Air Canada

[DanJ]

I tried using mine for our flights last year and they stopped booking flights within the US it seemed. I was actually cheaper to pay for Delta flights out of Detroit than to use Air Miles for AC or Weatjet out of Toronto and pay the taxes. I've cashed out a bunch for gift certificates and I'm enjoying the IPad I also redeemed them for lol

[Mom2B&Z]

You might actually consider signing up for WestJet Rewards instead of hoping Air Miles works out for you.

Air Canada doesn't give Air Miles, it gives Aeroplan points. Two completely separate entities. And unless West Jet recently changed their rewards program, you need to spend $1500/year/person to get anything. I spent over $5000 on WJ flights last year for 4 different people and have nothing to show for it, except the flights.

[DanJ]

Air Canada doesn't give Air Miles' date=' it gives Aeroplan points. Two completely separate entities. [/quote']

 

Never said they were anything to do with each other. The person I was replying to was saying they were dropping Aeroplan in favour of Air Miles and intended to use them on WestJet (they could also use them on Air Canada if they so chose as well). I simply suggetsed they look at the Westjet Rewards program to see if it works out better for them, as Air Miles are becoming harder to use as well.

[merf149]

I live out west and I fly both airlines about 3-4 times each year. If the flight is more that 2 hours.........I never fly Westjet unless I absolutely have to. The seats on the westjet's aircraft are very very uncomfortable. Flying across Canada its always a Emb 190 or airbus 321......seats are very nice. Across the pond I try to pick a boeing 767-300. Did not find the seats on the airbus 340 very good.

 

 

Westjet is a good airline and so is Air Canada but I have had my luggage lost/been late/cancelled flights with both airlines.

I missed my connection in Toronto on my last Air Canada flight.....Air Canada provide Hotel/dinner/transportation/overnight bags with clothes and all the necessary equipment in it.

 

If I had to pick which airline to fly if they both had the same schedule and flights......always Air Canada.

[cruiseryyc]

If I had to pick which airline to fly if they both had the same schedule and flights......always Air Canada.

 

Just have to hope that the Air Canada pilots are not all off sick on the same day :-) No unions to worry about with West Jet.

[iancal]

I live in Calgary. I have flown on Air Canada and Westjet extensively.

 

My first choice is always Air Canada. More planes, more options in case something goes south. Westjet cabin service gets stale very quickly once you have been on many flights.

 

Many people seem to think Westjet is always less expensive. Not so...because I would always check prior to making business travel recommendations.

 

Just one person's opinion...take it or leave it.

[BridgeMates]

Just have to hope that the Air Canada pilots are not all off sick on the same day :-) No unions to worry about with West Jet.

 

Just booked AC to Rome in May, is there something I should start worrying about?

[cruiseryyc]

Just booked AC to Rome in May, is there something I should start worrying about?

 

Air Canada and some of their unions are having some disagreements at the moment. Canadian Government has stepped in to prevent strikes and I'm sure by the time May rolls around it all be settled.

[BridgeMates]

Air Canada and some of their unions are having some disagreements at the moment. Canadian Government has stepped in to prevent strikes and I'm sure by the time May rolls around it all be settled.

 

Thanks....somewhat relieved.

[DanJ]

The government prevented strikes and lockouts. Didn't seem to help the chaos at Toronto this past weekend though. A few sick calls, some mechanical issues, overtime refusals, throw in some fog and March Break volumes, adds up to a real mess. Maybe if there wasn't such a toxic work environment, some of those issues wouldn't have happened.

[BridgeMates]

The government prevented strikes and lockouts. Didn't seem to help the chaos at Toronto this past weekend though. A few sick calls, some mechanical issues, overtime refusals, throw in some fog and March Break volumes, adds up to a real mess. Maybe if there wasn't such a toxic work environment, some of those issues wouldn't have happened.

 

 

:eek: Darn, now I have to start worrying again!

[no fuss travel]

Air Canada is hit or miss. The flight from Sao Paulo to Toronto was good, The flight from Toronto to Vancouver was so so. If I have the chance to fly WestJet, I prefer because the service is much nicer and if the washrooms need cleaning, the airline staff will do it whereas the union on Air Canada dictates who can do what.

[wilsonqbc]

What a Joke Air Canada is becoming, but today was no Joke for so many,

Some will def be missing their cruises, why can other airlines just seem to operate well without all these screw ups, We bail them out, they still loose money. They dont give a rats ass about their customers, who will certainly look elsewhere before going through the stress of Air Canada.... ongoing problems again

[wilsonqbc]

I have racked up close to 1 million Aeroplan miles, You have to use the plus option which eats up 3 x as normal for economy flight if you want to get somewhere without a 12 hour connection delay or a overnight, Not always, but it seems its getting more harder to find the easy direct flight. they can have you zig zagging all over the place instead of a easy one. :eek:

[DanJ]

What they need is for the government to stop interfering. The company can sit back knowing the government will step in and block a strike, so they don't have any pressure to negotiate. Now we have all these work stoppages going on, like last weekend with the pilots calling in sick, and this week with the baggage handlers (caused by an irresponsible manager, in my opinion). If the government was out of the way, the sides would be able to actually negotiate. And if there was going to be a work stoppage, at least notice would be given, and the public would know about it, and the time pressure would help in the negotiating process.

[Tinkerbellcgy]

What they need is for the government to stop interfering. The company can sit back knowing the government will step in and block a strike, so they don't have any pressure to negotiate. Now we have all these work stoppages going on, like last weekend with the pilots calling in sick, and this week with the baggage handlers (caused by an irresponsible manager, in my opinion). If the government was out of the way, the sides would be able to actually negotiate. And if there was going to be a work stoppage, at least notice would be given, and the public would know about it, and the time pressure would help in the negotiating process.

I think it's a given that the government will keep stepping in and interfering with Air Canada's woes. It's no surprise that the government sticks their nose in simply because Air Canada is the "airline of choice" for the Members of Parliament who are flying to and from their constituencies on a routine and regular basis. It seems that the view of the MP's is that they cannot be inconvenienced when it comes to their air travel so if there are any labour disputes, the government simply orders them back to work. It's purely selfish on the government's part and, in my viewpoint, has absolutely nothing to do with the travelling general public being inconvenienced. In my view, the general public just happens to be a tag-a-long that gleans a benefit because of the MP's not wanting to be inconvenienced.

[Johanna7]

We fly both. As we prefer direct, non stop flights, Air Canada is the only one going from Toronto and San Diego and reverse. Ditto with Seattle. On routes where both fly, the prices are alike. One thing, both charge for meals, $7 each for a stale sandwich but AC has free movies and WJ now charges 6 bucks for a movie.

 

Yes, Terminal one is better in some ways as you can drop off your bags immediately and with Terminal 3 (there is no 2, it has been closed for years) you have to drag your tagged bags to where they put them on carousel of some sort. Does give you time though to stuff in your jacket which may have made your bag overweight. We push the envelope there.

 

We are flying Porter for the first time ever on April 29 for a cruise to Bermuda out of EWR, cruise NYC port. First time in EWR as well. Yes, Billy Bishop Airport at the Islands. Still a ferry (short) as a previous Mayor would not allow a tunnel but our current one is good with it.

 

I guess it is about a tie which one is better. Depends on where you are going.

[Host Mike]

FYI _

 

American Express Global Business Travel

Air Canada Cancels Some Flights Amid Pilot Protest– 13 April 2012

 

Situation overview

American Express Business Travel has learned from media reports that Air Canada issued a nation-wide travel alert early today amid reports that some pilots may call in sick in protest. Air Canada and Jazz have issued a warning that flights may be delayed or cancelled Friday and possibly into Saturday as well.

 

American Express Global Business Travel is monitoring the situation. While we strive to communicate when there are changes to flight schedules that may impact travel, we do not always receive advance notice.

 

Recommendations for Travellers and Travel Bookers

• Travellers should contact the airline or airport to find out if their scheduled flight to / from / through or within impacted areas will depart as normal before travelling to the airport.

• If you would like to change your booking, or your travel arrangements are cancelled, please contact us via your normal booking channel.

• Travellers are advised to pay attention to local news reports.

• In an emergency, travellers are encouraged to follow the guidance of local authorities.

 

Recommendations for Travel Managers

• Share the “Recommendations for Travellers and Travel Bookers” with your employees, as appropriate.

• Double-check your Travel Alert urgency levels to ensure you are getting the latest updates on this situation.

• Advise employees of potentially longer hold times due to the situation, and that they may choose to delay calls regarding non-urgent or future travel booking requests to our travel centres or utilise online booking tools (where available) to avoid longer than average hold times.

• Stay in regular contact with travellers who may be impacted, and forward them any e-mail updates you receive from American Express Global Business Travel.

• Encourage travellers to check local news reports.

• If an upcoming flight is cancelled, travellers should be reminded to cancel their hotel rooms and car rentals as well.

 

As always, thank you for your partnership as we work together through challenging situations that impact you and your travelers.

[OVgirl]

I noticed some excellent pricing today on Air Canada for flights next February 2013.

Maybe they need to bribe people to fly with them.

[KAWS]

I noticed some excellent pricing today on Air Canada for flights next February 2013.

Maybe they need to bribe people to fly with them.

 

Thank you for this information. I went to the Air Canada site and booked our flights for next March's trip. I couldn't believe the price!! Never have we ever flown for so little money. Once again, thanks to Cruise Critic I just saved a pile of cash. :D Yes it's early but I didn't want to wait and have the prices skyrocket back up as I'm sure they will once all this strife with Air Canada is over.

[em-sk]

Thank you for this information. I went to the Air Canada site and booked our flights for next March's trip. I couldn't believe the price!! Never have we ever flown for so little money. Once again, thanks to Cruise Critic I just saved a pile of cash. :D Yes it's early but I didn't want to wait and have the prices skyrocket back up as I'm sure they will once all this strife with Air Canada is over.

 

Same thing here. I am booked from Saskatoon to Rome and back for $1100 all included. An excellent price.

 

I have traveled extensively on both Air Canada and WestJet. Both are very good airlines in comparison to the most North America airlines. Domestically they are book pretty good.

 

I find WestJet staff are a bit more friendly that Air Canada generally. WestJet does code-share and/or interline with American, Delta, Air France, British Airways, Cathay, KLM and a few others. My experience with Westjet codeshare on American Airlines operated flights is WestJet agents have problems printing the American boarding passes and American Agents have problems printing the WestJet boarding passes. The reservations are all good but at the transfer airport you need to hunt down an agent for the operating airlines.

 

When there are delays or problems, Air Canada does an excellent job of rerouting onto other flights they operate or their Star Alliance partners. Air Canada also does a better job of integrates their systems with their alliance partners.

 

I would chose Air Canada, then WestJet. Both are better the American, United, or Delta.

[calliopecruiser]

Without a doubt Air Canada. Every time.

 

I get Aeroplan points, which is a very economical way to travel first class to/from Europe.

 

I really dislike the "chatty" and "friendly" attitude of WJ attendants - well, at least the last time I flew with them which was, admittedly, over 5 years ago. It doesn't make me happy or comfortable, it makes me feel like I'm in the hands of unprofessional staff.

 

I would much rather travel in/out of T1 at Pearson.

 

There are more connections and routes in case there are issues.

 

The last time my bag missed a connection (only the second time in 20 years of flying at least 5 or 6 flights a year), they were professional, quick, and delivered the bag to my home within 24 hours.

[DougYWG]

Interesting that nobody has commented on this so I will. WestJet started out as a lo-cost carrier modelled on Southwest. Host Mike wanted a two hour flight and WestJet was $2 cheaper. Two measly bucks? Why wasn't it half the price? Compare Ryanair and BA for any trip you like. It can vary a lot but Ryanair comes in at one third of the BA price and they make a profit. WestJet has lost the plot. They look more like Air Canada every day. Daft b*gg*rs.

[Zach1213]

Interesting that nobody has commented on this so I will. WestJet started out as a lo-cost carrier modelled on Southwest. Host Mike wanted a two hour flight and WestJet was $2 cheaper. Two measly bucks? Why wasn't it half the price? Compare Ryanair and BA for any trip you like. It can vary a lot but Ryanair comes in at one third of the BA price and they make a profit. WestJet has lost the plot. They look more like Air Canada every day. Daft b*gg*rs.

People often misunderstand what "low-cost" means. It doesn't necessarily mean it's low-cost to the customer, and airlines like WestJet and Southwest prove that. In its truest form, "low-cost carrier" means the airlines costs are lower...shorter turnaround times = more aircraft utilization = lower costs per hour. Hedging fuel = lower costs for the airlines. They sometimes, but not always, pass that along to the customer; however, by definition, low-cost carriers mean low-cost operation, not always low-cost tickets.

[scottbee]

Interesting that nobody has commented on this so I will. WestJet started out as a lo-cost carrier modelled on Southwest. Host Mike wanted a two hour flight and WestJet was $2 cheaper. Two measly bucks? Why wasn't it half the price? Compare Ryanair and BA for any trip you like. It can vary a lot but Ryanair comes in at one third of the BA price and they make a profit. WestJet has lost the plot. They look more like Air Canada every day. Daft b*gg*rs.

 

Air Canada 2012Q1: $210million loss

Westjet 2012Q1: $68million profit

 

So who exactly are the 'Daft B*gg*rs' ?