Actually this is wrong. If you're booked on the whole AC33/AC34 all the way from YYZ to SYD on the same flight then you do *not* need to pay for your food on the domestic leg. Show your boarding pass to the flight attendants, it has a marking on it that indicates your food is included. Not sure if you can get headphones and a blanket but it would be amusing to try.

Fwiw it may or may not be the same plane. That's entirely independent of the flight number.

Right. The one BP you get for YYZ-SYD has the notation LT07 which allows a free food selection YYZ-YVR. It's also on the PIL for the crew to see. In fact, one indirect advantage is that when you are upgraded at the gate, the LT07 remains on the BP and ML*1 is nowhere to be seen.

And it usually is the same plane unless there has been a significant delay on one of the SYD legs.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if R=0 on YYZ-YVR and R>=1 on YVR-SYD, only YVR pax will be able to confirm the upgrade in advance. YYZ pax will have to wait that R on YYZ-YVR opens up to confirm the upgrade. (Or most likely wait till the gate)

This happens because both segments can be booked separately, but only show up as one flight on the eUp site.

This happened to me when flying AC007 winter schedule, which is very similar in the way its handled to 33 but goes to HKG.

I can confirm this. I was able to upgrade the entire YYZ(-YVR)-SYD flight when upgrade window opened for the YYZ-YVR segment.

Btw, for anyone who´s interested: AC treats AC33 YYZ-YVR, AC33 YYZ-SYD and AC33 YVR-SYD as three different flights and fare class availability on all three segments often is different.

Like I said, I traveled paid J. I found the food issue amusing when the FA announced food purchase protocol for Y. They did not announce the exceptions (like yours). Still nothing said here contradicts my statement that you cannot upgrade at the opening of Toronto departure window. If you get an upgrade at the gate, it is arriving well within the YVR departure window. Actually you should be able to get confirmed at T-7 YVR departure time from YYZ.

OK then, I will write AC for clarification and include this info. So, when is the upgrade window for YYC and YEG ?

Assuming you´re talking about flying YYC-YVR-SYD or YEG-YVR-SYD you can upgrade each flight segment exactly x hours before departure, e.g. a SE can upgrade the YYC-YVR flight only 168h before the YYC-YVR departure time and the YVR-SYD flight 168h before the YVR-SYD departure.

If you book AC33 YYZ-SYD the system basically treats the flight as if there were no stop in YVR and hence you can upgrade 168h before the YYZ departure.

Exactly.

Lllahim - I think the only part you're misunderstanding is that YYZ-SYD (and a few other flights are unique b/c same flight # but stop). Jasper set it out perfectly.

Your 1st paragraph is consistent with my experience. The second paragraph is not consistent with what AC informs. That is not an even playing field for all pax downstream of YYZ. If correct, I will do what I can to even out the field even if I don't play in it.

How is forcing YYZ-SYD pax to compete for an upgrade in YVR evening out the playing field? This doesn't make any sense. They're flying YYZ-SYD with a stop in YVR, they're not flying YYZ-YVR and YVR-SYD.

But they're going after the same seat from YVR-SYD.

If they just broke it up into two separate flights, this problem would go away. Why don't they do that?

That's the point. They're not going after the same seat YVR-SYD -- they already have a seat that takes them from YYZ to SYD. That's the particularity of this flight.

Life is unfair :D

Air Canada makes the rules, they can do what they want :p

Just accept what it is and give in, allow yourself to be guided by the wisdom and expereince of the powers above, Air Canada and you will be better off :rolleyes:

I thought half the issue was that YVR-SYD could be confirmed in advance, but there's no availability for YYZ-SYD.

that's the other problem. lol - so usually YYZers are at a big advantage, but there is the odd time where there is R space on YVR-SYD, but not YYZ-YVR, and in that case, the YYZers are screwed.