Is Air Canada as bad as they say? 2023 Long Haul Economy Experience
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- Опубликовано: 8 окт 2023
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In 2023, it seems like every flight reviewer is asking if Air Canada is any good. Every Canadian I know has a strong opinion - about the friendliness of the service, the quality of food on board, the comfort of each class and the cleanliness of the aircraft.
I decided to go into this with fresh eyes and an open mind. Check out my experience on a 9 hour flight from Dublin to Vancouver, and watch out for the Planet Patrick score out of 10! It's not scientific, but it is independent and might help you decide...
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Not my favorite airline but I used to be a frequent flyer and never had any problem with Air Canada. They always got me where I was going in reasonable comfort and never lost my luggage.
It’s good to receive balancing comments - thank you!
I am flying Air Canada for the first time next weekend. Fortunately, it is just a three hour flight. Thanks for the sharing your experience driven info.
Hopefully you have a great experience!
I flew this exact route in July! I loved Vancouver and I liked the zoned boarding process, it got rid of the rushing and pushing of people and at least I knew whether it was worth standing (I was zone 3) or waiting awhile before I bothered. I also LOVE that they fly direct. Flight time is excellent as well in terms of departure/ arrival, you don’t lose a day either end and the jet lag is easier to manage.
I don’t have a huge amount of long-haul experience but I enjoyed my AC flight. Food was decent, so was the free whiskey lol. Seat was comfortable, Crew were very nice, IFE was impressive and the views into Vancouver are breathtaking. I miss Vancouver, I felt so at “home” there.
I would have rated them around a 7/10 from my experience. They gave me all I was looking for from a flight. The downside? The guy sitting in the aisle didn’t move for the entire 9 hours, not even for a stretch. I’m still suspicious lol.
Vancouver is wonderful! And it’s great having a direct flight. Last time I did the route it was with Westjet with a longish layover in Calgary. Not quite so much fun.
I didn’t like the *operation* of the zoned boarding (I’m used to it in other situations). Or maybe didn’t like so much being in a big queue right at the end.
It’s nice to hear your experience
Here from SampeV2! You are a great guy!!!
Hi Nils - thanks for visiting!
It's very rare that Air Canda won't have a jetbridge, out of the 100+ times I've flown with them, the only time we had stairs was in Punta Cana where they don't offer jetbridges.
I thought it unusual too
Thanks for the perspective Patrick on long-haul with Air Canada
I actually was just in Dublin about a year ago. Absolutely love Ireland and the Irish people.
In May, I will be taking the Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver. Once that is completed, I got an overnight in Vancouver before I board an Air Canada long-distance flight.
It will be on a Dreamliner as well. Flying directly from Vancouver 🇨🇦 to Brisbane Australia 🇦🇺. I couldn’t stomach pain three times the price for a first class seat, I’m going to economy because I’ll just deal with it and use the other money to have a better experience in Australia.
Ireland is a great place to visit - glad to hear you had a great time!
I completely understand the urge to keep costs sensible on such a long trip. Australia is a blast, but can be quite expensive too
I didn't encounter any problems with Air Canada, but generally, I find that North American airlines lack the level of service found in Asian airlines, which tend to be more service-oriented.
I think that's a very level-headed take on it and I'd agree - Asian (and Middle Eastern) airlines more customer-focused.
Hands down worst airline I have ever flown with and I fly weekly due to work.
I have specifically asked our company not to book our flights with Air Canada, we now fly using the Airline of the country we are flying to and haven't had bad experience yet. With Air Canada there has been regular problems.
Sounds like you had some persistent problems 😳
I don't travel often, but my experience on Air Canada was marred considerably when they stranded me in Toronto for three days after crossing the Atlantic. Just to get a hotel room and another flight, I had to stand in line for like five or six hours (I lost track eventually), twice. The first time I got redirected to several locations before I found their help desk. The second time they gave me an American style merry-go-round treatment before cancelling the flight right after we boarded. While I was standing in line for the help desk the first time, I called customer service. I hung up after I was put on hold for ninety, yes NINETY, minutes. The second time around I very seriously considered telling the staff that I had a better experience dealing with airport security in Israel (who interrogated me). It would have been the truth, but I was too nice to tell them something like that.
This is a really terrible story from beginning to end.
I have an exact same issue . We were flying from Tokyo.
"Customer Service" is an oxmoron for Air Canada.
They want their money but they don't want them.
I recently flew AC from Newark to Montreal and Montreal to London. I think it's a pretty good airline. The first leg was an Embraer 175, only an hour flight. Not much to talk about. Flight attendants were nice. The second leg was on a B787. Great IFE, Flight attendants, and food. All in all, they've improved in the last few years.
Good to hear your take. I found the flight attendants nice too.
That seat did look pretty narrow but it was good to hear something positive about Air Canada for a change. I've seen some really bad reviews in the past. Just out of curiosity, how much did it cost?
The price was totally crazy. When I started research, the cheapest one way ticket was around £650 - I think that’s dear
I did AC from Toronto to LA and also did it from Sydney to Vancouver yrs ago. Both times were average, and in hindsight i would've picked a different airline. Staff service was below par, and food wasnt great. Canada is a great place for vacation, but if i ever go again, im not gonna take AC again.
I can't blame you. I just did a long-haul trip in Premium Economy with Air Canada, so I can do a comparison for the channel, and my experience was similar to yours. There are some better options to reach such a great country.
Excellent service esp from Europe to Toronto...I'll try their premium seats next time Bravo Air canada
Good to have your say. I’ll have a new video in a few weeks trying Premium Economy long haul.
Planning a trip here, and I was curious (because I keep getting mixed information online) Can you bring one bag or two on board for free, are either free? Is it free with basic economy class or does it cost extra? I only have two bags to bring, my clothes and my laptop bag, not to mention I'll be wearing my favorite jacket for the cold cold Canada.
I think Air Canada's guidance is pretty clear: www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/plan/baggage/carry-on.html#/
With basic you will board last and pay extra if you want to reserve a seat.
Carry on baggage: You get one carry on bag, which has to go in the luggage rack above, and one personal item like a purse or a laptop or a small daypack. I put my purse into my day pack and that way had the day pack for some hiking we did in Algonquin Park. I was super worried as it was my first time having to pack everything and NOT use checked baggage. But they didn't even look at either of my bags dimensions; so there's that.
Your experience w air Canada will depend very much on the route you fly and the time of year (and day!). If comfort is a concern make sure to check seatguru before booking a seat and read all the comments!!
We don't have a lot of other options considering what a big country we are... there's WestJet but I find them nerve-wrackingly unreliable, a couple of super cheap eg Flair, and the NKOTB, Porter Air, who I may check out in February as they flight smaller planes and have no middle seats!!
my final flight was canceled after 20 hours flying from Southeast Asia .
I must say I enjoyed ANA and delta .
I would recommend vietair over air Canada lol. Atleast they had good food . Dated cabin. But on time . Airlines worry a bit about food space but being on time is more important . On the next trip I think I will fly direct from lax on viet air or ANA.
That must have been so frustrating - I hope you were able to get an easy replacement flight for that last leg. Re: ANA - I've enjoyed flying with them in the past. Not so familiar with Viet, so that might be something to try next time.
It depends on what you are comparing it with. Most European long haul carriers are above the AC service wise.I would not even compare them against Emirates or Qatar because those ones are in a different class altogether. Overall, AC is not bad, but there is nothing remarkable about them.
Seems like a very fair take!
The worst part about flying Air Canada from Southern Ontario is having to deal with Terminal 2 at Pearson Airport.
It's a bummer.
Welcome to my home city of Vancouver, hope you're enjoying it! Personally I find Air Canada's international economy to be an enjoyable experience with good food. However, I find the most comfortable seats in their fleet to be on their A220, and followed by the A330 and A321 with the new cabins.
Thanks for the tips! I love Vancouver, so it's always an easy visit for me!
Not only AC, Economy become really really bad among most of the airlines. i think because they use economy class to complete with LCC, so the services level is basically the same as LCC. but I really like the services when I fly Premium Economy with Air Canada, Hardware may not be the best, but the services is great.
I have a video coming soon on Air Canada Premium Economy - I think your experience might have been very different to mine!
some audio is only coming out of left side on headphones
Thanks - new output format this week, I’ll check
for how patriotic canadians are, we love to hate on some of our own brands haha, absolutely agree, AC doesn't have the best food and it feels basic, but at least it's reliable
Well, that is a major plus!
What is your seat # if you don’t mind?
I'm sorry, Jeremy, I don't have that to hand.
I flew AC business from Toronto to Seoul and it was a disaster. I mean the 787 is a beautiful hard product however the soft product was nothing short of a terrible experience, awful service and will never fly AC executive class ever again.
Yes, the hard product is usually high quality. Sounds like your long-haul exec class wasn't great 😌 - once lost, hard to get you back.
You should try AirCanada Airbus 777. It's a nightmare. I would really like you to review those seats
Sounds terrible! Maybe next time 😳
the fact that you said airbus 777 tells me everything I need to know about your competency level. Also, I've flown on thier 777 many times in Business class, Premium, and economy, and it's a great plane to fly on.
Ummmm 777 is a Boeing.
Surprised AC runs a flight from Dublin to Vancouver...
It’s a summer offering
Me: "Patrick, show us your Canadian accent..."
Patrick: (timestamp 5:39-5:41)
Me: "Perfection"
Sorry, so sorry 😢
Never had a problem with Air Canada. I assume people know that when things go right, people rarely say anything... but when things go bad, they tend to shout. I still prefer other airlines. However, with any flight, I'm prepared and I also prepare the kids that things can interrupt our vacation, including long long long delays as well as extra days. Sometimes life doesn't go according to plan and you need to adapt. You can provide feedback, advocate, etc. but these are just expected... just as other things in daily life. Yes, interest rates will go up and down... so prepare, plan, and be wise with any financial decision e.g., emergency fund, live under your means, etc. I hope people will learn from what's going on right now... behave if things can go crazy so when they do, you are not caught financially. Choices.
Some sensible insights about managing the budget. We could all use such wisdom
Why sadly in 26k what's wrong with that seat?
Sadly because I only have the budget for an economy seat
Canada best ever airline was Canadian Airlines. Sadly they were discontinued in the 90's.
I didn’t get the chance to fly with them - good to hear your experience
Canadian was great. So was one of the airlines that Candian bought ... Wardair.
If you expect to have a better tray is simple , pay a Premium economy ..
I did in a follow-up video. Shock outcome - it's still not great.
Oh, you really got lucky to fly in AC Boeing 787. It's not the best, but it's not the worst. However, the AirCanada Boeing 777 is absolutely a nightmare. It's not about the Boeing 777 - I believe it's a great plane, but Air Canada's setup and configuration of that plane is probably one of the worst that I've ever had a chance to try
I'll take all positives!
Please kindly consider blur other passengers faces unless they have expressed interest to be featured like your lovely neighbour😊
Plus I would LOVE your video even more if you could record audio during editing so it would be easier to hear you and less disturbing to other passengers
A short response here won't answer the nub of your comment which appears to be: should all content creators blur the faces of people in public places (and is a plane journey a 'public place'). Your comment does start kindly, but the list of requests you make would make it literally impossible for someone like me to continue making videos (with a small channel, talking about personal experiences in the moment).
5.5/10 sounds about right .
😀
"The salad might be elderly"😅
Lol!
I have never had a good experience with Air Canada. They lost my luggage more than 50% of the time. Crews are rude.
Oh no! That’s sounds awful. Nothing worse than lost luggage too 🫠
We also had an life threatening experiance with air air canada.I was travelling to canada with my PR with my child .We were told that you can not board the flight and we had to deal with them on the airport for 8 hours with my 9 year old child. We did not have UK Visa and air canada had trapped us and cheated us.We had to go back to india they did not provide me food or a hotel to stay and not even a flight ticket back to india. thankfully
after understanding Uk customs provided us with 2 day visa without any fee the officers also told us that was air canada's Mistake and fault due to that you are facing issues. I heard that this has been happening to alot of people and that case is only and only because of air canada and air india
Oh dear what a terrible story
Heartless airlines. Our father died because of AirCanada’s negligence. Google, Ontario woman blames AirCanada for her father’s death. they continued to fly the aircraft after our father suffered a massive heart attack and did not divert the plane when it was super easy to divert. tell me who will survive for nine hours after suffering and massive heart attack.
Oh no. I’m so sorry to hear this.
Way, way back when there was passenger rail in Canada, one of our neighbours was thrown off a CN Rapido train during a heart attack because the train conductor thought that he was drunk.
I didn't see anything wrong with that flight.
I'm happy that works for you. I gave my take and yours is welcome too.
The only reason i use air Canada is, it is usually the cheapest airline. Other than that, it wouldn't hurt my feelings in the least if they went under. Its not the workers, its those at the top, they are useless and just don't care at all, no matter the garbage they spew on television of how goid they re, or lately, how sorry they are for treating people the way they have been. I feel they should be disallowed in the use of "Canada" in their title. They are an embarrassment to the country.
Gosh, this speaks to some bad past experiences
Find the staff are just the worst….
On this occasion they were very professional. Sounds like you had a bad experience
Air Canada = BAD STAFF
Sounds like you had a bad experience.
tragedy is, that's the best airline here we have in Canada lol.
Is WestJet better?
@@PlanetPatrick Not really, pretty much the same as air canada. but much better than Porter and Flair that's for sure.
As an old Canadian I have , of course, travelled Air Canada on many occasions. I have never, including my first time in 1973, had a flight where the female flight attendants weren't complete bitches. Sorry if that sounds sexist but it was, indeed, always the women.
It sounds particularly reductive and, I’m afraid, rude.
@@PlanetPatrick Of course it's reductive. There's nothing else to say. The flight attendants were rude.
Cancel Air Canada. Most hated airline.
Oh no! Lots of people really don't like it. I thought the staff were quite efficient, but your experience may have been different.
Last time I flew on Air Canada to Paris back in July was great. The staff was friendly, the seats were comfortable, the boarding process didn’t take long, the food was amazing, the airport lounge was beautiful well lit and lots of food options. I fail to see the problem with air Canada lol 😂
@@andrewohare8550 I suppose our impressions are very personal. Any airline hopes that the balance tips towards positive experiences in aggregate. With Air Canada, the responses here (and reputation) have recently tilted towards the negative. I don’t think that describes every experience.
Why?
A regular flight doesn't uncover the issues. It's when things go wrong, their customer service doesn't exist.