{"id":232360,"date":"2016-10-12T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesopedia.com\/news\/flight-air-canada-red-ac1753-between-havana-toronto-pearson\/"},"modified":"2024-05-31T12:58:41","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T16:58:41","slug":"flight-air-canada-red-ac1753-between-havana-toronto-pearson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesopedia.com\/en\/reviews\/flights\/flight-air-canada-red-ac1753-between-havana-toronto-pearson\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Air Canada Red A319 – Economy Class"},"content":{"rendered":"

Air Canada Rouge was created in late 2012 and its first flight took place in July 2013. It is a subsidiary of Air Canada that serves leisure-oriented destinations. It has expanded significantly in the last 3 years and will soon reach 50 aircraft to serve about 100 routes, most of them seasonal.<\/p>\n

I have to admit that after having experienced business class on Swiss this summer, I was still apprehensive about this flight. Without doing the“luxury chicken<\/a>” my stay in Iceland with WOW air<\/a> had prepared me a little to the underclassification. Air Canada Rouge has a bad reputation, especially on the seat spacing which, at 29 inches, is one of the tightest in North America.<\/p>\n

Let’s move on to the story of this trip.<\/p>\n

Check-in and airport in Havana<\/h2>\n

The flight takes off at 8 am, we arrive at the airport for 6 am. We were able to register online. Internet access in Cuba is still in its infancy, but it is possible to buy WiFi access cards for a period of time to use public access points. We had printed our boarding passes in a business center located in a hotel<\/a> in the capital.<\/p>\n

\"Cuban
Cuban and US stamp on the same page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"boarding
boarding pass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of course this does not fit the special but unwritten rules of the airport. We have to go through the counter. However, we saved some time because there was a counter dedicated to Internet check-in where the person printed our boarding passes. The passages to the security and the border police (asleep) are fast and we are in the departure hall.<\/p>\n

\"hall
Havana Airport Concourse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As you can see it is a very simple style. There are a few stores without much interest, a caf\u00e9 in the center that sells the bare minimum. All boarding gates are located around this island. We see some flights by the national company, Cubana de Aviaci\u00f3n or Copa Airlines of Panama.<\/p>\n

\"flight
Cubana flight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"flights
it’s not the rush at this time either<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our flight is posted on time, the aircraft arrived the day before is ready.<\/p>\n

\"airbus
Airbus A319 Air Canada<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
our flight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We will “restore” ourselves before the flight.<\/p>\n

\"Cuban
Cuban sandwich, airport style<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Air Canada Red flight<\/h2>\n

The boarding starts on time and will be fast, the plane being far from being full. Unlike other Air Canada flights, we were able to book the emergency exit seats-which provide a little more space-without paying extra.<\/p>\n

\"the
The cabin with the premium seats in the foreground<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
The economy part<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
a reasonable space<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
our device of the day<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It rains a little on this day of departure, after a stay without a cloud.<\/p>\n

\"img
View from the tarmac<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
take-off from Havana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
above the clouds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"personal
personal entertainment system<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Air Canada Rouge does not have an in-seat entertainment system (IFE). You need to download an app or access the device’s closed Wifi network with a browser.<\/p>\n

\"img
first screen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
menu of available functions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
a rather large selection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
not very recent but it’s worth watching<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
information about the company…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
…and its devices<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The system works well, it is possible to rent an iPad Air 2 for $10. However, I regretted the lack of information on the flight such as the remaining time and the map with the position of the aircraft.<\/p>\n

A paid food and beverage service is provided shortly after take-off. Unlike other low-cost airlines, there are still some free drinks such as coffee, tea and water.<\/p>\n

\"img
I know how to live on little<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
it’s all very French<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
extract from the menu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
a little trip to the bathroom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
rear view of the cabin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a very quiet 3 hour flight, we are approaching Toronto.<\/p>\n

\"img
the economic capital of Canada<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"img
you would almost think you were still at the seaside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bonus: Plaza Premium America Express Lounge at Toronto Pearson<\/h2>\n

We arrive at 11:15 am at Pearson and our flight to Montreal takes off at 2 pm. Thanks to our American Express Platinum card<\/a> we were able to enjoy:<\/p>\n