No, choose a different airline. We did AC PE from Vancouver to London in 2022. Fortunately, I booked the tickets within 3 days of them being available and paid half the price of those who booked just a few months before the flight. The crew for the first flight were terrible - very inattentive. The crew on the return flight were much better. We were in shock to not be offered coffee either during or after dinner. We will never fly AC again. For the same flights in 2023 and this year, we flew British Air. What a difference!!!!! The food was better, and the service was better. And yes, we got coffee, plus we were given wine, not sparkling water when we boarded. The only plus for AC was the bathroom only for PE passengers. We will stick with BA, especially since the cost is lower than AC for better service and food. Excellent and honest review of your experience.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience. I agree that British Airways was better. I haven’t yet flown in BA premium economy but I did recently fly in their business class and I found their business class to be better than Air Canada’s business class as well. I also have a video about it as well if you’re interested.
@@allons.y The only Business Class flight we have ever taken was BA London to Santorini-wow, were we ever pampered! A bonus was waiting in the LHR BA Lounge and walking past one of our favourite British actresses.
I quite enjoyed the BA lounge at LHR as well but the fact you got to see one of your favourite actresses there as well is definitely the icing on the cake. Now if only BA could offer celebrity sightings as a guaranteed lounge service 😆
@@grantw7 The ground service with WestJet is as poor as Air Canada. But I have never experienced poor service on WestJet flights. The service on AC is usually poor with a good experience a rarity although it does occasionally happen. The AC motto is “we’re not happy until you’re not happy”.
Great video and I really appreciate the recline demonstration you did for us with the bulkhead. I'll be flying those exact seats coming up this January YVR to HKG and this helped a lot.
I'm so glad you found it helpful! Hopefully you will have a comfortable flight! Also I’m jealous you’re going to Hong Kong. It’s one of my favourite places 🙌
We have previously flown Premium Economy on Air Canada and found it to be worth it.. Recently we flew Economy (British Airways) and have sworn to upgrade whenever possible on future flights. Economy felt like being crammed into a tiny chair, with knees up against the seat ahead and the need to keep your elbows against your waist for the full 7.5 hours of the flight. Never again! And definitely would upgrade for any flight longer than 5 hours.
Nice video! I shall definitely check out your others. I am not a fan of Air Canada’s PE product. They really lean heavily on the “economy” side of the equation, alas. Between the two Canadian airlines that have PE, Westjet’s is superior by quite a bit but of course they don’t fly to nearly as many places. Anyhow, keep on making videos! You are breath of fresh air in a crowded field of aviation vloggers. I look forward to more :)
Thank you! I really appreciate it. I do agree about WestJet and have a video on them as well. Unfortunately I’m located in toronto so WestJet doesn’t have nearly as many routes here as they do out west. But alas it’s the constant struggle us Canadians face with the giant monopoly that is Canadian aviation 😮💨
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Tip: Don't buy one-way tickets when flying internationally. You could have bought a round trip ticket HND-YYZ in Business and YYZ-HND in Economy (choose a date well far in advance for the return segment) for less than the one-way HND-YYZ business class fare and wouldn't have had to suffer Premium Economy! When you are ready to fly the return segment, just call Air Canada to rebook (and change the date if needed) to Premium Economy or Business and pay the fare difference (since the first segment is already flown, it would be repriced using the fares in effect on the original date of purchase on a half round-trip basis).
Oh in this case i was actually trying to use up some upgrade credits i had with Air Canada, but unfortunately the flight was fully booked so my upgrade didn’t clear. But that’s a really great tip. I appreciate you sharing it and will definitely keep it in mind for future bookings 🙌
When going to Europe we try to go Business and return Premium. We get some reasonable sleep on the overnight flight and the return is a daytime flight. We are pushing 80 and really appreciate the comfort.
Ha ha love that. My parents also like to say that they are going ”skiing” (Spending Kids Inheritance) 😂 as they and you should though. You all deserve to kick back and enjoy life 😎
I had a great experience last year and the year before in AC PE. On YVR-YYZ-FCO, then again from YUL to FCO. Great attentive service, decent food, and very comfy. I have never had a bad flight over many years on AC! Must just be lucky!😊
Thanks for sharing your experiences and glad to hear they were good. For me personally I’ve probably had every experience across the spectrum with AC. Everything from absolutely horrendous to wonderful. Majority of the time I find my experiences land somewhere in between. While I think every company has room for improvement it is lovely to hear when people have had positive experiences
I am 167cm and fall asleep as soon as I have 2 cups of Red wine. Excellent traveler !!!!! I have taken many 1st and Business classes to Korea and other Asian countries. Singapore, Cathay, Korea, and Japan are the best airlines in Asia. The worst one is Air Canada. The best seating in an airplane is 747 front upper deck seating.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts. Agree that Asian airlines are generally better! And nothing like some wine to get you through those long flights 🍷😆
Great video! My wife and I travel to Europe frequently and were thinking of upgrading to premium. Have you ever done the Aeroplan bidding to upgrade from economy prior to the departure date? Is there a saving vs. buying in advance?
Thanks so much ! You could potentially save some money by doing the upgrade bid before departure but it’s hard to say as it’s basically like entering a blind auction. You really have no idea how many people are bidding or how much they are bidding. You could get lucky and bid the minimum amount and win. And then you’d save some money in that case. But if there’s a lot of people bidding high amounts you may or may not save that much. It doesn’t hurt to try though. Think of the maximum you’d be willing to pay for an upgrade and keep your fingers crossed 🤞
I always bid on upgrades with AC. I have been very lucky and nearly always get upgraded. BUT, I’ve found that you need to bid at least 50% of the maximum bid option. I’ve been able to fly signature class by bidding $1200. Which may seem a lot, but if you were to buy a signature class ticket when booking, it could very easily be $4000 (one way). I’ve been upgraded to premium economy for as little as $400. If you bid the minimum, you’ll probably not be successful in upgrading. Of course you have to take into account that your bid is over and above what you’ve already paid for your ticket.
We flew Air Canada Premium Economy on the 787-9 FRA to YUL on October 13,2024. There is typically a partial wall partition separation but no curtains to demarcate a distinct space between PE & Economy. I was not aware that AC bathroom devotes a washroom space for the exclusive use of PE passengers. Economy passengers usually have open access to the PE seating zone to utilize a shared PE washroom space. Has Air Canada recently changed the PE Policy to now include an exclusive washroom allocation? Our flight was 8 hours in duration & the PE washroom experienced extensive usage serving PE & Economy passengers.
The two washrooms at the front of PE cabin are supposed to be for PE. Now whether or not it is enforced is another thing. I’ve heard mixed stories though. Some like yours where there was no enforcement and others where there was. On this particular flight a few economy passengers were asked to use the washrooms at the back of the plane
Thanks so much 🙏 The economy seats aren’t the greatest for long haul. Definitely a lot less cushioning. It’s fine for flights 5 hrs or less but a long haul 12 hr one like this one is definitely uncomfortable. I would at the very least probably spring for a preferred seat or an exit row seat for more leg room if I was going to do economy
We fly premium economy where available on flights longer than 6 hours. We feel the additional space is well worth the added cost though the price premium over economy seems to be growing. I think your one way ticket price is not representative. In April we flew YYZ-ICN-MNL-NRT-YYZ on premium economy for $2200 on AC. Price difference vs economy was about $1K.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts on PE! The cost of one way is generally pricier than a round trip of course. Since pricing is dynamic and can be different based on hundreds if not thousands of factors everyone will of course need to verify the specific pricing based on the exact date and route they take. Even if we were to compare a round trip price for the same route for example, someone who travels during low season will of course pay significantly less than someone who is travelling during high season. Ideally this video just serves as a way for people to see what they can expect from premium economy so they can determine if they feel it is worth it for their own circumstances. But of course what I paid for this specific flight will not be the same as what someone else may pay depending on many factors
Great video review! 2nd meal service is abysmal. I wonder if its a lack of space for AC to offer a 2nd meal like the first one, trays in a cart etc. They need to reconsider that meal offering.
We have usually been disappointed with Air Canada’s on board service even I. Business class. On our last flight from Tokyo they ran out of both business class dinners and breakfast and all for $8,000 per person. The problem is there is little competition with airlines in Canada.
Oh my that’s horrible that they ran out of food and on business class. That’s really unacceptable especially for $8k. The Canadian airline monopoly really is the worst 😩
@@allons.y I appears AC and WestJet have pretty much split up the country East/West. Except for 1 flight to Calgary WestJet has abandoned London Ontario. They used fly Toronto, Edmonton, Winning and Orlando.
Last time i was in PE from YVR to HKG. They had the same issue. First meal with metal cutlery and china. Second one back to plastic regular economy meal with plastics. And they skipped the snack. I believe PE with AC you are mainly getting the extra space and nothing more. Set the expectation low and you may be fine.
I flew economy on Air Canada last year on their Boeing 787-9, the seating was 3-3-3 in economy, but your video states 3-4-3 in economy? I’ve never seen that high density seating on a Boeing 787. Even charter airlines configure 3-3-3 on the 787.
My wife and I flew AC premium during our return flight from Dubai. Seats were ok but food was just so and so. I wanted to try AC even after seeing bad reviews about AC. I am most likely not be flying AC in the near future. I will be using my Aeroplan points on our next trip on partner airlines.
Since AC uses dynamic pricing for their own flights VS a set rate for partner airlines using your points on partner airlines is always the best value for you points anyways so that is definitely a great plan all around 🙌 thanks for watching and for sharing your experience on AC premium🙏
We are flying to Spain on AC in PE this Sunday. I will update comment afterwards. Have never used PE on AC before, but we decided it was worth it because my husband has neuropathy in his feet and since he is also tall, he finds it difficult to sit in a regular economy seat. We usually try and book a bulkhead seat for him, but thought that since this was going to be a longer flight than usual, we would spring for the premium product. I'm looking forward to the greater seat recline and the access to less used toilets. I also thought the priority boarding would be great as we are flying carryon on only and hate fighting for overhead space. Wish us luck!
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you take the flight. Definitely worth it for the extra comfort and advanced boarding given your husband’s condition and height. If you’re still able to try to book the bulkhead for PE as well. Have a safe flight and enjoy Spain✈️
While it rare to find any real competition for air travel in Canada I’m on a flight from Toronto to Barcelona on TAP (Portugal) fully refundable business class next Wednesday for $2,600 CAD one way. Air Canada was $6,500. With Europe we try and go outbound Business but return PE.
Thanks for sharing the video! I’m genuinely surprised Air Canada didn’t provide a vegetarian meal option on your flight-that’s disappointing. I’ve flown in Premium Economy with AC, and I’ve noticed the quality has declined significantly within the cabin over the years.
They do provide a vegetarian option if you pre-order beforehand, but it would have been nice to see one on their default menu since I imagine there may be vegetarians who either forget or don’t know know that they need to pre-order beforehand. It seems like there a cuts and quality decline for sure 😩
If you can, book in advance. I booked my return flight more than 6 months in advance and lucked out on an Air Canada 1 day sale of sorts or maybe it was a Tuesday night. If I booked the seats closer to my travel date, then algorithm pricing takes into effect and now the premium economy fare is more than double of what I paid, plus you can end up with mixed cabins. Also, the one way pricing is just ridiculous!!
Definitely agree, booking in advance is key! They really do gouge people trying to book closer to the departure date. There was one time I even saw that premium economy was more expensive than business class which was kind of funny
I can’t speak for other AC long haul flights, but the price for PE from Edmonton to Bangkok is ridiculous (>$5000) as opposed to under $3000 on EVA. I’ve found flights in business class for a similar price (if you book well in advance)
AC I think in general tends to be pricier since they have the monopoly here in Canada. I’ve definitely had the same experience as you where AC was significantly higher than a lot of other carriers. I’ve also seen EVA business class from Taipei to toronto for $3500 and AC was $6000😩
@@allons.y Try EVA. EVA is a 5-stars airline. There is just no comparison to AC. Once you try it, you will not want to fly with AC anymore to Asia. EVA Biz class would give you a 6 course dinner from TO to Taipei. Then you can take EVA or ANA or Starlux Biz from Taipei to Tokyo with just a fraction of price and 5-starts service. Look it up.
Oh definitely for sure! I do have a video on Air Canada’s business class as well if you’re interested. Truthfully I don’t mind premium economy if I’m flying with someone I know, but if I’m flying solo I definitely prefer business class so I don’t have to sit next to a stranger
Yes, it would be 23kg per bag for the luggage allowance. I’ll be sure to include both units going forward. Canada actually officially uses the metric system but because apparently we like to be confusing we generally speak of weight in imperial measurements. To make things even more confusing we use metric when speaking of the temperature when it comes to weather, but when it comes to cooking temperature we still use imperial. Which is annoying on our part 😅
@@allons.y Thank you. I'm Canadian, and older....and I haven't thought in Imperial since we got rid of the Imperial system 50 years ago. I know my height and weight in cm and kg, and cook with my stove set to degrees C. Everything is sold in kg not pounds. Selling in Pounds only, is illegal in Canada. Now you have me concerned about the "Education" system in this country, if people are still being educated in an obsolete system, used only in the United States. Even then, the US Customary measurements aren't the same as Imperial was.....especially in liquid measurements (US pints, quarts, gallons are NOT the same as Imperial, they're 20% smaller). Litres are the same everywhere, not dependent upon what country you're talking about. But I did enjoy your report on Air Canada.....I can't say that I "enjoy" flying economy 'sardine'' class for 14 hour trips, for sure.
Yes for sure! But airlines know this and spend millions every year curating menus and securing catering with this as one of the factors in mind. I’ve also had economy meals with other carriers that were excellent, so I don’t really consider that as an excuse for AC
Sometimes premium economy as an upgrade is a better deal closer to your departure date. If you can sleep better with the recline, & no fees for your luggages, I would pay for premium economy. Your jet lag won’t be as bad!
Well the answer to that depends. The purpose of the video is to show people what they can expect in premium economy. And based on what they see they can hopefully make a more informed decision on whether or not it is worth it to them. Everyone has different preferences, needs, budgets so whether or not it’s worth it will be different for everyone. Now if you’re asking me based on my own personal circumstances I think it’s a touch too expensive for what they provide given the cost. At double the cost of economy I’m not sure it’s really worth it for me. If it was around 30-40% more than economy I’d say it would be more worth it.
It would be nice to have better meals, especially that breakfast. I understand that ANA premium economy has all the same meals as economy. You are really paying for the seat and maybe for the earlier boarding. I flew Air Canada to BKK in Business Class. Not so thrilled with the breakfast. I am finding it harder and harder to do the economy thing.
Definitely just paying for the extra space with the seat and group 2 boarding. It’s unfortunate that both meals weren’t of the same calibre. I haven’t had a chance to fly ANA premium economy yet, but if I had to guess I suspect Japanese airlines probably have better food even in economy. And I definitely feel you on the difficulty of flying economy, especially if you’ve flown in business class before it’s hard to go back 😅
For us its not the money or the food its the comfort. I can actually fit in the seat. For these trips we always fly PE or Business. In our next flight to London somehow I lucked out and the Business tickets were $200.00 less than the PE! I was going to fly PE but what the heck! For those that complain about AC, we flew to Frankfurt/Namibia on Discover PE and then Business. Their PE seats same size as their Economy seats. So why did I pay thousands more? Good question.
Pricing can really be crazy sometimes! I’ve also seen Business Class being cheaper than PE before which I found quite funny😆 it’s great that you snagged business at $200 less. 🙌
Thank you! I feel the same about the price. I think double the cost of economy is a little too much for what was provided. Around 30%-40% more would have been more reasonable
I'm more of a go big or go home guy. BC v Economy gives you a massively difference experience and shopping wisely and using points makes the price differential less eye watering. I've tried all 4 cabins and the PE experience in BA wasn't that big a leap given the 80% (at the time) hike in price
Glad to have helped you not waste your time doing something you hate. Thanks for watching though and I’m sure there are many beautiful places for you to explore close to home 🏡
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Sadly, not surprised. Since the early 90's, Air Canada is a disgrace as a national airline. It is now known worldwide. The sad thing is we Canadians have no choice. Monopoly strikes again.🥵
The Canadian aviation monopoly is the worst. Few options and much higher prices compared with the rest of the world. We are always getting the short end of the stick I feel like 😮💨
@@allons.y Sorry, my bad, you are correct in that they still own a percentage I believe. Air Canada's policies and procedures do however seem to be heavily directed by governmental influence. Regardless, what was once a proud national airline has become a embarassing disgrace.
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What do you mean “ if you are a widow” you don’t like watching beautiful sunsets. I am widowed 17 years. I love beautiful sunsets, golden leaves in fall and snowstorms. I take great insult at your comment. I ask you, if you are so incorrect about this, why would I even waste my time watching your video. I would like an apology. You have a lot to learn. From a Canadian widow who enjoys nature.🇨🇦
I didn’t say widow. I said WEIRDO 😂 so I won’t be apologizing unfortunately since that’s not even what I said. I’m sorry for your loss though and I’m confident that every beautiful sunset is your partner sending you some extra love from above. Happy flying✈️
I think at the price I paid it wasn’t worth it. If it was around 30% more instead of double it would have been worth it to me. What price point do you think it might be worth it?
Air Canada 787-9 economy is 3-3-3.
You are 100% correct. My mistake 🤦♀️
No, choose a different airline. We did AC PE from Vancouver to London in 2022. Fortunately, I booked the tickets within 3 days of them being available and paid half the price of those who booked just a few months before the flight. The crew for the first flight were terrible - very inattentive. The crew on the return flight were much better. We were in shock to not be offered coffee either during or after dinner. We will never fly AC again. For the same flights in 2023 and this year, we flew British Air. What a difference!!!!! The food was better, and the service was better. And yes, we got coffee, plus we were given wine, not sparkling water when we boarded. The only plus for AC was the bathroom only for PE passengers. We will stick with BA, especially since the cost is lower than AC for better service and food. Excellent and honest review of your experience.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience. I agree that British Airways was better. I haven’t yet flown in BA premium economy but I did recently fly in their business class and I found their business class to be better than Air Canada’s business class as well. I also have a video about it as well if you’re interested.
@@allons.y The only Business Class flight we have ever taken was BA London to Santorini-wow, were we ever pampered! A bonus was waiting in the LHR BA Lounge and walking past one of our favourite British actresses.
I quite enjoyed the BA lounge at LHR as well but the fact you got to see one of your favourite actresses there as well is definitely the icing on the cake. Now if only BA could offer celebrity sightings as a guaranteed lounge service 😆
@@allons.y Nice try!
@@grantw7 The ground service with WestJet is as poor as Air Canada. But I have never experienced poor service on WestJet flights. The service on AC is usually poor with a good experience a rarity although it does occasionally happen.
The AC motto is “we’re not happy until you’re not happy”.
Great video and I really appreciate the recline demonstration you did for us with the bulkhead. I'll be flying those exact seats coming up this January YVR to HKG and this helped a lot.
I'm so glad you found it helpful! Hopefully you will have a comfortable flight! Also I’m jealous you’re going to Hong Kong. It’s one of my favourite places 🙌
We have previously flown Premium Economy on Air Canada and found it to be worth it.. Recently we flew Economy (British Airways) and have sworn to upgrade whenever possible on future flights. Economy felt like being crammed into a tiny chair, with knees up against the seat ahead and the need to keep your elbows against your waist for the full 7.5 hours of the flight. Never again! And definitely would upgrade for any flight longer than 5 hours.
The five hour rule is definitely a good one 🙌
Nice video! I shall definitely check out your others. I am not a fan of Air Canada’s PE product. They really lean heavily on the “economy” side of the equation, alas. Between the two Canadian airlines that have PE, Westjet’s is superior by quite a bit but of course they don’t fly to nearly as many places. Anyhow, keep on making videos! You are breath of fresh air in a crowded field of aviation vloggers. I look forward to more :)
Thank you! I really appreciate it. I do agree about WestJet and have a video on them as well. Unfortunately I’m located in toronto so WestJet doesn’t have nearly as many routes here as they do out west. But alas it’s the constant struggle us Canadians face with the giant monopoly that is Canadian aviation 😮💨
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Tip: Don't buy one-way tickets when flying internationally. You could have bought a round trip ticket HND-YYZ in Business and YYZ-HND in Economy (choose a date well far in advance for the return segment) for less than the one-way HND-YYZ business class fare and wouldn't have had to suffer Premium Economy! When you are ready to fly the return segment, just call Air Canada to rebook (and change the date if needed) to Premium Economy or Business and pay the fare difference (since the first segment is already flown, it would be repriced using the fares in effect on the original date of purchase on a half round-trip basis).
Oh in this case i was actually trying to use up some upgrade credits i had with Air Canada, but unfortunately the flight was fully booked so my upgrade didn’t clear.
But that’s a really great tip. I appreciate you sharing it and will definitely keep it in mind for future bookings 🙌
When going to Europe we try to go Business and return Premium. We get some reasonable sleep on the overnight flight and the return is a daytime flight. We are pushing 80 and really appreciate the comfort.
Sounds like a great plan going in business and returning in premium. The important thing is that you’re comfortable 🙌
@ Yes. We are spending our kids inheritance.😄
Ha ha love that. My parents also like to say that they are going ”skiing” (Spending Kids Inheritance) 😂 as they and you should though. You all deserve to kick back and enjoy life 😎
@@allons.y We are lucky our kids have been more successful than us.
Love your videos! So informative
Thanks ma’am! Hope to see you flying soon✈️
I had a great experience last year and the year before in AC PE.
On YVR-YYZ-FCO, then again from YUL to FCO.
Great attentive service, decent food, and very comfy.
I have never had a bad flight over many years on AC!
Must just be lucky!😊
Thanks for sharing your experiences and glad to hear they were good. For me personally I’ve probably had every experience across the spectrum with AC. Everything from absolutely horrendous to wonderful. Majority of the time I find my experiences land somewhere in between. While I think every company has room for improvement it is lovely to hear when people have had positive experiences
I’m new here - great and informative video! One question, was the cost USD or CAN $?
Thanks for watching! The price is Canadian $
I am 167cm and fall asleep as soon as I have 2 cups of Red wine. Excellent traveler !!!!! I have taken many 1st and Business classes to Korea and other Asian countries. Singapore, Cathay, Korea, and Japan are the best airlines in Asia. The worst one is Air Canada. The best seating in an airplane is 747 front upper deck seating.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts. Agree that Asian airlines are generally better! And nothing like some wine to get you through those long flights 🍷😆
Great video! My wife and I travel to Europe frequently and were thinking of upgrading to premium. Have you ever done the Aeroplan bidding to upgrade from economy prior to the departure date? Is there a saving vs. buying in advance?
Thanks so much ! You could potentially save some money by doing the upgrade bid before departure but it’s hard to say as it’s basically like entering a blind auction. You really have no idea how many people are bidding or how much they are bidding. You could get lucky and bid the minimum amount and win. And then you’d save some money in that case. But if there’s a lot of people bidding high amounts you may or may not save that much. It doesn’t hurt to try though. Think of the maximum you’d be willing to pay for an upgrade and keep your fingers crossed 🤞
I always bid on upgrades with AC. I have been very lucky and nearly always get upgraded. BUT, I’ve found that you need to bid at least 50% of the maximum bid option. I’ve been able to fly signature class by bidding $1200. Which may seem a lot, but if you were to buy a signature class ticket when booking, it could very easily be $4000 (one way). I’ve been upgraded to premium economy for as little as $400.
If you bid the minimum, you’ll probably not be successful in upgrading.
Of course you have to take into account that your bid is over and above what you’ve already paid for your ticket.
Thanks for sharing your experience and tips with bid upgrades. That’s great to know for future bookings 🙌
I just returned from my absolute last flight with Air Canada! There is always drama and aggravation and frustration with that disgrace of an airline.
We flew Air Canada Premium Economy on the 787-9 FRA to YUL on October 13,2024. There is typically a partial wall partition separation but no curtains to demarcate a distinct space between
PE & Economy. I was not aware that AC bathroom devotes a washroom space for the exclusive use of PE passengers. Economy passengers usually have open access to the PE seating zone to utilize a shared PE washroom space.
Has Air Canada recently changed the PE Policy to now include an exclusive washroom allocation? Our flight was 8 hours in duration & the PE washroom experienced extensive usage serving PE & Economy passengers.
The two washrooms at the front of PE cabin are supposed to be for PE. Now whether or not it is enforced is another thing. I’ve heard mixed stories though. Some like yours where there was no enforcement and others where there was. On this particular flight a few economy passengers were asked to use the washrooms at the back of the plane
Very good presentation. But let me know if the seats were comfortable when you flew the economy on a long haul flight.
Thanks so much 🙏 The economy seats aren’t the greatest for long haul. Definitely a lot less cushioning. It’s fine for flights 5 hrs or less but a long haul 12 hr one like this one is definitely uncomfortable. I would at the very least probably spring for a preferred seat or an exit row seat for more leg room if I was going to do economy
We fly premium economy where available on flights longer than 6 hours. We feel the additional space is well worth the added cost though the price premium over economy seems to be growing. I think your one way ticket price is not representative. In April we flew YYZ-ICN-MNL-NRT-YYZ on premium economy for $2200 on AC. Price difference vs economy was about $1K.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts on PE!
The cost of one way is generally pricier than a round trip of course. Since pricing is dynamic and can be different based on hundreds if not thousands of factors everyone will of course need to verify the specific pricing based on the exact date and route they take. Even if we were to compare a round trip price for the same route for example, someone who travels during low season will of course pay significantly less than someone who is travelling during high season.
Ideally this video just serves as a way for people to see what they can expect from premium economy so they can determine if they feel it is worth it for their own circumstances. But of course what I paid for this specific flight will not be the same as what someone else may pay depending on many factors
Great video review! 2nd meal service is abysmal. I wonder if its a lack of space for AC to offer a 2nd meal like the first one, trays in a cart etc. They need to reconsider that meal offering.
Thanks so much! They definitely need to make the meals consistent throughout. Hopefully this is something they consider changing
We have usually been disappointed with Air Canada’s on board service even I. Business class. On our last flight from Tokyo they ran out of both business class dinners and breakfast and all for $8,000 per person.
The problem is there is little competition with airlines in Canada.
Oh my that’s horrible that they ran out of food and on business class. That’s really unacceptable especially for $8k. The Canadian airline monopoly really is the worst 😩
@@allons.y I appears AC and WestJet have pretty much split up the country East/West. Except for 1 flight to Calgary WestJet has abandoned London Ontario. They used fly Toronto, Edmonton, Winning and Orlando.
Last time i was in PE from YVR to HKG. They had the same issue. First meal with metal cutlery and china. Second one back to plastic regular economy meal with plastics. And they skipped the snack. I believe PE with AC you are mainly getting the extra space and nothing more. Set the expectation low and you may be fine.
Sounds like this seems to be their standard protocol for PE which is unfortunate. 😩
I flew economy on Air Canada last year on their Boeing 787-9, the seating was 3-3-3 in economy, but your video states 3-4-3 in economy? I’ve never seen that high density seating on a Boeing 787. Even charter airlines configure 3-3-3 on the 787.
Yes it was an error on my part it is 3-3-3 configuration for economy. I have a pinned comment with the correction already. Thanks for watching 🙂
My wife and I flew AC premium during our return flight from Dubai. Seats were ok but food was just so and so. I wanted to try AC even after seeing bad reviews about AC.
I am most likely not be flying AC in the near future. I will be using my Aeroplan points on our next trip on partner airlines.
Since AC uses dynamic pricing for their own flights VS a set rate for partner airlines using your points on partner airlines is always the best value for you points anyways so that is definitely a great plan all around 🙌 thanks for watching and for sharing your experience on AC premium🙏
We are flying to Spain on AC in PE this Sunday. I will update comment afterwards. Have never used PE on AC before, but we decided it was worth it because my husband has neuropathy in his feet and since he is also tall, he finds it difficult to sit in a regular economy seat. We usually try and book a bulkhead seat for him, but thought that since this was going to be a longer flight than usual, we would spring for the premium product. I'm looking forward to the greater seat recline and the access to less used toilets. I also thought the priority boarding would be great as we are flying carryon on only and hate fighting for overhead space. Wish us luck!
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you take the flight. Definitely worth it for the extra comfort and advanced boarding given your husband’s condition and height. If you’re still able to try to book the bulkhead for PE as well. Have a safe flight and enjoy Spain✈️
While it rare to find any real competition for air travel in Canada I’m on a flight from Toronto to Barcelona on TAP (Portugal) fully refundable business class next Wednesday for $2,600 CAD one way. Air Canada was $6,500.
With Europe we try and go outbound Business but return PE.
Wow $2600 for business class is definitely a steal! I’ll have to look into TAP next time I go to Europe ✈️
@ I’m told Turkish Air has similar prices. I will try and report on the flight.
Thanks for sharing the video! I’m genuinely surprised Air Canada didn’t provide a vegetarian meal option on your flight-that’s disappointing. I’ve flown in Premium Economy with AC, and I’ve noticed the quality has declined significantly within the cabin over the years.
They do provide a vegetarian option if you pre-order beforehand, but it would have been nice to see one on their default menu since I imagine there may be vegetarians who either forget or don’t know know that they need to pre-order beforehand. It seems like there a cuts and quality decline for sure 😩
If you can, book in advance. I booked my return flight more than 6 months in advance and lucked out on an Air Canada 1 day sale of sorts or maybe it was a Tuesday night. If I booked the seats closer to my travel date, then algorithm pricing takes into effect and now the premium economy fare is more than double of what I paid, plus you can end up with mixed cabins. Also, the one way pricing is just ridiculous!!
Definitely agree, booking in advance is key! They really do gouge people trying to book closer to the departure date. There was one time I even saw that premium economy was more expensive than business class which was kind of funny
I flew PE with Air Transat between Canada and France. The experience was very good.
Nice! What was your favourite part of the flight? Have you ever flown PE with Air Canada as well? How do you think they compare?
I can’t speak for other AC long haul flights, but the price for PE from Edmonton to Bangkok is ridiculous (>$5000) as opposed to under $3000 on EVA. I’ve found flights in business class for a similar price (if you book well in advance)
AC I think in general tends to be pricier since they have the monopoly here in Canada. I’ve definitely had the same experience as you where AC was significantly higher than a lot of other carriers. I’ve also seen EVA business class from Taipei to toronto for $3500 and AC was $6000😩
@@allons.y Try EVA. EVA is a 5-stars airline. There is just no comparison to AC. Once you try it, you will not want to fly with AC anymore to Asia. EVA Biz class would give you a 6 course dinner from TO to Taipei. Then you can take EVA or ANA or Starlux Biz from Taipei to Tokyo with just a fraction of price and 5-starts service. Look it up.
Once you've experienced Business Class, you won't want to go lower than that.
Oh definitely for sure! I do have a video on Air Canada’s business class as well if you’re interested. Truthfully I don’t mind premium economy if I’m flying with someone I know, but if I’m flying solo I definitely prefer business class so I don’t have to sit next to a stranger
Excellent review thank you.
Thank you for watching and I’m glad you found it helpful!
For those of us who don't live in the last country on Earth NOT using Metric, I assume that you meant that the Baggage Allowance is 23 kg per bag?
Yes, it would be 23kg per bag for the luggage allowance. I’ll be sure to include both units going forward. Canada actually officially uses the metric system but because apparently we like to be confusing we generally speak of weight in imperial measurements. To make things even more confusing we use metric when speaking of the temperature when it comes to weather, but when it comes to cooking temperature we still use imperial. Which is annoying on our part 😅
@@allons.y Thank you. I'm Canadian, and older....and I haven't thought in Imperial since we got rid of the Imperial system 50 years ago. I know my height and weight in cm and kg, and cook with my stove set to degrees C. Everything is sold in kg not pounds. Selling in Pounds only, is illegal in Canada. Now you have me concerned about the "Education" system in this country, if people are still being educated in an obsolete system, used only in the United States. Even then, the US Customary measurements aren't the same as Imperial was.....especially in liquid measurements (US pints, quarts, gallons are NOT the same as Imperial, they're 20% smaller). Litres are the same everywhere, not dependent upon what country you're talking about. But I did enjoy your report on Air Canada.....I can't say that I "enjoy" flying economy 'sardine'' class for 14 hour trips, for sure.
Food served on airplanes tastes differently because the cabin pressure and altitude your traveling in alter your taste bud receptors.
Yes for sure! But airlines know this and spend millions every year curating menus and securing catering with this as one of the factors in mind. I’ve also had economy meals with other carriers that were excellent, so I don’t really consider that as an excuse for AC
Every woman has a princess dream in her heart, and kislux gives this dream a realistic touch without making her bank account cry.
Sometimes premium economy as an upgrade is a better deal closer to your departure date. If you can sleep better with the recline, & no fees for your luggages, I would pay for premium economy. Your jet lag won’t be as bad!
It’s definitely nice when you catch those price drops for sure! Definitely makes it more worth it when you can snag a better deal🙌
Was it worth it?
Well the answer to that depends. The purpose of the video is to show people what they can expect in premium economy. And based on what they see they can hopefully make a more informed decision on whether or not it is worth it to them. Everyone has different preferences, needs, budgets so whether or not it’s worth it will be different for everyone.
Now if you’re asking me based on my own personal circumstances I think it’s a touch too expensive for what they provide given the cost. At double the cost of economy I’m not sure it’s really worth it for me. If it was around 30-40% more than economy I’d say it would be more worth it.
It would be nice to have better meals, especially that breakfast. I understand that ANA premium economy has all the same meals as economy. You are really paying for the seat and maybe for the earlier boarding. I flew Air Canada to BKK in Business Class. Not so thrilled with the breakfast. I am finding it harder and harder to do the economy thing.
Definitely just paying for the extra space with the seat and group 2 boarding. It’s unfortunate that both meals weren’t of the same calibre. I haven’t had a chance to fly ANA premium economy yet, but if I had to guess I suspect Japanese airlines probably have better food even in economy. And I definitely feel you on the difficulty of flying economy, especially if you’ve flown in business class before it’s hard to go back 😅
@@allons.y Haven't done ANA in PE but Economy does have better food. ANA always has great service.
For us its not the money or the food its the comfort. I can actually fit in the seat. For these trips we always fly PE or Business. In our next flight to London somehow I lucked out and the Business tickets were $200.00 less than the PE! I was going to fly PE but what the heck! For those that complain about AC, we flew to Frankfurt/Namibia on Discover PE and then Business. Their PE seats same size as their Economy seats. So why did I pay thousands more? Good question.
Pricing can really be crazy sometimes! I’ve also seen Business Class being cheaper than PE before which I found quite funny😆 it’s great that you snagged business at $200 less. 🙌
Nice review
Undecided given the price difference..
Thank you! I feel the same about the price. I think double the cost of economy is a little too much for what was provided. Around 30%-40% more would have been more reasonable
I'm more of a go big or go home guy. BC v Economy gives you a massively difference experience and shopping wisely and using points makes the price differential less eye watering. I've tried all 4 cabins and the PE experience in BA wasn't that big a leap given the 80% (at the time) hike in price
i haven't been on a plane since 2010. after watching your video, i remember why. i hate traveling.
Glad to have helped you not waste your time doing something you hate. Thanks for watching though and I’m sure there are many beautiful places for you to explore close to home 🏡
I have no interest in spending $40k on a bag (a piece of leather + labor = $1000 max) imagine paying $39k on this brand. Totally unnecessary. If you are also looking for niche yet fashionable products, kislux is definitely your best choice. There are many treasures hidden here that have not been discovered by the public
I have seen some very good replicas, such as the bag I bought at kislux . The craftsmanship of modern replicas is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and they are within millimeters of each other. It is difficult to tell which ones are fake.
Sadly, not surprised. Since the early 90's, Air Canada is a disgrace as a national airline. It is now known worldwide. The sad thing is we Canadians have no choice. Monopoly strikes again.🥵
The Canadian aviation monopoly is the worst. Few options and much higher prices compared with the rest of the world. We are always getting the short end of the stick I feel like 😮💨
Air Canada is the national government airline of the country? I stand to be corrected if it's not, but I believe the name says it all.
Air Canada was originally owned by the government but they became privatized back in the 80s, so no longer government owned for several decades now
@@allons.y Sorry, my bad, you are correct in that they still own a percentage I believe. Air Canada's policies and procedures do however seem to be heavily directed by governmental influence. Regardless, what was once a proud national airline has become a embarassing disgrace.
@@samhill5231 Therefore aside from who owns it, it carries our country's name very clearly and therefore is an embarrassment and a disgrace.
I would not pay double for premium economy, and yeah, Air Canada does not have great food
I agree I think double the cost of economy is a bit too much. And yes, they definitely need to work on their economy food 😅
@ I had better food in my high school cafeteria. They really do give the minimum effort.
Food quantity and quality very bad with air canada. Go for kosher meal
Omg, that was a ripe off 😅
Nope, not paying for that price.
It’s certainly pricey for what you get!😅
My thought is that rich people are often rich because they invest and spend their money wisely, and buying a Chanel bag is not a wise move. I know I'm not rich enough, but my assets are enough that I can easily buy luxury goods in kislux
LOL. ZipAir. ‘Nuff said.
I’m heard good things about ZipAir but unfortunately they don’t fly to Toronto. Vancouver is the only Canadian city they fly to
What do you mean “ if you are a widow” you don’t like watching beautiful sunsets. I am widowed 17 years. I love beautiful sunsets, golden leaves in fall and snowstorms. I take great insult at your comment. I ask you, if you are so incorrect about this, why would I even waste my time watching your video. I would like an apology. You have a lot to learn. From a Canadian widow who enjoys nature.🇨🇦
I didn’t say widow. I said WEIRDO 😂 so I won’t be apologizing unfortunately since that’s not even what I said. I’m sorry for your loss though and I’m confident that every beautiful sunset is your partner sending you some extra love from above. Happy flying✈️
Weirdo !!! 😂
So not worth it
I agree, although if I was able to snag it at a lower price point than what I paid then it might be worth it for me personally. Double was too much
No not worth it 🤷♀️
There’s definitely quite a few improvements they could make to provide more value for sure !
No It is NOT worth it
I think at the price I paid it wasn’t worth it. If it was around 30% more instead of double it would have been worth it to me. What price point do you think it might be worth it?
Air canada is the world’s worst air line, horrible food , poor service.
Justin Trudeau really makes craps looks luxury 🤣
very detailed and informative comparison! the crumbs would ruin the whole experience for me though 🤢🫤
Yea the dirty storage area definitely was not ideal 😅