Flight Report: AC 1918 – ATL to YYZ

It was a whirlwind five-day trip to Atlanta just to see Copa America 2024 Opening Match, but well worth it.  However, with the late nights and plenty of libations to go around, I was ready to head home at this point.  But not before we indulged at the business class lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for a bit, which was a perk given to us for using my Aeroplan miles to book this flight.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

Our original flight time was scheduled for 3:30pm EST, but I received an email update from Air Canada stating that our flight was now delayed to 4:50pm EST.  Carrie and I discussed whether we should grab something to eat nearby or just head to the airport now and kill several hours at the airport lounge instead.  It was shortly after 11am EST when I received this email, so we’re talking at least 4+ hours to kill here before boarding our plane.  Ultimately, we decided to kill time at the airport lounge, especially since I hyped up my last airport lounge experience to someone whose never enjoyed this type of luxury before.

United Club Lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

The Uber got us to Jackson-Hartfield International Airport within 20 minutes.  Airport security was standard, so there were no hiccups there.  The real confusing part was where exactly was this lounge that we had access to.  I struggled to find the Maple Leaf Lounge, which is Air Canada’s chain of business class lounges worldwide at select airports.  However, I was told by one of the customer service reps that our ticket granted access to United Airline’s business class lounge instead, called the United Club.

Tarmac view of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport from the United Club

After nearly 30 minutes on the hunt for this lounge, we finally found the United Club.  And it was very underwhelming.  Spacious with bright windows overlooking the tarmac for any plane spotters wanting to kill time, the lounge felt more like a cafeteria with its standard round white tables and buffet style food options.  Multiple screens dotted the dining area with streaming services, but we were unable to watch any of Euro 2024 matches going on that day.  We grabbed some sandwiches, snacks, and alcohol over the course of the next couple of hours before heading closer towards our gate so I could find a bar playing some either Euro or Copa America matches while Carrie wanted to browse some of the shops.

Boarding AC 1918 - ATL to YYZ

The time had finally come for us to board AC 1918 after a couple of delays and an extra three hours added to our wait time.  As we boarded the Airbus A319, I noticed it was not the original plane that we were originally supposed to fly on.  You could tell right away with its seat formation of 2x2 within the first four rows of “Business Class” followed by a 3x3 formation all the way to the back at Row 42.  Air Canada has been absolute garbage this week but having used Aeroplan miles to help subsidize this once-in-a-lifetime trip, I’m limited to how much I can complain.  Let’s be thankful that we’re finally making our way home at this point.

Chicken Marcella, Spring Leaf Salad & Brownie with Red Wine

Given the short two-hour duration of this flight, meals were only served to those sitting in business class.  I had a chicken marcella, spring leaf salad with oil and vinegar dressing, and a brownie with two glasses of red wine.  My other option was the pasta entrée, which I wasn’t really feeling given I was still somewhat full from eating lunch at the United Club only a few hours earlier.

Inclement weather at Toronto Pearson International Airport

The flight went smoothly, except for the few minutes of turbulence we experienced about 20 minutes before we landed at Pearson International Airport due to inclement weather.  It was 21C with a slight drizzle in case anyone was keeping track.  Upon landing, we were required to wait approximately 20 minutes on the tarmac as our arrival gate wasn’t ready yet.  From there, Carrie and I went through customs and took our separate ways home while looking forward to our next soccer trip adventure together.

Inclement weather at Toronto Pearson International Airport

AC 1918 – ATL to YYZ

Operated by: Air Canada 

Aircraft: Airbus A319 (twin-jet); Seat: 2A

Cabin: Business: Meal / Business: Complimentary

Depart: 05:53PM EST – Hartsfield-Jackson International (ATL) – Gate F14

Arrive:  08:17pm EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F36 

Flight Time: 2:24; Non-Stop Flight – 816 Miles/1313 Kilometers; Date:  June 22, 2024

Flight Report – AC 1677 – MCO to YYZ

After a few days of work and pleasure in Orlando, it was time for me to head back home.  For the ride to Orlando International Airport, I opted to take an Uber for a change.  What a great call on my part as not only was it a quick 25 minute ride, but my driver was one of the most memorable characters I have ever met.  Shelly and I had a great conversation for the majority of the ride.  We talked about how she works Uber full time and only daytime hours.  It turns out that I was lucky to even have Shelly as my Uber driver as she “don’t do civilians.”  Rather than deal with the headaches and stress of driving locals all over the place, especially after a night of debauchery at local watering holes, Shelly only accepts airport pickups and drop off requests now.

Leaving Mickey Mouse Country

Orlando is one of a handful of cities in America that are popular for conventions and trade shows because of its low cost and ease of access for business travelers.  While I understand her reasoning for going this route, I couldn’t help but notice that she was a rather attractive African-American woman and asked her how often she gets hit on by Corporate Executives.  Without missing a beat, she admitted to me that it happens every now and then, including a recent customer who was overly obnoxious with the pickup lines.  But for this street smart ex-New Yorker, she “don’t do Executives, either.”  We had a great laugh over that before having a more serious conversation about the “Me, Too” Movement, particularly Bill Cosby.  That part of the conversation didn’t go over as well as we were in disagreement as to whether or not Cosby’s alleged victims should have spoken up about their sexual assaults decades ago or not.  But we both agreed that we were severely disappointed and saddened by the man Cosby is instead of the beloved actor and comedian that we grew up with during the Eighties.  Fortunately, that part of the conversation only last a few minutes as we had arrived at the airport – just over three hours before my scheduled flight.

Waiting for the tram to take me to Terminal B

Despite the extra time that I had, I had to wait for almost 30 minutes before Air Canada was able to check me in as they had flights to Halifax, Montreal, and Toronto all within 45 minutes of each other.  Because the Toronto flight was the last one of the day, the passengers heading to Halifax and Montreal were given first priority.  Following check in, I spent close to another 30 minutes waiting in line to go through TSA Security.  That was a complete chaotic process as there were clusters of people just randomly standing in line instead of listening to the TSA Officers who were trying to organize all of us in five different lines.  Overall, it took me about an hour to check in and go through security leaving me with 90 minutes to kill before boarding.

The galley on Air Canada Flight 1677

Since I had plenty of time to grab something to eat, I headed over towards Bahama Breeze for some dinner.  I’ll save the details for a later date, but I essentially picked it because it was the only restaurant near my gate that seemed lively and the tropical theme was really appealing.  Following dinner, I headed to Gate B94 where I had a few minutes to spare prior to boarding.  Nothing of significance to note for this flight as it was pretty similar to my Air Canada flight down to Orlando only a few days earlier.  However, I ended up losing my window seat to a five year old child due to a booking mishap his family had when they made reservations for this flight.

Air Canada Flight 1677

His father explained to me that Air Canada had accidentally separated his entire family of four, and because both of his children were under the age of seven, the Air Canada agents paired the father and son together in my seat while the Mother and Daughter were sat a few rows up on the other side of the plane.  No one told me about the change in seating planes when I boarded the flight, but given my history with Air Canada, I wasn’t surprised, either.  The father apologized for the confusion, but how could any reasonable person be upset given this situation?  I was just unsure where I would now sit as it was full flight.  Fortunately, the Father’s original seat was actually right beside me in the middle row, thus saving me the trouble of asking one of the flight attendants to help me find a new seat.

Toronto Pearson International Airport

With an estimated arrival time of 1am EST, I decided to take a nap during the flight.  Toronto has a noise by-law which prevents flights from departing between Midnight and 6am and arriving between 1am to 6am.  So, it was eerily quiet by the time we arrived at Pearson International Airport as we were one of the last arrivals for the day.  On the bright side, Canadian Customs wasn’t as busy as a result, so I was able to grab my luggage and head home all within 20 – 30 minutes of arriving.  Since this will be my last business trip for an indefinite period of time, the only thing I could think of while I headed for home was when and where my next flight would be.  And more importantly, when would I return to Orlando again?

An eerily quiet Toronto Pearson International Airport

AC 1670 – MCO to YYZ 

Operated by: Air Canada Rouge

Aircraft:  Boeing 767-300 (twin-jet); Seat: 46A                                                   

Departure: 10:26PM EST – Orlando International Airport (MCO) – Gate B94

Arrival:  12:58am EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F69

Flight Time: 2:32; Non Stop Flight – 1090 Miles/1754 Kilometers; Date: March 20-21, 2019

Flight Report – AC 1670 – YYZ to MCO

Orlando was an impromptu work trip due to some recent internal restructuring.  An extra spot opened up for our biggest trade show of the year, so off I went to get out of this chilly winter weather.  However, the trip got off to a bit of a rough start.  With a departure time of 6:50am EST, I was already running late by not leaving my condo until 4:30am EST.  Although my cabbie got me to Toronto Pearson International Airport within 30 minutes, there was a massive lineup for Security check in when I arrived.  For the first time in years, Security escorted me to a shorter line in order for me to make it on time for my flight.  Sure, that may have saved me about 15 – 20 minutes.  But the lineup for U.S. Customs was even longer.  Overall, the whole process took me close to an hour.  There were people in line with me who had it worse, though, as their departure times were around 6:40am EST and 6:30am EST.  It goes without saying that some of these early morning flights were either not going to depart on time or the lineup for U.S. Customs was deceivingly faster than it actually looked.

Air Canada Flight #1670

By the time I arrived at Gate F61, Air Canada already started boarding passengers on my flight.  No time for me to have breakfast, so I had to wait until we arrived in Orlando for that.  First Class had a 4x2x3 formation while Coach had a 2x3x2 formation.  This was perfect for me since it meant I only had to deal with one person the entire flight instead of two.  The plane had about 50 rows in total and was near full capacity.  Because it was an Air Canada Rouge flight, this meant that the only way you can watch movies is through the Air Canada app on your phone.  Unfortunately, I brought the wrong headset as I left my iPhone ear buds at home.  That being said, I opted to sleep away as much of the flight as possible as I was still a bit exhausted.

Orlando International Airport

With the exception of a few minor incidents of turbulence, it was a relatively smooth flight that allowed me to sleep away a couple of hours or so.  As we descended upon Orlando International Airport, I noticed it was extremely cloudy – much different from the sunny skies that embraced me nearly two years ago.  The landing was pretty rough – and we arrived at our gate 35 minutes later than expected – but there was no rain just yet.  So, I grabbed my luggage as soon as I could and headed to my hotel.  The only plan for today was to make my way to the Orlando City FC match.  But first, I needed to see how early I could check into my hotel as it just a little after 9:30am EST.  Plus, I still needed to grab some breakfast.

Orlando International Airport

AC 1670 – YYZ to MCO 

Operated by: Air Canada Rouge

Aircraft:  Boeing 767-300 (twin-jet); Seat: 46A

Departure: 06:50AM EST – Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F61

Arrival:  09:43am EST – Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Flight Time: 2:53; Non Stop Flight – 1116 Miles/1796 Kilometers; Date: March 16, 2019

Flight Report – UA 281/UA 2420 – AUS – IAH – YYZ

Even though I didn’t get to see much of it, I really enjoyed the craziness that is Austin.  Just the food, drink, and nightlife alone make this city a worthwhile visit.  But, I just scratched the surface here.  The museums, parks, and other attractions that I didn’t get around to on this trip provide a lot more substantial context to Austin’s story.  I have no idea when I will return, but it will definitely be for a longer visit combined with a few days in San Antonio.  This part of Texas is just incredibly beautiful and laid back making it a really relaxing place to vacation.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Right then, so onto to my flight home.  I grabbed the first taxi I could find at the Hyatt Regency since a lot of conference attendees were also making their way home around the same time as me.  With a late afternoon flight, I left shortly after 2pm CST.  I thought this would leave me plenty of time to check in until we hit some traffic on IH-35.  Fortunately, it only lasted for a couple of minutes.  The ride itself only took about 20 minutes, so I still had more than enough time to check in for my flight.  It was a chilly 6°C despite the sunny skies appearing above Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.  I’m just thankful that I got to experience a few good days while I was here as it could have been much worse.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Check in took only 5 minutes, which gave me plenty of time to explore the airport if I wanted to.  However, since lunch was provided at the end of our conference, I was both full and exhausted at this point.  There definitely were a few interesting dining options here, but I decided to wait until I got to Houston to eat as I had a 2 ½ hour layover there.  I did take advantage of the more liberal liquor laws of Texas, though.  You can drink alcohol anywhere you want within Austin-Bergstrom provided you are at least 21 years of age or older.  With that being said, I grabbed one more local Austin beer for the road – an IPA from Infamous Brewing Company – and just waited at my gate until boarding.  This IPA was very malty and hoppy with flavours of candied yams, lemon custard, and pepper.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

United Airlines Flight #281 had a formation of 2x2 in Business class with three rows in total.  Economy was in a 3x2 formation with 35 rows in total.  I sat in the very back in Seat 38F.  Upon takeoff, I was a bit unnerved by the amount of turbulence we encountered.  It seemed much bumpier than usual and I felt as if the tail end of the plane was going to snap off for some reason.  Yes, I know that sounds silly.  But, I have been noticing lately how much more sensitive I am to the regular nuances of flight when I am in these smaller planes now.  It gives you a greater appreciation of what these flight crews have to deal with on a regular basis.

A beautiful sunny sky en route to Houston

With a scheduled flight time of 33 minutes, there wasn’t much time to enjoy this first segment of the trip home.  I ended up drifting in and out of sleep instead, but woke up around the peak of the flight to this gorgeous sunny sky.  It was a nice sendoff for me from Texas.  We had time for one complimentary drink and a snack, so I grabbed my usual Mott’s Tomato juice with pretzels.  Upon descent on George Bush Intercontinental Airport, we experienced a dip in the weather as it was cloudy and 3°C leaving me unable to see the downtown area of Houston.  Despite the inclement weather, we had a very soft landing.  Surprisingly, no one clapped for this great landing like tradition dictates.  In any case, I was here in Houston with more than a couple of hours to spare before the second segment of my trip home began.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

UA 281 – AUS to IAH

Operated by: United Airlines

Aircraft:  Airbus A320 (twin-jet)

Depart: 04:11PM CST – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) – Gate 27

Arrive:  05:21PM CST – Houston Bush International Airport (IAH) – Gate C4

Flight Time: 1:10; Non Stop Flight – 245 Miles/394 Kilometers; Date:  November 13, 2018

Ember - One of the best Airport Restaurants in North America

Due to the near fatal mistake I made arriving to Houston a few days earlier, I decided to find my gate first for the flight home to Toronto before looking for a place to eat.  Fortunately, my gate was still in Terminal C.  So, I didn’t have too far to go to.  This time around, I decided to eat at Ember.  It seemed like a fancier place than Bam Bam and had way better service.  I’ll write a separate review on this restaurant, but it is one of my favourite North American airport restaurants to date.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

After finishing my dinner, I still had quite a bit of time to kill before boarding.  Rather than continue to wait it out at Ember, I decided to make my way near the gate to see if there was a place to charge my phone before boarding.  In fact, there was a whole section of tables with charging stations where people could also order food and drinks while they are at it.  This also included alcohol, so I decided to have one more Texan beer as a final send off to this great State.  This time I ordered a Pilsner from B-52 Brewing Company – a local craft brewery just outside of Houston.  It was very light, hoppy, and crisp.  Not bad for this style of beer!

Departure information for United Airlines Flight #2420

United Airlines Flight #2420 had a 2x2 formation with 4 rows in Business Class with a 3x2 formation in Economy.  The Captain announced that the expected flight time would be a total of 2 hours, 24 minutes with tailwind.  This time around I was willing to pay for the inflight entertainment system.  However, I couldn’t reach down to plug in my ear buds to watch movies.  And I couldn’t ask the elderly Indian man beside me to move so I could plug them in because there was a severe language barrier here.  So, I ended up sleeping for most of the flight against my better judgment.  Not much else to discuss about this flight aside from the rough turbulence we experienced just before landing in Toronto.  Everyone was getting tossed around like we are all riding bumper cars.  It was just a terrible experience.  Aside from that, I was happy to be home, but a little sad as this would be my last flight for 2018.

Descending upon Toronto

UA 2420 – IAH to YYZ

Operated by: United Airlines

Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 (twin-jet); Seat: 24A

Cabin:  First Class – Dinner; Business – Dinner; Economy – Food for Sale

Depart: 07:48PM CST – George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Gate C3

Arrive:  11:56PM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Gate 193

Flight Time: 3:08; Non Stop Flight – 1380 Miles/2221 Kilometers; Date: November 13, 2018

Flight Report – UA 2424/UA 6372 – YYZ – IAH – AUS

Austin has been a city that I have always wanted to visit since I was a child.  My childhood best friend was born there.  One of my favourite movies – Dazed & Confused – was filmed there.  And Austin is notorious for its nightlife and music scene.  Finally, the time had come for me to finally visit the “Live Music Capitol of the World.”  This was going to be my last work trip for the year, and even my Manager suggested that I take some extra time off to explore this quirky little city.  So I did.  I took an extra day off work so I can have an extra-long weekend before my event was to start the following Monday.  It has been a long time since I was this stoked for a work trip.

United Airlines Flight # 2424

As usual, I opted for the earliest flight option possible so I could maximize my time in Austin.  It was an early start to the day as I left my condo just past 5am.  With virtually no traffic on Highway 401, I arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport within 30 minutes.  This time around, I would be flying with United Airlines.  For some reason, their self-service kiosks were not working.  However, it wasn’t particularly busy, either.  So, I managed to check into my flight within 10 minutes.  As an added bonus, security took less than five minutes.  But that is where my luck ended as U.S. Customs was packed and took me about 15 minutes to go through.  This left me with less than an hour prior to boarding, but enough time for me to grab breakfast.

Storm's a brewing over Toronto Pearson International Airport

I decided to give Wahlburgers another chance despite the slow service I received the last time I was there.  Once again, I opted for the Dorchester breakfast.  Service was very quick this time as I received my breakfast about 10 minutes after ordering.  However, the restaurant was about 50% full this time.  So, I guess that could explain the why it was much better this time around.  The morning also started off on a sad note as my friend and former co-worker passed away the night before.  My thoughts were with her family rather than on my plans for Austin.  Thus, I was now adopting a “go with the flow” plan once I arrived in Austin as my heart and mind were just not into pre-planning some activities with the spare time I had left prior to boarding.

A brief break in the inclement weather en route to Houston

United Airlines Flight #2424 had a formation of 2x2 with four rows up in Business class and a 3x2 formation in Economy.  While I was excited to see we had leather seats, the drawback was the lack of legroom.  I was also excited to see “Tag” was available for one of the movie options.  However, United Airlines has a partnership with DirectTV for their inflight entertainment system.  For flights over 2+ hours, such as this one, you have a package option to watch unlimited movies and television shows for $8 US.  This is a complete ripoff given the extra fees we already pay in North America for such “privileges” as checked baggage and food.  Plus, the cost of flying out of Toronto to anywhere in North America is pretty expensive to begin with.  And if that weren’t enough, even access to the UAL Flight Map requires you purchase a package!  Seriously?  You are charging passengers money to have real time access to see how far along are we on the flight itinerary.  No wonder they get slammed for their Customer Service now.  Never again will I fly United unless I have no other choices.  Such a complete and utter disappointment!

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

With no inflight entertainment system to keep me occupied, I ended up sleeping away the first half of the flight.  It was pretty smooth with the exception of heavy turbulence occurring about 15 – 20 minutes after takeoff.  I was pretty refreshed by this nap, but extremely bored sitting here through the second half of my flight to Houston.  We encountered some more turbulence about 30 minutes from landing.  Ultimately, we ended up landing about five minutes earlier than expected into some cloudy conditions.  But the 13°C weather was much better than the cloudy 5°C weather I left back home only a few hours earlier.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

UA 2424 – YYZ to IAH

Operated by: United Airlines

Aircraft:  Boeing 737-800 (twin-jet)

Depart: 07:35AM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F67

Arrive:  10:29AM EST – Houston Bush International Airport (IAH) – Gate C4

Flight Time: 3:54; Non Stop Flight – 1,342 Miles/2160 Kilometers; Date:  November 9, 2018

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

After landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, I decided to look for somewhere to eat as I had a two hour layover before my flight to Austin.  Ultimately, I settled for BamBam as it served as both a Vietnamese restaurant and a beer garden.  While it was a beautifully designed restaurant, it really lacked in customer service.  So, I didn’t bother to spend too much time here once I finished my meal.  I decided to grab a beer at Ember before double checking the Arrivals/Departures board to make sure I had time for one more.  Good thing I did as I completely misread it upon arrival thinking that I was departing from Gate C14.  However, United Airlines Flight #6372 was actually scheduled to depart out of Gate E12 – a completely different Terminal that required the use of a tram!  The confusion was caused by the fact that United Airlines had three different flights to Austin this afternoon – not two like I initially thought.  I’m not how I misread that so badly, but I will chalk it up to severe exhaustion from lack of sleep.

Never found out what "Oecke" referred to!

After settling up my tab, I ran like a bat out of Hell trying to get to Gate E12 as quickly as I could.  I had zero idea what I would have done next had I missed my flight.  Fortunately, my flight was delayed as the plane we were to take was arriving late itself.  It was kind of similar to the situation I had in Philadelphia a few months earlier, except Texas had been hit with severe rainstorms all week.  It was now time for Austin and Houston to receive this inclement weather.  Boy, was I really lucky!  Since we were now looking at another 45 minutes or so before boarding, I walked around Terminal E for a bit before I grabbed another drink at the Beer Hive – a really cool bar that numerous Houston craft beers available both on draft and in cans or bottles.  I highly recommend this bar if you ever find yourself with time to kill at Terminal E within George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The Colorado River cuts through Texas

The time had come to board my flight to Austin.  This plane was significantly smaller than United Airlines Flight #2424 with four rows of a 2-1 formation in Business class with 2-2 formation in Economy.  My window seat was at the very back, which made it very sensitive to any extreme movements during the flight.  For example, the takeoff was noticeably wobbly where I was sitting.  It wasn’t nearly as bad as that Orlando takeoff I experienced, but it was slightly unnerving.  It was still extremely cloudy, so I was unable to catch any glimpses of Houston.  It is located about 20 minutes away from the airport, so I can only imagine what it would look like either arriving or departing on a perfectly clear day.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Once we reached cruising altitude, the clouds dissipated as we experienced clear sunny skies for the rest of the flight.  This gave me hope that the inclement weather had passed Austin by now.  (Editor’s Note: It was actually 14°C and sunny by the time we landed.)  Because it was only a 30 minute flight to Austin, I decided to stare out the window and enjoy the scenery below me as there was no inflight entertainment available.  Despite the short flight, we still received complimentary drinks and free WiFi.  I was also amused by all this beautiful farmland surrounding Austin upon our descent.  It gave me this first impression that Austin was really just a small American town than a world class city.  In a matter of hours, I would be proven wrong.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

UA 6372 – IAH to AUS

Operated by: United Airlines

Aircraft: Airbus A320 (twin-jet); Seat: 24A

Cabin:  Snacks & Complimentary Drinks

Depart: 01:03PM CST – George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Gate E12

Arrive:  01:35PM CST – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)

Flight Time: 0:32; Non Stop Flight – 140 Miles/225 Kilometers; Date: November 9, 2018