Surprised how cheap YVR-PVG is with AC
#32
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: ORD
Posts: 77
I flew this route a couple weeks ago. STL-YYZ-PVG RT $450 USD. Full flights both times YYZ-PVG. With regards to the "China Threat" I will mention I was pretty much the only Laowai on that flight, and definitely, the only one going to Mainland. The others were connecting to Thailand. Saw mostly PRC passports when boarding.
Last edited by noahsilv; Mar 29, 2019 at 2:59 pm
#33
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: ORD
Posts: 77
I know this doesn't matter as much at this price but I do want to say that Air Canada was significantly worse than most of the Asian carriers I've flown. Tight 789 seats in Y, Terrible food, basically no snacks, nonexistent service. I'd avoid AC to Asia unless they offered these cheap fares, so maybe this is reflective of that a bit. Why would I fly AC when I could fly CX or CA
#34
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Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 19,887
I know this doesn't matter as much at this price but I do want to say that Air Canada was significantly worse than most of the Asian carriers I've flown. Tight 789 seats in Y, Terrible food, basically no snacks, nonexistent service. I'd avoid AC to Asia unless they offered these cheap fares, so maybe this is reflective of that a bit. Why would I fly AC when I could fly CX or CA
#35
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: ORD
Posts: 77
For me it depends on the destination. I was headed to PVG so this flight made sense. But if I was going somewhere else in Asia I'd definitely pay $150 more to say connect at HKG vs PVG and fly CX (Esp if its the 9 across 777).
#36
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Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG
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lol! I think the thread got derailed...I'm definitely happy even though this is on economy. Even CA offered decent J fares to HKG from YVR. I checked last week, but the dates didn't worked out for me C$2251 for YVR-PEK-HKG.
#37
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: ORD
Posts: 77
Check Hainan? Best mainland airline probably. Should fly that route too.
#38
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Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 669
#39
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM
Posts: 23,293
I know this doesn't matter as much at this price but I do want to say that Air Canada was significantly worse than most of the Asian carriers I've flown. Tight 789 seats in Y, Terrible food, basically no snacks, nonexistent service. I'd avoid AC to Asia unless they offered these cheap fares, so maybe this is reflective of that a bit. Why would I fly AC when I could fly CX or CA
That does kinda answer the surprise in the title of this thread doesnt it, noone will pay premium to fly the garbage that is AC Y (and PY for that matter)
#40
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: YXU
Programs: MR Bonvoy LP , AC/AE, DL, Porter, SU, Nexus, APEC
Posts: 55
If you want your meal drink (aka wine) one hour after your meal you will like the slightly lower price. Most of the FAs are very young and speak very good English, the problem is they do not understand it when asked a question...but this is traveling in some fast developing economies. I have flown most of their domestic carriers in the country where this is not a problem but I expect a little more on a long TPAC flight.
I'm currently hoping to find a decent price for a YYZ - HKG flight for late August, it is a ways off but right now AC price is more than I want to pay..
Bob
#41
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: AC SE MM
Posts: 300
Last November, you could have flown YVR-PEK Return for $394 all in for the entire month of April 2019 and it wasn't even a publicized seat sale and no Canadians had been detained yet so not politics, just heavy competition. I procrastinated and by the time i purchased a few weeks later, I still paid less than $600 per person all in round trip which is less than what I usually pay YVR-YYZ. Mainland China has been cheap for many years.
#42
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: ORD
Posts: 77
I tried them on one of my five trips from YYZ to PEK/PVG/SHA last year, the rest were AC..
If you want your meal drink (aka wine) one hour after your meal you will like the slightly lower price. Most of the FAs are very young and speak very good English, the problem is they do not understand it when asked a question...but this is traveling in some fast developing economies. I have flown most of their domestic carriers in the country where this is not a problem but I expect a little more on a long TPAC flight.
I'm currently hoping to find a decent price for a YYZ - HKG flight for late August, it is a ways off but right now AC price is more than I want to pay..
Bob
If you want your meal drink (aka wine) one hour after your meal you will like the slightly lower price. Most of the FAs are very young and speak very good English, the problem is they do not understand it when asked a question...but this is traveling in some fast developing economies. I have flown most of their domestic carriers in the country where this is not a problem but I expect a little more on a long TPAC flight.
I'm currently hoping to find a decent price for a YYZ - HKG flight for late August, it is a ways off but right now AC price is more than I want to pay..
Bob
#43
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
I've never flown AC to China before. Saw YVR-PVG for C$605 return on a 787 in Y. I think I should get at least 50% EQM with OZ since it's L-fare. It's even cheaper than flying to PEK (not sure why that's the case considering PEK is closer to YVR). I decided to give it a try. My only complaint is the timing. I wish it leaves YVR a little earlier and PVG a little later so that I can get more time in PVG. Anyone here surprised how cheap the fares are to PVG at the moment?
@lsquare
When you posted this thread in March, you were commenting on how cheap AC fares were on YVR-PVG
Discussion ensued about the variety of reasons.
I just noticed that there are fares even lower than what you saw but of course, it's about timing, and in this case, ex-USA
These are Y Standard with 50% AQM. I would assume, there are still those for whom price is more important than mileage or status accumulation.
LAS-YVR-PVG versus YVR-PVG. Note, fares are $USD to make the comparison.
LAS-YVR-PVG
YVR-PVG
Obviously no point here in routing to LAS to save $9 USD but it was PVG that I noticed in the first place.