__TJ__

and once you have gone thru check in and been scanned etc you can buy a sammich to take on board with you if you dont like the food ( or cant trust the staff to know if it has garlic in it, cos im allergic)I like travelling from Van better, there is a subway i got a footlong BLT for my last flight home and the bloke next to me was fair drooling as his childs portion of mystery stew came out and i tucked in

the seats are small, esp if you are a big lass like me. but you get what you pay for.

Ukozz

As a pretty frequent flier to Canada with many airlines I have to say I will hopefully never fly with Air Transat again.

The positives - they are cheap, I think consistently the cheapest by a good margin. They are also pretty efficient for check-in at Gatwick I found.

The negatives - the seat room is very tight. I'm 6foot4 and really struggled for room, I had a lot of nerve issues after last flight (trapped nerve flaring up) and even at one point mid flight I was borderline feeling very ill with feeling trapped/constrained - never had that on a flight before.

I may actually use them on our immigration flight as I'll have dogs to take and I've heard they are a good cheap carrier for dogs (mine are huge) but if we do I'll try and upgrade if possible as I don't want to go through that again.

My partner is flying with them next week but she is a foot shorter than me so it was an easy choice as they were much cheaper - I'll let you know how she gets on. She's spoilt normally being elite with Air Canada so this will be a contrast for her.

dbd33

Not so much.

Ukozz

She was lucky with a lot of upgrades to business class, we certainly couldn't afford that and air transat will be economy.

dbd33

It's still a coin toss which will offer the better experience. Sometimes on AT the staff smile, even do kind things for the customers.

AC staff do meet their contractual obligations to the passengers, I don't dispute that. I've never been on one of their flights that crashed and I've always arrived the same week scheduled, but their primary focus as an airline is enforcement of the regulations governing the conduct of passengers. Flying with them is like a cross between going to the dentist and meeting with Revenue Canada.

For years I had enough AC points for a couple of free flights home per year, I gave the tickets to my ex and paid to fly myself with other airlines. (Not to be disingenuous here, I should say that a "free" ticket on AC, one claimed on points, actually costs only slightly less than one purchased outright on another carrier).

I'm not crazy about AT but flying AC vs. working one's passage swabbing decks on a tramp steamer full of rotting fish would not be a easy choice. I assume your partner has to commute to somewhere only AC goes, he or she has my sympathy.

tallperson

My brother just flew Montreal-Singapore in a very roundabout way involving 5 different airlines and said AC was the worst of them all, even in business class!

Souvy

There is nothing wrong with AT. I've flown with them lots (down south and to the UK). I've had no problems at all. The crew are usually very nice.

Legroom issues can be sorted by spending a few bucks on seat selection (bulkheads, exit rows or where the plane gets narrower towards the back).

Former Lancastrian

Isn't AT like the WalMart of airlines? You pay for what you get and judging by the amount of people who post on here they want CHEAP.
You have numerous airlines to choose from be it AC, AT, Delta, United, BA and a host of others. Sure not all fly to where you want to go directly but you can get there in the end. If this means changing planes and numerous stops then so be it if that is what is involved in getting the cheapest flight available.
Perhaps that extra couple of hundred bucks is worth it as opposed to spending 24 hours getting there.

dbd33

I don't see that. I don't think there's any social stigma in flying with a cheap airline.

Souvy

United? You are having a laugh. I go to great lengths to avoid flying with them. Ditto Continental. Don't me started on AA.

AT are fine. The staff are nice and the planes are probably in better nick than those operated by the larger carriers.

Former Lancastrian

You aren't carrying a guitar when you travel are you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdozrQzwWII

I have the pleasure of dealing with United on a daily basis. Plus arent both Continental & United one big airline now.

Souvy

I do not generally travel with a guitar. Actually, I never travel with a guitar.

If I were to rank the 60 or so airlines I have used, the US carriers would be right at the bottom, next to Sunwing.

dbd33

I, otoh, often fly with US carriers and don't even notice which one I'm on. I find them efficient and uninteresting, like a fridge in an hotel room.

(I don't, as a rule, travel with any musical instruments).

Oink

Air Transat is the chicken Korma with plain rice and no garlic naan of airlines.

Madnellie

Not sure if you know this or not but on some of the AT planes they have rows of two seats instead of three along the sides towards the back of the plane. Those seats are a little bigger than the ones in groups of three and you get a bit more space. We always try and book those as I'm 5ft10 and not skinny either