You Trip Report

	DATE	FLIGHT NUMBER	SEAT	AIRCRAFT
26 Mar 24	AC 566	3B	737-800
CLASS	VIEWS	LANGUAGE	AUTHOR
Business Class	1283	English	jetsetpanda

Prologue:

After an enjoyable weekend in YVR it was time to return to SFO. This time we will be in J to see how the AC product in the front compares.

Canadian airports are usually separated into 3 distinct terminals - domestic transborder US and intl.

We check in at the AC Priority counter located in the Transborder section located at the beginning of YVR terminal.

Welcome carpet.

Check-in was swift and professional and we were on our way to security and US Immigration. You pre-clear when you depart from Canada to the US.

The Plaza Premium lounge at the Transborder terminal is not big and it can get crowded during peak hours. However the catering is pretty decent and it offers hot dishes unlike the AC Maple Leaf lounge in this particular terminal.

Seating area.

Salad and dessert section.

Hot dishes - stir fried veggies.

Ratatouille.

Asian Mandarin chicken.

Slices of ham.

Dessert.

Food is solid and varied. We enjoyed the offerings at this lounge.

The AC MLL is spacious with different seating areas.

Friendly and efficient reception.

Buffet.

Mostly salad with different garnishes and wraps (one with meat the other vegetarian.)

Dessert - Nanaimo bars (no bake dessert consisting of a wafer/nut/coconut crust custard in the middle and chocolate ganache on top.

My snack.

The flight was delayed for about 2 hrs so we spent more time at the lounge.

Finally it was time to go to the gate.

Passenger were anxious to board.

Friendly welcome by the crew.

Cabin.

Water and earphones were distributed.

Controls for the seat.

Take off.

Distribution of thick hot towels. No menus unfortunately but there is an online version available.

Beverage service.

Drink with nuts.

Chicken Parmesan OR Truffle risotto. I chose the chicken.

After the meal coffee or tea were offered. I had a tea.

WC.

Arriving in the Bay Area.

Downtown SFO - courtesy of oauf.

Cabin ready for landing.

Granville Island

Burrard Bridge.

Chinatown.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen garden.

False Creek.

Ferry to Granville Island and passing through downtown Vancouver.

Granville Island.

Downtown Vancouver.

Waterfront.

========== Vancouver Intl Arpt (YVR) - ==========

Security/Immigration efficiency: 10/10

Access and parking: 10/10

Services and activities: 10/10

General cleanliness: 10/10

========== Plaza Premium Lounge ==========

Staff Service: 9/10

Entertainment: /10

Business Center: /10

Food: 9/10

Lounge Design: 7/10

Spa and Bathroom: 0/10

Wifi: 10/10

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

Staff Service: 9/10

Entertainment: /10

Business Center: /10

Food: 6/10

Lounge Design: 8/10

Spa and Bathroom: 8/10

Wifi: 10/10

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

Cabine comfort: 10/10

Crew: 10/10

Entertainment: /10

On-time performance: 4/10

Appetizer: 8/10

Starter: 0/10

Main Meal: 8/10

Main Meal-2: 0/10

Cheese: 0/10

Desserts: 8/10

Alcohols: 0/10

Mid-flight snack: 0/10

Breakfast or light meal before arrival: 0/10

========== San Francisco Intl Arpt (SFO) - ==========

Security/Immigration efficiency: /10

Access and parking: 9/10

Services and activities: 9/10

General cleanliness: 10/10

Summary:

Despite the 2 hrs delay this was a fine flight. Crew was efficient and the meal was OK although I did not expect the chicken to be presented in small pieces.

I enjoyed both lounges at the Transborder terminal but in terms of catering the Plaza Premium beats the AC MLL by a mile. However if you need a place to relax the latter is definitely more spacious.

11 Comments

Vendredi13 — Jun 08,2024

Woof ! JetSetPanda !

This citybreak went so fast. Time flies when you feel happy !
I remember this walk in the city. We had a really great unexpected weather. And when i see the pics of the market..Honestly, too bad i didn't have enough space for the pies;))
On baord service was good, and the hot meal very appreciated... Compared with Europe.

Thanks Adan for this beautiful weekend !

Reply
jetsetpanda — Jun 08,2024

Oauf!

The best trips are the quickest. Vancouver is such a gorgeous city surrounded by nature settings.

I believe AC is the only carrier that offers a hot meal in the front on this route. UA and Westjet don't.

Thank you for your comments.
Reply
Casper — Jun 14,2024

A very gooood report, hot meal and great bonus.
Thanks amigo
Reply

jetsetpanda — Jun 14,2024

Hola Casper,

Thank you. Yes AC in the front is not bad at all.

I was also surprised that Plaza Premium lounge offered better catering than AC MLL in this section of the airport.
Thomas — Jun 16,2024

A good bonus,
Last time I went to AC lounge; it was with Ouaf where we missed our trip to IST. Time flies :)
Thanks my friend,
Reply

jetsetpanda — Jun 16,2024

Hi Thomas,

YVR is a beautiful destination. In general I think AC has very nice lounges, especially abroad.

Thank you for stopping by and commenting.

Vendredi13 — Jun 24,2024

Ouaf !
Capoune — Jun 24,2024

Salut Panda!

The plazza premium lounge really looks nice... The AC lounge deserves to exist, lol
Onboard a real J cabin compared to what we find in Europe and a hot meal which is a plus!
Amazing bonus!!
Thank you for sharing.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Jun 24,2024

Salut mon ami,

AC J is probably the best between YVR-SFO and vv. On UA you don't even get a meal and on Westjet they give you a snack box up front. I'm surprised that AC makes an effort here to provide a hot meal when the competition doesn't.

YVR is a great city to visit and probably has the best Chinese food in North America.
Bibopaul — Jun 25,2024

Another great report Jetset^^
Reply

jetsetpanda — Jun 25,2024

Thanks for your comment Paul.