Review: Air Canada Economy from Vancouver to Cancun on 737 MAX 8

Introduction & Booking

I think we can all agree that a tropical vacation in January doesn’t just sound nice…it’s sometimes necessary.

On January 17, I flew Air Canada Economy from Vancouver to Cancun for a weeklong vacation where I also got married. I booked my flights about two and a half months in advance directly through Air Canada, choosing Economy Standard.

Navigating YVR International Departures

Since the flight is just under six hours, I didn’t see the need to burn eUpgrade credits or pay cash for Business Class. On this route, Business doesn’t offer lie-flat seats. It’s more of a slightly elevated version of Economy with a wider seat and slightly upgraded service (emphasis on slightly). It makes a difference on longer flights, but for anything under six hours, it’s hard to justify the cost, which was more than $1,000 in this case.

The round-trip fare came to $672.17. Fortunately for me, I did manage to earn some of it back by wearing my wedding dress on the return flight, thanks to a bet (yes, really – you can read that story here).

Arrival & Airport

Gate D53 at YVR

My flight was scheduled to depart at 10:05 pm, and YVR was surprisingly calm when I arrived at 7 pm. I find that late evening departures have a different vibe in Canadian airports – quieter and honestly kind of relaxing (unless you’re at YYZ).

Gate D53 at YVR

Restaurant options in YVR international departures are limited (or maybe I’m just picky). Since I didn’t have access to any international lounge passes, I brought food with me and grabbed extra snacks from one of the convenience stores before heading to the gate. There’s no meal service on this route, so I stocked up.

Gate D53 Boarding

Zone 1 & 2 Boarding

Boarding was smooth and efficient, with no delays.

Boarding Flight AC1316

Boarding Flight AC1316

Boarding the Aircraft

Cabin & Seat

The aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX-8 in a standard 3-3 configuration throughout Economy.

The flight was only about 75% full, which surprised me given it’s a popular sun destination in January. It was a red-eye departure, so that may have contributed to the lighter load.

Seat 19C

I was seated in 19C, an emergency exit row aisle seat. I’m not sure how that happened because I always choose a window seat and thought I had, but apparently not. The extra legroom was nice, and I appreciated having more space, but I still would have preferred a window seat. I like having the wall to lean against because it makes it so much easier to get comfortable, especially on an overnight flight. I prefer being tucked in my own little corner rather than getting bumped every time someone walks by.

19C Legroom

The seat itself was what you’d expect in narrow-body Economy: slim and barely comfortable.

In-Flight Entertainment

Each seat had a built-in in-flight entertainment screen with a solid selection of movies and TV shows. One thing to note: Air Canada does not provide complimentary headphones in Economy on North American routes, so bring your own or be prepared to purchase a pair onboard. I always travel with my own, so it wasn’t an issue.

Economy Cabin on AC1316 to Cancun

Snacks & Service

No meals are served on this route in Economy; only light snacks and beverages. Air Canada’s snack selection isn’t my favourite, so I stuck to what I brought from the terminal. Beverage service was prompt and efficient, and the crew interactions were minimal but professional.

Service was perfectly fine. Polite, standard, and uneventful. Nothing exceptional, but no complaints either.

Takeaway

This was a straightforward, easy flight. Nothing amazing, but also nothing problematic. For a sub-six-hour overnight route, Economy was sufficient. Given the length of the flight and the $1,000 price difference, I wouldn’t pay for Business on this aircraft, especially without lie-flat seats.

It wasn’t luxurious nor memorable, but it was smooth, on time, and got me to Cancun.