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 – AC 8946 – YYZ to YSJ

Being that it was late October, it was still dark outside and a brisk 3°C when my cab arrived just after 6am EST.  I was on my way to Pearson International Airport for yet another work trip, although this one was scheduled for me at the last minute as one of my colleagues could not make it.  As a child, I have only driven through New Brunswick on a couple of family trips to Halifax.  But I have no recollection of what we saw or did in New Brunswick aside from the few photos we took along the way.  So needless to say, I was pretty stoked to see what Saint John had to offer even if I only had a short amount of time to explore it over the next 48 hours.

Air Canada Flight #8946

Highway traffic was minimal allowing us to arrive at Pearson International Airport within 30 minutes.  Check in and security took about 20 minutes in total as Air Canada had several early morning domestic flights.  They even opened the downstairs security location to make the process go even faster, which I didn’t even realize existed until now.  The more things you learn over time about your local airport!  All-in-all, it was a relatively smooth and painless process.  With over an hour to spare before boarding, I decided to find my gate first before grabbing breakfast at Mill Street Brewery Pub.

Flying past downtown Toronto

Similar to my flight to Providence, Gate D7 was located in a relatively small section of Pearson International Flight.  Instead of short commuter flights to regional airports in the United States, this section is commonly used for smaller domestic locations, such as Sarnia, Thunder Bay, Moncton, and Fredericton.  This would be one of those situations where I would walk out onto the tarmac to board my flight – a de Havilland Dash 8-400 twin-turboprop plane.  The only downside to this flight was the lack of any entertainment system available, so I took a quick nap for the first half of the two hour flight.

A Quebec-shaped lake while flying over Quebec!

The flight itself was pretty uneventful, except a couple of occasions where we had some turbulence.  Highlights of the flight included flying right past downtown Toronto, seeing the beautiful Quebec farmland landscapes, and our descent over the Bay of Fundy as we approached Saint John Airport.  Saint John presented an interesting dichotomy between the factories along the Bay of Fundy that were clearly polluting the air with the beautiful autumn foliage dotting the landscape.  We landed around 11:30am Atlantic Standard Time and pulled up to the tiny Saint John Airport – probably the second smallest North American airport I have ever been to after Yellowknife.  It was a brisk 2°C and cloudy when we landed, but no signs of inclement weather thankfully.

Descending into Saint John, New Brunswick

A few things that really stick out at Saint John Airport near the Arrivals section is a wall mural discussing the significance of prop planes in New Brunswick aviation history, a brick wall that literally says “Welcome to Saint John – Home of Moosehead Brewery,” and the “Saint John on the Bay of Fundy” sign right above the luggage carousel.  For me, I thought that was a bit unnecessary, but for International visitors, I suppose it was needed to distinguish the difference between Saint John and St. John’s – the capital of Newfoundland.  After nearly a 10 minute wait, I grabbed my luggage, called a cab, and made my way to my hotel.  I only had about five hours to explore the city before my colleague was to arrive.  But as I would soon discover, five hours was more than plenty to get the gist of this beautiful, yet depressed city.

Aeroport de Saint John/Saint John Airport

AC 8946 – YYZ to YSJ 

Operated by: Air Canada Jazz

Aircraft:  de Havilland Dash 8-400 (twin-turboprop); Seat: 18A

Departure: 08:28AM EST – Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate D7

Arrival:  11:33am ADT – Saint John Airport (YSJ)

Flight Time: 2:05; Non Stop Flight – 710 Miles/1143 Kilometers; Date: October 23, 2018

Flight Report – AC 7378 – YYZ to PVD

Although my flight to Providence wasn’t scheduled until just after 9:30am EST, I foolishly waited until 7am before leaving for the airport.  Getting some extra sleep took priority on this sunny June morning.  However, as soon as my cab driver merged on Highway 401, my heart sank.  We were stuck in Rush Hour.  For the next 30 minutes, we were moving at a snail pace crawl with some occasional “stop and go” segments.  Externally, I kept my composure, but internally, I was quite nervous.  I am not sure why, but traffic suddenly cleaned up and we were at Pearson International Airport within the next 10 minutes.  Forty minutes for the complete journey wasn’t too bad – average really – but given that it was a Monday, I knew this was just the first of my worries.

AC 7378 - YYZ to PVD

Security and check-in took less than 10 minutes, so that helped me a lot.  But given that it was Monday morning and a popular travel time during the week, Customs was busy, but swift taking about 30 minutes to get through.  Gate F86 was actually in an odd spot of Pearson International Airport.  Not only did it take about 15 minutes or so to walk to after passing through Customs, but there were a lot of renovations going on in this section of the airport.  After finding my gate, I noticed that there weren’t any restaurants nearby for me to grab a proper breakfast.  So I went to Great Canadian Bagel instead.

Boarding Air Canada Flight #7378

After eating my breakfast sandwich and drinking my freshly brewed coffee, I went back to Gate F86 to wait for boarding.  I noticed that this section of Pearson is where some of the shortest flights depart from with routes to Detroit, Cleveland, and Dulles (Washington, D.C.) listed on the itinerary schedule along with Providence.  With it being in a really small section of Pearson, Gate F86 reminded me of Yellowknife International Airport – small, yet quick and efficient with a handful of people sitting quietly nearby awaiting for boarding.  We also had to walk out onto the Pearson tarmac to board our flight much like I had to in Yellowknife for my flight to Calgary.  The flight was delayed for a few minutes due to some maintenance issues they needed to deal with before we could board.

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Once we were given the go ahead to take our seats, I was shocked by the size of the plane – a 2 x 2 formation.  I can’t remember the last time I sat in such a small plane, but this was a definite “puddle jumper” for the expected 57 minute flight from gate to gate.  The downside to this was that there was no in-flight entertainment system due to the length of the flight.  But the upside was that this was a really quick flight.  I passed the time by reading the June 2018 Air Canada enRoute magazine.  Ironically, they just released an interview they did with world renowned Chef and Traveler, Anthony Bourdain, three days after his suicide.  What was particularly creepy about this interview was his last comments when asked who he would like to invite to dinner next – Keith Richards – and what does he think that they have in common:  “We’re both still alive – against all odds.”  Yikes.

A sadly ironic Anthony Bourdain interview in the June 2018 enRoute Magazine

The flight attendants came by to offer us complimentary snacks and drinks.  Pretzels and tomato juice for me, of course.  All-in-all, it was a very smooth flight no turbulence.  Upon descent on T.F. Green International Airport, I noticed we were flying over a lot of forested land with pockets of lakes and swamps.  It reminded me of the approach to Orlando International Airport, but with a lot more trees.  A loud boom scared the bejesus out me when the wheels opened up for landing.  When you mainly fly much larger airplanes, these little differences are certainly noticeable.  We finally landed at 10:47am EST.  Within 20 minutes, we grabbed our luggage and I was on my way to Gillette Stadium for my next work trip.

T.F. Green International Airport

AC 7378 – YYZ to PVD

Operated by: Air Georgian (Air Canada)

Aircraft:  Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-200 (twin-jet); Seat:

Cabin:  Snacks & Complimentary Drinks

Depart: 09:34AM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F86

Arrive:  10:51AM EST – T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) – Gate 14

Flight Time: 1:17; Non Stop Flight – 463 Miles/745 Kilometers; Date:  June 11, 2018

Flight Report – AC 1836 – PHX to YYZ

After a few days in Phoenix, it was now time for me to fly back home.  There’s definitely a lot more to Phoenix to discover than I initially thought that I will have to come back again at some point in the future.  But for now, I hopped into an Uber to make my way to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.  The drive to the airport was actually quite enjoyable.  After telling my driver some of the interesting things I did in Phoenix, including the Chase Field tour, we got into a discussion about Major League Baseball.  As it turns out, Rene, my Uber driver, was family friends with Joe DiMaggio's cousins.

Passing Downtown Phoenix en route to Sky Harbor International Airport

A year after DiMaggio retired from Major League Baseball, the Yankees held an exhibition match in Cuba.  Rene was just a four-year-old child at the time, but he vividly remembers watching DiMaggio hit a homerun on the first pitch.  As he rounded the bases, he tipped his cap one last time to the crowd as this was his swan song to his professional career.  At that precise my moment, Rene became a lifelong Yankees fan.  As to why he was in Cuba at the time, Rene mentioned to me that his family worked in the Casino industry in Cuba at the time.

Phoenix Airport Museum - "Memory Arizona" (1991) - Howardena Pindell

He eventually found himself working in Las Vegas later in life with Mickey Mantle’s brother at one of the casinos.  One time when Mickey was visiting his Brother, Rene arranged to meet him over some drinks.  After telling him how much of a Yankees fan he was, Rene worked up the courage to ask Mickey Mantle for his autograph.  Unfortunately, all he had available at the time for him to sign was a cocktail napkin.  The next day, Mickey gave him two autographed Homerun balls he hit.  How cool is that!  Rene is a really engaging story teller, and as much as I would love to have heard more of his baseball related stories, we had already arrived at the airport within 25 minutes.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

There are four Terminals at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.  Terminals 2 – 4 handle all domestic and International flights while Terminal 1 is reserved for the American Air force.  Because I was flying with Air Canada, Rene dropped me off at Terminal 4.  Check-in took about 30 minutes.  The self-check-in kiosks were a bit chaotic as it some passengers had no clue what they were doing, so a few of us walked around them to check in with the Air Canada agent instead.  This caused a bit of a rift for those who thought we were budding line.  Whatever.  As I headed towards Security, I noticed various pieces of artwork throughout the airport.  I was intrigued to learn that the Phoenix Airport Museum has exhibits throughout the various terminals to entertain passengers while they look for ways to kill time before boarding their respective flights.  This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a thing.

Waiting for takeoff at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Finally, I made my way through TSA Security.  Strangely enough, I wasn’t required to take off my shoes nor take my laptop out of my bag during security screening.  However, as I started to question the “lax security,” the guy behind me was pulled over to the side as he was found with a pocket knife within his carry-on luggage.  He was extremely upset when TSA told him it would be confiscated unless he wanted to mailed it home or to his next destination instead.  He couldn’t understand why his knife was going to be confiscated when he’s brought it on his carry-on luggage with him countless times before in other International airports.  I couldn’t help but shake my head and wondered if he was actually hearing the words he was saying.  Really?  You can’t understand why you wouldn’t be allowed to bring a pocket knife on board an airplane departing from the United States?  Where have you been for the past 17 years?

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Having cleared security within minutes, I had more than enough time to grab some lunch before boarding.  I ended up eating at Ciao Cowboy as it seemed to be the best and closest option to my gate.  Following lunch, I made my way to Gate B25 to prepare for boarding.  It turns out that AC 1836 was over sold by one passenger.  Yes, one!  If someone was willing to give up their spot, then Air Canada would pay for one night’s accommodation in Phoenix and rebook you for the same flight 24 hours later.  I was seriously tempted to give up my spot.  But not wanting to go through the hassle of rescheduling my Friday conference calls and the simple fact that I was just completely exhausted from the past few days in Phoenix, I refrained from giving up my seat.  Fortunately, some lady took the offer a few minutes later.  Right beside at Gate B26, the WestJet flight to Calgary – WS 1403 – was overbooked by 10 people!  It was crazy busy at the airport today!  For a Thursday, I wasn’t expecting Phoenix Sky Harbor to be this busy at all.

Phoenix, Arizona

Due to the time it took for Air Canada to deal with the overbooking, our flight was delayed by almost 20 minutes.  Once we boarded the Airbus A321, I noticed that AC 1836 had a 2x2 format in Business Class with about 8 rows.  Economy, on the other hand, was in a 3x2 formation that had us all crammed together like a can of sardines.  Yeesh!  On top of that, we had a very turbulent takeoff – worse than what I had experienced in Orlando a year earlier – that was just very bumpy.  We had a couple more rough turbulence incidences – one about three-quarters of the way through the flight that felt like we in a bumper car and another instance about 15 minutes from landing in Toronto.

Watching "Wonder Woman" on Air Canada Flight #1836

I killed time on the flight by watching a couple of movies.  The first was Wonder Women.  Starring Gal Gadot as the title character, this movie received a lot of critical praise when it was initially released in 2017.  It’s definitely a bit confusing as the plot is set during the First World War and somehow combines the events of the war with how Wonder Woman was brought to Earth from her mythical island of Themyscira.  I never grew up reading comic books like other children do, so I am sure there’s a lot I missed out on that prevented me from keeping up with the plot.  But the action and cinematography is very fast paced and engaging and really helped in passing the time more than half of the flight.

Descending upon Toronto Pearson International Airport

As for the second movie – Entanglement – it took a bit for me to get into this comedy-drama romance film starring Thomas Middleditch.  The main character – Ben Layten – finds himself in a downward spiral that leads him to several failed suicide attempts after becoming divorced and jobless with no direction in life.  This all changes once he accidentally finds out his parents gave up their adopted baby Girl once they were able to conceive Ben on their own.  Ben then goes on a mission trying to find this “long lost Sister” of his to bring more meaning into his life.

Dusk setting over Toronto Pearson International Airport

Unfortunately, due to the length of Wonder Woman, I was only able to watch the first hour of this movie before we landed in Toronto.  While the movie has its moments, I can’t imagine myself seeking out this movie elsewhere to watch the remaining 25 minutes that I missed.  Aside from that, there’s not much more to add to this flight report other than it started to rain once we got closer to Toronto.  After several consecutive days of mild dry heat in Phoenix, it was a bit of shock to the system coming home to this cold, rainy weather.  It honestly felt more like October than it did May.  But I was back home safe and sound with my next scheduled trip about six weeks away.

Toronto Pearson International Airport

AC 1836 – PHX to YYZ  

Operated by: Air Canada Rouge

Aircraft:  Airbus A321 (twin-jet); Seat: 42F

Cabin:  Business – Continental Breakfast; Economy – Food for sale

Depart: 12:48PM MST – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – Terminal 4, Gate B25

Arrive: 08:05PM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F83

Flight Time: 4:17; Non Stop Flight – 2029 Miles/3265 Kilometers; Date:  May 3, 2018

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