mahoogalah

I know in the past I have come across a couple of threads where people shared their opinions comparing the quality of the various Star Alliance airlines but I can't seem to find these. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Currently I am considering:

YYZ to CPH/OSL/ARN via the US on SK.
CPH/OSL/ARN to VCE on SK.
VCE to ATH on Aegean direct or on TK via IST.
ATH to YYZ on TK via IST.

I wanted to see how SK and Aegean stacked up.

I am leaning towards TK between VCE and ATH as they would have proper J seating (rather than EuroJ) and I could make the connection long enough to try out the TK lounge in IST. I am not sure if I would have enough time when doing ATH-IST-YYZ and the last time I flew through IST on the way back to YYZ, the connecting flight was delayed so I couldn't go to the lounge.

Thanks

24left

Just a tip: Your thread title "YYZ to Europe in J" wasn't really clear.
It could have been a paid AC J ticket or something else.
Perhaps it should have included Aeroplan or mRTW or additional details.
Also, you wrote "AE airlines". I assume you mean other Star Alliance airlines?
Thanks

mahoogalah

Thanks. Is there a way to edit the thread title?

My intention is for an Aeroplan reward using Star Alliance airlines.

jc94

Use the triangle to alert a mod who can change it for you. Is avoiding AC and other scam charges of importance to you? AC is a reasonable TATL route in J if they didn't change $800 for it.

mahoogalah

Thanks - I alerted the mod.

And yes, I want to avoid scam charges.

Last year I went to Europe in J. Was supposed to be LX (777) there but the day of the flight to MTL got cancelled so I got put on AC (789) and it was good (first time in long haul J). Took TK (777) back and I thought it was better than AC.
I have flown AC (789) in J once since then, but not as attentive of a cabin crew that time.

The smallest state

The problem with AC is consistency. You can fly on them 4 times and get wildly different flight experiences. AC has some great FA's and some "I'm primarily here for your safety" FA's. One thing to remember is when things go wrong with AC, you are on your own. There are numerous reports, spanning the globe, of posters on this webpage basically forgotten, ignored and abandoned by AC

SK is far superior to anything AC is able to do.
SK is better than Aegean but........Aegean is also better than AC.

TL DR - Every Star Alliance partner is better than AC with the exception of UA who is equal and Air Ethiopia. If you fly AC you have a 50/50 shot of a Great flight, they simply are not consistent.

tcook052

Thread title edited but folks rather than posting in a thread about a thread title and at least temporarily derailing it instead as per FT Rules please use the 'Report a Post' icon to bring an incomplete thread title to the attention of a forum moderator who will make any necessary corrections.

Thanks,

tcook052
AC forum Mod.

RoutingWonk

Do you have a specific destination?

Im flying next week and doing YYZ-YUL-ZRH on an AE J award to avoid the fees. The ability to book LX awards is supposedly back online.

I'm flying home LIS-YYZ on TP since the J fare was about $500 USD, but sending my wife and in-laws home later on LIS-BRU-YYZ on an AE Award in J on SN. The fees aren't $0 on SN but they're much much lower than AC.

mahoogalah

Greece is the ultimate destination, but we love Venice and figured we would make the third stop in whichever SK hub we fly into. We could fly LX, but we already spent a couple days in ZRH.

Trying to avoid more that 1 layover to get to our first destination.

yyccdg

Personally I would fly A3 from Venice to Athens. I know its EuroJ but the service with A3 is quite good. I find their food and beverage options to be excellent in J, with everything being Greek for the most part. I also don't see the need to go out of my way and spend time in a layover when I could be spending more time enjoying Greece. Just my two cents.

yyckiwi

I would agree, we used A3 ( J reward ticket) to Cyprus from Rome and then back to Venice with A3 and LX and were impressed. The most memorable aspect was the bus in Athens and Lanaca that came just for the three of us in J. There was a second bus for the rest of the plane in Y.

montrealer

Interesting perspective, rather different than mine.

In J, I find AC and LH consistently predictable and acceptable and at the same level. Significantly better than UA transatlantic, though that may be changing with the new Polaris product. My transatlantics on SK and LX have been somewhat better servicewise, but not worth seeking out (a better choice is whether timewise you prefer to make a connection in the evening in North America or in the morning in Europe). TK has been super when I have taken them, and the IST international lounge is worth seeking out, but I know multiple people who have had things go completely pear shaped when there is IRROPS, and you can't choose your seats.

All of the above is for the long leg. Honestly, for the short leg it doesn't matter. And for medium legs, choose whoever has a true J class config, as you mention you are doing.

Bottom line is I really don't find meaningful differences between airlines in J across the Atlantic, or at least the differences within one airline by aircraft type are more important. So choose by schedule, availability, cost (surcharge), and aircraft type and ignore airline.

canadiancow

A3 is the worst premium cabin I've ever had the displeasure of flying.

I've had better service in AA domestic Y.

mahoogalah

So I have a few options for crossing the Atlantic. LX, SK, SN and TK all seem to be well liked and have no scam charges. I'll take TK in one direction and then 1 of the other 3 for the other direction.

Still unsure between VCE and ATH...maybe it's time to get the wife's input!

echino

Beware of intra-Europe SK. It's just economy class, but in the front of the plane. Not even Euro-"business" economy seat with a middle blocked, just e+.