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Booking: Air Canada Economy Tokyo – Montreal
This summer, I spent two weeks exploring Japan, kicking things off with a Premium Economy upgrade on Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from Vancouver to Osaka. I booked the entire trip using Aeroplan points and, as a still-learning points enthusiast, I ended up redeeming 124,300 points for a series of long-haul Economy flights: Vancouver (YVR) → Osaka (KIX) and Tokyo (NRT) → Montreal (YUL) → Ottawa (YOW).
If you’re a seasoned points collector, you’re probably wondering why I burned so many points on Economy redemptions. Fair question – and yes, with what I’ve learned since, I’d approach this booking very differently today.
This review focuses on my homebound flight from Tokyo (NRT) to Montreal (YUL), which, unfortunately, was one of the most unpleasant experiences I’ve had with Air Canada.
Credit: Air Canada – International Economy Cabin
The Failed Attempt to Change My Flight
A few days before going to Japan, I decided I wanted to fly from Tokyo to Toronto instead of Montreal due to changed post-trip plans. I first tried modifying the itinerary online, but was met with an error message telling me to contact Air Canada.
So I did. Repeatedly.
As an Aeroplan 35K status holder, I used the priority contacts and called both Air Canada and Aeroplan multiple times. I never got through to an agent, not once. While in Japan, I tried again. Still nothing. I even asked family members to call from home. Same result.
When I arrived at Narita Airport, I asked an Air Canada agent if they could switch me to the Toronto flight, leaving only 20 minutes earlier than my Montreal flight. They told me I’d need to contact Aeroplan… which, of course, I had been trying to do for days with no success.
Gate 43 at NRT
Flight Boarding Entrance
At that point, I had no choice but to board the Montreal flight – already irritated, exhausted, and frustrated.
Boarding the Aircraft
Cabin & Seat: Air Canada Economy
Air Canada’s Economy cabin on the 787-9 is configured 3-4-3, and I was seated in 54K (ouch), a window seat that ended up being the only redeeming part of the cabin experience. (Learn why I prefer a window seat).
Window Seat – 54K
The rest was rough:
- Extremely narrow seats with minimal recline
- No footrest
- Very limited personal storage
- A small pillow offering almost no support
Seat 54K
This was a 12.5-hour flight, and as someone who rarely sleeps on planes, I was uncomfortable and wide awake the entire time. It made for a very long and very miserable journey.
Meals & Service: Air Canada Economy
The cabin crew delivered standard Economy-level service – friendly, polite, and efficient, but nothing memorable.
Meal 1 – Dinner (1 hour after departure)
I chose the chicken dish, which came with:
- Mixed bean and pasta salad
- Chicken with Nanban sauce, white rice, black sesame, hiratake mushroom, broccoli, carrot
- Dark chocolate pound cake
- A beverage (beer, wine, or non-alcoholic options)
It was fine, typical Air Canada Economy fare.
Economy Cabin Dinner
Mid-Flight Snack (8 hours in)
Crew offered a choice of tuna salad or cheese and cucumber sandwiches. They also left a cart in the galley stocked with sandwiches and cookies, which I made use of. The food wasn’t great, but hunger won.
Meal 2 – Breakfast (90 minutes before landing)
Fried grilled chicken with ginger sauce, sautéed red bell pepper and edamame. I couldn’t finish it. It was gross. In my experience, Air Canada’s meals tend to decline in quality as long-haul flights go on, and this meal was no exception.
Economy Cabin Breakfast
The crew did, however, offer beverages several times throughout the flight.
Arrival & Lounge Access: Air Canada Economy
After a sleepless and uncomfortable 12.5 hours, I was looking forward to decompressing in the Maple Leaf Lounge in Montreal before my short connector to Ottawa. I attempted to use one of my one-time lounge passes, only to be denied entry.
YUL Maple Leaf Lounge
When I asked when they would begin accepting passes again, the lounge attendant simply said: “I don’t know – maybe after 6 pm.” Needless to say, I didn’t get into the lounge.
Takeaway: Air Canada Economy
I’ve usually had good experiences with Air Canada, but this flight was an exception. Days of being unable to reach an agent, an uncomfortable 12.5-hour Economy cabin, and being denied lounge access after a long journey made the entire experience frustrating from start to finish.
As a 35K status holder, I expected better support, especially when trying to make a simple itinerary change. This trip left me questioning the value of flying Air Canada long-haul, particularly when redeeming a large number of Aeroplan points. I would opt for a different airline next time.
8 comments
An almost round-trip in Y and some P for 123k miles to Japan seems decent to me and probably a good value per point given how expensive flights are these days. AC’s customer service sucks but that’s a very generalized issue at this point and it would have been the same had you been flying in J.
How do the seats compare to, say, TPE-YYZ with Eva Air in Y? I’m mostly curious about the hard product itself and I felt like the a review lacks comparisons. Yes the seats are narrow, but this is Y, I always expect to be uncomfortable, especially as a wide-shouldered guy. I would have liked to see comparisons with other airlines flying to or from Asia.
Thanks for the comment! I haven’t flown any other airlines between Canada and Asia yet, which is why I didn’t include cross-carrier comparisons this time. I’m planning to try a different airline on my next trip so I can better benchmark AC’s long-haul Economy product, though I would prefer to fly business of course.
And agreed, 123k points for a near round-trip in Y with some Premium Econ isn’t bad considering current prices, but I did have to pay $300 for the PY upgrade.
Comparisons will definitely be coming in future reviews 🙂
Pretty much sums up AC economy to a tee. Mind you UA and AA are just as bad. If I have to fly Y transoceanic it has to be an Asian or European carrier.
Given the 2026 changes to AP I hope you reconsider your status chase, AC is just not worth it for economy flyers.
Yes, I’ve stopped chasing status – my priorities have shifted. I used to travel overseas frequently for work but could only book Economy, so earning status was my best shot at upgrades. That’s no longer the case, and I’ll definitely be trying an Asian carrier next time.
Same with me, while I have to still travel overseas for work often, my employer’s policy is now just Economy only. Fortunately they do not dictate which carrier to take unlike some of my other Canadian friends, so I can choose taking Asian or Europe/Middle East carriers that are far superior to North American carriers.
It’s great that your employer gives you that flexibility! I definitely plan on trying an Asian airline for my next cross-Pacific trip. 🙂
There can be a rationale for burning a large amount of points on an economy class long haul. Most airlines’ points are now not worth much but there is variability. For example, Delta Skymiles (skypesos) are similar to Aeroplan. One needs a lot of points for an award. It’s even worse for lie flat business class.
A rationale for economy class is that one might be able to fly multiple trips in economy class versus one trip in business class. The question becomes “would you like to visit Asia and Europe twice or pick only one?”:
That was exactly my mindset when I booked it – I was fine with a half-day of discomfort if it meant saving points for future trips. But honestly, I think I’ve aged out of that strategy at this point haha.