Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > Air Canada | Aeroplan
Reload this Page >

flying AC Australia to USA ????????

flying AC Australia to USA ????????

Old Jul 25, 2018, 7:47 pm
  #1  
Suspended
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 192
flying AC Australia to USA ????????

looking at flying AC Australia to USA as so much cheaper than Australia/USA nonstops.

With an Australian passport do I need a Canadian Visa waiver as well as a USA visa waiver, as will only be in transit in Vancouver for an hour or 2 ?

Which frequent flyer programme am I best using so I can use points/miles in Australia (on Virgin perhaps) or trans-tasman on Air NZ perhaps ?
southpac is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2018, 7:53 pm
  #2  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,885
Should not that hard to do a google search about the Canadian visa issue.

AC is Star Alliance so an Air NZ partner
A guide --> https://www.wheretocredit.com/ac

VA--> https://www.velocityfrequentflyer.co...ines_VAFlydown
https://www.virginaustralia.com/nz/e...rs/air-canada/

Edit: -2 second google search (it was easy!!)
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...a/transit.html
tcook052 and Heffeh41 like this.

Last edited by Mwenenzi; Jul 25, 2018 at 8:04 pm
Mwenenzi is offline  
Old Jul 25, 2018, 8:14 pm
  #3  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: YOW
Programs: AC-SE100K MM, BA-S HH-D, MB-G LT Sil, IHG-Plt, Nexus, Global Entry
Posts: 3,793
Originally Posted by southpac
With an Australian passport do I need a Canadian Visa waiver as well as a USA visa waiver, as will only be in transit in Vancouver for an hour or 2 ?
You will need both a US ESTA and a Canadian ETA even for transit. Both can be done on-line and approval is within minutes for 95% of the cases.
--
13F
jc94 and pitz like this.
Seat13F_AC_CRJ is offline  
Old Jul 26, 2018, 11:48 am
  #4  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM
Posts: 23,263
Keep in mind, this is very much a case of you get what u paid for. AC economy is one of the worst in the sky.
Check if your class (probably K) since it's cheap even earns in NZ ftp.
trooper likes this.
rankourabu is offline  
Old Mar 16, 2019, 8:36 pm
  #5  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SYD
Programs: |QF Platinum|HH Gold|DL Silver|ALL Silver|
Posts: 1,736
Having just done this with Air Canada, my recommendation is DON'T!!!

All four legs were significantly delayed (which other passengers told me is considered SOP at Air Canada) and Vancouver doesn't seem set up for international transit, resulting in baggage being mis-connected and delayed on the way over, and both passenger and bag missing the connection on the return flight.

If you miss the return connection, all the South Pacific flights leave YVR late evening but you will only be provided a hotel until a midday checkout. If you're travelling on business, you're on your own for the additional 12 hours.

The reason Qantas/American and Virgin/Delta and even United are more expensive is that when the inevitable delays occur, there are multiple fallback options for you and your baggage than on Air Canada. It may be fine for onward travel within Canada but NOT to the US.
Austin787 likes this.
Supersonic Swinger is offline  
Old Mar 17, 2019, 2:44 am
  #6  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM
Posts: 23,263
Originally Posted by Supersonic Swinger
Having just done this with Air Canada, my recommendation is DON'T!!!

All four legs were significantly delayed (which other passengers told me is considered SOP at Air Canada) and Vancouver doesn't seem set up for international transit, resulting in baggage being mis-connected and delayed on the way over, and both passenger and bag missing the connection on the return flight.

If you miss the return connection, all the South Pacific flights leave YVR late evening but you will only be provided a hotel until a midday checkout. If you're travelling on business, you're on your own for the additional 12 hours.

The reason Qantas/American and Virgin/Delta and even United are more expensive is that when the inevitable delays occur, there are multiple fallback options for you and your baggage than on Air Canada. It may be fine for onward travel within Canada but NOT to the US.
Air Canada has the worst on time performance in the world (47%), so pretty much always count on at least one of two flights being delayed 😁
rankourabu is offline  
Old Mar 17, 2019, 7:19 am
  #7  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Ideally YOW, but probably not
Programs: AC SE*MM
Posts: 1,813
Originally Posted by Supersonic Swinger
Having just done this with Air Canada, my recommendation is DON'T!!!

All four legs were significantly delayed (which other passengers told me is considered SOP at Air Canada) and Vancouver doesn't seem set up for international transit, resulting in baggage being mis-connected and delayed on the way over, and both passenger and bag missing the connection on the return flight.

If you miss the return connection, all the South Pacific flights leave YVR late evening but you will only be provided a hotel until a midday checkout. If you're travelling on business, you're on your own for the additional 12 hours.

The reason Qantas/American and Virgin/Delta and even United are more expensive is that when the inevitable delays occur, there are multiple fallback options for you and your baggage than on Air Canada. It may be fine for onward travel within Canada but NOT to the US.
It's going to depend on where you are going to / coming from in Canada or the US before you can really determine this.

AC's OTP is abysmal, that is a fact. If you are flying AC from a place served by one flight a day, especially by a smaller plane, especially in the winter, then you are taking a risk on misconnects - that is true whether the onward travel is in Canada or the US. If you are flying some place well served and you have multiple options and you can leave some time buffer in YVR then your risk is a lot lower. But I would say the same is true when flying the US3. And YVR is a lot better to connect in than say LAX.

My advice would be to take a look at the options, including what happens if you misconnect, and then make a call based on those factors.
RatherBeInYOW is offline  
Old Mar 17, 2019, 7:46 am
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Toronto
Programs: BA Exec Club - Demoted to Bronze and re-promoted to Silver alongside AC Elite 50K (gold) in 2022
Posts: 391
if you're down the back in economy, it's grim. Depending on the route - Sydney to Vancouver is a densified 777 so it's 10 across. Brisbane and Melbourne are dreamliners at 9 across which is again tight. I flew PE and the seating was a lot better bit still 4.5k CAD return. I walked back a couple of times to economy and everyone looked fed up. Wedged in, spilling into the aisle and the carts knocking everyone one. (its so bad that BA now have one crew at each end of each cart moving the trolley to avoid hitting PAX. The AC food is terrible (reheated frozen cheap and nasty meals, though the drinks are fairly plentiful)
The sydney route has terrible performance as the crew are on limits of hours, and it has minimum turnaround in Sydney.

When something sounds too good to be true - there's always a catch, and so if cost is the main driver - then you go with the cheapest. (and pay for what you get!)
Mikey Mike Mike is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.