Video Report


Air Canada AC117 - Toronto to Calgary - Boeing 767-300ER (C-FTCA)



Background


Hello A'Netters. This is the third part of the Canadian escapades series.

The first part Part 1 - Canadian Escapades - London to Montreal - BA 787-8

The second part Part 2 - Canadian Escapades - Quebec to Toronto - WestJet Encore Dash8 Q400

After our time in the East it as now time to head towards the western part of Canada and experience the magnificent Canadian Rockies (Banff and Jasper)

Flight from Toronto to Calgary. We booked using points on United. 12.5K points + £16 job done, as compared to ~£230 per ticket!

Seats were automatically assigned, but not able to amend or view them on Air Canada website. We were also informed that there would be a CAD25 per luggage to be checked in

Rang the customer care number the next day, an agent in Pune, India, very helpful. Got my seats changed such that my wife and myself sit together. Got a window and aisle on the beautiful B767-300. He also gave me AC's PNR number which enabled me to confirm and manage (well, semi-manage as most of the functionalities were blocked since this was a United redemption ticket) my booking on Air Canada website. Another slick website and very neat looking. Absolutely love it.
Checked AC's B767, and they seem to be ancient! 28 years old! Good lord!

But on the whole the booking process was grand. United redemption booking was near perfect --> Clear and concise website, transparent information, good selection of flights and above all, the price paid for it was unbelievable given how pricey domestic travel in Canada can be. So over all a very satisfactory result.

This was my first inter airline redemption booking. I have previously always done redemption booking using points for the same airlines. This worked really well and hope to have a good flight.

Thanks for Gcmaps for the below illustration:

This part of the trip:



Entire trip:





Air Canada- AC 117
Route: YYZ - YYC
Flight Reg:C-FTCA; Originally part of Canadian Airlines delivered on April 1989 and then delivered to Air Canada on October 2001. At current time of writing, the oldest aircraft travelled on, 28 years old.
Aircraft Type: Boeing 767-300ER
Seat: 20A
Flight time: 08:00 - 10:14 (08:39 - 10:31 )
Actual flight time: 3 Hr 52 Min
Distance: 1675 Miles
Load: 100 % load
23rd April 2017
My Log book: 1st flight on Air Canada / 6th flight on Boeing 767-300ER/ 133rd Total overall flight

Checked in online the day before. Very seamless and an intuitive process. Paid the CAD28.25 per bag to be checked in. Our pre-designated seats remained and the rest of the process was easy. Looking forward to the 767 ride tomorrow.

Day of the flight we took the 6 am shuttle from the hotel arriving at terminal 1 by 10 past. Was a busy time at the terminal. Self-checked in with boarding passes and baggage tags printed. 20 minutes to baggage drop. A further 25 minutes for security check. It was slow and the entire service felt lethargic. Airside by 7 am. There was a massive queue at the first Tim Horton. So we continued towards our gate and stopped by at the world's most expensive Camden food co. CAD 30 for a croissant, bottle of water, orange juice, yogurt and coffee!

Toronto Airport - Terminal 1






Check in kiosks


Air Canada check in desks






Heading towards security -> D Gates


Fun posters to while away time at the security line. Perhaps a long waiting time is the norm here?








Air side at Toronto - T1




Plane spotting at Toronto
The cool retro Air Canada - A319


Old or New?




FIDS



Should I eat here or save to buy a house?



There are other food options closer to gate D37 area. Just for information.

After a quick bite, boarding had already commenced by the time we arrived at the gates.

We were boarded by 7 40.

Near our gates -> Gate 37


There is our ride -> A beautiful and gracious 28 year old Boeing 767-300ER


Boarding done orderly in Zones



First impressions of the aircraft. It definitely didn't look like a 28 year old aircraft! Looks like Air Canada do a splendid job in maintaining their aircraft. Although it was a bit grubby. The aircraft arrived from LAX earlier this morning. Warm welcome on board.

Comfy seats




View from Row 20




Focusing is going to be a nightmare


Reading material


Old Skool timetable



The 767 easily has the best economy seating structure. Absolutely love the 2-3-2 layout. The leg space on this aircraft was superb.

Boarding complete at 0805.


Slight delay in disembarking. Expected of Toronto airport.

Disembarked at 0824. Airborne by 0840.

The take-off was silky smooth and we roared into the bright blue skies over Toronto.

AVOD -> Worked well throughout the flight, albeit a bit sluggish to respond


An Air Canada DreamLiner -> During taxiing


Soon after take off


A good laugh


Cabin view



Flight time of around 3 hr and 45 minutes announced. Expected to land at 1030 local time, in Calgary.

Within 30 minutes after being airborne the food run started. Had some wine and nuts along with pot noodles. All in for CAD 17. Pretty good value for money.

Rest of the flight was uneventful in a good way. Service was very good on this flight. Always with a smile. Actually the service was very good. Professional yet courteous.

Watched "Why Him?". A good laugh. Good movie for the flight.

Closed my eyes and tried to take some rest for an hour.

Meal on the flight



Landed 20 minutes behind schedule. We were asked to let passengers with tight connections leave the flight first. Gate information regarding connecting flights were announced.

Gates at Calgary


Exiting the aircraft - Business class flat beds


Exiting Calgary Airport



Bags arrived in 20 minutes after disembarking. On the whole had a very good first flight with air Canada. The main positives were the generous seat pitch on their 767 and decent entertainment for a short haul flight. They also had decent food options but were paid for.


Baggage Collection


Funky carousals








Time to collect our car



Verdict

A very good first experience on Air Canada, perhaps the main attributing factor would be the lovely Boeing 767-300ER.
We had a lovely cabin crew on this sector and apart from the minor delay, the rest of the flight was very good.

Looking forward to our time in the Canadian Rockies.

This is the third edition of this series. 2 more to come. Do stay tuned for the rest of the trip reports, due soon.


Until then keep the trip reports coming, and happy and safe flying, Adios!

Sights and sounds of Toronto and beyond

Our ride in Toronto - I want to buy it


Customary CN Towers. Did not go on top, though.


Distillery District




Niagara -> Better from the Canadian side

So that is what a no-drama trip looks like. Man, bring some of that over here to the states

Thanks KanaHawaii
Yeah, recently, States based airlines have not had the best time in the media, have they.

Great report and pictures. I was particularly interested by the pictures you took in the terminal in Toronto prior to departure, and those of the in-flight magazines, simply because it is interesting to see how the new Air Canada brand is being applied across the company, rather than just on the airplanes. Great job catching pictures of the TCA Retrojet too!

As for your in-flight experience; it seems pretty good, and those seats certainly look more welcoming than some economy seats I have seen! Nice to hear that the crew were friendly, and good to see that the aircraft, despite being 28 years old, was fully equipped with IFE - definitely a bonus.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks KLDC10.
Toronto is a very good airport to spot aircrafts and I got lucky with the retro AC A319.
Yes, was quietly surprised with the interiors, being 28 years old!
Those Boeing planes are surely well made

Flying domestically in Canada looks \the same as in the USA; the bear minimum.

No frill flying.