Calgary to London. KLM or Air Canada?

[Bigtime]

BA is now operating the 767 on the London route, I flew them back in 2007 when they were still running a 777. Does anyone know if the 767 has the same entertainment system as the 777?

Given a choice between BA on the 767 and AC on the A330 I would take AC everytime just for the superior entertainment system. Sure the map function doesn't always work and the games still don't seem to, but you get a huge amount of movies, tv shows, and music. The A330 also has a quieter cabin then the 767, which is nice on a longer flight.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I like Air Canada's touchscreen quite a bit, however it seems all the cool features (Games, Map, etc.) never work when I was flying. I assume map is some kind of GPS positioning of where we are. That would be cool to watch.

Those features on Air Canada's touchscreen just don't work, period. For the past five years on various flights between Canada and Australia, Canada and Europe, and flights within Canada the games, map, and news functions have never worked. I think one day Air Canada might get around to introducing that functionality but it's obviously not a high priority for them.

I always fly Air Canada for any flight originating or terminating in Canada, and pretty much always have (at least since Canadian folded). Mainly for the Aeroplan benefits. Air Canada has a slightly less than 'meh' rating from me. I have hated them on many occasions, and the service is hit-or-miss but it's not all bad. I would imagine KLM is better.

[Bigtime]

I shoud also note the first thing I thought of when I read the thread title was:

"Why connect? Go direct."

Given the choice I will ALWAYS take the direct flight, unless the price difference is absolutely ridiculous.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Personally I've flown Air Canada/Air Canada Jazz more than any other airline (mind you I don't have a huge choice living out of YQY, WestJet just started service here this summer).

I've never had a bad experience with them. I don't fly that often, once every few years I suppose, but when I have flown the staff was always nice. When I went to BC this past summer I loved the touch screens in the seat. I saw Gran Torino, as well as a couple episodes of Mad Men. Then brought out my iPod and played Tetris while listening to the XM Radio. Yes the XM was a prerecorded loop and not the actual broadcast but whatever it worked.

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.

From my experiance WestJet is great for the more major centres and flying in the west. However out east it only really services Toronto. I can't get from Sydney-Halifax via WestJet. I'd love to see a YQY-YHZ-YYZ route, rather than the seperate YHZ-YYZ, and YQY-YYZ routes. But whatever, as Bigtime said "Why connect? Go direct." To service the smaller airports in the east you really have to connect. Toronto is just too far to be a worthwhile hub for eastern Canada.

[Jimmy Stang]

I find that Air Canada is better on overseas flights than they are on domestics. The YYC-LHR flight is always pretty good in my experience.

That being said, the next time I go to visit my family in Norwich, I'll be going KLM as there is a connection from Amsterdam to Norwich (the two cities are just across the water from each other), which will save me $$$ and time by not having to rent a car and drive up. And it was only about $100 more last time I checked. We used to do that route when I was a kid, and as of this past May, it is an option again.

But for London itself, as others have mentioned, AC or BA will probably save you some time.

[Icon]

I flew Calgary to London direct on Air Canada this spring with no issues. Was a new plane, and the staff was actually more friendly/humane than usual.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Icon

I flew Calgary to London direct on Air Canada this spring with no issues. Was a new plane, and the staff was actually more friendly/humane than usual.

You were probably flying in the 777-300, that would have been a nice treat!

[mykalberta]

KLM is the bargain basement International carrier in Europe so you wont be getting BA/AF standards. Its more in line with Iberia type service.

As part of AF/KLM they service all low yielding destinations compared to AF high yield destinations.

KLM is probably better, but you dont get Aeroplan. Schipol is a very nice airport for transferring - I have never transferred through AMS onto a Euro Domestic flight, but the North Africa/ ME connection is very painless.

Also, if getting there on time is a huge concern, I would take AC. KLm only flies 5X weekly to Calgary, and their aircraft utilization rates are among the highest of the pond jumper carriers so if the plane does go mechanical, you wont be getting a flight for some time.

[valo403]

[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.

[Tron_fdc]

You're going to get what you pay for with AC......if you know that going in then don't complain when their service sucks balls, tv's don't work, and they won't let you change your ticket around without gouging you.

I always pay a little more for a little bit of freedom with my tickets (I change flights around very frequently), and fly with airlines that offer small perks like no stand by fees.

Air Canada isn't one of them.

(for the record I fly once or twice a month through the US and Canada, and do 3 overseas flights a year)

[Cactus Jack]

I have loathed Air Canada for years as they have given me lots of problems but I will admit the last few times I have flown with them the service has been much better.

[tigger777]

Another choice of airline would be Thomas Cook Airline.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by tigger777

Another choice of airline would be Thomas Cook Airline.

The sardine can special!

VVVV Keep in mind that a lot of the Thomas Cook flights are on Air Transat equipment. I think they utilize each others fleets to coincide with busy seasons on either side of the Atlantic.

[Flacker]

For all of those hacking on AC they really have improved in recent years. After suffering through the nightmare that is Air Transhat and their cattle car, AC was a welcome change.

You do get what you pay for when it comes to air travel. If you ever have the chance to upgrade on a long haul AC flight to Executive First jump at the opportunity. Lie flat beds, personal entertainment system, great food and service. I wouldn't want to have to pay the full fare though!!

But even economy on AC is head and shoulders above anything AirTransat can provide. Truely a brutal airline/charter with a less than stellar safetly track record.