casanovawa
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- Jan 17, 2011
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This is a flight review of an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong. While it was one of their higher density 77Ws it was a pretty decent flight up in J, while maybe a bit squeezy back in Y...
If you want the full review with pictures it can be found here... http://www.lifestobelived.com/2015/0...usiness-class/
Summary
What’s to like – A nice aircraft, some pretty good food and options for snacking during the flight and friendly helpful crew made the flight an enjoyable one.
Could improve – Nothing really, anything would be more nit picking. Its worth noting the different configurations of some of the rows in business class depending on how you are travelling.
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Flight number – AC 7
Seat Number – 2A and then switched to 1A.
Aircraft type – 777-300ER
Check in – Arriving at the airport pretty hassle free on the train, check in was quick and painless using the priority boarding queue for business class passengers and then also receiving a sticker on my boarding pass which allowed for quick access to the security screening line.
Lounge – I used the Air Canada Domestic Maple Leaf lounge which was a pleasant lounge, some pictures below but the full review of the lounge is HERE.
Seat – Air Canada have two versions of their 777-300ER, 12 older lower density configured aircraft (2 class aircraft with total seating for 349 seats and 3-3-3 in economy) and 5 new higher density configured aircraft (3 class aircraft with total seating of 458 and a 3-4-3 configuration in economy).
On their Vancouver to Hong Kong route Air Canada use one of the higher density configured aircraft. On this version of their 77W in business class Air Canada have a 7 row business cabin with a total of 36 seats. The rows are staggered with one row being 2-2-2 with a following row of 1-2-1 then 2-2-2 similar to Austrian Airlines seating arrangements. The details of the seat are a fully flat reclining seat with a width of 52 cm (20.5”) and a length of 191 to 198 cm (6’3” to 6’6”) in lie-flat mode.
I chose 2A because it is a window seat that has only 1 seat next to the window meaning no seat mate which can be preferable when travelling on your own. The seat had plenty of space on both sides for arranging all the items the modern traveller has with them including a camera or two, pad or tablet etc. On quite a few flights I find there is a lack of storage space for all these items, but this seat has plenty of room for all of them.
The seat also has a number of power outlet options with two USB sockets and a space for a plug allowing connection of various pin arrangements. Noise cancelling headsets were also distributed shortly after take-off, it would perhaps have been nice if these had been distributed prior to take-off or just available at your seat like with the amenity kit.
If this choice of seat in this layout of cabin has one draw back it is that that the receptacle where your feet go when the seat is converted into a bed goes between the two seats of the row in front. This means that the foot well is fairly narrow in width and height compared to the seats laid out in the 2-2-2 rows, I’ve included photos for comparison.
Because the two seats in the row directly in front of me did not have any passengers in them about half way through the flight when I wanted to have a lie down I asked if I could lay in 1A and the Flight Attendant suggested that I could move there for the rest of the flight which I did.
So to sum up, the window seats in the 2 seat configuration have less space around them and have the draw-back of a seat mate, which can make for some mid-flight gymnastics trying to get out to go to the bathroom or stretch legs etc, but they do have more space for your feet in the bed mode. I guess it comes down to if you’re travelling with a companion (in which case two seats next to each might be preferable) or on your own (in which case a seat on your own might be nice but with the proviso there will be less room for feet in bed mode) as to maybe which row you might like to choose.
Amenity kit – Air Canada’s amenity kit was pretty decent. It came in a little wrap around pouch and had most of the basics, an eye mask, socks, toothbrush, ear plugs together with lip balm, moisturiser and a little towelette.
Entertainment – Air Canada’s business class seat has a nice 39 cm (15.4”) touch-screen TV and noise-cancellation headphones. The IFE system had a pretty decent selection of movies and other entertainment options to choose from.
Food and beverages – The food was of a reasonable quality on the flight although a few things might have been better.
Here are the menus:
I started off with a pre take of drink and then once the seat belt sign went off I ordered a bourbon and coke and this came with some nuts.
Appetiser was a dish of Seared pepper-crusted ahi tuna and marinated prawn on a fennel dill salad with yellow pepper sauce. The tuna tasted ok, I’ve probably tasted better, but it was ok. The prawn would’ve been nice but when cutting it I noticed that even though it looked like it had been ‘de-veined’ it hadn’t been, so I left that uneaten.
This was accompanied by a salad of mixed greens, grape tomatoes and parmesan with balsamic vinaigrette which although simple was a decent salad for an airline. A couple of types of bread were offered and I went for a sour dough roll.
For the main meal I chose the Roasted Atlantic salmon served with a Pinot Grigio sauce, barley risotto and a vegetable medley. This tasted pretty good and I finished everything apart from a few bit of squash or aubergine.
A cheese course followed with a nice selection of cheeses with some grapes and crackers and a glass of port.
To finish off for dessert there was a choice of Tuxedo cake with chocolate buttercream or Seasonal fruit. I had the cake which was nice and not too heavy along with a glass of Grand Marnier and after the trolley came back from serving everyone I was able to ask for a small serve of the fruit as well .
Mid-flight there were baskets with fruit or chips and chocolate available for self-serve up the front of the cabin.
Snacks were also available on the menu during the flight and with about 6 hours to go I chose to have some Orange ginger chicken skewers and a selection of Dim Sum of siu mai, har gau and shrimp and spinach. Both of these were nice.
Prior to arrival a light meal was also served. This started with some fruit and some chocolates.
Next came a main meal of grilled chicken, carrots and wild rice which was quite tasty.
Service quality – I found the crew helpful and friendly to anything I asked of them, it was nice to have a crew that seemed happy and wanting to provide good service.
On time – There were slight headwinds on the flight, but we arrived into Hong Kong pretty much on time.
Conclusion – A nice flight, the equipment was pretty good, the service was good and the food was pretty decent. I hear different things about Air Canada, but if this was the quality of flight they offered always I’d be happy to fly them.
Anyone else flown this route? What did you think?
Summary
What’s to like – A nice aircraft, some pretty good food and options for snacking during the flight and friendly helpful crew made the flight an enjoyable one.
Could improve – Nothing really, anything would be more nit picking. Its worth noting the different configurations of some of the rows in business class depending on how you are travelling.
—————————————————————————————————————
Flight number – AC 7
Seat Number – 2A and then switched to 1A.
Aircraft type – 777-300ER
Check in – Arriving at the airport pretty hassle free on the train, check in was quick and painless using the priority boarding queue for business class passengers and then also receiving a sticker on my boarding pass which allowed for quick access to the security screening line.
Lounge – I used the Air Canada Domestic Maple Leaf lounge which was a pleasant lounge, some pictures below but the full review of the lounge is HERE.
Seat – Air Canada have two versions of their 777-300ER, 12 older lower density configured aircraft (2 class aircraft with total seating for 349 seats and 3-3-3 in economy) and 5 new higher density configured aircraft (3 class aircraft with total seating of 458 and a 3-4-3 configuration in economy).
On their Vancouver to Hong Kong route Air Canada use one of the higher density configured aircraft. On this version of their 77W in business class Air Canada have a 7 row business cabin with a total of 36 seats. The rows are staggered with one row being 2-2-2 with a following row of 1-2-1 then 2-2-2 similar to Austrian Airlines seating arrangements. The details of the seat are a fully flat reclining seat with a width of 52 cm (20.5”) and a length of 191 to 198 cm (6’3” to 6’6”) in lie-flat mode.
I chose 2A because it is a window seat that has only 1 seat next to the window meaning no seat mate which can be preferable when travelling on your own. The seat had plenty of space on both sides for arranging all the items the modern traveller has with them including a camera or two, pad or tablet etc. On quite a few flights I find there is a lack of storage space for all these items, but this seat has plenty of room for all of them.
The seat also has a number of power outlet options with two USB sockets and a space for a plug allowing connection of various pin arrangements. Noise cancelling headsets were also distributed shortly after take-off, it would perhaps have been nice if these had been distributed prior to take-off or just available at your seat like with the amenity kit.
If this choice of seat in this layout of cabin has one draw back it is that that the receptacle where your feet go when the seat is converted into a bed goes between the two seats of the row in front. This means that the foot well is fairly narrow in width and height compared to the seats laid out in the 2-2-2 rows, I’ve included photos for comparison.
Because the two seats in the row directly in front of me did not have any passengers in them about half way through the flight when I wanted to have a lie down I asked if I could lay in 1A and the Flight Attendant suggested that I could move there for the rest of the flight which I did.
So to sum up, the window seats in the 2 seat configuration have less space around them and have the draw-back of a seat mate, which can make for some mid-flight gymnastics trying to get out to go to the bathroom or stretch legs etc, but they do have more space for your feet in the bed mode. I guess it comes down to if you’re travelling with a companion (in which case two seats next to each might be preferable) or on your own (in which case a seat on your own might be nice but with the proviso there will be less room for feet in bed mode) as to maybe which row you might like to choose.
Amenity kit – Air Canada’s amenity kit was pretty decent. It came in a little wrap around pouch and had most of the basics, an eye mask, socks, toothbrush, ear plugs together with lip balm, moisturiser and a little towelette.
Entertainment – Air Canada’s business class seat has a nice 39 cm (15.4”) touch-screen TV and noise-cancellation headphones. The IFE system had a pretty decent selection of movies and other entertainment options to choose from.
Food and beverages – The food was of a reasonable quality on the flight although a few things might have been better.
Here are the menus:
I started off with a pre take of drink and then once the seat belt sign went off I ordered a bourbon and coke and this came with some nuts.
Appetiser was a dish of Seared pepper-crusted ahi tuna and marinated prawn on a fennel dill salad with yellow pepper sauce. The tuna tasted ok, I’ve probably tasted better, but it was ok. The prawn would’ve been nice but when cutting it I noticed that even though it looked like it had been ‘de-veined’ it hadn’t been, so I left that uneaten.
This was accompanied by a salad of mixed greens, grape tomatoes and parmesan with balsamic vinaigrette which although simple was a decent salad for an airline. A couple of types of bread were offered and I went for a sour dough roll.
For the main meal I chose the Roasted Atlantic salmon served with a Pinot Grigio sauce, barley risotto and a vegetable medley. This tasted pretty good and I finished everything apart from a few bit of squash or aubergine.
A cheese course followed with a nice selection of cheeses with some grapes and crackers and a glass of port.
To finish off for dessert there was a choice of Tuxedo cake with chocolate buttercream or Seasonal fruit. I had the cake which was nice and not too heavy along with a glass of Grand Marnier and after the trolley came back from serving everyone I was able to ask for a small serve of the fruit as well .
Mid-flight there were baskets with fruit or chips and chocolate available for self-serve up the front of the cabin.
Snacks were also available on the menu during the flight and with about 6 hours to go I chose to have some Orange ginger chicken skewers and a selection of Dim Sum of siu mai, har gau and shrimp and spinach. Both of these were nice.
Prior to arrival a light meal was also served. This started with some fruit and some chocolates.
Next came a main meal of grilled chicken, carrots and wild rice which was quite tasty.
Service quality – I found the crew helpful and friendly to anything I asked of them, it was nice to have a crew that seemed happy and wanting to provide good service.
On time – There were slight headwinds on the flight, but we arrived into Hong Kong pretty much on time.
Conclusion – A nice flight, the equipment was pretty good, the service was good and the food was pretty decent. I hear different things about Air Canada, but if this was the quality of flight they offered always I’d be happy to fly them.
Anyone else flown this route? What did you think?
