Flight review: Brisbane to Vancouver with Air Canada in economy class

It's on time which is a plus, but the airline could do with some work when it comes to customer service in economy class. 

Air Canada hasn’t reinstated it’s Melbourne to Vancouver service since COVID, so passengers travelling from the Victorian capital must stopover in either Sydney or Brisbane. 

I’m flying in a Boeing 797-9 Dreamliner from Brisbane, adding a 2.5-hour stopover to the hefty 13 hour and 40 minute journey. The airline flies this route five times a week and daily from Sydney to Vancouver.

Air Canada Boeing 787-9

First impressions

A domestic stopover isn’t the ideal start to a long-haul flight but the connection is swift. After catching the shuttle bus to the international terminal at Brisbane Airport (my bags are checked through) and passing through immigration, there’s barely any time to kill before boarding commences. I’m a Velocity Gold frequent flyer but that doesn’t get me access to the 3rd party lounge, however I am able to earn points and status credits (Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program is part of Star Alliance). 

Brisbane International Airport.

Set the scene

The staff is very efficient; boarding starts 53 minutes before our scheduled departure and I receive a text message and an email just in case I missed the call. Unfortunately, there’s no preferential treatment for Gold Members and I’m boarded in ‘Zone 4’, the second-last group. I have a baggage allowance of one 23kg checked bag (two for premium economy, two 32kg bags for business class), and one small carry-on bag, plus a personal item. The plane pushes away from the gate at precisely the scheduled departure time of 10.45am.  

I have a baggage allowance of one 23kg checked bag and one small carry-on bag, plus a personal item.

Welcome onboard

This is my first long-haul flight for a while and the leg room comes as a shock. I’m further shocked to find the squeezy 31-inch pitch (79cm) is the same on my connecting domestic flight to Whitehorse. I’m 178cm tall and my knees graze the seat pocket. The flight is almost at capacity and I’m grateful to have a spare middle seat next to me. I’m in window seat 28K on a 3-3-3 seating configuration. 

Economy cabin Air Canada

The cabin

The interior is modern, clean and fresh, featuring comfortable upholstered seats with adjustable head rests and dimmable windows. But there’s something amiss that I can’t unsee. About three seats in front of me a wad of paper has been stuffed into a groove between the air vents panel and the window strip light. It reminds me of the toilet paper slurries on the ceiling of the girls’ loos that were a feature of my high school years. Did a passenger stuff it there for kicks and the cleaning staff didn’t notice, and will it fall mid-flight on the unsuspecting passenger below?

Premium economy cabin on Air Canada

Entertainment

When I eventually tire of waiting for the paper missile to deploy, I turn to the touch-screen TV, which boasts a vast selection of movies, TV shows and – in what the airline says is a global first – streaming programs, including Apple TV and Disney+. I binge season two of The White Lotus and am disappointed when we land before the final episode plays. There are also games, documentaries, music channels and the regular flight path information. There’s a power point between the seats should I need to charge my own device.

The touch-screen TV boasts a vast selection of movies, TV shows and streaming programs.

Food and drink

Lunch arrives about an hour after take-off with the unceremonious choice of “chicken or beef”. On further enquiry, I discover the chicken is an Asian stir-fry with udon noodles and the “beef’ is in fact spaghetti Bolognese. I opt for the chicken, it’s piping hot, reasonably tasty and comes with a bread roll, cheese, sad-looking salad that tastes better than it looks and chocolate madeira cake. There’s the usual selection of beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks. Breakfast is served two hours before landing, with a small chicken roll snack in between. I opt for scrambled eggs over pancakes but the green-egg dish is unappetising. 

The food was a little sad-looking. Picture: Catherine Best

What lies ahead

Air Canada will add an extra Brisbane-Vancouver service in July, flying between the cities six days a week.

What’s hot

The best thing about a long-haul flight is when it’s not as long as anticipated. We touch down in Vancouver at 6.08am local time, 17 minutes ahead of schedule. I’m transferring to a domestic flight to Whitehorse, in the Yukon, and am surprised (and delighted) that my bags are checked through, a rarity on an international-domestic connection. Even better, my Velocity status gets me into the Air Canada lounge (I’m on a Virgin-ticketed flight). 

We touch down in Vancouver at 6.08am local time, 17 minutes ahead of schedule.

What’s not 

The service, while mostly friendly, is inconsistent. When I asked the flight attendant to repeat the breakfast options, she rolled her eyes. Rolled. Her. Eyes. 

The verdict: 7/10

The flight has equal moments of really good and pretty ordinary, but on the whole is almost as comfortable as a long-haul economy flight gets. Until Melbourne-Vancouver services resume, I’d be tempted to fly via Auckland with Air New Zealand to avoid the layover.

The writer travelled as a guest of Destination Canada and Tourism Yukon.

Originally published as Flight review: Brisbane to Vancouver with Air Canada in economy class