For years, I lived in cities where travel to Canada was a breeze. We would frequently drive to Toronto from Rochester, NY, and I visited Montreal and Quebec City from the metropolitan New York area, by car and air. Still, I had never experienced Canada’s national carrier: Air Canada. It was time for a trial run.
In December, I flew in economy class to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport from Montreal on an Embraer 175. I’m not sure what I expected, other than a bilingual experience. I was traveling on an American Express Rewards economy ticket, which meant no prior seat selection or lounge access. Hmmmmm.
It’s Economy
Economy seats are just what you’d expect: limited leg room, but doable. Not being able to pre-book a seat was anxiety producing. Can you see me sulking? I envisaged a cramped middle seat in the rear of the aircraft next to the toilets, but since the flight wasn’t full, the airline assigned me to 15F at check-in, a window seat. The seat was comfortable, and the flight on-time. No complaints. Well, almost no complaints.
In economy, Air Canada Bistro was offered for a charge on flights over two hours. Other than that, it was just beverages and either cookies or pretzels. Since the flight wasn’t that long, it wasn’t an issue. The only issue was the entertainment screens. Some weren’t working, but the flight attendant announced that films could be viewed with their streaming service. I didn’t take advantage of the offer.
Movie Turns to Podcast
The same streaming option wasn’t offered on my return flight from Minneapolis to Montreal. Entertainment was an epic fail, even though I was in business class on that sector. I choose to watch The Color Purple musical. Watch is the wrong word. It was more like a musical podcast since the screen was black with a few shadows for most of the flight. Disappointing. I had no idea of what characters looked like and will probably watch it again when given another opportunity. Still, the rest of the flight lived up to expectations.
Oh, Canada
Speaking about business class from Minneapolis to Montreal, I give Air Canada a big thumbs up. Mother Nature gave us a slight delay. Freezing Minnesota temperatures necessitated de-icing of the plane, but the flight was smooth. There were so many plusses. Our business class flight attendant was professional and efficient. The wider seats with tray tables in the armrest were significantly more comfortable than economy, giving me plenty of space to do some work, always a blessing.
Air Canada also started the day with a full breakfast. Passengers could choose between French toast and a second menu offering consisting of organic blueberry yogurt, an omelette with a sausage and hash browns and fresh grapes and orange slices. The selection of juices was also good: orange, apple and cranberry.
My Air Canada Review
So, what’s my overall review for my Air Canada experience between the U.S. and Canada? It made the grade.
Aircraft type – Embraer 175
Check-in – Excellent. Fast and hassle free
Airport staff – Polite and efficient
Seating – Economy seating as expected, business class seats quite comfortable
Flight attendants – Attentive and professional
Meals – Poor score for economy class, but good marks for business class
Entertainment – Sorry, Air Canada. You need to do better in this regard. Both my outgoing and incoming flights were riddled with entertainment issues. In addition to working out the technical glitches, a broader selection of films and other entertainment options is worth a look.
Maple Leaf Lounge – The Maple Leaf lounges are for business class passengers, those with membership in a qualifying program, or those lucky enough like me to receive a special invitation. I visited two of the three lounges at Montréal–Trudeau International Airport: the transborder lounge, pictured above, near Gate 75 and the International Lounge between Gates 52 and 53. The transborder lounge is ho hum, although they served a delicious chicken teriyaki on the day I visited. The International lounge Is roomy, comfortable and offered a wide range of food, beverages and seating options. They had an assortment of food choices during my visit, including a Montreal smoked meat sandwich, famous Montreal poutine, and a full bar. You can even take a shower there to freshen up before your flight. My only complaint is the women’s toilets. There is no room for your carry-on bags unless you use the handicapped toilets. I actually left my bag outside the stall and hoped nobody would walk off with it. Not a smart decision on my part, but it worked out okay.
Should you travel with Air Canada – Air Canada is an appropriate choice for travel to and from Canada, and they may offer the best pricing on the route. And there is something special about using the national carrier for a destination. Give it a try.
