (among others) have seats that recline and the foot rest is part of the seat, not a metal bar attached to the seats in front (thus why row 12 has no foot rest...even if some might want the extra legroom)

3. IMO, AC doesn't lack the understanding of what Premium Economy is. If you read this thread and other threads that discussed this cabin, you'll find that back when AC took delivery of the B788s in 2014, those of us who flew in Premium Economy did indeed get a more "premium" cabin:

- there were curtains that closed and separated the cabin from Y
- the meals were excellent
- there was a dedicated FA for this cabin

Since that time, AC has removed the curtains, there is no longer a dedicated FA and meals offered range from very nice to gross, depending on the route. The first meal still is similar to J but with 2 options and the hot meal is served in its original casserole.

The second meal - say breakfast on many routes - could be some pseudo-eggs or banana bread and yogurt.

4. IMO, AC has determined that they can charge a lot of money for that cabin just for the seats alone, especially for those who can't or won't pay $7,000+ in J for TATL or TPAC. Since I find the cabins are at least 50% full or higher on the routes I fly, I assume AC found their little sweet spot for pricing.

For those who "need" or "want" to earn AQM/AQDs etc, they have made the decision to fly AC even on routes where other carriers offer a better Premium Economy product.

Since NZ does not fly from Canada to LHR, AC does not face them as competition. They do fly LAX-LHR, but AC doesn't.


Ooops, yes, perhaps the mod can move this particular discussion

Diabeetus

I flew PY across a pond this month with my toddler.

Nice things I noticed as SE100k:

Both flights:
1) Service director greeted me by name.
2) First meal choices were offered.
3) I was the only SE in PY both times (I assume most fly in J).
4) On the first flight, the SD frequently checked up on me - made sure I didn't need anything for my kiddo, beverage offers, chatted a little, etc.
5) By extension, on one flight, the Mrs. got an early meal choice in J (immediately after my parents in J who both have status).

Diabeetus

PY Differences between 789 & 777W (28J) that I've noticed:

Screens:
1) The screens on the 777W PY are dimmer, smaller, and much less responsive to touch.
2) The 789 PY IFE has the fancy map program that J has. The 777W did not have all the J map features.

Seats:
1) The 789 seats overall subjectively seemed nicer
2) The 777W row 13 and 14 middle seats E&F have an armest that can be raised between them - a consideration for those of you with little ones. No such feature on the middle group of 3 seats of the 789.

Overall, in my n=2 experience, I think the 789 PY is better than the 777W PY.

Mauricio23

It looks like you are comparing the 787 to the original 5 777 HDs, in which PY was "half-refurbished". They kept the old seat frames and AVOD, and just replaced the upholstery. You can tell from the brown leatherette still present in the armrests. The screens are low res (you can see the interlacing). All other 777s have the same spec as the 787. Of course, there is no telling which 777 you will be on, and I seem to have a penchant for ending up on the original 5 beasts.

Diabeetus

^

Thanks. This makes a lot more sense now.

The PY seats on the 777 HD seemed rather old compared to the 787 ones. The screens were indeed low res.

stoddaj1

We are just beginning to travel more and have gained much information by reading this forum. We are off to China on our first grand adventure from Halifax via Toronto. The idea of a 14 hour flight makes me cringe and unfortunately the lie flat seats are far beyond our means. I have been thinking about paying for premium economy seating. Looking at seat maps it shows Row 12 seats as being recliner, bulkhead. Does this mean that there is an actual footrest? If so that would make things much more comfortable for us. Any similar suggestions on how to do this more comfortably would be more than welcome from you expert travelers. Thanks in advance for your help!