AC20/19 Singapore to Vancouver Nonstop on Air Canada, and a Solar Eclipse in Montreal

[yflyer]

Thanks for another vividly documented trip report yflyer!

Thanks very much for reading, jammed!

Your TR realised my curiosity on AC’s return to SIN after so many years, and brought us along your journey through the flights, hotel stays and gastronomical meals in Montreal. Some years ago I had to transit in Vancouver (was going to Victoria) and, without any direct SIN-YVR flights, had to fly to HKG before boarding an AC flight. I pulled out my 2014 picture of the PEY on B773 and yours was definitely a significant upgrade; apart from more pitch, wide width, mine was just another Economy. The J return was a 2-2-2 seating though I appreciated the fully flat bed that allowed me quite a good sleep. So your J and PEY are definitely a much more significant.!

Thanks for sharing! PEY and J have definitely evolved a lot over the years! I am really happy that AC has resumed flights to Singapore too.

]And thanks for your signature RR; how can a yflyer TR go without the flagship Run Report Out of curiosity, how long did you take to cover that 10km? There was a time when I could make 40min, 50min but these days 35min for 5km; your run makes me want to restart 10km runs again.

Wow 40 min for 10km is super fast! My fastest 10km years ago was about 55 min, but these days it's more like a leisurely 1 hr 6 min (i.e. 6 min 45 sec per km). On overseas runs, I tend to dawdle and pause for photos as it is also about sightseeing, so the 12+ km run to St Helen's Island etc took me over 1.5 hours (I usually don't bother to stop the clock when I take pics...).

Appreciate yet another wonderfully detailed and picturesque trip report, and looking forward to your next one, congrats yflyer!

Thanks again for reading, and really appreciate your comments, jammed!

[jammed]

Thanks for another vividly documented trip report yflyer! Your TR realised my curiosity on AC’s return to SIN after so many years, and brought us along your journey through the flights, hotel stays and gastronomical meals in Montreal. Some years ago I had to transit in Vancouver (was going to Victoria) and, without any direct SIN-YVR flights, had to fly to HKG before boarding an AC flight. I pulled out my 2014 picture of the PEY on B773 and yours was definitely a significant upgrade; apart from more pitch, wide width, mine was just another Economy. The J return was a 2-2-2 seating though I appreciated the fully flat bed that allowed me quite a good sleep. So your J and PEY are definitely a much more significant.

And thanks for your signature RR; how can a yflyer TR go without the flagship Run Report Out of curiosity, how long did you take to cover that 10km? There was a time when I could make 40min, 50min but these days 35min for 5km; your run makes me want to restart 10km runs again.

Appreciate yet another wonderfully detailed and picturesque trip report, and looking forward to your next one, congrats yflyer!

[yflyer]

FInal reflections...

I had a great trip to Montreal.

As a holiday destination, Montreal was not previously on my radar, but now that I have experienced this city, I would want to return again for a proper vacation, and check out more of the attractions and dining that the city had to offer.

Fellow SQTalker HUGE AL also recommended a restaurant, Joe Beef, which my schedule did not allow me to visit this time round. And I definitely need to head back to Au Pied de Cochon again, to sample other dishes on their menu, including Duck in a Can.

I stayed in 3 different hotels on this trip, and all of them would be worth a recommendation. All three were centrally located, within walking distance of many attractions. The DoubleTree Hilton by Montreal was a modern hotel in a very convenient location, above a shopping mall and IGA supermarket. The Nelligan was a romantic, atmospheric hotel, right smack in the old town. The Hampton Inn, whose rates were great value, would be an good choice for a family vacation, especially if you wanted to cook your own food in the in-room kitchenette.

I was very impressed by Air Canada, in both Premium Economy and Business Class. They have a strong hard product, and very good cabin crew. My flights were on time, and they didn't lose my bags. The ground experience with AC was very good, from the connection process to the Maple Leaf Lounges in various cities.

It was great to have the option of a nonstop service from Singapore to Vancouver, and easy connections to other Canadian cities from there.

My favourite flight was of course AC20 SIN-YVR in business class, but I would also say that AC's domestic Premium Economy exceeded my expectations in almost every way, from hard product, to catering and service.

The unplanned bonus for this trip was, of course, the total solar eclipse. An unforgettable experience. Having experienced it once, I am sorely tempted to plan a trip to Sydney in 2028 to view the eclipse there.

Would the SQTalk mods please organise a meetup in Sydney in July 2028!

Thanks for reading!

[yflyer]

Our approach took us over the Island of Bintan...



I could pick out tourist resorts and clear white sandy beaches far below...



Great views of Changi Airport and the east of Singapore in the distance, out the right side windows...



More views of Singapore as we passed over Batam, flying towards the west...



...before a 180 degree turn towards the east to line up for our final approach on Runway 02L...



On the ground in Singapore at 7:20am in the morning...



...and at the gate in T2 shortly thereafter.



Total flight time on this flight was 15 hours and 57 minutes, which coincidentally was also the average flight time for this sector in April 2024, according to flightradar24.com.

Overall, I had a very good flight. AC has an impressive international PEY product on this sector. I thought the hard product, catering and seat were very good, and so was the cabin service.

What stood out for me was the use of proper glasses and tableware for the main meal service, the quality of the food, as well as the speed of the internet.

What I didn't like so much was the reversion to economy-style catering for breakfast, and also the PEY headrest design. But these were fairly minor quibbles, and I would definitely recommend AC Premium Economy to anyone travelling on this sector.

I thought the flight timing for the YVR-SIN sector was near-ideal for a westbound flight. You boarded late at night, ate, slept (as much as you could), then woke up to a new day in Singapore. This was probably the best case scenario as far as getting over jetlag was concerned.

[yflyer]

On this flight, PEY pax were requested to use one of the 2 bathrooms in between PEY and J, with the other one reserved for J pax. We were also free to use any of the Y bathrooms in the rear.



As on the outbound flight, there were great views to be had from the bathroom window...



By then, dawn was breaking...



Good ambience in the PEY cabin.



To pass time during descent, I watched snippets of Casino Royale...



Picture and audio quality (With your own headphones) were very good...



Just 45 minutes left to run...

[yflyer]

An hour and a half before landing, cabin lights were turned on, and the cabin crew began preparing for breakfast service...



Breakfast service reverted back to economy style catering...



There were two breakfast choices, omelette, or noodles. I chose the omelette.



My seatmate was kind enough to let me take a picture of his noodles.



My omelette was creamy and very tasty.



By then, we were off the coast of East Malaysia...

[yflyer]

In between meals, I managed to sleep, but only intermittently.

I thought the AC PEY seat was good. I was happy with seat width and recline. But somehow, compared to many of my previous flights in Y or PEY, I did not sleep as soundly as I usually did.

At least part of the reason was the design of the headrest, which I did not like too much. The curved ends were fixed in place, and I could not find a comfortable resting position. I much preferred conventional winged headrests, like those on SQ, or even the winged headrest on the AC A330 PEY seat on my previous YVR-YUL sector. I think a larger pillow would have helped as well.

On a stroll through the lightly loaded Y cabin, I noticed many folks lying horizontal, each with 3 seats to themselves, all fast asleep.

Note to self: If a flight was lightly loaded, it was better to be in economy, with a row of 3 seats to yourself, than premium economy. This was the proverbial Y-flat bed, which, on previous flights over the years, had provided me with hours and hours of good sleep whenever I had the good fortune to have one.

I was sure that if I was in Y that evening, I would have slept more soundly than in PEY.

Of course, securing a row of 3 empty Y seats is always a gamble, and on fuller flights, PEY would be infinitely superior to 9-abreast 3-3-3 Y seating.

I would still recommend PEY for long flights, and AC's PEY is pretty impressive, but if I knew a flight was going to be very lightly loaded, the decision to fly Y or PEY would require some evaluation of the pro's and con's, and the decision may not always be in favour of PEY.

[yflyer]

Our routing that evening took us over the Pacific Ocean, passing close to Japan, and then over the Philippines later in the flight.



7 hours into the flight, the cabin crew came round with drinks and snacks...



Pax were offered sandwiches and small bites. These were also laid out in the galley in case anyone got hungry during the flight.



Sandwiches were not enough for me, so I had brought onboard my own cup noodles, purchased in Montreal the day before.

Cup noodles in hand, I strolled to the galley in the rear of the aircraft and asked the cabin crew for hot water. They were happy to oblige, and also giving me a set of disposable cutlery to use.



The noodles really hit the spot!



Special mention for the AC disposable cutlery. This looked to be made of very hard bamboo or some other wooden material. This cutlery was very strong and usable. It did not break the way some plastic cutlery did. I am pretty sure this cutlery would work well even for roti prata, which was almost guaranteed to break regular plastic cutlery.

[yflyer]

After drink service, a full dinner was served.

This was served on a single tray, with ceramic plates, proper glasses, and metal cutlery. Very nice!



I had pre-ordered the beef with potatoes for my main, which I paired with a glass of red wine.



The starter was a tangy salad, similar to coleslaw, with a couple of cherry tomatoes. I found this to be a very refreshing start to the meal.



My main was tasty, with a generous portion of beef slices, which were not overcooked.



Dessert was cheesecake...



A very satisfying dinner!

After that, it was time to rest....

[yflyer]

Take-off on Runway 08R...



Today's flight time to Singapore was about 16 hours...



Cabin service began with hot towels...



The cabin crew came round for drink service. I asked for G&T, and it came perfectly prepared in a proper glass, with lemon slice.



I decided to sign up for inflight wifi.

Wifi with unlimited data for the full flight was available for CAD$30 (i.e. SGD$30).

Internet performance for most of the flight was very good. Some of the fastest wifi I have experienced on any aircraft.



Amazingly there was an even faster option, called "Ultimate" for CAD$39!



I did not try the Ultimate Pass, but I was impressed that AC was so confident about its internet performance that they were willing to offer this premium plan. In practice, the regular internet plan worked very well for me on this flight.

I couldn't help but compare and contrast this with my past experiences with internet options on other airlines, which, truth be told, should really have been named "Slow", "Really Slow" or "Excruciatingly Slow" options. And any airline which still offers internet by the megabyte has lost the plot.

[yflyer]

The amenity kit was very practical...



It expanded into a large carrier bag. Very useful!



The contents of the kit were what you would expect...socks, eyeshades, toothbrush and foam earplugs...



Prior to boarding the cabin crew came round the PEY cabin with orange juice in plastics cups.

[yflyer]

This evening's flight AC19 YVR-SIN was lightly loaded, with an especially light Y cabin, so boarding was very smooth and quick.

Today's flight was operated by Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 rego C-FVND, a 5 year old aircraft.



My seat was 12K, in the first row of Premium Economy.



By the time I boarded, there were other pax in the PEY cabin, and it was a challenge to take pics in the crowded cabin, so here are some pics of the same cabin, taken on my outbound AC20 a week earlier.



The seats were laid out 2-3-2, and felt fairly spacious and comfortable.



Except for the bulkheadrow, the seats in the 2nd and 3rd PEY rows had footrests. None of the PEY seats had calf rests though.

There was good legroom in the bulkhead row.



An amenity kit and bottle of water were provided for each PEY pax.



Small drink tray in the front of the armrest.



Each seat came with a blanket, and a smallish pillow covered in that weird disposable material (Why not a real pillow cover, AC?).



IFE controller...



A/C power...



Touchscreen with USB charging port...



The screen was not very large, but the picture quality and resolution were good.

Disposable headsets were distributed...



These were not great, and were best ignored in favour of BYO headphones or earbuds...

[yflyer]

The International Terminal at VYR had a stunning design, with lots of open space and a very high ceiling...



Arriving international pax walked to immigration along a raised walkway above departing pax.



Unlike the cramped gate area I experienced on my previous domestic sector, the gate area for AC19 YVR-SIN was huge, with ample space for different lines for each boarding zone.

[yflyer]

This lounge had shower rooms, complete with WC (The domestic AC Lounges I visited had in-lounge restrooms, but none had showers).



My flight, AC19 YVR-SIN, was a 12.05am departure, so I had about 3 hours in the lounge between connections.

The lounge was not busy, as there did not appear to be too many international flights departing at that hour.

Some of the other folks in the lounge were on AC35 YVR-BNE, whch was an 11.15pm departure that evening. AC35 was also operated by a 787-9, and the aircraft operating that flight, C-FNOG, could be seen from the lounge.



Time in the lounge passed quickly. I enjoyed the food and especially the drinks, all the while heeding the friendly notice placed prominently on the bar counter...

[yflyer]

There was a beautifully styled dining area, with both buffet and cooked-to-order items.


The buffet counter...



...with salads...



...and hot sides...



Forest mushroom soup...



Main courses, prepared to order.



I ordered the chicken vol-au-vent...



There was also plain congee and a selection of garnishes...