You Trip Report

	DATE	FLIGHT NUMBER	SEAT	AIRCRAFT
22 Mar 19	AC 868	38G	787-9
CLASS	VIEWS	LANGUAGE	AUTHOR
Economy	90976	English	jetsetpanda

Prologue:

I had the last week of March off and originally was planning to go to Quebec City. Just when I was about to purchase my ticket I found a SFO-LHR fare for USD 450 (EUR 400.87) on AC/LH. I did not hesitate to purchase that fare right away and change my plans to go to LHR instead. I then decided to use some leftover Avios to visit DUB and add a new city to my list.

I originated from SFO and checked in at the AC counter to get my boarding passes. I will not report on the SFO-YYZ trip since it was a red eye and I did not receive much service.

My boarding passes on AC. Love the stock design with the maple leaf.

"Titled Spheres" by Richard Serra @ YYZ T1.

AC 868 YYZ-LHR at the gate.

Gate E75.

Boarding with FA greeting pax.

Cabin.

Cabin - AC does not release these bulkhead seats even during check in. If you want to sit here you pay for it.

Cabin.

Row 38.

Each seat had a pillow and blanket.

Row across.

Screen.

Earphone distribution after take off.

Earphones.

Breakfast menu.

Omelette.

Beverage cart.

Pre-arrival snack.

The wonderful crew went above and beyond to get me some souvenirs from AC on all my flights.

As soon as i arrived in YYZ I decided to go to the AC Maple Leaf int'l lounge and request a shower. The agent took me to one of the two spacious showers.

Plane model at the lobby.

Spacious shower room.

Toiletries.

Shower.

Seating area.

Buffet.

Buffet - hot breakfast items.

Buffet - omelette with cheese.

Buffet - baked goods.

Buffet - yogurt and fruits.

My breakfast.

========== Lester B Pearson Intl (YYZ) - ==========

Security/Immigration efficiency: 8/10

Access and parking: 9/10

Services and activities: 8/10

General cleanliness: 10/10

========== Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge International ==========

Staff Service: 9/10

Entertainment: 8/10

Business Center: 9/10

Food: 8/10

Lounge Design: 8/10

Spa and Bathroom: 9/10

Wifi: 9/10

========== Air Canada - Airline ==========

Cabine comfort: 8/10

Crew: 10/10

Entertainment: 8/10

On-time performance: 10/10

Appetizer: 8/10

Starter: 8/10

Main Meal: 8/10

Main Meal-2: 8/10

Cheese: 0/10

Desserts: 0/10

Alcohols: 0/10

Mid-flight snack: 2/10

Breakfast or light meal before arrival: 8/10

========== Heathrow (LHR) - ==========

Security/Immigration efficiency: 7/10

Access and parking: 9/10

Services and activities: 9/10

General cleanliness: 9/10

Summary:

I really enjoyed flying on AC 787-9 and especially appreciated the crew on both legs for going the extra mile to get me some souvenirs. After we arrived at LHR I was given a tour of the J cabin before deplaning by the flight manager who explained the features of the seat in detail. I thought that was top notch service and really made my experience more special.

The 787 offered a smooth ride and the entertainment system had a great assortment of films.

Please be aware that if you are seating in rows 44 or above, your overhead bin space might be restricted due to cabin design or storage of equipment.

Catering was OK for the flight length.

15 Comments

Thomas — Apr 03,2019

Thanks Adan for your TR, it always weird to see an East coast outbound to Europe taking off in the morning and landing in the evening in Europe. I think it's the best way to avoid jet-lag.

I hope that this lounge will remain in good shape and not all efforts going to The Signature lounge. A ride on the 787 is always a pleasure and I'm in love with the wing flex.
Very nice crew indeed.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 03,2019

Salut Thomas. Yes indeed it is weird to see such a flight but it works out perfectly to adjust your body clock to the new time. Hopefully AC would not neglect the Maple Leaf lounge like UA did with its UA Club @ SFO intl and put more emphasis on UA Polaris.
saraoutou — Apr 03,2019

Gracias Adan, feliz de lerte de nuevo!
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 03,2019

Encantado de encontrarte aqui. Gracias por la nota.
Emile — Apr 03,2019

Hello Adan, many thanks for your first TR, no food offered upon arrival ? I love the 787
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 03,2019

Hi Emile.

You are very welcome. The only food offered before arrival was the sandwich and Biscoff cookie. Not much of a meal but I guess given the length of the flight it was OK.

The 787 is a very nice plane indeed. Thanks for your comments.
Casper — Apr 05,2019

Damn the red eye must have been terrible ! The lounge is not that great compared to the Signature one ! A perfect landing time to rest.
Thanks for the report.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 06,2019

The shower at the lounge and the arrival time in LHR were the only saving graces for this itinerary. I booked a night at the HI Express T4 which made things more convenient and eased my transition into my new time zone.

Thanks for your comments.
Capoune — Apr 06,2019

Thank you for this TR!
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 07,2019

You are most welcome. Thanks for your comment.
andenken — Apr 06,2019

Thanks Adan for sharing this report! A typical experience for east coast flights. By the way did the pre-arrival sandwich got heated? Otherwise I think it is too meh...
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 07,2019

Hi there.

Unfortunately no, it was not heated. It's a little deficient for a snack but the breakfast that AC serves as second meal is worse.

Thanks for stopping.
GG_007 — Apr 13,2019

Thanks for sharing this report

The SFO-YYZ flight time should be about 4 hours and a red eye flight :(

No soup or noodles in the buffet ?

"If you want to sit here you pay for it."
AC wants your money !

"Breakfast menu."
At least there are some fruits

"At least it was better than the pre-arrival breakfast from other reports."
Yes it looks not too bad

You had a great crew and it's often what makes a good flight

See you soon
Reply
GG_007 — Apr 14,2019

How many miles did you earn for each flight ?

Reply

jetsetpanda — Aug 12,2019

Hi Gilbert,

I apologize about the tardiness in my reply. I never saw that you commented until now.

This was a cheap fare so for the SFO-YYZ segment I received 1126 miles and YYZ-LHR 885.

Thanks for your visit.