Let’s Talk Air Canada Premium Economy

Air Canada Premium Economy is Pretty Slick

When I booked tickets from Los Angeles to Paris, I booked with United Airlines because the cost of their premium economy seats was much lower compared to other airlines. My traveling partner also prefers flying in the slightly roomier seats of premium economy on long trips across the ocean, whether that’s the Pacific or Atlantic.

Our return tickets to Los Angeles would take us from Rome through Toronto and on to Los Angeles, but the flights would occur on Air Canada, a partner airline with United, rather than on United. United’s premium economy was nice, but it really couldn’t compare to the absolutely awesome experience we had flying from Rome to Toronto and then from Toronto to Los Angeles. Virtually everything we experienced on these flights was excellent, and the hour-long delay we experienced on the tarmac when we left from Rome didn’t even really dent the experience.

As it stands right now, in April of 2024, buying a premium economy ticket across the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean often increases the cost of your ticket by 100 percent. I could have flown back and forth to Europe for something around $700, maybe less if I was willing to forgo checked baggage and a seat choice. I could have also gone on a budget airline for something like a $500 round trip. As it turned out, the premium economy tickets, at least with United, cost more than double their economy ticket cost, at $1,500 each.

Was it worth it to pay so much more for a premium economy ticket? That is probably highly debatable in the general sense. However, we’re not talking about economy versus premium economy. I’m here to tell you about my experience on Air Canada’s premium economy, which was better than any other premium economy experience I’ve ever had.

So far, I’ve flown on premium economy tickets with Delta, China Airlines, United, and now Air Canada. Delta’s premium economy is quite good, but if I was to compare it to Air Canada, it seemed that it was missing a little bit of the shine and polish of the Air Canada experience. From the food to the people to the seats, I really have to commend the airline for making it much less of a hassle to get from one side of the planet to the other.

(note: some of the links here are to websites with which I am an affiliate, and your purchases help fund my website! I am not being paid by Air Canada to post this review – I genuinely just love Air Canada!)

The Overall Premium Economy Experience

You’ll get all of the expected features of a premium economy ticket with Air Canada. Larger seats, more leg room (an obscene amount of leg room, really), upgraded meals, included checked luggage, and free alcohol if you’re crossing an ocean. From what I could tell, both of the planes on which I flew – the one from Rome to Toronto and the other from Toronto to Los Angeles – were pretty new. Neither could have been in service for more than a few years.

Therefore, it’s possible that my experience was influenced by the relative newness and shine of the planes themselves. However, the airlines do have control over the experience they provide their passengers, and I think the decisions made for the layout and features of the airline’s premium economy passengers were pretty solid.

While it would be nice to experience those lay-flat seats usually offered on transpacific and transatlantic business class flights, I think the premium economy seats represent the best alternative when you’re trying to enjoy your flight across the ocean without spending as much as it would take to buy a slightly used Honda Civic.

Yes, I know there are loads of websites out there that insist you can fly business class for “points,” but let’s just assume you aren’t rearranging your entire life to score miles on one airline for one business class experience. Realistically, saving up extra money for the premium economy tickets is much more in reach than striving for the top-of-the-line business class tickets.

If you’ve never flown on a premium economy seat across the ocean, I’d compare it to domestic first class. Maybe the seats are a hair smaller for the width, but there’s so much room when you sit down that you might need your glasses (if you wear them) to see the seatback television in front of you because it will seem so far away.

What About the Food on Air Canada Premium Economy

Is the quality of the food something that should convince you one way or the other to buy a premium economy ticket on any airline? I don’t think it’s terribly important, but it’s definitely worth a discussion, especially if you’re not taking a red-eye flight where you’ll be asleep most of the time anyway. When I flew back across the Atlantic to Los Angeles from Europe, all of our flights took place during the day, so we didn’t miss anything.

And – off-topic here for a few sentences – I have to say that I might actually prefer flying during the day. I’m not one of those people who can sleep absolutely anywhere, especially when I’m basically vertical in an airline seat, but I always try my darndest when I’m on an overnight flight. The idea of taking a red-eye across an ocean is that you can land in the morning at your destination and force yourself into that time zone.

While I do still think that method is solid because you’re not “wasting” any of your awake time on an airplane, I feel like I arrive at my destination a little less zonked when I actually stay awake for the overall flight. I did nod off for a few minutes on the flight from Rome to Toronto, and I also nodded off again in the hours before we landed in Los Angeles, but I never felt that I was under-the-gun to get some shut-eye.

But enough about sleeping on a flight, we’re talking about food on Air Canada premium economy, right? Well, overall, I’d rate the food as definitely enjoyable. I had chicken on both of my flights (one was on pasta, the other was with mashed potatoes), and I finished the chicken both times. The dessert was this delicious custard or cheesecake thing on one flight, and I definitely poached my traveling partner’s dessert.

They also offered premium economy patrons free booze on the flight between Europe and Toronto, which I’m assuming was great for anyone who imbibed (I don’t drink, so I can’t comment on it). I’ve heard that free alcohol is always a welcome perk on a flight. The flight attendants also fed right into the Canadian stereotype that everyone from that country is super duper nice. Everyone I interacted with from Air Canada was personable and genuine. Lovely people. Like seriously, I’d go hiking with these people.

Is Air Canada More Expensive Than Other Airlines?

These days, I think you’re looking at expensive prices for virtually any premium economy seat on almost any airline. The seats will very often cost twice what you’d pay for the regular economy, and I think it’s really dependent on the airline as to whether that bump in price is truly worth it. I flew Air Canada’s regular economy several years ago on a trip to Alberta from Los Angeles, and the experience was great, even though it was a basic economy.

I think that if you’re looking for a really great travel experience and you’re flying internationally, premium economy on Air Canada is absolutely worth the extra dough, especially if you’re in the habit of flying premium economy for international travel anyway. The spacious seats, terrific people, and the overall quality of the planes all combined for a really nice experience.

If you’ve ever been on a really long flight or traveled in the air for the better part of a day, you’ve probably experienced the extreme exhaustion of getting off a flight and feeling like you were hit by a truck. As far as my Air Canada flights were concerned, I was tired by the time I reached Los Angeles, but I certainly didn’t feel as tired and worn out as I usually have after a really long flight.

Our flight from Rome to Toronto was about nine hours, and our flight from Toronto to Los Angeles was something like six hours (maybe a bit less). That’s a lot of time spent in the air. When we landed, we had to wait a few minutes for our bags, but that probably had something to do with the craziness of flying into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) rather than anything the people at Air Canada did.

Both me and my traveling partner have definitely become Air Canada converts. I think I’ll probably consider the airline for all of my future travel, whether it’s in the United States or international. Truly, we were both kind of shocked at how good we felt after our flights. The entire experience – from the moment we sat in our seats in Rome to our final minutes on the tarmac in Los Angeles were terrific. Bravo, Air Canada!

Neat Canadian/American Customs and Immigration Hack

Okay, this is a bonus section “hack” that I had no idea about before flying from a Canadian city to one in the United States. When we got off our first flight from Rome to Toronto, we actually went through customs to the United States within the Toronto airport. We deplaned and then walked through security and had our passports checked by the American border patrol before going through to the gates for travel from Canada to the United States.

Now, the cool thing here – and it’s something to remember if you’re flying from Canada to Los Angeles (and I’m sure this works similarly in other major airports around the States), is that we didn’t need to slog through customs when we landed in Los Angeles. Landing in Los Angeles and having to go through customs is usually the worst part of flying into LAX.

Customs takes FOREVER, even if you’re an American citizen with a passport. The lines are always absolutely huge, and they move at a snail’s pace. It seriously takes me at least an hour to get through customs in Los Angeles almost every time I land. There’s nothing worse than having to shuffle your way through a slowly moving customs line after sitting on an airline for umpteen million hours.

Getting through customs at the Toronto airport was a breeze. The line was exceptionally brief, and it meant that we didn’t have to stand in that line again when we landed in Los Angeles. Our flight landed at a domestic terminal at LAX rather than the international terminal where everyone has to pass through customs.

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