Soliciting opinions on Air Canada

In My Humble Opinion
21

A number of things from my experiences flying between Calgary and Frankfurt ~11 times a year:

-If you like your grandparents serving you then you’ll like the wait staff on Air Canada. Anyone notice how the food carts are actually walkers in disguise? I feel guilty for asking for another drink. I don’t want anyone breaking a hip getting it for me.

-Three languages for every frikin’ announcement! Really, what is the chance that a French speaking person flying from Calgary to Frankfurt doesn’t understand English or German enough to get the gist of your blather? Shut up already and turn on the damn entertainment system!

-Entertainment system. Yeah, great, but what the hell is it with all the National Filmboard crap? And yes, I like international films with subtitles, but how about changing them once in a while, too?

-All the new planes go to Montreal, Toronto, and then Vancouver. The Calgary to Frankfurt flight which is fully booked all the time and could do with a bigger, newer plane. When do they finally upgrade the plane? In the last couple of months when Lufthansa started a competing flight for the same route.

-The A330 out of Calgary. There is no overhead storage over the middle aisles in business class. What dumbnut decided that business travelers wanted to store their laptops and business papers in the hold rather than carry it with them? Every single time I get on that plane it is a game of musical chairs to see who is the last person standing with no place to put their bags.

-As to checking luggage I can’t tell you much as I stopped doing so years ago due to them losing mine so often. (well, I did check a bag at the first of the year that did arrive where and when I did, but my odds had been 60% before then so it wasn’t much of an indication that they’d improved much).

-I got an email from them announcing that as a Super Elite member they we offering me special insurance for a low price of not more than the typical cab ride to the airport. If for any reason the plane is delayed they will make their best effort to ensure I was on the next plane to my destination, or got a hotel while I waited for that flight, etc… Uh, I’m a Super Elite member. I have a special concierge line I can call to arrange stuff like this, don’t I? You taking that away from me and forcing me to pay for it now? I also fly business class. Isn’t that one of the reasons I pay a premium for doing so?

-What do you mean I can’t book my wife in business class using my aeroplan points unless I am also booked on points on the same plane at the same time? Even if I’m booked full fare business class, I can’t have her sit next to me using points. She’d have to sit in cattle in the back while I flew in front (or vice versa, as I’d probably want sex sometime during our vacation).

-Yeah, I know that the wait staff are all post-menopausal elderly women with one foot in the grave, but can’t we turn the heat at least down into the 20’s?

22

Hey Uzi, I think I have good news for you. Lufthansa has daily Calgary Frankfurt service now.

As for the age of the attendants, my cousin explained that because there were so many lay-offs at AC, which were strictly by seniority, the ones left over are well into the second half of their career. They’re the ones who fondly remember the government-run monopoly that AC once was, when you didn’t have to do anything so demeaning as to actually be nice to passengers; or hurry-up, for that matter.

23

I flew that one back from Frankfurt two weeks ago.

I still feel guilty about asking someone my mother’s age to serve me. I feel I should get up and help with the dishes or something!

24

I think they may be hiring young people again–there were a few under-25s on my recent flights to/from Toronto. I actually would have liked an older flight attendant or two; maybe then they would have known how to make a simple highball. After receiving my drink, I had to ask the attendant to put some ice in it! And this was business class too. :eek:

25

Wait a minute! When was Air Canada actually a monopoly?

Government subsidised, yes; flag carrier, yes; but was there ever a time when all other airlines were banned for domestic service in Canada? I thought it was similar to Petro-Canada: it may have been an arm of the federal government, and it may have been the only service in specific local markets, but overall it always competed with private companies.

26

At one time, yes.

In more recent times, the Federal Government strictly regulated competition. Air Canada was given the most lucrative routes, but also the responsibility (obligation) of providing service to less profitable routes.

Smaller carriers were granted regional licenses, but not the long haul domestic routes. Air Canada was the only carrier granted international rights.

It’s only about the last 20 years that the industry in Canada has been deregulated and become an open market.

Wardair was extremely successful, but only as a charter carrier. They faltered and died when they took on scheduled routes at the time of deregulation. See bullying - Air Canada.

Some interesting reading here.

27

As with any airline, there’s lots to love and hate about Air Canada. I have Super Elite status with them, predominantly because they’re the only carrier that flies Toronto to Tokyo direct (now with Boeing 777-300s, no less!). I’ve also flown a lot on most other North American and European carriers, and in almost all areas, Air Canada is average or above-average (which is sad in its own way…).