Airplane seat reviews by Michael McAdam

My favourite flight in the entire world is the 22 minute flight from Vancouver to Victoria. You skim over the islands of the Strait of Georgia. Best seat in the house, in my opinion, is 1C. It's the only one with any appreciable legroom, as the door blocks 1A. You will have to pull your feet in for take off and landing as you will be staring straight into the face of the F/A. No time for any meal service on this short flight -- but they do offer a candy before landing.

I tried to buy an upgrade to business in Caracas but was told that I would have to pay $300 cash. $300? IN Caracas? It's faster just to put a bullet in your head than carry that much money around this city! I did finally manage to get into 16C which has the advantage of having extra legroom. The downside is that the seat does not recline, which is a pain in the backside on an overnight flight. Out of Pearson, however, I was able to buy an upgrade for $275 and enjoyed more space and recline. It's a shame that AC uses a 319 on this 5 hour route. It's the only routing in South America that doesn't get a 767, and the overnight flight would be so much more comfortable in a pod!

I tried to buy an upgrade to business in Caracas but was told that I would have to pay $300 cash. $300? IN Caracas? It's faster just to put a bullet in your head than carry that much money around this city! I did finally manage to get into 16C which has the advantage of having extra legroom. The downside is that the seat does not recline, which is a pain in the backside on an overnight flight. Out of Pearson, however, I was able to buy an upgrade for $275 and enjoyed more space and recline. It's a shame that AC uses a 319 on this 5 hour route. It's the only routing in South America that doesn't get a 767, and the overnight flight would be so much more comfortable in a pod!

I still prefer these "lie flat" seat to the herringbone pattern used by many airlines now. They're a bit wider and allow a tall chap like me a bit more flexibility when trying to get comfortable on an overnight flight. I had good legroom at the bulkhead, which is not always the case for these seats.

Meal service was good, although one f/a got rather tense with my Polish seatmate. LH still has a slight tendency to being churlish when dealing with passengers. On the other hand, they are always very efficient. Just don't expect hugs and kisses from the f/as.

I'm not a fan of the earlier generations of Embraers: cramped and uncomfortable. However, the emergency exit seat does offer some respite if you can book it ahead or convince the check in agent that you deserve it. Only 1 f/a on board, but she was very efficient, relaxed and cheerful in her job. CO also serves a snack free of charge on this sector, unlike most of its other competitors out of Guadalajara.

CX is giving SQ a good run for their money in my books. TPE is almost a second hub for CX and offer a comfortable lounge at Chiang Kai-Shek airport. Service on board CX is always attentive and I had a wonderful chat with the f/a about a new Chinese wine that was being piloted on CX (although we both agreed that Chinese viniculture needed another 20 years to catch up to world standards.) I do wish the medium haul seats in J were a bit more spaciously appointed, but for short hops of less than three hours they are quite adequate.

Never, never, never ever again. Absolutely the least helpful cabin crew I have ever come across as a veteran flyer. Food was satisfactory, but not up to standard of other US air carriers. I'm completely unimpressed by the hard and soft product on US.

I've had several opportunities to fly Air Canada's relatively new business product. While it is pleasant to be isolated from fellow passengers, flying at a 45 degree angle does take a little bit of getting used to. The herringbone design is not my favourite as it makes the seat narrower. It is still too short for me (6'4", 193cm) and definitely too narrow to sleep comfortably.

DFW-MIA-CCS: AA needs to do some upgrading to meet the standards that other North American airlines are achieving in business class. There is no AVOD programming. The seats, while comfortable, do not offer adjustable headrest or lumbar support. Service on board was cheerful and efficient. There is not a great deal of choice getting in and out of Caracas, but the product is good enough given the relatively short hop to Miami.

I'd never taken US before and had heard some of the horror stories. I was pleasantly surprised by the service and the aircraft. The Embraers had just joined the fleet and were spotless. Comfortable leather seats made the flight all the more enjoyable.

No better way to spend a 10 hour flight than on SQ. Spacious lie flat seats and a discreet cabin crew to attend to your needs.

When flying out of LHR, Executive First pax on AC are generally treated to high tea a few hours after the main meal service. This is a lovely touch and the scones are very nice indeed, considering they're airline food. The clotted cream is simply sinful and the the strawberry jam is decadent. A choice of teas is also offered. Although I avoid transitting through LHR if I can at all avoid it, departing on AC from T3 at Heathrow does make up for it in the form of this delightful high tea.

Air Canada's 330s are fitted with AVOD in Executive First class. The selection is nowhere as detailed as Emirates's ICE programming of that of SQ, but it is still decent enough (about 20-30 choices) to while away 9 hours. In any event, it seems to be much better than what US based carriers are offering in their premium class cabins these days.

Not a good sign when you approach the gate desk and they are paging you: a late connection from Edmonton. But a fortuitous incident in the end, as I traded 1A, which I was not keen on for 8G. No need to climb over anyone to get out of your seat or to be climbed over should your seatmate wish to visit the head. There seems to be just a bit less pitch in these seats than in the main cabin. There was the inevitable screaming baby at the front of the economy class cabin, so I do recommend the main cabin overall as it is generally quieter.

In line with LH's new short haul business class, the seat next to you on this puddle jumper is free, so it is basically the passenger's choice whether to have an aisle or window seat given the 4 abreast configuration. There was a time that business class on the ATR's, with their rear door, were seated at the BACK of the plane. Now C class pax are at the FRONT of the plane so are essentially the last to disembark. No matter, because arriving at MUC means you will be bussed into the main terminal anyway. You will then have to sprit like an Olympian across the terminal since LH continues to labour under the impression that 35 minutes is more than enough minimum time to make a connection in their southern German hub. Newsflash: if you haven't been training for the 1500 metres lately, tell your travel agent to leave you a good hour for your connection or else you'll arrive at your connecting fligh in need of a good shower.

If you've never flown between Vancouver and Victoria, BC, it's worth the outrageous airfare just to skim the treetops and wave at the ferries chugging below you on what has to be one of the most scenic flights in the world. Twenty minutes of bliss. You get a candy from the flight attendant and then it's time to land.