Air Canada Business Class Questions

[CruiserMickey]

My husband and I are considering splurging on Business Class flights to Venice from Vancouver (June 2020) to make the flights more comfortable for me and my chronic back/pain problems. This is likely our “one and done” trip to Europe, as I may not be able to travel long distances as my spine degenerates in the years to come, so comfort is key. If anyone could help with guidance, we would be very appreciative!

 

-What is a reasonable price to expect to pay? Currently each leg of the trip is priced at approx. $1850 pp.

 

-Are business class seats ever included in seat sales?

 

-How far in advance should we book our airfare? Do prices generally start low and increase getting closer to the flight date?

 

-Do you have any tips on how to make long haul flights more comfortable? Is there anything specific we should be looking for in seat configurations that’s may not show up on the seating charts?

 

Thanks for any help you can give!

[mhb1757]

I’m no expert on Air Canada but I do know the trip would be much easier  in Business. I would suggest you look at a site like Hopper that will give you a good idea of flight prices and when you might want to wait or buy. Seat Guru will give you good information on specific seats once you have decided on flights. 

[the mice]

Can't help you on the pricing since I'm in New York.   But we are flying (paid economy) to Vancouver next week and then in Business class from Vancouver to Melbourne in a Dreamliner 787-9 on frequent flyer miles.    

 

What are the connections on the flight you are looking at?   Do you have to fly Air Canada?   Do you have other options?

 

Prices for flights can vary - you can use Google flights flight tracker to watch for a while.   Also try Momondo - has tools to show you variation of price by days, and has a price tracker.

 

Look at the flight(s) you are interested in and see the type of aircraft.   Use SeatGuru to check out seat maps and note any less desirable seats.   

 

You might be able to find reviews online or even videos on YouTube.   For example, if you are connecting through Frankfurt, you could do an online search for " Air Canada Vancouver to Frankfurt Business Class Review " .   Or just search for  Air Canada Business Class Review and find one that matches up to the type of aircraft for the flight you are interested in.   I did that for the Air Canada flight I'm taking to Melbourne, and found lots of information and photos.

 

Hope this helps a little.

[CruiserMickey]

8 minutes ago, mhb1757 said:

I’m no expert on Air Canada but I do know the trip would be much easier  in Business. I would suggest you look at a site like Hopper that will give you a good idea of flight prices and when you might want to wait or buy. Seat Guru will give you good information on specific seats once you have decided on flights. 

 

Thank you! I have checked Seat Guru which helped to solidify our choice in Air Canada. Great site!

 

I have also checked with Hopper...still watching prices.

[CruiserMickey]

15 minutes ago, the mice said:

Can't help you on the pricing since I'm in New York.   But we are flying (paid economy) to Vancouver next week and then in Business class from Vancouver to Melbourne in a Dreamliner 787-9 on frequent flyer miles.    

 

What are the connections on the flight you are looking at?   Do you have to fly Air Canada?   Do you have other options?

 

Prices for flights can vary - you can use Google flights flight tracker to watch for a while.   Also try Momondo - has tools to show you variation of price by days, and has a price tracker.

 

Look at the flight(s) you are interested in and see the type of aircraft.   Use SeatGuru to check out seat maps and note any less desirable seats.   

 

You might be able to find reviews online or even videos on YouTube.   For example, if you are connecting through Frankfurt, you could do an online search for " Air Canada Vancouver to Frankfurt Business Class Review " .   Or just search for  Air Canada Business Class Review and find one that matches up to the type of aircraft for the flight you are interested in.   I did that for the Air Canada flight I'm taking to Melbourne, and found lots of information and photos.

 

Hope this helps a little.

 

There are lots of options for our flights since we are so far out yet, but we think we have decided on Air Canada because we thought the Business Class pods would give me the most comfortable ride compared to other airlines (specifically Lufthansa, which is associated with Air Canada). Other airlines didn’t seem to have layouts that had every seat with aisle access (so I could easily get up to walk around).

 

the best connection I have found is through Frankfurt, though there are options through Munich, as well.

 

I have watched many YouTube videos that show Business Class seats on many airlines. I wish we could fly WestJet, but the prices are almost double that of Air Canada, so that’s out. It’s just too expensive.

 

I am watching prices through various sites, and found an article on Skyscanner that said a west coast NA-Europe Business Class ticket “sweet spot” was $1800, which I why I am thinking we should book relatively soon beforehand prices go up. It’s just that we have never flown Business Class before (nor have we flown to Europe), so we have no experience in knowing if this is a “reasonable” price or not.

 

Thanks for your input!

Edited September 30, 2019 by CruiserMickey

[Fairgarth]

Sorry to pour cold water but.....Vancouver to Venice requires a connection in Toronto.  Toronto to Venice is on Rouge.  That means there is no Business Class but it does have Premium Economy.  Not even close.....You might want to consider long haul, non-stop e.g. Vancouver - Frankfurt on AC or Lufthansa in Business, then take the short haul to Venice, even in economy.  Have not tried Lufthansa but AC's long haul Business is very nice.  With genuine lie-flat seats on an overnight trip, you should survive better.

[CruiserMickey]

13 minutes ago, Fairgarth said:

Sorry to pour cold water but.....Vancouver to Venice requires a connection in Toronto.  Toronto to Venice is on Rouge.  That means there is no Business Class but it does have Premium Economy.  Not even close.....You might want to consider long haul, non-stop e.g. Vancouver - Frankfurt on AC or Lufthansa in Business, then take the short haul to Venice, even in economy.  Have not tried Lufthansa but AC's long haul Business is very nice.  With genuine lie-flat seats on an overnight trip, you should survive better.

 

Vancouver-Frankfurt then a short haul to Venice is exactly what we are looking at. 😊

[waterbug123]

8 hours ago, CruiserMickey said:

 

There are lots of options for our flights since we are so far out yet, but we think we have decided on Air Canada because we thought the Business Class pods would give me the most comfortable ride compared to other airlines (specifically Lufthansa, which is associated with Air Canada). Other airlines didn’t seem to have layouts that had every seat with aisle access (so I could easily get up to walk around).

 

 

 

If you are flying from Vancouver, you could look at a Delta itinerary through Seattle.   YVR to SEA is a short one hour hop, and from SEA you can fly nonstop to either Paris or Amsterdam, and connect from there on another relatively short hop to VCE.  The long haul flight from YVR to CDG/AMS in business class, whether operated by DL, AF, or KLM, would have 1-2-1 seating, meaning every seat has aisle access.

Edited September 30, 2019 by waterbug123

[fbgd]

Business and First Class pricing does work a little different to that of economy although many of the same principles apply.

 

Over the Atlantic in the summer months (particularly July and August) demand is weaker in the premium cabins as there is less business travel taking place during those months. You see that business and first class often go on sale whereas economy is higher due to greater demand in those cabins. However, you're flying to a leisure destination, and one with plenty of premium cabin demand and airlines will only put sales when they need to fill seats. Therefore the only way to really take advantage of the sales is to book the longhaul flight to an intermediary point such as London (which is reliably on sale during the summer months in premium cabin) to bag your sale fare, then book a separate ticket from there. That's risky for obvious reasons but also these sales aren't often announced until a couple of months beforehand for the most part, so you could wait around for something that'll never happen, particularly since June rarely is included in these sales, IME.

[CruiserMickey]

4 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

If you are flying from Vancouver, you could look at a Delta itinerary through Seattle.   YVR to SEA is a short one hour hop, and from SEA you can fly nonstop to either Paris or Amsterdam, and connect from there on another relatively short hop to VCE.  The long haul flight from YVR to CDG/AMS in business class, whether operated by DL, AF, or KLM, would have 1-2-1 seating, meaning every seat has aisle access.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I have checked Delta’s pricing and at this time, their flights are significantly more expensive, have less desirable layovers, or two stops. This was actually my first option to check, as we usually fly out of Seattle, as domestic flights are so much cheaper for us than flying out of YVR.

[CruiserMickey]

58 minutes ago, fbgd said:

Business and First Class pricing does work a little different to that of economy although many of the same principles apply.

 

Over the Atlantic in the summer months (particularly July and August) demand is weaker in the premium cabins as there is less business travel taking place during those months. You see that business and first class often go on sale whereas economy is higher due to greater demand in those cabins. However, you're flying to a leisure destination, and one with plenty of premium cabin demand and airlines will only put sales when they need to fill seats. Therefore the only way to really take advantage of the sales is to book the longhaul flight to an intermediary point such as London (which is reliably on sale during the summer months in premium cabin) to bag your sale fare, then book a separate ticket from there. That's risky for obvious reasons but also these sales aren't often announced until a couple of months beforehand for the most part, so you could wait around for something that'll never happen, particularly since June rarely is included in these sales, IME.

 

Thanks for this info. I think it conforms that’s if we want Business Class, then we should be purchasing our tickets now if we are comfortable with the price. 

[1982CruzStart]

Just be careful that you are really flying on AC and not on LH. They codeshare and often it is a LH plane out of YVR and not AC.  LH is fine but i don't find them as good as AC.  

If this is your one and only flight to Europe i don't recommend going through FRA. We flew business out of YVR last year on a codeshare flight that was on LH not AC that went through FRA and it was a nightmare.  I would pick flying through MUC before going through FRA.  Make sure you have plenty of time in FRA if you are going through there as it can take a lot of time  to transit through even with the advantage of the priority security line. When you change planes in FRA you have to go through passport control and then clear security again.  If you are unlucky enough to land at a time when there are other international flights landing it can get very backed up. 

Of course if you have checked and are sure it is AC then you will have a great flight. I love AC business class. 

Next month we are flying AC business from YVR to BCN but are going through Toronto and Zurich. I took that routing rather than fly through FRA again.   Looking forward to the flights. 

Good luck with getting the flights you want at a price that works for you. 

[CruiserMickey]

17 minutes ago, 1982CruzStart said:

Just be careful that you are really flying on AC and not on LH. They codeshare and often it is a LH plane out of YVR and not AC.  LH is fine but i don't find them as good as AC.  

If this is your one and only flight to Europe i don't recommend going through FRA. We flew business out of YVR last year on a codeshare flight that was on LH not AC that went through FRA and it was a nightmare.  I would pick flying through MUC before going through FRA.  Make sure you have plenty of time in FRA if you are going through there as it can take a lot of time  to transit through even with the advantage of the priority security line. When you change planes in FRA you have to go through passport control and then clear security again.  If you are unlucky enough to land at a time when there are other international flights landing it can get very backed up. 

Of course if you have checked and are sure it is AC then you will have a great flight. I love AC business class. 

Next month we are flying AC business from YVR to BCN but are going through Toronto and Zurich. I took that routing rather than fly through FRA again.   Looking forward to the flights. 

Good luck with getting the flights you want at a price that works for you. 

 

Thanks for the advice. I am watching the routes carefully, as we’d had hoped to fly on the Dreamliner. Unfortunately the price has gone up $500pp each way, and the schedule has changed to a less desirable time. Hopefully the 777-300 is a good option. I just want to be able to rest as comfortably and privately as possible (i.e. in a pod), knowing the trip will be a hard one on me physically.

[VMax1700]

I am going to throw the curved ball!

$1852 for Business Class is a good price - I presume you are talking CAD.  I just returned from Vancouver flying AC Premium Economy and the cost was CAD 1600. 

Also, looking at June 18th as an example - One of the flights offered is operated by Lufthansa (dep YVR 16.20h) and it is scheduled to be on a B744.  That is a Boeing 747/400.  The queen of the skies.  If this is your one and only trip to Europe then I would go for a flight on a 747!  Upper deck!  Magic!   (ok it is a bit dated etc, but aviation history!).

[CruiserMickey]

2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

I am going to throw the curved ball!

$1852 for Business Class is a good price - I presume you are talking CAD.  I just returned from Vancouver flying AC Premium Economy and the cost was CAD 1600. 

Also, looking at June 18th as an example - One of the flights offered is operated by Lufthansa (dep YVR 16.20h) and it is scheduled to be on a B744.  That is a Boeing 747/400.  The queen of the skies.  If this is your one and only trip to Europe then I would go for a flight on a 747!  Upper deck!  Magic!   (ok it is a bit dated etc, but aviation history!).

 

Thank you! I think we are going to go one way on the AC 777-300 and the other way on Lufthansa 747-400. The times work well for us, and I appreciate knowing that the price is “good” (it’s all relative, I know).

[waterbug123]

On 9/30/2019 at 10:49 AM, CruiserMickey said:

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I have checked Delta’s pricing and at this time, their flights are significantly more expensive, have less desirable layovers, or two stops. This was actually my first option to check, as we usually fly out of Seattle, as domestic flights are so much cheaper for us than flying out of YVR.

 

That's fine, I mainly responded because of your comment about other airlines not having direct aisle access for all seats in business.  Wasn't always the case, but more and more airlines are going to a business cabin that DOES insure direct aisle access for all seats.

 

On 9/30/2019 at 5:23 PM, 1982CruzStart said:

We flew business out of YVR last year on a codeshare flight that was on LH not AC that went through FRA and it was a nightmare.  I would pick flying through MUC before going through FRA.  Make sure you have plenty of time in FRA if you are going through there as it can take a lot of time  to transit through even with the advantage of the priority security line. When you change planes in FRA you have to go through passport control and then clear security again.  If you are unlucky enough to land at a time when there are other international flights landing it can get very backed up. 

Of course if you have checked and are sure it is AC then you will have a great flight. I love AC business class. 

 

 

I'm a little confused by your post.  First you say to make sure the poster is on AC and not LH because you flew LH and it was horrible.  But the only think you mention specifically is the length of time it took to get through formalities at FRA; nothing about the actual flight.  Then you say again that if the poster is sure they are on AC everything will be great.  The situation at the airport is generally independent of the airline one flew.  It might be more helpful to the OP if you clarified why your actual flight was so bad, and thus why you think the OP's flight, if on LH metal, will be so bad vs. being on AC metal.

[CruiserMickey]

12 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

That's fine, I mainly responded because of your comment about other airlines not having direct aisle access for all seats in business.  Wasn't always the case, but more and more airlines are going to a business cabin that DOES insure direct aisle access for all seats.

 

Thanks, I really do appreciate the insight! This has been a real education for me as I research these flights, airlines and various options.

[1982CruzStart]

5 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

That's fine, I mainly responded because of your comment about other airlines not having direct aisle access for all seats in business.  Wasn't always the case, but more and more airlines are going to a business cabin that DOES insure direct aisle access for all seats.

 

 

I'm a little confused by your post.  First you say to make sure the poster is on AC and not LH because you flew LH and it was horrible.  But the only think you mention specifically is the length of time it took to get through formalities at FRA; nothing about the actual flight.  Then you say again that if the poster is sure they are on AC everything will be great.  The situation at the airport is generally independent of the airline one flew.  It might be more helpful to the OP if you clarified why your actual flight was so bad, and thus why you think the OP's flight, if on LH metal, will be so bad vs. being on AC metal.

First i didn't say it was horrible, i said the we flew on LH through FRA and it was a nightmare. As far as i am concerned horrible and nightmare are not synonymous.  The overall experience was a nightmare for me. 

 

[waterbug123]

21 minutes ago, 1982CruzStart said:

First i didn't say it was horrible, i said the we flew on LH through FRA and it was a nightmare. As far as i am concerned horrible and nightmare are not synonymous.  The overall experience was a nightmare for me. 

 

 

Ok, it wasn't horrible, it was a nightmare.  Got it.  But again- to help the OP, whom you advised to make sure they were on AC and not LH, it would help to explain why the actual flight was a nightmare, rather than just the Frankfurt airport, as the airport experience was all you elaborated on.

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

First i didn't say it was horrible, i said the we flew on LH through FRA and it was a nightmare. As far as i am concerned horrible and nightmare are not synonymous.  The overall experience was a nightmare for me. 

 

So what happened? Have transited FRA several times without incident, even when the Asiana SFO crash delayed us an hour, reducing our layover in FRA to 40 minutes. We still made (barely) our connection to CPH, and our luggage made it as well. But we were running, and pretty lucky.

[AF-1]

suggest the OP click on the link below.  It is an article on AC 787; not same route but explains the seating, food on aircraft, cabin service, etc.  Its a good read

https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/air-canada-787-business-class/

 

[CruiserMickey]

16 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

suggest the OP click on the link below.  It is an article on AC 787; not same route but explains the seating, food on aircraft, cabin service, etc.  Its a good read

https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/air-canada-787-business-class/

 

 

Thanks...definitely a good read and gives a good overview of what to expect.

[FlyerTalker]

5 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

First i didn't say it was horrible, i said the we flew on LH through FRA and it was a nightmare. As far as i am concerned horrible and nightmare are not synonymous.  The overall experience was a nightmare for me.

 

So, just exactly what was the "it" that wasn't horrible, but "it" was a nightmare?

 

Reminds me of all of the "fares are crazy", "XYZ Airport is terrible", and "I'll never fly them again" comments.  Long on hyperbole and short on specific issues - and the source of them.

Edited October 2, 2019 by FlyerTalker

[1982CruzStart]

I have had enough of the rude comments on this board so this will be my last post here. If the OP wanted to know more info i would have been happy to accomodate them. What i wrote is my opinion and none of you have the right to question that. I am sorry i didn't meet your high standards of what you consider appropriate for this board. 

 

[RJ2002]

4 hours ago, CruiserMickey said:

 

Thanks...definitely a good read and gives a good overview of what to expect.

 

Last year we were on Air Canada in business class on a very long haul flight, Dubai to Toronto.  It was our first time on AC, redeeming a United business saver award.   As I recall, we were on a 787.  It was a perfectly pleasant experience.  Not over the top, but comfortable with enjoyable food and beverage.  Service was very good.  The IFE was also fairly extensive.