AC, me and Scuba 02

[Kip Powick]

Well BOUQUETS to AC in all respects, as well as UNITED. We flew out to DEN on AC then to SLC on United and a few days later reversed the route.

Have not been on AC for quite some time..(who has the time, being retired and all? ) and found T1 very easy to navigate through and was most impressed with the Check-in Agent. The flight showed 1 seat open in “J” and oversold by 2 in “Y” so we weren’t very hopeful about getting on. About an hour before boarding I was called to the Gate Desk and given boarding cards for “J” !!! Now that was a real treat and to top it off we had never been on an AC aircraft that had those video terminals in the back of the seat ahead of you…very neat gizmo and then an FA came up to me and called me by name……..For a moment I was amazed that anyone remembered me but as soon as I looked up I realized that she and I did a lot of flying together in CP and AC.

Anyhow, the onboard service/treatment was exceptional and everyone in “J” thought the service was just great. The front end gave clear and concise PAs , not overly verbose, and all the info was there. Great flight and a very good landing in DEN , (Embraer aircraft).

We got kinda screwed up in DEN due to a communications problem and as a result almost missed the aircraft as we had to get our luggage and then go back through Security carrying it as “Carry On” because if you don’t check in 45 minutes prior to the flight departure, United will not “check” ones baggage. We never would have made it if I had not convinced one of the Security guards that I was Ex-AC and he let me and Scuba 02 go through the short “Crew” line. Even then we had to run to the gate and good old United was holding the gate for us as the agent at Check-in had called ahead to say we were on the way…….we actually pushed back 5 mins ahead of sked but I still think it was nice of the folks at United to help out a couple of “Stand-bys”.Here we were given the Emergency Exit row with lots of room.

ON RETURN...

We thought we wouldn’t make it out of SLC as we walked into the Terminal 2 ½ hours prior to departure and were confronted with about 75-100 snow skiers ahead of us, of which 50 were a French group who could no speak English so one guy was doing all the talking for that group. I don’t feel bad carrying a scuba bag now as skiers carry a lot more crap and their gear bags are very l-o-n-g!!! We did get checked in and were at the gate 25 minutes before departure and again “it looked tight” but once again we got lucky and ended up in the Emergency row on the CRJ-200. Man, the seating is tight on that aircraft and in order to look out the windows, one has to hunch over…the windows are very low.

Uneventful into SLC and we were already allocated a seat on AC out of DEN to YYZ. We actually checked in on the Internet in SLC and as Standby we received an actual boarding pass…..I was not aware that one could get a BP that way…thought you had to wait until your name was called at the gate………anyhow we got on the aircraft and were settling in when the Gate Agent and In Charge came down and told me there was a seat duplication problem and that I was going to have to move…I asked “where” and was told 2D (“J” Class)……so the gentleman I am, I asked if it would be OK for Scuba 02 went up front instead of me…they said it would be OK so while she was wined and dined, the FAs tried to sell me a sandwich, which I did not purchase, but did manage a free ½ glass of coke. (Cheap pilot) Good flight in, conscientious FAs and the front end kept everyone informed .

The difference I noted with respect to pilot PAs was that the AC pilots never gave their names whereas the United pilots did.

With the economy the way it is I did not expect to see many travelers and was very surprised to see the number of people going somewhere in all three terminals…..YYZ, DEN, and SLC. As well all flights that we were on were full.

While I realize I have been out of the loop for some time I must say that the service on the two long sectors, both with AC crews, was exceptional which reinforces my own opinion that those that bitch about AC and it’s service are in the minority but naturally get all the attention. Well done AC !!!!

[zipped]

Wow Kip you should really get out more. I too was impressed with the E-Jet on YYZ-YDF J/class sector last summer which was a first, but those little lawn darts have been around for 18 years or so. First trip on the new 777 coming up next week on a YVR-SYD flight. Already got a seat in the J cabin, looking forward to great AC service and some deep napping. Will probably be tipping tinnies with Blumic on Bondi.