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348 reviews
Hello guys. A few weeks ago I flew on Air Canada's Boeing 737 MAX 8 from Vancouver to Calgary. Instead of making this trip a usual one, I decided to do some biding for a business class upgrade. Air Canada has a unique system: AC Bid Upgrade. You can bid for an upgrade 48 hours prior to your departure, and they will inform you about whether you are upgraded or not. You won't lose your money if your upgrade is unsuccessful. For this trip I payed for Economy Flex with 200CAD, and I put extra 200CAD for bidding. Usually a typical YVR-YYC business class on Air Canada costs about 600 to 900CAD, so I think it's pretty worth it to give it a shot.
I started my trip with Premium Check-in. First time entering the priority line.
I did some plane spotting when the sun was still up.
I always want to ride on one of the AC Express' Q400.
For AC Bid Upgrade, you also get to use the lounge.
I was quite disappointed with Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounge. The lounge had limited food options and it was very crowded. The space was not enough for all Business class passengers and Star Alliance Gold status members. However, there were a variety of drink choices and I got to have a taste on Air Canada's famous Brownies.
The lounge had a very decent view to the ramp.
A Westjet Encore's Q400.
My plane parked at a corner gate that day, so I could not take a picture of my ride. This was a different 737MAX 8, departing from YVR and going to YYC as well.
The seat was very comfortable and clean. Seatbelts were neatly placed on the seats.
Every business class passenger got a bottle of water and a set of earphones on the flight.
I got a whole row to myself.
The TVs were far away from the seat. It would be nice to have controllers for the TVs.
The crew started the service once we reached the cruising altitude. The Service Director began the service with a variety of snacks. The service was later followed by a drink cart with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
The lavatory had a bottle of decent hand soap. It smelled awesome and very natural.
The toilet was covered with a maple-leaf wall paper. It truly represented Canada.
First one to get off the plane!
It was a pleasant trip from YVR to YYC onboard Air Canada's business class. The Service Director, who served all business class passengers, was very cheerful and welcoming. She chatted with me after the meal service and before I left the aircraft. She suggested me to use the AC Bid Upgrade on longer domestic route, like YYC to YYZ, and on a wider aircraft for an elevated travel experience.
I really enjoyed this one hour hop from YVR to YYC, and I guess I will bid for more upgrade experiences in the future!
The contributors of Flight-Report published 9 reviews of 3 airlines on the route Vancouver (YVR) → Calgary (YYC).
The airline with the best average rating is Air Canada with 7.5/10.
The average flight time is 1 hours and 17 minutes.
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2 Comments
Thanks for sharing the FR! It's nice that AC notifies you in advance of the upgrade so that you can actually get the full value of the upgrade (vs. just onboard benefits). 200CAD seems steep for a 1.5h flight without a hot meal, I remember seeing an upgrade on LAX-YYC for 230 USD. Is checked luggage included in the original Y ticket? As you pointed out, I've never been impressed by the MLLs I've seen. AC's branding is good and they have very visually appealing cabins with the balance of grey tones.
They also looked positioned high, strange decision to put them on the bulkhead versus finding a way to have them deploy from the armrest.
Thanks again for sharing this look at the AC Max 8 cabin.
Nice short report! I always like when carriers allow you to buy last minute space-available upgrades, though 200CAD is a little expensive for such a short flight. I usually prefer when it's a set price, rather than bidding, however, as one can be led to over-bid with a bid system. Nevertheless, it's good to have the option. In comparison, I've bought upgrades within the US for 150USD for 4h West Coast to Chicago with hot meal on AA.
I like AC's MAX cabins, though the first row seems a bit too close to the bulkhead wall, and there are no cutouts so legroom seems restricted.
Thanks for sharing!
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