Air Canada review - by M Dawn
20 March 2007

YVR-LAX return in economy. Outbound on a A319. Comfortable seating with movable headrests and at least some basic IFE, albeit minimal. Staff friendly. Return flight was supposed to be another A319 but was switched to a new, reburbished A320. Legroom is good and the AVOD, despite a few kinks, was a pleasant surprise for a 3 hour flight. It is nice to see some positive changes at Air Canada as they are finally headed in the right direction.

Air Canada review - by Victor Avayou
20 March 2007

Montreal - Shanghai via Vancouver. Executive Class. Quick check-in at the Super Elite desk with a very helpful agent handling my upgrades through to Shanghai. However boarding the plane to Vancouver, we were told that the water pump was not working so no water to wash ones hands after using the washroom and no water for making tea! Flight was delayed for 1 hour as the co-pilot was flying in from Toronto and did not yet arrive. Service was fine from the FA's yet one could tell that they were not happy with this situation either and it showed on their faces. Upon arrival in Vancouver, we were not given any information about connecting flights, yet the concierge for Super Elite members was waiting for me with info needed. The concierge service is the best part of this airline and they do their utmost for Super Elites. Always a pleasure with them. I had reserved for the Shanghai flight a single seat. AC flys a 767-300 in a 2-2-1 configuration. usually they re comfortable if dated seats. Yet was shocked to board the oldest plane in the fleet. Members might recognize this plane. It's AC's spare plane to be use when no other aircraft is available. It has green leather seats, no personal tv, and the leg supports barely comes up for you to lie down and get a decent rest on what was a 13 hour flight. And yes they had a single seat - on the first row ! It's 1-2-2 configuration. Opposite configuration of the usual plane, and ended up with a window seat instead! Unbelievable that they would fly such a sub-standard plane on a long-haul flight. They handed out personal dvd players - you try balancing that on your lap for the duration of a movie. I still believe that although AC has outdated planes, their onboard personel are tops.

Air Canada review - by Frank Anderson
9 March 2007

Windsor-Toronto-Halifax March 7, 2007 (Executive Class). Flight landed at YYZ at 530pm and we sat on the runway for 45 minutes for a ground crew to become available. The flight crew were so upset they handed the pilots business card around the cabin so that passengers could call in complaints. According to the FA, this is a common occurance at YYZ, Air Canada never has enough ground crew to handle the volume! I nearly missed my connection to YHZ. Flight from YYZ to YHZ (Executive Class) left a lot to be desired. FA's browsed through the cabin only when required, very unfriendly crew. Seats were no better than in economy, an older Boeing 767-300 that has seen its day. The food was substandard and in fact a dish that was supposed to be served warm was served cold, hurried, and not what one would expect when flying executive and at the rates Air Canada charges. Arrival at YHZ we also found ourselves sitting on the runway for 25 minutes, again not enough hands on deck to handle the arrivals. Passengers waited for 45 minutes for baggage to arrive to finally be told that nearly 60 of us had baggage that didnt arrive on our plane. That entailed another 50 minute wait to file lost baggage complaints! Our flight arrived at 930pm and many of us departed the airport terminal well after midnight! I waited to see an on site supervisor and after 30 minutes was told he was busy with other things and would be another 30 minutes before he could see me. Thats what I got for service when I paid $2800.00. Cold food, runway waiting, lost baggage, long waits, and never finding anyone at Air Canada who really cared about their customers. What a nightmare it is flying with Air Canada!

Air Canada review - by Joan Rickerby
8 March 2007

YYZ-MIA-YYZ Business Class. Short flight (2 1/2 hours) but relaxing. Punctual! Professional FAs and reassuring captain were both well appreciated by this nervous traveller. Hot Coffee & tea, food was quite palatable and seats were very comfortable. Warm towels were such a welcome before disembarking. Just as nice and uneventful on the return home. Overall, I'd rate my flight a 8.5/10

Air Canada review - by Mike Davies
27 February 2007

YVR-HKG Executive class. Very efficient and friendly service on both flights, seats not too bad for the armchair variety. Food was great in both directions and lots of water offered throughout the flight. The entertainment system outbound was AVOD and great, the return flight was the older version and not so great. Hoping AC replace these A340s on this very long flight sooner rather than later. Overall a good job AC

Air Canada review - by Dominic Redcliffe
27 February 2007

LHR-YYZ-LHR. Excellent crew and service between London and Toronto, I came off the flight well fed and relaxed, although the 767 seemed a bit tired and worn. I have flown with Air Canada many times over the Atlantic but it seems the 767s might have seen better days. Apart from technical problems the crew were great and were very helpful. The check- in in the new terminal at Toronto couldn't have been better.

Air Canada review - by Paul Davis
26 February 2007

Executive Class YYZ-FLL and return DCA-YYZ (FLL-DCA handled by US Airways). Appreciated the invitation to visit AC's Maple Leaf lounge in YYZ (AC is now one of the few North American airlines that offers complimentary lounge access to all J Class pax.) 767-200 YYZ-FLL, on- time departure, not surprising since it was one of the first flights out of YYZ (6.30 am). Only 4 J class pax for a cabin that usually holds 20+. Aircraft in good condition, although the cabin was clearly dated. Staff professional and attentive. No pre-departure drink, but hot towels offered soon after take-off. Catering was okay, but disappointing - according to the FAs they only loaded one kind of meal. Was expecting a selection, but overall meal was okay. One positive note about catering on AC - the coffee is excellent (sourced from the Canadian version of Starbucks, Second Cup). Refills offered throughout the flight, along with water, juice, etc. IFE headsets handed out before departure. IFE mediocre at best, large screen at the front of the cabin showing the news/sport and a film (recent film, from what I understand). Baggage unloaded relatively quickly in FLL - was out of the terminal in about 15 minutes. DCA - YYZ (this is where it gets interesting...) Originally scheduled to depart at 8 pm. Ran from connecting late US airways flight from CLT. Had to exit through security from terminal "C" then go to terminal "A" (Terminals "A" and "C" are both in the same building. Got to Terminal A and was told that I had to check-in with AC at the check-in desk (US Airways did not issue me a boarding pass for the AC flight). Ran to the AC check-in desk, checked-in and was told that there was a two-and-three-quarter-hour delay. At 9.45 pm, a very apologetic gate agent informed the 30 or so passengers that the flight was delayed until 11 pm. At 10.00 the agent indicated that the flight had been cancelled due to inability to get a flight crew. Agent began to rebook me onto the next AC flight available the next morning. During the booking she was informed that the flight had been reinstated and that we would indeed be departing, now at 11.45pm. Must give credit to the AC staff at DCA - they were all very informative, caring and provided clear directions - the fault seemed to be with the information provided by AC HQ. Aircraft arrived at 11.45, with a departure around midnight. E175 - large windows, placed slightly above the normal location (affording a wonderful view of the night stars), 1+2 layout in J class, and excellent AVOD (news/maps were not functioning correctly, but all else was) - if only the 767s were so equipped! Again service excellent - on such a short flight only snacks and beverages offered, but wine (a French chardonnay) was served in proper wine glasses and was kept topped-up throughout the flight.

Air Canada review - by P Boil
19 February 2007

YOW-YYZ-BOS (and back to YOW later) to connect on US to Salt Lake City. I've flown extensively on AC, QK, US, AF and BA this year and frankly, AC is not that bad. Check-in in Ottawa was done by a friendly older lady (your mom sort of type) which escorted me to the oversized baggage belt because I was checking in a ski bag. She was very chatty and offered a connection map for Toronto which I declined, having done it several times. Boarded the 12:00 Rapidair to YYZ as usual 25 minutes ahead of departure time. I saw looking out at the A320's registration that I was lucky to be on one of the Xmed (their refurbishment program) A320s. Very light load today, had a whole row to myself. The Xmed 320s are very, very nice! Now that 16 have been completed as we speak, more people will be able to enjoy them. PTVs not turned on for the short 40 minute flight which is expected. I had a young crew which was very friendly and chatty, they were all smiles. Connection in Toronto easy; took the tarmac bus to the now closed Terminal 2 and was at the new gate within 20 minutes. Boarding and push back on time. The Embraer 175 are such nice planes. Clean, comfortable and I had the seat next to me empty again, about the only one in economy! PTVs turned on this time. Excellent programming. Unlike US carriers on domestic flights, headsets are free of charge and convertible one/two prongs so I used them on my US airways flights - where they wanted 5$ for the exact same headphones. Cabin crew was older on this flight. Efficient and not rude but nothing special. Arrived on time in Boston and all luggage was on the belt. I personally have never had a problem with AC, their inflight or ground crews but perhaps I've been lucky. The one time my flight cancelled and I was re-routed, I was bumbed to Business on both flights without even asking. I will continue flying them as I feel it's certainly one of, If not the best North American airline.

Air Canada review - by Bill Bentaieb
13 February 2007

Ottawa-Montreal-Vancouver. 25 hours to complete what is normally a 7 hours trip. Missed connection in Montreal due to lack of ramp staff to let us out of flight arriving from Ottawa. When I went to the the AC customer service desk in YUL to ask about next flt, was rudely told to call reservations although missed connection was due to AC's inability to staff its gate. Was put up at airport hotel by AC and caught next morning's 5:30 am flt to Toronto where I connected to the 8am flt to Vancouver. However aircraft needed a tire replacement and engine valve fix. Needless to say we sat on the tarmac for 4 hours after the pilot advised that the issue would be fixed in 30 minutes! After seeing the ground repair crew close the engine and leave I asked the flight attendant for an update, she replied that the crew were still working on the engine, when I advised her that they had closed the engine and had left the tarmac more than 20 minutes ago she then advised the pilot who after 15 minutes advised us that the technical crew had unfortunately left but not given him the right documentation to sign. The pilot finally announced that the flight was cancelled and we were let off the aircraft, where the 200 of us did not find a single ground staff to help, after waiting for 20 minutes with no-one on hand to help I made my own way to the ticket desk where I was booked onto another flight. As I boarded I saw a single member of the ground staff trying to handle and rebook over 200 pax from the cancelled flight. Needless to say I found Air Canada to be the most the dizorganized of airlines with an appalling culture of disregard for the passengers' needs.

Air Canada review - by Mike Davies
9 February 2007

YVR -SAN return in economy. Flew down on A321 via San Francisco good prompt service, clean plane and decent staff, a shame that you don't even get a bag of chips for free any more. Changed to UA in San Fran, very old tatty plane and snarky attendants. Return on CRJ 700, excellent interior, very clean and great seat pitch. AVOD system was great and kept my children well occupied. Cabin staff very attentive and friendly. Overall a great trip, if this is the future of AC then I see a return to a four star airline in the future.

Air Canada review - by G Smithson
8 February 2007

YUL-YYZ-HKG, with journey to Hong Kong on A340-500, J class. Check in difficult as agent took great pleasure in finding carry on overweight. Service on the Hong Kong leg was friendly and food fine. The "flat" bed was a great disappointment, however - seats looked scuffed and tired but, more importantly, very uncomfortable due to the 15 degree or so angle. Constantly slid down the seat, making it hard to get restful sleep. Much less effective than BA's flat bed, and the contrast was even more obvious when I then flew to Singapore on a new Singapore B777-300ER - absolutely amazing business class product. Hopefully Air Canada's 777's will have a different seat when they come on line. The A340-500's do have in seat power for laptops - recently flew to Tokyo on an Air Canada 340-300 which, quite amazingly for 2007, did not have a power port.

Air Canada review - by Axel Koch
5 February 2007

Toronto to Munich on an B767-300. The plane was extremely worn down, cables hanging loose under the seats, one toilet was closed and inoperative right from the start in YYZ, excuse hanging on the door, handwritten on a small sheet. Our seats and those close to our row could best be described as wrecked, some passengers laughed, others were embarrassed, they asked: what is the condition of the rest of the plane? We had no chance to enjoy the meal, because the seats in front of us came down on our knees, they could not be brought into an upright position anymore. Upon request a flight attendant told us that this plane was owned by a Spanish carrier before and had gone through many hands and has been around "for many, many years". I must say, that even for a seasoned traveller like me, I was frightened to some extent in this night over the North Atlantic. I loved this carrier very much in the past, my first encounter back in 1966, having since flown on AC quite a few times between Germany and Canada. They should not allow to let depart such a shameful B-767, even the captain apologized after the landing.

Air Canada review - by Brian Fairey
29 January 2007

Toronto to San Diego, although booked months ahead and downloaded boarding passes the day before we were 'bumped' we went via Dallas with compensation. Return flight on a Embraer E75. This equipment is not suitable for a 4 hour flight. One toilet for the unwashed, limited food. no hot food. We only fly AC when forced to.

Air Canada review - by James Faulkner
26 January 2007

JFK-YYC, Economy. Fantastic flight, FA's great and helpful with Questions about Banff. Entertainment good, better than any US carrier. Aircraft seemed new and well maintained. After about 10 other flights in the month before on other carriers, this was the best. Even better than Qantas. Movies could be paused for bathroom visits, but food had to be bought and was ordinary. Was very pleasantly surprised all in all. Great work Air Canada review - best in North America by far.

Air Canada review - by Mike Davies

27 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

YVR-SFO in new Embraer 175. Very clean and spacious aircraft, excellent avod touchscreen. Seats comfortable in economy and service was a great improvement for Air Canada. It seems they are trying very hard to pull themselves up by the boot straps.

Air Canada review - by M McCombie

26 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Heathrow to Toronto - no seat-back tray tables on at least seven seats. Cabin crew great - offering to move us, but as the flight was full - limited choice of alternative seats. The alternatives were where AC staff were sitting - so AC staff would be moved to seats without tray- tables! Cabin staff explained they'd asked gate staff at LHR not to allocate those seats; gate staff apparently advised cabin staff that they'd advised affected pax and pax were "happy" with no tray-tables! Toronto to Vancouver - gent next to me was asked to move seats as we were approaching YVR, to allow another gent to take his seat, and he could move to a crew jump-seat. First chap's seat (at emergency exit) had "collapsed", so couldn't be used. Swap around of seats required as chap seated at exit was not the slimmest character around, presumably a more petite stature is preferable for jump-seat.

Air Canada review - by M Kroeker

25 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

YWG-YXE-YYC return to YWG. Outbound was a tired CRJ, flight attendants very pleasant, decor was old, seats torn and uncomfortable. Upon arrival waiting to collect my bags, was told by Air Canada baggage agent that my bags were checked straight through to Calgary. Apparently if you have 2 flights in the system on the same day they check them straight through to final destination. Luckily YXE being very small, their very helpful AC gate agent found the bag I needed and brought it out to me. Flight to YYC later that day was uneventful, again on a newer CRJ. Returning to Winnipeg 3 days later on a newer CRJ-70. Very clean aircraft with refurbished interior and IFE in seat. Flight attendants very helpful and pleasant. Overall Air Canada has been working hard to improve it's fleet and customer service. Travelling for business is a pleasure on Air Canada.

Air Canada review - by Alan Wan

24 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-YVR-LAS-YYZ-LHR. Economy on a redemption ticket from SIA. The LHR- YVR sector was on a A330-300 which was roomy, the FA were extremely pleasent, the food fine including free alcohol throughout the only minus point was general view IFE. YVR-LAS-YYZ was on refurbished A320 which had seatback AVOD IFE's very impressive for a North American flight. FA's were extremely friendly, there was quite a choice of food available for sale but we brought our own. YYZ-LHR was on a refurbished 767-300 which has seatback AVOD IFE which had the same choice as films as the USA/Canada flights, although not as good as SIA's Krisworld it certainly beats UA across the Atlantic which we use just as often as Air Canada. I've always found Air Canada great but the IFE let it down but they've really sorted it and I thinks its the best transatlantic airline I've flown with in the past few years. The food is never going to compete with the Asian carriers so I'll give them 4 stars.

Air Canada review - by Ivan Ilieff

24 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

YYZ-LAX Economy. The Total Makeover A320 was quite clean, but color scheme rather bland. The seats were OK, but without an adjustable headrest and no side support on the headrest. Pillows and blankets were available for a charge (??!! - what is next - if you want to sit down you pay, otherwise we put you in the cargo hold). Food for purchase - rather good selection of sandwiches and snacks. Much better than the US alternatives. Great IFE - touch-screen navigation, good choice of movies, audio, and games on demand. Overall good experience, the only complaint was really the seat comfort and the rather disappointing look of the widely advertised Total Makeover cabin. It looks like an old Lufthansa cabin from the 80's.

Air Canada review - by Helen Thomas

20 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-YYZ-LHR return. Oh dear! For a country's national airline, quite a disappointment. Boeing 767-300 both ways, very old and grimy. Seats ripped and torn, toilets filthy, floor carpets torn and plane on outbound journey smelt of rotting food. Crew did the best they could and were courteous and worked hard. IFE worked when it felt like it. Very poor pitch size (economy ), my husband is only 5'8" but he had seat pressed against his knees. Would not recommend until they Air Canada spend more money to get their fleet updated.!!

Air Canada review - by Jim Hooper

20 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-YYZ-LHR both sectors on A340-300s. Comfortable seat pitch for such an old plane. Both flights were incredibly dull due to the appalling lack of IFE. It was like going back 10 years with one large screen at the front and 3-4 drop down TV screens in each section of the cabin. The two movie choices were also rather dated. We left LHR nearly 2 hours late but made up over an hour during flight to YYZ. Again, late leaving YYZ but got back to UK in record time, 6h40mins! I understand that AC will replace these old birds with new B777s. I cant wait! I am a fan of AC, the FA's are always polite and hard working but they really need to update the cabins on these high frequency routes.

Air Canada review - by M Graham

20 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR to YUL return in economy. The flight was on time, FAs nice and did an excellent job on return flight which was full and lots of families with babies. The leg room is generous. Food fine, no complaints. All in all a very pleasant flight both ways. I would chose AC over BA for the leg room and the flight timings. One small niggle, do the cockpit crew ever talk to the passengers any more!

Air Canada review - by Ed Rochfort

20 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Toronto to Edmonton. The inflight service was good but when we arrived at our destination we waited for approximately 75 minutes for our bags to arrive on the baggage carrousel. There was no Air Canada Baggage Agent to apologize or even explain the reason for the unbelievable delay. The majority of people around me were simply fuming that they had to wait so long for their baggage. Several people mentioned that this just reinforced their belief that this airline's customer service is practically non-existant.

Air Canada review - by Len Perry

12 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

YHZ LHR in J. The flight started out almost 2 hours late. I had a 2 hour transit time in LHR before my next flight so this late start almost eliminated that. The J cabin is dated and row 6 has limited recline, really unacceptable in this day and age of flat seats and the like. The entertainment system is just ok as I've discovered on other J flights and this time the TV just wouldn't come free of its housing so I had no entertainment at all. Another example of just poor worn out equipment. AC's flight attendants on both to and from LHR were very good and so was the food. I think they will performed even better when AC finally gets some new equipment on this route. I feel for the attendants who I know are let down by the existing equipment. They make the most of it however and are amongst the most friendly in the sky. Air Canada is a solid airline, by far the best in North America, and the Halifax based crews really are a credit to the airline.

Air Canada review - by Evan Horbay
4 April 2007

YYZ-YYC-YEG in coach, with a group of 15 teenagers. Flight left Toronto an hour late becaue a group of students connecting from Rome were delayed. Plane did not have PTV's, but was fine. Fully packed, not one empty seat out of 140. Landed in Calgary 20 min late, which left only 20 min to catch the prop. to Edmonton, an hour away. That flight actually left 40 min late, because they wanted to give us connectors from Toronto time to make the flight. That was smart, when 30 out of 50 passengers were connecting. FA looked tired, and didnt smile once. That was understandable, at 11 pm. Landed in Edmonton, and baggage didn't arrive for half the passengers. Air Canada said that there was no space left in the cargo hold, and that the cargo was on the next flight, which too was delayed. We waited for an hour, until 12:30AM, when the bags finally arrived. Overall, a good experience. I am glad that Air Canada didn't abandon those students in Toronto! That shows they care about their passengers.

Air Canada review - by Paul Gatto
4 April 2007

YVR-KIX. Recently flew business class in the newly refurbished 767 to Osaka. At first the layout of the cabin is unusual as the seat configuration is 1-1-1 with the seats set in angular formation to the aisle. As this was the first flight for this particular aircraft the cabin crew were appreciative of any feedback as it seems that they do not really like it. The seat is rather narrow than the previous seats on Air Canada's 767 so anyone who is of larger girth may feel crammed in. Upon further inspection there are cubby holes and slots to put your personal articles but no where to put a newspaper. Actually you can throw things behind your seat. After reading postings on this site I was not expecting much in the way of service, however, I was pleasantly suprised. Champagne before take off was offered followed by another drink service after take off which proceded a lunch service. Choice between Japanese meals or Western both of which were served with much style and promptness. Wine and sake were free flowing and the crew were excellent through out. IFE system state of the art with touch screens, however, if one wanted to complain the selection could have been wider, but in my case it was only because I had seen most of the features already. A snack station was set up in the galley with the basic items, nothing too original, but bottles of water offered on request. Sleeping on Air Canada finally is possible with these new seats as they recline to a flat bed. Duvets and a mattress type pad which covers the flat seat are provided to ensure a more restful sleep. Privacy is ensured with the clever use of the dividers and the seat angle that you do not see anyone when your seat is fully reclined into a bed. Upon landing at KIX a snack is served. The western choice was a spinach/ricotta canneloni which turned out very good. Air Canada has also upgraded their in- flight china replacing the old stock with large white shallow bowls which make the food more appetizing.

Air Canada review - by Bronwyn Myers
29 March 2007

YVR-YUL RETURN. Excellent re-furbished A320 in Economy class with personal IFE screens. Managed to check-in on-line for this flight, roughly 38 hours before the flight, which was great! Excellent service. Watched a movie and some educational television programs; wide variety of programs to suit all personal preferences. Tasty sandwich and some fresh apple slices purchased on-board; beverages and water plentiful and complimentary. Return flight excellent gate staff. Boarding was quick. Again, A320 with personal IFE in Economy class. Service director was seen about both cabins, very professional and friendly. Beverages and water plentiful. I personally believe that snacks (or full meals) should still be provided on flights over 4 hours, however AC was the last North American airline to switch to buy-on-board in Economy.

Air Canada review - by Andrew Duff
20 March 2007

LHR-YYZ-YVR - LHR in economy. Patchy at best. LHR-YYZ was good, on an Airbus A330-300. Decent legroom (33 inch pitch), food good and plentiful, crew friendly, aircraft modern and clean. IFE antiquated, just one big screen at the front of the cabin. No amenity kit. YYZ-YVR very poor, on a tired, grimy 767. Toilets dirty, no free food on a five hour flight, seats torn, cabin ancient. On the plus side, crew were entertaining and Toronto airport checkin excellent. YVR-LHR a little better - another old 767, but in better condition. Still not up to scratch for a ten hour flight. No amenity kits for an overnight flight. Not enough food this time - I would have expected a hot breakfast. Legroom okay at 31 inches. Same movies as on the LHR - YYZ flight, still no seatback screens. 'Maintenance issues' meant we were held for an hour at the gate, and forty minutes late arriving. Found myself looking longingly at the BA 747-400 on the tarmac next to us at YVR. New 777s are being added to the fleet in 2007, not a moment too soon. I would only consider AC again if I could avoid flying on their 767s.

Air Canada review - by M Dawn
20 March 2007

YVR-LAX return in economy. Outbound on a A319. Comfortable seating with movable headrests and at least some basic IFE, albeit minimal. Staff friendly. Return flight was supposed to be another A319 but was switched to a new, reburbished A320. Legroom is good and the AVOD, despite a few kinks, was a pleasant surprise for a 3 hour flight. It is nice to see some positive changes at Air Canada as they are finally headed in the right direction.

Air Canada review - by Victor Avayou
20 March 2007

Montreal - Shanghai via Vancouver. Executive Class. Quick check-in at the Super Elite desk with a very helpful agent handling my upgrades through to Shanghai. However boarding the plane to Vancouver, we were told that the water pump was not working so no water to wash ones hands after using the washroom and no water for making tea! Flight was delayed for 1 hour as the co-pilot was flying in from Toronto and did not yet arrive. Service was fine from the FA's yet one could tell that they were not happy with this situation either and it showed on their faces. Upon arrival in Vancouver, we were not given any information about connecting flights, yet the concierge for Super Elite members was waiting for me with info needed. The concierge service is the best part of this airline and they do their utmost for Super Elites. Always a pleasure with them. I had reserved for the Shanghai flight a single seat. AC flys a 767-300 in a 2-2-1 configuration. usually they re comfortable if dated seats. Yet was shocked to board the oldest plane in the fleet. Members might recognize this plane. It's AC's spare plane to be use when no other aircraft is available. It has green leather seats, no personal tv, and the leg supports barely comes up for you to lie down and get a decent rest on what was a 13 hour flight. And yes they had a single seat - on the first row ! It's 1-2-2 configuration. Opposite configuration of the usual plane, and ended up with a window seat instead! Unbelievable that they would fly such a sub-standard plane on a long-haul flight. They handed out personal dvd players - you try balancing that on your lap for the duration of a movie. I still believe that although AC has outdated planes, their onboard personel are tops.

Air Canada review - by Frank Anderson
9 March 2007

Windsor-Toronto-Halifax March 7, 2007 (Executive Class). Flight landed at YYZ at 530pm and we sat on the runway for 45 minutes for a ground crew to become available. The flight crew were so upset they handed the pilots business card around the cabin so that passengers could call in complaints. According to the FA, this is a common occurance at YYZ, Air Canada never has enough ground crew to handle the volume! I nearly missed my connection to YHZ. Flight from YYZ to YHZ (Executive Class) left a lot to be desired. FA's browsed through the cabin only when required, very unfriendly crew. Seats were no better than in economy, an older Boeing 767-300 that has seen its day. The food was substandard and in fact a dish that was supposed to be served warm was served cold, hurried, and not what one would expect when flying executive and at the rates Air Canada charges. Arrival at YHZ we also found ourselves sitting on the runway for 25 minutes, again not enough hands on deck to handle the arrivals. Passengers waited for 45 minutes for baggage to arrive to finally be told that nearly 60 of us had baggage that didnt arrive on our plane. That entailed another 50 minute wait to file lost baggage complaints! Our flight arrived at 930pm and many of us departed the airport terminal well after midnight! I waited to see an on site supervisor and after 30 minutes was told he was busy with other things and would be another 30 minutes before he could see me. Thats what I got for service when I paid $2800.00. Cold food, runway waiting, lost baggage, long waits, and never finding anyone at Air Canada who really cared about their customers. What a nightmare it is flying with Air Canada!

Air Canada review - by Joan Rickerby
8 March 2007

YYZ-MIA-YYZ Business Class. Short flight (2 1/2 hours) but relaxing. Punctual! Professional FAs and reassuring captain were both well appreciated by this nervous traveller. Hot Coffee & tea, food was quite palatable and seats were very comfortable. Warm towels were such a welcome before disembarking. Just as nice and uneventful on the return home. Overall, I'd rate my flight a 8.5/10

Air Canada review - by Mike Davies
27 February 2007

YVR-HKG Executive class. Very efficient and friendly service on both flights, seats not too bad for the armchair variety. Food was great in both directions and lots of water offered throughout the flight. The entertainment system outbound was AVOD and great, the return flight was the older version and not so great. Hoping AC replace these A340s on this very long flight sooner rather than later. Overall a good job AC

Air Canada review - by Dominic Redcliffe
27 February 2007

LHR-YYZ-LHR. Excellent crew and service between London and Toronto, I came off the flight well fed and relaxed, although the 767 seemed a bit tired and worn. I have flown with Air Canada many times over the Atlantic but it seems the 767s might have seen better days. Apart from technical problems the crew were great and were very helpful. The check- in in the new terminal at Toronto couldn't have been better.

Air Canada review - by Paul Davis
26 February 2007

Executive Class YYZ-FLL and return DCA-YYZ (FLL-DCA handled by US Airways). Appreciated the invitation to visit AC's Maple Leaf lounge in YYZ (AC is now one of the few North American airlines that offers complimentary lounge access to all J Class pax.) 767-200 YYZ-FLL, on- time departure, not surprising since it was one of the first flights out of YYZ (6.30 am). Only 4 J class pax for a cabin that usually holds 20+. Aircraft in good condition, although the cabin was clearly dated. Staff professional and attentive. No pre-departure drink, but hot towels offered soon after take-off. Catering was okay, but disappointing - according to the FAs they only loaded one kind of meal. Was expecting a selection, but overall meal was okay. One positive note about catering on AC - the coffee is excellent (sourced from the Canadian version of Starbucks, Second Cup). Refills offered throughout the flight, along with water, juice, etc. IFE headsets handed out before departure. IFE mediocre at best, large screen at the front of the cabin showing the news/sport and a film (recent film, from what I understand). Baggage unloaded relatively quickly in FLL - was out of the terminal in about 15 minutes. DCA - YYZ (this is where it gets interesting...) Originally scheduled to depart at 8 pm. Ran from connecting late US airways flight from CLT. Had to exit through security from terminal "C" then go to terminal "A" (Terminals "A" and "C" are both in the same building. Got to Terminal A and was told that I had to check-in with AC at the check-in desk (US Airways did not issue me a boarding pass for the AC flight). Ran to the AC check-in desk, checked-in and was told that there was a two-and-three-quarter-hour delay. At 9.45 pm, a very apologetic gate agent informed the 30 or so passengers that the flight was delayed until 11 pm. At 10.00 the agent indicated that the flight had been cancelled due to inability to get a flight crew. Agent began to rebook me onto the next AC flight available the next morning. During the booking she was informed that the flight had been reinstated and that we would indeed be departing, now at 11.45pm. Must give credit to the AC staff at DCA - they were all very informative, caring and provided clear directions - the fault seemed to be with the information provided by AC HQ. Aircraft arrived at 11.45, with a departure around midnight. E175 - large windows, placed slightly above the normal location (affording a wonderful view of the night stars), 1+2 layout in J class, and excellent AVOD (news/maps were not functioning correctly, but all else was) - if only the 767s were so equipped! Again service excellent - on such a short flight only snacks and beverages offered, but wine (a French chardonnay) was served in proper wine glasses and was kept topped-up throughout the flight.

Air Canada review - by P Boil
19 February 2007

YOW-YYZ-BOS (and back to YOW later) to connect on US to Salt Lake City. I've flown extensively on AC, QK, US, AF and BA this year and frankly, AC is not that bad. Check-in in Ottawa was done by a friendly older lady (your mom sort of type) which escorted me to the oversized baggage belt because I was checking in a ski bag. She was very chatty and offered a connection map for Toronto which I declined, having done it several times. Boarded the 12:00 Rapidair to YYZ as usual 25 minutes ahead of departure time. I saw looking out at the A320's registration that I was lucky to be on one of the Xmed (their refurbishment program) A320s. Very light load today, had a whole row to myself. The Xmed 320s are very, very nice! Now that 16 have been completed as we speak, more people will be able to enjoy them. PTVs not turned on for the short 40 minute flight which is expected. I had a young crew which was very friendly and chatty, they were all smiles. Connection in Toronto easy; took the tarmac bus to the now closed Terminal 2 and was at the new gate within 20 minutes. Boarding and push back on time. The Embraer 175 are such nice planes. Clean, comfortable and I had the seat next to me empty again, about the only one in economy! PTVs turned on this time. Excellent programming. Unlike US carriers on domestic flights, headsets are free of charge and convertible one/two prongs so I used them on my US airways flights - where they wanted 5$ for the exact same headphones. Cabin crew was older on this flight. Efficient and not rude but nothing special. Arrived on time in Boston and all luggage was on the belt. I personally have never had a problem with AC, their inflight or ground crews but perhaps I've been lucky. The one time my flight cancelled and I was re-routed, I was bumbed to Business on both flights without even asking. I will continue flying them as I feel it's certainly one of, If not the best North American airline.

Air Canada review - by Bill Bentaieb
13 February 2007

Ottawa-Montreal-Vancouver. 25 hours to complete what is normally a 7 hours trip. Missed connection in Montreal due to lack of ramp staff to let us out of flight arriving from Ottawa. When I went to the the AC customer service desk in YUL to ask about next flt, was rudely told to call reservations although missed connection was due to AC's inability to staff its gate. Was put up at airport hotel by AC and caught next morning's 5:30 am flt to Toronto where I connected to the 8am flt to Vancouver. However aircraft needed a tire replacement and engine valve fix. Needless to say we sat on the tarmac for 4 hours after the pilot advised that the issue would be fixed in 30 minutes! After seeing the ground repair crew close the engine and leave I asked the flight attendant for an update, she replied that the crew were still working on the engine, when I advised her that they had closed the engine and had left the tarmac more than 20 minutes ago she then advised the pilot who after 15 minutes advised us that the technical crew had unfortunately left but not given him the right documentation to sign. The pilot finally announced that the flight was cancelled and we were let off the aircraft, where the 200 of us did not find a single ground staff to help, after waiting for 20 minutes with no-one on hand to help I made my own way to the ticket desk where I was booked onto another flight. As I boarded I saw a single member of the ground staff trying to handle and rebook over 200 pax from the cancelled flight. Needless to say I found Air Canada to be the most the dizorganized of airlines with an appalling culture of disregard for the passengers' needs.

Air Canada review - by Mike Davies
9 February 2007

YVR -SAN return in economy. Flew down on A321 via San Francisco good prompt service, clean plane and decent staff, a shame that you don't even get a bag of chips for free any more. Changed to UA in San Fran, very old tatty plane and snarky attendants. Return on CRJ 700, excellent interior, very clean and great seat pitch. AVOD system was great and kept my children well occupied. Cabin staff very attentive and friendly. Overall a great trip, if this is the future of AC then I see a return to a four star airline in the future.

Air Canada review - by G Smithson
8 February 2007

YUL-YYZ-HKG, with journey to Hong Kong on A340-500, J class. Check in difficult as agent took great pleasure in finding carry on overweight. Service on the Hong Kong leg was friendly and food fine. The "flat" bed was a great disappointment, however - seats looked scuffed and tired but, more importantly, very uncomfortable due to the 15 degree or so angle. Constantly slid down the seat, making it hard to get restful sleep. Much less effective than BA's flat bed, and the contrast was even more obvious when I then flew to Singapore on a new Singapore B777-300ER - absolutely amazing business class product. Hopefully Air Canada's 777's will have a different seat when they come on line. The A340-500's do have in seat power for laptops - recently flew to Tokyo on an Air Canada 340-300 which, quite amazingly for 2007, did not have a power port.

Air Canada review - by Axel Koch
5 February 2007

Toronto to Munich on an B767-300. The plane was extremely worn down, cables hanging loose under the seats, one toilet was closed and inoperative right from the start in YYZ, excuse hanging on the door, handwritten on a small sheet. Our seats and those close to our row could best be described as wrecked, some passengers laughed, others were embarrassed, they asked: what is the condition of the rest of the plane? We had no chance to enjoy the meal, because the seats in front of us came down on our knees, they could not be brought into an upright position anymore. Upon request a flight attendant told us that this plane was owned by a Spanish carrier before and had gone through many hands and has been around "for many, many years". I must say, that even for a seasoned traveller like me, I was frightened to some extent in this night over the North Atlantic. I loved this carrier very much in the past, my first encounter back in 1966, having since flown on AC quite a few times between Germany and Canada. They should not allow to let depart such a shameful B-767, even the captain apologized after the landing.

Air Canada review - by Brian Fairey
29 January 2007

Toronto to San Diego, although booked months ahead and downloaded boarding passes the day before we were 'bumped' we went via Dallas with compensation. Return flight on a Embraer E75. This equipment is not suitable for a 4 hour flight. One toilet for the unwashed, limited food. no hot food. We only fly AC when forced to.

Air Canada review - by James Faulkner
26 January 2007

JFK-YYC, Economy. Fantastic flight, FA's great and helpful with Questions about Banff. Entertainment good, better than any US carrier. Aircraft seemed new and well maintained. After about 10 other flights in the month before on other carriers, this was the best. Even better than Qantas. Movies could be paused for bathroom visits, but food had to be bought and was ordinary. Was very pleasantly surprised all in all. Great work Air Canada review - best in North America by far.

Air Canada review - by Dominique Sorel
26 January 2007

YUL-MEX-YUL Y CLASS. Both flights on time and about 60% full - I found the service quite good, except for a few flight attendants. A319 aircraft in good condition and a hot breakfast was served going out (with a choice of 2 main course options) and also going back with a choice of 2 hot meals. All announcements onboard made in 2 languages ( French and English) - really appreciated from French Canadians or Québécois flyers. On some other AC flights I've been on, the lack of French language announcements was to me and others a lack of respect from AC - especially when the say that AC is a fully bilinguals airline. Anyway, this was a good flight in most perspectives and I would recommend AC over other US carriers.

Air Canada review - by Jeremy Ryan
21 January 2007

Air Canada Jazz - YVR-YLW return, Single class Regional Jet. Efficient and good service on these short flights - 35 minutes each. Luggage delayed to later flight on 9 Jan but delivered to me at my apartment in the nearby ski resort of Silver Star later the same night, meaning that my holiday was unaffected - great work Air Canada!