We recently took a trip back home to the UK and decided to go on Air Canada this time.
Booking The Flights
There was no issue booking our flights online but had some difficulties with their system entering other information they were asking for. Air Canada is known for its website and computer systems not quite working very well. However, when we called they were able to fix the issue quickly.
YVR to LHR AC854 7/8 March 2019
At YVR
- Check in was very easy, there were more agents then there were customers, machines were easy to understand, staff very friendly.
- Boarding the flight was crazy with a sea of passengers all over the place, couldn’t hear what agents were saying, staff checking tickets were friendly though
On the plane
- In the age of very expensive checked luggage many people try to cram in their stuff in the cabin, this caused the usual chaos on this flight which is not fair for staff as they already have quite a lot to resolve with many passengers on this flight.
- The flight was delayed due to de-icing of the hull and they hadn’t emptied the toilet tanks, all this could have been done earlier if they had organized themselves properly.
- On the surface, the aircraft looked ok but the seats in economy were extremely tight and very uncomfortable especially for someone who has a bad back. A 9 hours flight was quite painful.
- The food was awful, quite inedible, probably the worst airline meal I’ve had in many years.
- There was a wide gap in-between the seats in front which meant you were a victim of the flashing TV screen in front. No chance of falling asleep, even when closing your eyes you could see the flashing of the TV. Also, if the TV in front had adult orientated content a child would clearly be able to see that. A very poor design issue between Air Canada and Boeing.
- There was an overdose issue on the plane, obviously, someone had over-enjoyed themselves in Vancouver, the staff handled this quite well and luckily there was a health care professional on the flight.
LHR to YVR AC855 14 March 2019
Issues with check in because the process wouldn’t complete its workflow. Spent 3 hours trying to resolve it and ended up paying CAD $49 in phone charges. We were not impressed.
At LHR
No problems at Heathrow check-in. Much easier boarding process than in Vancouver.
On the plane
- Much nicer flight than the YVR to LHR journey.
- Freezing cold for part of the flight.
- No problems with tv screen of person in front as no one was there.
- The main meal was still inedible but luckily we had come prepared and ate well prior to the flight, we’ll remember that next time we fly via Air Canada.
- Ice cream and cookies being served at the mid-point of the flight was a very nice surprise.
Other Issues
I tried using their iPhone app. However, as many reviewers report it really doesn’t work well. Air Canada does seem to have quite a few IT issues, unfortunately.
Summary
Air Canada isn’t really my airline of choice, I’ve had previous issues with the airline but this was the right schedule and the right price, but overall uncomfortable.