lcohen999

I have seen them for 4.5k-5k too, depending

I too, enjoyed the service

Sunny Day

Feeling gouged? or talk about getting no value for money spent? At least in J you get a lot out of paying thousands of dollars. How about paying $600 for a YEG-YQR on a Q400 with only a glass of water being offered? These short haul routes in the domestic AC network is subsidizing everyone and where the real profit comes from for AC. And Westjet charges exactly same price.

yyzray

Hainan air is only good for yyz-PEK, but they really are the best airline in mainland china

Stranger

Uhhh?

What about YYC-PEK?

yyzray

i think that flight only provide 3X a week

Stranger

So that means it's not good?

Handcake

Having flown both, I found AC to be the better carrier.

I love AC business from YYZ to PEK.

To the OP, depends on when you book. I usually get it for 3500ish with taxes etc.

5mm

skybluesea

AC certainly faces the music across the Pacific, but during slow winter TATL can be quite competitive in P.

OPs routing of YYZ-PEK = 13,160 miles return for $3,400 and avoids flying all the way to Hainan with long back-track to PEK which adds 7 hours of flying + cnx time.

Starting another RTW (5x this year) in few weeks, with stops in SE Asia, then Italy, returning to Canada and going back to Italy later in November

YVR-DPS one-way in J and another one-way to Italy are cheaper than trying to piece together different J fare zones across carriers.

So just booked on AC MXP-YYZ-YVR for $2,834 return in P that provides 12,360 miles return, which mile for mile turns out to be slightly better that YYZ-PEK.

And AC need NOT serve me the major meal ex-MXP as great restaurant in the terminal that cooks fresh pasta and a burrata from southern italy to die for.

Stranger

Doen't Hainan fly to PEK rather than Hainan island?

OTOH for some mysterious reason YYC is something like $1100 more expensive than YVR. Go figure...

RangerNS

Fewer people, and/or people with deeper pockets in Calgary want to make that trip?

Stranger

But this is for MXP-YVR-MXP, vs. MXP-YVR-MXP, not the reverse...

Otherwise, indeed I would have said, more people willing to pay here.

(Actually it is because LH is cheaper on FRA-YVR than AC is on FRA-YYC...)

skybluesea

@Stranger
my correction, non-stop available on Hainan YYZ-PEk.

and interesting within +/- 3 days of my dates, YVR-YYZ-MXP return is significantly more, about $3,900 at the lowest combination of dates.

Transpacificflyer

There are also people who insist on flying AC over the highly regarded EVA, and who enjoy the "food" at Burger King. If not for them, these organizations would close. However, discerning people who put an emphasis on a quality product, especially functioning seats, edible food, OTP etc. consider other airlines over AC. I am now booking flights to Asia and am considering China Southern over AC, because it has been almost 3 months since my broken seat, delayed baggage and other issues without a response from AC. I realized that if this is how they treat a "status" client, why should I pay the higher airfare to be treated like crap, when I can obtain a more comfortable product at a lower cost, with no impact on customer service quality.

My experience has been that the AC quality of customer service (excl. on board FA activity) has deteriorated in the past year with increased waiting times and intentional delays to customer service inquiries, while the Chinese carriers like China Southern, and Hainan have invested in their North American service quality. Even the much derided China Eastern has made an effort. (The IMO awful Air China remains awful and no matter how cheap the seat, is so much worse than AC.) I have the impression that Air Canada's response to the premium Chinese carriers' uptick in quality and service has been to cover up its defective seats and to continue to chip away at F&B standards, while doubling down on its embellished claims of improved service with its Signature marketing campaign.

skybluesea