Just before Irma hit the area, I went to Florida to visit a friend. I took an Air Canada Rouge flight to Fort Lauderdale.

For the Labor Day weekend I wanted to go to Florida. I could have used Avios but there was very little availability with American Airlines and the taxes on Air Canada flights were high enough that the 25,000 miles used were not worth it.

So I settled for a returned ticket in the amount of $325. The flight is operated by Air Canada Rouge. I still have a hard time understanding the positioning of this company. The comfort is not as good as on Air Canada planes, the service seems to me equivalent, the baggage allowances too. For example on a previous flight to Cuba I was entitled to a free checked bag but not on this flight. Meals are free on flights to Europe but not to destinations like Florida.

So we find similar rules and prices are not very different either. I imagine then that it is the employees who have different working conditions and therefore different costs for the company. Having traveled with WOW Air, a low-cost Icelandic company, the latter has a clear proposition: low fares for a “dry” flight, the rest being paid.

Here are some pictures of the two flights. On the way out we ate before boarding. Not many people in the terminal to the USA, no Priority Pass lounge so we went to one of the few restaurants in this terminal which is a bit less pleasant than the domestic and international terminal.

We left on Wednesday from Fort Lauderdale, an aircraft that was full due to the arrival of hurricane Irma. Fort Lauderdale is a very leisure oriented airport with the cruise ship port that receives a lot of tourists. Few lounges in this part of the airport. Terminal 2 is used by Air Canada and Delta.

There are 2 restaurants, a bookstore and a few electronic shops. Not enough to make a thrilling stopover.

The boarding is done calmly.

It had been a while since I had flown on a Boeing 767, it is a vintage aircraft. The lights are those found on a dentist’s chair.

On the seat side, we find the classic comfort of an economy class with, however, a seat angle half that of the Boeing 777. There is still an outlet for two.

Bottom line

For short flights the relative lack of comfort is not very annoying. The crew was also very friendly and efficient on the way there and back. It reminds me of Air Transat because of the lack of business class and the more basic services. We are still waiting to have a low cost airline in Canada.