[QUOTE=Maritime Q-Scout;1997497}I was a huge fan of the A320. Felt like a really nice ride, and seemed to have a lot more room/comfort than the Dash-8 I started out on.[/QUOTE]
I would hope that an A320 had more room than a Dash-8
As for the AC not being that bad internationally, I think everyone has had different experiences. I flew to Australia with AC a few years back on a pass (free) and it was an okay flight, if I'd paid over $1000 for it I probably would have been pissed at the lack of entertainment and general FU attitude from the staff. Conversely, my return flight was on Qantas and I was happy to have paid, an absolutely incredible service simply due to a recognition that the little things make the difference.
The problem with AC is they don't really have to be better, nobody is pushing them. The Euro carriers aren't frequent enough and the lack of a domestic presence takes them out for people who are looking to grab points, and the American carriers suck just as much (although I flew American to Tokyo recently and found it to be much better than the connection on JAL). Unless someone can push AC to actually try internationally they'll continue to be mediocre. The jump up isn't big, but it takes having at least a content staff and a desire to make customers happy and from the AC employees I know that is completely non-existent.