This is the first part of my trip report of my summer trip from Ottawa, Canada, to Mumbai, India, from YOW-LHR and then LHR-BOM. This is also my first ever trip report, so let me know how it goes! I would love to get some commentary for next time.
I first started looking at tickets from Ottawa to Mumbai in January of 2014, and I seriously considered going with any three of the Gulf airlines (through YYZ and YUL). I make this trip every few years, and I have always gone via Europe, so I thought it'd be nice to change things up. However, the prices were very high, and I would have had to take 3 flights instead of my usual 2. Plus, I was able to score roundtrip tickets to Mumbai for only CAD$1040, which is a crazy bargain! To put that in perspective: I've gone from Ottawa to Europe roundtrip at prices higher than that! So, it was a transfer at LHR once again.
My flight was one of the last ones leaving Ottawa that night, and only one of two international and non-USA/Caribbbean flights that leave from Ottawa. I got there exactly 3 hours earlier, at 7:40pm, and check-in and security was a breeze (one of the best things about small airports like YOW).
Check-in area decorated for Canada Day.
I had a nice 2.5 hours to spare, so I did some window shopping at the variety of small stores past the security area. I also enjoyed my last Tim Hortons in Canada- until two months later, at least! I was also unsure of whether I would be receiving dinner on this flight (due to the late 10:40 departure) so I ate up just in case.
A grey June day in Ottawa.
Ottawa airport gets pretty quiet after 6pm, which was evident by the many empty sitting areas. A part of the terminal actually resembled a ghost town, quite in contrast to LHR and BOM, the other airports I would be seeing in this journey.
After a bit of shopping, eating, and walking around, the 10pm boarding call was announced. By this time, the terminal was really empty, but surprisingly, our flight was full.
Boarding: I liked to 2-3-2 sitting arrangement. Very comfortable, and great for pairs.
There was a diverse mix of passengers on this flight, but most of them seemed like they were connecting beyond London. The staff consisted of young men and middle aged women, all of whom were French-Canadian (Quebecoise), which I could tell from their accents and the fact that they spoke in French to one another.
Air Canada's entertainment system.
Soon enough, we took off, leaving the lights of Ottawa behind. About 40 minutes after takeoff, dinner was served. The choice was beef or chicken, and I went for the chicken, which consisted of a pasta with a side salad, bread roll, and chocolate cake for dessert.
The pasta itself was pretty good, but the same could not be said for the salad or the dessert, both of which were quite unappetizing. The bread roll was alright, but cold.
Because of the late departure of the flight, most of the passengers quickly asleep after dinner.
After a quick sleep, the cabin lights were turned on for breakfast, about an hour before arrival in London.
This was a disappointment- breakfast consisted of one piece of banana bread, with juice or coffee on the side. While these small breakfasts are becoming more and more common, it still would have been nice to have a second item.
Before we knew it, the captain announced descent into London.
It seemed like a beautiful summer day in the capital.
We soon made a smooth landing into LHR. The whole flight went by very fast, probably due to the late departure, dinner, and breakfast. Apart from sleeping and eating, I didn't have time to do anything else. I didn't even get a chance to try out Air Canada's entertainment system, which is a shame since I've heard many good things about it.
We arrived at London's newly opened Terminal 2 (Star Alliance terminal). Despite all commotion over the new terminal, I didn't think it was anything extraordinary. Perhaps the only good thing is that it will make transfers at LHR easier. My connecting flight, with Air India, was also Star Alliance, but since AI had not yet moved to Terminal 2, I had to make the long trek to Terminal 4.
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Verdict
Air Canada
6.6/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew6.5
Entertainment/wifi7.0
Meal/catering5.0
Ottawa - YOW
8.2/10
Efficiency9.5
Access7.0
Services6.5
Cleanliness10.0
London - LHR
5.0/10
Efficiency2.0
Access6.0
Services6.0
Cleanliness6.0
Conclusion
Overall, this was a good flight. Check-in and security was fast, departure and arrival was on time, and the flight went by fast. The service and the meals were both average- not bad, but not anything spectacular either.
That's the end of Part 1 of my trip to Mumbai. I'll be putting up Part 2 soon, the trip from LHR to BOM with Air India. In the meantime, this was my first trip report so let me know how I did! I'd love to get feedback.
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Thanks for sharing this good first report! Barely over 1K CAD is definitely a very good deal for such long trip. Just a few quick comments for future reports. Horizontal pics are best for this site. Take the covers off the meal before taking a pic next time :-) Seems like you had a good flight overall. Why such a mediocre grade for the crew? Looking forward to the next segment.
I can't believe that Flight AC888 does not fly to China. Air Canada should learn something about the Chinese infatuation with the number 8, the luckiest of all according to their tradition. Given the distance, the fare indeed seems unbeatable. This is indeed not what I would call a breakfast. Did you find the seat comfortable ?
Another suggestion for improving future reports : place the captions should be before (above) the pictures, not below, because this generates a lot of up and down scrolling.
This is a very good first report, thanks for sharing and welcome among the contributors !
Thanks for the suggestions and thanks for the welcome!
By economy class standards, the seat was definitely one of the better ones in my experience. Almost 7 hours but it didn't cramped.
Also, a question from me: if my trip consists of multiple flights like this one, do I write about the trip in separate reports or is it better to make one report for the multiple flights?
Make one report per flight--just like you are doing SInce This was readers can easily search real flights in the database. If you were to do a flight report in one report from YOW to BOM with AC or AI...those wouldn't be real flights as neither AC or AI fly that route, and would therefore not be useful for the database. You had the right idea...one report per flight. Thanks!
Wow what a great price for such a trip, especially in the summer time!
Standard AC service, the dinner's presentation itself is nice, but the quantities are pretty small. Also, their brekfast is a shame, even US carriers offer something more substantiat.
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5 Comments
Seems like you had a good flight overall. Why such a mediocre grade for the crew? Looking forward to the next segment.
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KevinDC
Community Manager
Given the distance, the fare indeed seems unbeatable.
This is indeed not what I would call a breakfast. Did you find the seat comfortable ?
Another suggestion for improving future reports : place the captions should be before (above) the pictures, not below, because this generates a lot of up and down scrolling.
This is a very good first report, thanks for sharing and welcome among the contributors !
By economy class standards, the seat was definitely one of the better ones in my experience. Almost 7 hours but it didn't cramped.
Also, a question from me: if my trip consists of multiple flights like this one, do I write about the trip in separate reports or is it better to make one report for the multiple flights?
Wow what a great price for such a trip, especially in the summer time!
Standard AC service, the dinner's presentation itself is nice, but the quantities are pretty small.
Also, their brekfast is a shame, even US carriers offer something more substantiat.
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