Flight Report – AC 7607 – BOS to YYZ

After an eventful trip to Boston, it was time for me to head back home to Toronto.  My flight wasn’t scheduled until 4:55pm EST, but seeing how bad traffic can be around Boston the past few days, I didn’t want to chance it and decided to get to the airport about three hours early instead of the recommended two.  It was definitely a good call on two fronts.  First, there was a bit of a traffic jam on the highway about halfway through my Uber ride.  Secondly, once I checked in for my flight, I realized Gate B2 was completely isolated from the rest of Terminal B.

Downtown Boston

In all my years of flying, I have never experienced a situation like this before.  No stores.  No washrooms.  No restaurants.  Just a small section of an airport staring out onto the tarmac with the beautiful Boston skyline in the background completely cutoff from the rest of the terminal it was located in.  It turns out that Boston Logan International Airport is in the midst of a major renovation that will be completed in 2019.  Fortunately, the TSA are very mindful of the situation and allowed us to leave through the Emergency Door exit so we can browse around for food or shopping.  It meant I had to check in again through security, but it was much better option than staring out at the tarmac for three solid hours.

Boston Logan International Airport

As I was walking around Terminal B looking for something to eat, I passed by the American Airlines gate.  It suddenly dawned on me that this is where 9/11 began.  I’m not sure exactly which gate American Airlines Flight #11 – the first plane to hit the World Trade Centre – departed from, but it was definitely somewhere in Terminal B as this is where domestic American Airlines flights depart from Boston.  Just thinking about those innocent victims who had stood in the same spot as I was almost 17 years ago sent shivers down my spine.

Cisco Brew Pub of Nantucket

After wandering around the terminal a bit, I eventually ended up at Cisco Brew Pub.  It was a great way to kill off some time before my flight, albeit expensive, but I’ll go into more detail about it in an upcoming “Airport Eats” review.  Returning back to Gate B2, I managed to go through Security within five minutes.  Only three gates exist in this section of Terminal B – Gates B1 through B3 – but only two Air Canada flights had scheduled flights around this time – AC 7607 to Toronto and Jazz Air 8465 to Montreal.  While watching the planes getting ready on the tarmac in front of us for a few minutes, my name was called on the PA system to check in with my gate.  I’m not sure exactly sure why it happened, but I was one of a few people who were upgraded to Business Class.  I can’t even remember the last time I was ever given an upgrade, so this was a nice little surprise for my flight home.  Air Canada gave me Seat 4D in Business Class.  While it meant I was no longer going to have a window seat, I wasn’t going to complain about it.

View from Seat 4D - My upgrade to Business Class

Once I boarded the plane, I was enamoured with the extra space in Business Class.  A 2 x 1 formation, I had way more leg room than I would have had in Economy even though that section was in a 2 x 2 formation.  Each leather seat in Business Class came with a complimentary pillow for lower back comfort.  A Stewardess approached me within minutes of sitting down with a bottle of water and a headset for the In-flight Entertainment system.  She also took my drink order pre-takeoff.  There was a little bit of turbulence during takeoff, but it only lasted for a few minutes.  After the Pilot got us to cruising altitude, the Stewardess came back to give me a hot towel.  Man that felt so great on my face that had started to feel a little grimy.  At this point, I gazed around Business Class to take it all in.  All 12 seats were full on this flight, yet it still felt very spacious.

Fabrez Montmayou Reserva Cabernet Franc 2015

The Stewardess came back with a couple packs of Roasted salted peanuts and a beautiful glass of Fabrez Montmayou Reserva Cabernet Franc 2015.  With an intense red colour, this Cabernet Franc had an exuberant nose with red and black fruit aromas and a hint of mint.  On the palate, it was fresh and well balanced with a long finish and round tannins.  It was by far one of the best Red wines I ever had.  However, I was shocked to find out it was produced in Mendoza.  What a fabulous Argentine wine!  It was so good that I ended up having a couple more glasses of it for the flight home.  Probably a bit excessive as the Stewardess asked me how I was feeling after I requested my third glass within an hour.  Whoops.  To pass the time, I decided to watch Coco – a Pixar animated film about a 12 year old boy who is stuck in the Land of the Dead and needs the help of his deceased ancestors to return home.  With an all Latino cast, it was quite entertaining, albeit a little sappy and sentimental.  However, it definitely deserves the praise it has received from Hollywood.

Enjoying my Fabrez Montmayou while watching Coco

Sadly, all good things must come to an end as we landed in Toronto about 15 minutes earlier under inclement weather.  And just like that, my experience in Business Class was over.  Hands down, this has been the most memorable Air Canada flight that I have taken in years and one I won’t soon forget.  I’m not sure how I am going to adjust to sitting back in Economy again after this little bit of luxury.  But, kudos to Air Canada.  You really outdid yourselves here.  Looking forward to my next flight with you as shocking as that may seem.

Back home in rainy Toronto

AC 7607 – BOS to YYZ

Operated by: Air Canada 

Cabin:  Business:  Snack or Brunch / Economy:  No Meal; Seat 4D

Depart: 04:47PM EST – Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) – Terminal B, Gate B2

Arrive:  06:38PM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F66

Flight Time: 1:51; Non-Stop Flight – 534 Miles/859 Kilometers; Date:  April 24, 2018

Flight Report – AC 522 – YYZ to BOS

Since I was scheduled to be in Boston for a work trip that required me to fly in on Sunday, I decided to just fly in one day earlier and give myself 24 hours to explore as much as I could in this historic city.  Coincidentally, there was supposed to be a Stanley Cup Playoff game to be played between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs.  So needless to say, it was a smart move on my part to book this Saturday morning flight.

Pearson International Airport - Terminal 1 Entrance

I was bit nervous to see what highway traffic would be like on the way to Pearson International Airport.  No matter what time of the day or week, Highway 401 always seems to be like a parking lot near the airport.  Fortunately, that was not the case today as I was able to get there within 20 minutes by cab.  That must be a record as it usually takes me 30 minutes on average to get to the airport.  Ironically, check-in took me twice as long only because I tried checking in the Air Canada domestic booth by mistake instead of going to their U.S. departures booth instead.  That ate up about 10 extra minutes.

I hope to visit over 180 destinations worldwide in my lifetime!

My Boston flight was departing from Gate F64, so with about an hour to spare before boarding, I walked around there for a bit looking for a different Pearson Airport restaurant to eat at this time.  Lo and behold, there was a Wahlburgers nearby.  Founded by native Bostonians and celebrities Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, it only seemed appropriate that I have my first Wahlburgers experience here at the airport.  What a great way to kick off my trip to Boston – or so I thought.  After the underwhelming service at Wahlburgers, I made it back to my gate just in the nick of time for boarding.  The flight was a 2 x 2 formation and pretty full.  You could tell there were a few people heading to Boston for the hockey game as I saw quite a few Leafs hats being worn.  As usual, I had a window seat to enjoy the view leaving Toronto and heading into Boston.

Boarding Air Canada Flight #522

Beside me sat a very friendly, yet talkative, 62 year old woman named Judy.  She told me she was a lawyer and worked for the Government.  There was a Board of Directors meeting at her Alma Mater that she needed to attend to in Boston, but just like me, she decided to fly in early to see a bit of the city and visit some friends of hers near the area.  Over the course of the 1 hour flight, Judy and I swapped stories about travel, family, and career.  Well, she mainly told me stories about her life, children, career, and travels, and I sat there and just listened.  I could have easily stopped the conversation at any point that I wanted, but she seemed eager to connect with someone – as if she hadn’t had the opportunity to have this type of conversation with another person in quite some time.  But hey, it helped to pass time and I got to learn a little more about Jewish culture and Tel Aviv as a result.

The Toronto skyline en route to Boston

The arrival into Boston Logan International Airport was absolutely stunning as we landed near the harbor.  Somehow we made up a bit of time, so instead of a 90 minute flight, we got there a little over an hour.  Judy and I made our separate ways on the way to the luggage carousel.  She told me that we can take a free shuttle from Boston Logan Airport to the nearest subway station so I could get to my hotel a lot cheaper.  Since I was staying near the Dorchester area instead of downtown Boston, I opted for an Uber instead.  Within a few minutes, I was on my way to the hotel and the start of a 24 hour world wind tour of Boston.  First stop – Dorchester Brewery!

Boston Logan International Airport

AC 522 – YYZ to BOS                                                                       

Operated by: Air Canada 

Aircraft:  Embraer ERJ-190 (twin-jet); Seat: 31F

Cabin:  Business:  Breakfast / Economy:  Food for Sale

Depart: 10:57AM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F64

Arrive:  12:03PM EST – Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)  

Flight Time: 1:06; Non-Stop Flight – 488 Miles/785 Kilometers; Date:  April 21, 2018