AC 33/34 (YVR-SYD-YVR) - questions re: economy cabin
 

In the next few days, my wife and I will take this flight in business class on YVR-SYD flights and SYD-YVR flights. They are revenue tickets.
My sister-in-law will sit in economy - through an Aeroplan ticket.

I do not know all the amenities in economy on international fligths.

a) meals complimentary or not?
b) alcoholic beverages complimentary or not?
c) free headsets for video on demand monitors, or not?
d) free pillows/blankets or not?

Also, can we in business class visit her in the economy cabin? Presumably the reverse is not possible?

a) yes
b) yes,but I find them undrinkable
c) yes (But you should bring a good one for a 14+ hours flight)
d) I believe it still is

re: ask SD and she should be able to just come up and chat if you guys go into the mid section. You can visit the people in Y for sure.

You can visit economy, she might be refused access to Business. Also, I would suggest not visiting her during meal service.


Air Canada International Economy Class

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...omy-class.html

Click the individual topics for more info
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...33dabbf56f.png

Here are my tips for ultra long haul travel in economy:

1. Bring your own reusable water bottle (you can ask the crew to refill it during the flight or walk back to the galley) as a tiny cup of water every several hours isn't adequate to maintain good hydration. YVR has handy water-bottle filling stations through the airport.
2. Bring some snacks as the complimentary meals (really one full meal served shortly after takeoff and one mini-meal before landing) are pretty meager in quantity for an adult. Most people are pretty grumpy going 7-8 hours without food unless they're asleep.
3. An eye-mask really helps with sleeping, these are not provided in AC economy. You can get a really good one on Amazon for $10
4. Active noise-cancelling headphones are best, but these are pretty pricey so earplugs are a good alternative especially for sleeping. AC does provide really crappy free earbuds for listening but do yourself a favour and spend $50 on a decent pair of the in-ear type that physically blocks out noise
5. A small handtowel is a great accessory for "freshening up" midway through a long flight. You can ask the FAs for a cup of warm water to pour on it to wash your face.
6. Individually-wrapped sanitizing wipes are great for cleaning your hands as well as surfaces around your seat such as the tray table and the headrest. You can get a box of 50 at Walmart for a couple of dollars.

Free Black Label in Y is basically the only thing I enjoy about international economy on AC. :p

Let’s be honest the $0.50 earphones AC offers are not true headsets. You can get audio out of them but you’ll get more comfort from a $5 set purchased at the airport.

Clearly your best bet is a decent set of over ear NC headphones, but anything you can wear comfortably for 14h is my minimal advisement, I pay about $20 for on the go earphones that work fine in a pinch - takeoff and landing before AC changed the rules.

I’m surprised to hear Mr Jack complain about alcohol in his area of Tango 4 Life. Clearly your not going to get top grade booze at the back, but if your going for a mixer or beer over red wine or are used to house wines it’s not like the $4 a bottle (yes bottle) stuff I’ve had at some restaurants.

Just to add onto what was posted above, the water bottle is a great idea. However don’t expect the crew to be happy about filling it especially if walking thru with a 2l bottle and cups.

I’ve never had issues getting it filled in the galley. Clearly just after meal service before the crew get to eat and ideally take a short break is one good time.

Good advice above...

In the rare event that I'm stuck in Y, my general strategy is to minimize the Y experience and be as self-reliant as possible, e.g.

1. have dinner at the airport before the flight (and skip the in-flight Y meal or only eat the parts that look semi-edible)
2. have a few drinks before the flight
3. bring your own water bottle
4. bring a few snacks (maybe a nice sandwich and some chocolate bars, nuts, whole fruit etc. - just make sure to dispose of everything before arriving in Australia)

A few G&Ts usually make the experience slightly more tolerable. Definitely skip the "wine".

It may also be worth checking what the LMU cost is for an upgrade to PE.

You may need some noise-cancelling headphones in case your wife wants you to switch seats so she can chat to her sister :D

- Fully agree on the hand towel (remember a ziplock bag to store the wet towel), the hot towel is one of my favorite perks of J. Bringing your own towel is the next best thing.
- PJ's are a great accessory for Y, as you are cramped, change after dinner, nap/drink/sleep/etc...and before landing change back. It always feels better to put on a clean'ish set of cloths after a very long flight, especially when you have a warm towel for face and arms.
- An ambien/benadryl/other med to make you sleep can do wonders in long J flights.
- Airline blankets make great picnic blankets when traveling, so it can be a worthwhile investment on the plane (buy early in case they run out), the pillows generally suck, I find a fleece jacket or sweater works better.

Sorry, have to disagree with that. Changing in and out of PJ's means two 2 trips to the Y lav. I try to avoid that as much as possible. Near the end of the flight....wet, messy floors. Avoid at all costs.

I will state the obvious, the water bottle needs to be empty going through security. Most airports in Canada are good about having fill stations after security. YYC new terminal being the exception, hard to find, but they retrofitted one onto the food court area. All other airports, including YVR they are everywhere you would expect to find them.

The food in Y isn't too bad on these flights. There's a full meal after departure, and a breakfast (pancakes, omelette -- not just a piece of banana bread) before arrival. They also serve a midflight snack such as a sandwich. No one is going to rave about the cuisine, but people shouldn't go hungry.

What is memorable about Y is being crammed into 10-across seating for close to 16 hours.

AC seems to be the worst at lav cleaning in flight on long flights. Bring disposable slippers from a different airline/hotel.

If you are hungry, the mid flight sandwiches are unattended in the back galley, as AC flight attendants disappear or just don't care after they do the initial sandwich run.

From a food waste perspective that is a positive. Pretty much all the fresh food loaded on the aircraft will be incinerated when it arrives in Australia as it can not enter Australia. Making that available to passengers who are still hungry is the best outcome.

From a food waste perspective, flight attendants should make a 2nd run with the extras ;), unlikely they wouldnt all be snapped up.

I suggest wellington boots, not slippers.