Atlantic Xpat

You have to join AC's frequent flier programme - Altitude - and then you earn status points (AQM's) on flights. Once you hit 20k AQM's you start earning e-upgrade credits & the more you fly, the more you earn. You also gain frequent flier status which provides some benefits in terms of check in, priority on waitlists and lounge access. The more you fly, the more status you have. It's the same the world over with airlines.

On AC, the lowest fare class - Tango - is not eligable for upgrade. You have to book Flex or higher. Upgrades are not guaranteed, you can request one n days before your flight, where n varies with your status.

I fly quite a lot on business & the long, long, haul can be done in Exec First. I use the e-ups for the short, long haul (St Johns to London) & for travel down to the US.

acer rose

Having flown with KLM pre and post Air France merger, I would say KLM service did not improve with the merger. That said, it must be at least 7 years since I flew with KLM.

I have flown with Air France and my experiences were tainted by the fiasco that was (is?) CDG.

I've flown with Lufthansa quite recently. The service was excellent. Certainly comparable to BA and Air Canada. I have no complaints about check-in staff, gate staff or cabin crew (or flight crew fortunately ). The main problem with Air Canada seems to be late departures. It was highlighted in the media recently as a problem area for AC. Sadly I was taking trip the week before rather than the week after the story surfaced. My trip involved 6 flights with three different airlines. All 4 of the AC flights departed late and arrived late. The LH flight departed late and arrived early. The BA flight departed late and arrived early. If you are not flying direct, this may be something to consider.

MarkG

Oddly, the only time I've had really late departures (or outright cancellations) with Air Canada is to and from Heathrow. I've never had a major problem anywhere else I've flown with them.

And yes, I do like their fancy Business Class seats.

Souvy

I'd been racking my brains for a while on what to do with 100k+ Aeroplan points. I don't buy my own air tickets, so that wasn't an option, and I usually plan far enough in advance to buy Tango tickets, so upgrades aren't an option either. Buying "stuff" seemed to be the way to go. Most of the stuff is crap.

My stepson came out of it quite well. He's about to start a new job in Saguenay (and not a terribly well-paid one). His GF won't be joining him until August, so there will be a fair bit of shuttling to do. He was not upset when I gave him $750 in Esso gift cards.

dbd33

I find that AC offers:

- very high prices, partly due to limited choice of airports (from here AC goes from Pearson, rivals go from Buffalo or Detroit). A "free" ticket to Europe on AC costs more than one puchased for cash on a US airline.

- erratic departures, it's always been the case that, if AC gets there on the scheduled day that's good enough for them

- aged, miserable and officious staff

I find dealing with AC to be very much like dealing with a government department.

Former Lancastrian

No disrespect to those who fly Business Class but isnt there a perceived element of stature when flying such as this depending on who is paying for the flight?
Oh he/she must be important they are flying business class or they have lots of money.
Believe me if you were that important you would be flying by private jet

MarkG

Actually, if a group are travelling together, renting a private jet for the flight may be cheaper than buying airline tickets.

wolstie

This page is always good for a laugh with regards to getting private aircraft quotes

http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/m...jetsmanchester

Jingsamichty

I use the AC flat beds a lot, and they are quite superb when travelling from Calgary to London, as that is a 9 hour overnight flight. It's great to arrive in London at 10am feeling like you've had a decent kip.

Not sure of their real worth on the London to Calgary leg though, as that's a day flight, leavng LHR at around mid-day, arriving Calgary around 4pm.

bgpz

The new(ish) USAir flat bed biz class service might be worth checking out.

We used the last of our bmi miles to do PHL-MAN last summer on US (the fuel surcharge difference alone made it a no-brainer compared to AC!) and were pleasantly surprised.

I don't know if US have a hub closer to YYC, but you said that you don't mind a layover. I'd recommend engineering a long layover as you can get the train from PHL airport right in to downtown. We did this, had a very enjoyable 6 hours exploring (Reading Market - right by one of the downtown stations the airport train goes to - is foodie heaven! Liberty Bell etc is a very short walk from there).

The other plus worth mentioning with US biz class is that in lieu of an arrivals lounge, you'll be able to use a day room at the hotel that's in the airport terminal (Radisson, I think?) - IIRC, they let us stay in there til about 2pm. Wonderful to have a shower, relax, have another catnap before picking up the hire car!

Hope this helps!

Atlantic Xpat

No better way for a long overnight flight. I've flown AC biz class from Halifax, Toronto & Ottawa to London. The direct St. John's to London flight is on an A319 so doesn't have beds/pods. Since it is only a 4.5hr overnight flight that doesn't really matter.

When they really come into their own is flying trans-pacific. Toronto to HKG is 15hrs or more. I've done that in economy a couple of times and it's hellish. At least in the pod, you can have a few drinks and get a decent bit of kip with time left to watch a couple of movies.

airbornesapper

What complete bollocks....

dbd33

I suppose that, since you work for a government department, you don't notice.

Former Lancastrian

Oh I love the friendly banter between public service workers and the private sector workers.