Sterndogg

Heh yeah sorry - meant to say the Polaris hard product ex-SFO.

DoctorORD

great fare! can anyone comment on their 777 vs 787? I hear the 787's are BE-super diamond which is what AA has on their new 772's and 789's, but not sure what 777 is serving up. Is Air Canada still using ancient cabin crew as well?

pakkai

sorry, i don't see the United comparable fare, either through SF, DEN or ORD, help?

Sterndogg

You gotta play around with ITA and/or Google Flights for routing - just randomly did this search: https://goo.gl/flights/2TQC

grandgourmand

Other than the A330s, AC's long-haul J fleet is all reverse herringbone.

mapleg

Honestly, it's a lot easier just to use aircanada.com

mapleg

Not familiar with AA product, but on AC I prefer the 789 vs the 777. Smaller J Cabin, plus all the standard 787 advantages.

And yes, for the most part, still using older cabin crew.

mapleg

Works for me.

jix

How's the AC onboard menu to Japan? Is it worth going for ANA routes for about 200 more for better food choices?

gspurr

The 767s, like the A330s, are also herringbone, but neither fly to Asia.


I would go for ANA. The food and the service are far better. I would rate the AC food as about the same as that found on other North American airlines for their long haul flights. IMO ANA has the 2nd best transpacific J product after SQ.

grandgourmand

Oh yeah...the 767s, forgot about those as I thought they'd been mostly Rouge'd. But you're right, not relevant on TPAC routes.

jix

Ohh SQ, but I'm not seeing any flights on NRT-LAX. I see ANA (UA codeshare) via ORD/IAH/SFO but nothing from LAX.

24left

Funny you ask. Was just having a chat with some U.S. pax while in HKG. They insisted that the FAs on AA and UA were much older than those on AC.

I been flying AC's TPAC routes rather frequently for the past number of years.

There is actually a difference on routes based on my experiences. AC YYZ-HKG tends to have very senior SDs (Service Directors), but there is a range in age. Also on those flights are a very nice group of young FAs, all of whom speak at least one other language along with English and French. (Same is true on all AC international flights. Rather impressive actually).

However, age does not necessarily explain temperament.

I find a completely different experience when I fly to HKG or NRT via YVR. There seems to be a slight difference in the ages of the SDs compared to the YYZ-based crews (I can't prove it, so it's just my view). But overall, I find the service I receive on those routes friendlier. IMHO.

izzik

I do not understand the obsession on age of flight attendants. It smacks of objectification, which may be typical of last century social norms but it's absolutely dreadful to hear it nowadays. Do travelers judge other service-oriented employees in the same way? Does anyone criticize car rental agents, hotel front desk workers, housekeepers, waitstaff in the same manner? "Wow, that Sheraton has really old people at the front desk!" I hope that people speak up against such rude statements when heard. I am certain that flight attendants would thank you for doing so.

N1120A

As a note, the 767s do fly to Asia. There are options on this fare that involve connections at YYC, where AC flies 767s to NRT.

All AC 777s and 787s are now using the BE Super Diamond pods. The XM and Thompson seats were removed a while ago from the 777 fleet.

As for the crews, ageism is both unkind and foolish. The service from "old" Air Canada flight crews is MUCH better than you will ever find with the "young" Rouge crews.

A330 and 767 are the XM herringbone, which is still a decent product.

I'm not sure any or many of the Rouge 767s came from the true legacy AC fleet, instead mostly coming from other operators or the Amigos/Pineapples fleet.