Air Canada Rouge

I reserved a seat to fly to Calgary for LAX to visit an ill family member about 3 weeks in advance of travel. Unfortunately, the family member passed before I could fly. I requested a death related refund because it appeared that Air Canada was sympathetic to these emotional conditions. I complied with their request to send a death certificate and issues around the request. Today I received a refund less a 200 $ charge. Essentially the same refund if I had just not flown. A 200 $ charge for a couple of keystrokes (which I could have done myself) is obscene and Air Canada should be embarrassed.

I don’t usually review a lot of my experiences but this time I couldn’t let this not be known, I had to review how terrible this airline actually is. Avoid Air Canada Rouge like the plague. It used to be you pay your airfare and you get at least decent level service with a clean seat and a tv screen with a few select movies to watch. But nope nowadays it’s all about cutting costs and service with it.
When I got on the plane and got to my seat it was dirty luckily there were empty seats available so I was able to switch easily. But there’s no excuse to have a dirty seat like mine for customers who paid for their fare share of a plane ticket. And it wasn’t just my original seat that was dirty there was garbage left and right when I went to the bathroom shortly after take off which was probably left over from the previous flight.
Next the seats were incredibly cramped. I’m not that tall and even the seats were cramped even for me. There was no legroom whatsoever. If I was even 2 inches taller I would’ve had to bend my legs for 5 hours just to fit in there. The guy sitting next to me was at least 6’4 and he had to bend diagonally just to fit in the seat, luckily there was an empty seat next to him that allowed him to do that. This idea of having smaller seats is not safe and just not comfortable.
Oh and I’ve flown with Air Canada Rouge a couple of times and their gates at various airports are always far as hell. You have to literally walk for like 20 mins to either get your baggage, leaving your checked luggage vulnerable to being stolen, or walking to customs. It’s probably due in part for them not wanting to spend any extra money on picking closer gates. Either way they suck at giving even the most basic service to their paying customers.
After flying on a variety of Asian airlines Air Canada Rouge doesn’t even come close in quality or service and in the future I will avoid this terrible airline. Save yourself the hassle and pay a little extra for a better airline. Some budget airlines can pull off giving decent level service and treating their customers well, but Air Canada Rouge only cares about filling their planes and doesn’t care about their customers at all.

This was our first experience with either Air Canada or Rouge, and thankfully it was a very positive one.
We traveled from Honolulu to Vancouver for our yearly Thanksgiving get-​away and since budget does come into play (with a family of 4) Air Canada Rouge won the «cost» battle. We were lucky to get 4 RT tickets for right around $ 1450 for 4, and these days that’s almost unheard of. One should understand that Rouge is the Canadian version of Jetstar or Allegiant, well along with WestJet, so the amenities might be somewhat lacking, BUT Rouge DOES offer business class, and they give you the chance to upgrade your economy ticket upon check-​in for a reasonable fee.
The staff was very friendly and helpful, and the aircraft was newer. One of the best things is that they offer you an entertainment package available on your smart phone or iPad free of charge if you’ve downloaded their (Air Canada) app. Granted, the movies aren’t first run, but it does give you another option.
Coming from Hawaii, our best option, especially with twin 5 year olds, was the red-​eye nonstop into Vancouver leaving at 1110 PM. And, needless to say, the girls were asleep before the wheels were up and all the way till the seat belt chime in Canada. Our only gripe is that they don’t dim the cabin lights completely — our seats (window/​aisle in a 2−3−2 configuration) had the side rail lights continually on.
All in all, a good (but not exceptional) experience. I’m sure we’ll be flying with them again if the price is still right.

I wanted the fastest and easiest way to Vancouver, so we chose Air Canada Rogur, Air Canada’s low cost carrier.
With that being said, I didn’t have high expectations so I wasn’t too disappointed.
We had to check in at the counter and we got to the airport 3 hours before the red eye flight so we breezed through. They check your carry-​ons to make sure they meet size since the overheard space is small. The lady asked if I wanted to check a bag since it was free. But the website said they charge for bags so I was confused.
The boarding area for this flight was pretty tight and there was a line to get in the area since I guess you had to be a passenger to be in the gate area.
The boarding was similar to other airlines. The plane was tight but there were double aisles and the seating was 2−3−2. The overhead space is very small. My carry on suitcase is small and normally fits in all overheads, this time it barely fit since it was too wide and we had to slam the overhead shut to get it in.
We paid extra for seat assignments ahead of time. My boyfriend and I had a window and aisle but still felt cramped. There was barely and leg room and my backpack barley fit under the seat in front of me.
There was a lady seated behind us who cursed and berated her husband the whole flight so we didn’t get to sleep. The whole cabin could hear them but the flight attendants never said anything. They also kept putting their feet forward so we could feel their feet with ours and they kicked out chairs.
They offered two complimentary drink services and since it was a late flight no meals for purchase. They did have snacks to purchase but no complimentary entertainment or snacks. The flight attendants were not friendly and didn’t smile at all. One flight attendant looked like it was a pain as he did his safety demo.
Other than these things, no other issues or delays. We were exhausted by the time we got to Vancouver. We hope our flight home will be better. It was kind of what I expected since it was a low cost carrier. I understand the cursing lady behind us couldn’t be helped and that the seats and plane would be small. It’s too bad their flight attendants didn’t seem too happy with their jobs.

Wow. Avoid Air Canada Rouge. It’s worth staying home. Flight attendants are all 16 years old and completely untrained with no supervision. The planes are old, dirty and completely lacking any ambiance. Plus, the uniforms look ridiculous on anyone that weighs more than 100 pounds. Just sayin’.

No matter how «cheap» the flights are, don’t do it! We were not notified of a 2 hour delay until we checked in to come home, 2 hours ahead of time. 1 hour before flight time, we couldn’t understand why we were not being called to board. We finally asked what was going on and was told that the flight was now an additional 4 hours delayed. Why wasn’t that posted? Because they were going to wait until TSA closed before announcing it. REALLY?! No texts /​emails of the delays either. Well, only my husband got one some time during our flight home! Some good that did. We missed our rental car, so we had to stand in line for a cab. 45 minutes later, wet find out other passengers had vouchers — no one announced that, so we had to pay for our own cab at 3 a.m., my husband was not going to go back and stand in line all over again.
As for the air craft, it SUCKS! The seats are so thin that I had the pleasure, on both flights, of having knees dug into my back the entire flight because of men who couldn’t fit in the seat! I was woken up by a flight attendant whose butt was so big, she couldn’t fit in the aisle and hit my head with her ass.
Never again!

Months ago, I purchased tickets to fly from Honolulu to Vancouver on the overnight flight leaving around 11 pm on November 25. Air Canada unilaterally changed my outbound flight to 11 pm on November 24 – advancing it a full 24 hours. I had already booked hotels, rental cars, pet sitters, etc., and made arrangements to be gone from work. There was no way I could change all that to accommodate Air Canada’s ridiculous decision to put me on a different flight.
I tried calling their toll free number to see if I could get my schedule returned to the schedule I had purchased. I waited hours on the phone, listening to hold music. I have been at this since 5 a.m. this morning and I still have not spoken to a live person from Air Canada. Because at this point I seriously doubt that I will ever speak to a live person before November 25, I have purchased a ticket on Delta that leaves on the day I wanted to go. Now I am just after a refund.
And know this, Air Canada: I will get a refund.

When people talk about airlines, some of the things that come to mind for most of us are bad service, lost luggage, excessive baggage fees, late departures/​arrivals, etc. At least these of some of the thoughts that first come to my cynical mind. Normally when people write about airlines, it is always something bad which is why I felt compelled to share my positive experience with everyone.
On a trip last month from Honolulu to Vancouver on Air Canada, I was having a great experience on my flight enjoying the endless array of movies & entertainment options. Upon picking up my luggage from baggage claim and riding the Sky Train from YVR Airport to downtown Vancouver, I could not help but notice the huge tear in my bag since I could see some of my clothes. Not only was there a huge tear in my bag, the zipper pulls were completely destroyed with the TSA approved lock no where in sight.
Having traveled all over the world, Vancouver was probably the last place that I would expect to have my first experience of damaged baggage. Ideally, damaged baggage needs to be reported to airline personnel right away before leaving the airport. Coming off of a red eye flight, stupid me did not notice the damage until well on my way to my hotel.
To make a long story short, I was still in shock by how badly my luggage was damaged and did not want this to dampen my vacation. After taking some pictures to document the damage, I decided that I would not have time to get a repair estimate & would wait until returning home to Hawaii to file a claim.
Fast forward a few more weeks to today after my claim was filed, I was shocked to find a reimbursement check waiting in the mail for my damaged baggage. I know Canadians are generally known to be some of the most friendly people in the world, but I still could not believe that I was reimbursed!
I do not know how many people have this type of positive experience with airlines, but I will definitely be traveling on Air Canada the next time I take a trip to Canada.