jsfrSE

They were only available on the International Signature Suite.

yyznomad

Ok thanks. Did you get your green tea?

canadiancow

Huh? Did the SS open up again?

yyznomad

I'm pretty sure jsfrSE meant "suite" as in the "DreamCabin J seat/suite".

jsfrSE

Yes correct. In Vancouver, only the domestic lounge is open.

YYZHRE

AC 872 (YYZ - FRA) Dec 12/13, despite the highest load in J (20/27) I've seen in months, had one of the best meals I've had on AC in 20+years; and one of the top 10 all time in the air. The lobster salad was particularly good.


(apologies for the lack of photos, wasn't expecting much when it arrived).

canadiancow

At this point I'm completely perplexed why they don't have liquor back.

mathemagic

I'm not all that perplexed by this. Why does any company do anything? Money. Someone within AC has decided that it will cost them more to serve liquor than it will cost them in any possible lost business due to that decision. The marketplace has not pressured them enough to restore their prior levels of service. I'm annoyed, but I understand, and my own choices for flying will reflect their lack of vision for long term effects.
That said, I have to say I'm noticing at least some improvement on average over the past few months not only in the food but also the general service attitude.

canadiancow

The boxed meals cost AC more than the regular pre-COVID meals, so this is provably false.

mathemagic

Have you seen data on that? I wonder how much it cost AC for all the things related to serving J meals on "real" plates, etc., factoring in all the ancillary costs.
But again, I say that this is still a money issue. Someone in AC determined, and convinced decision-makers, that not having the meals would cost AC more in lost business than to serve them. There comes a point of diminishing returns: how much of the old service would they need to reinstate before the costs of the added service outweigh the costs of lost business? Evidently AC has decided that liquor doesn't matter enough.
When things get more back to "normal", competitive pressure will surely come back. But right now there aren't enough customers who care.

Nitehawk

Also I think the Bottega gold is more expensive than minis of Captain Morgan.

canadiancow

Not "data", but I see no motive for the following thread to contain any deliberate misinformation.

Highlights from AC Super Elite Focus Group

Not having meals isn't feasible on long flights.

And it's not cost. If they switched meals back to pre-COVID, they'd save money. When did hot meals end? March? Everyone thought surface transmission was a huge factor then. It took AC 4 months to get their fancy boxes rolled out that don't require crew to touch your food.

Less than 5 months after that, they're back to hot meals, but in a hybrid model.

My suspicion is that was unfounded overreaction combined with the general slowness of AC in general, as well as supply chains that need to exist at all your airports.

Right.

And Clean Care kits are more expensive than not having them.

Not everything here is about cost. It's about perceived safety. Even those kits have been adjusted over time as more data comes out about what's useful.

Bohemian1

I agree that this is the likeliest explanation.

Hygiene theatre notwithstanding, given that AC isn't the only airline using some of these catering facilities, I suspect there's a critical mass of staff required (and minimum $$$ commit by AC) to deliver even one meal. Let alone turning the rest of the supply chain spigot back on.

testycal

YVT to TLV

Dreamliner 90% full approximately
Boarded with social distancing but not leaving aircraft on arrival that I found odd...no announcements made to leave row by row for example..majority standing and waiting for door to open

Comment - unfortunate that a few passengers decided not to show that required bags to be offloaded and required passengers in the plane to spend another 55 minutes in a closed environment more than we had to. No shows may have had reasons but comments as noted.

YYZ to TLV

Boarded with social distancing as above but again nothing organized on arrival.
Kosher meal offered as "hot" was cold corned beef, 1 piece, on cous cous, small cookie, and garbanzo bean salad. Veggie wraps and kosher sandwiches and granola bars in the galley during flight, the sandwiches being dry but the wrap actually tasty. Breakfast was a croissant, fruit in juice and orange juice.

Dreamliner approximately 70% full...surprising.

Toronto gate attendants reminder everyone they needed to complete Israel entry health form. On arrival, required to sit down and process the form with agents after which you receive your entry pass from the remote terminals ie no in person processing at the passport control area and then free to collect bags after handing over the confirmation of the health form having been processed and a temperature check.

Only staff and arriving passengers landside after passing customs, exit and either be picked up by friends/family or taxi according to the government regulations ie check as they change frequently. Into 14 day isolation.

Final comment...YVR checkin...had 2 bags...one free one paid additional fee for. First bag weighed 23.8 kg...agent made me transfer a box of cookies at 350 grams to my second slightly underweight case in order to allow scale to process my bag. She told me there was no override button. I thought it silly and it would have been more challenging had there actually been a lineup. I was a little taken aback by the request but complied. Was she yanking my chain or was that true? I was told AC gives 500 gm leeway and I needed to transfer the 350 gm out.

canadiancow

59% to be precise.

Was that higher or lower than you expected?