ALESSTHANBUBBLY EXPERIENCE

My wife and I were business class passengers on flight AC003 from Vancouver to Tokyo on May 30, 2019.

I had told my wife that from previous experience, Air Canada was an excellent airline. I was about to be proven wrong. After battling the chaos of Vancouver Airport, we checked in at the rather sad little business class area. Finally, reaching the Maple Leaf Lounge, we were told there were no boarding calls unless the flight was delayed. Also, the lounge was over two levels, but upstairs was closed off.

Perhaps a glass of champagne to celebrate the flight? No, sorry, Air Canada does not offer sparkling wine, let alone champagne.

We arrived at Gate D46 at boarding time and I immediately knew there was a problem. The crew were sitting down with the other passengers. So much for the lounge’s cooperation. The 30-minute delay turned into 50, with very little apology and no explanation.

We were in our middle double seat and I tried to lower the divider, but it was fixed. The reason given by the flight attendant: “Most of our passengers are businessmen and don’t need to talk to the passenger next to them.”

Interestingly, at least the first five rows were occupied by couples who appeared to be travelling together. Service on board was slow and unprofessional and, when it did arrive, the champagne was lukewarm. We were not offered a second glass.

On three occasions I pushed the Call Button and it was never answered, even though the crew were moving up and down the aisles. The two meals offered on the flight were very poor and lacklustre. The crew knew very little about the wines offered.

The man in charge of the flight was tight-lipped, never smiled, never asked if everything was okay – and added insult to injury by standing behind my seat, tapping me on the shoulder and telling me he wanted my earphones as we were descending into Narita. I explained I was watching a movie, but he still demanded my earphones and then put a little packet into my hand.

It was a pair of economy earphones/ plugs. He said nothing, and flounced up to the galley.

I consider him to be a very poor ambassador for Air Canada. The whole experience was substandard compared to other international airlines and has caused me to put Air Canada at the bottom of my list for future travel.

Kevin Jackson, Australia