Air Canada Airbus A330 Economy Class (Los Angeles – Toronto)

When it comes to spending frequent flyer points, you sometimes have to get creative to secure that dream trip. For instance, on a recent journey to Toronto – during a school holiday period, no less – finding a reward seat wasn’t a piece of cake. A simple ‘Melbourne to Toronto’ search simply wouldn’t cut it, even when searching for only one passenger. ‘No availability,’ they said. Lies!

The truth is, solutions can often be found. But you need to break down the journey into smaller chunks. Sometimes, that even requires mixing and matching different airlines and frequent flyer programs. I knew I wanted to get to Canada – and when I couldn’t find anything on direct flights into Vancouver, I figured a transit through the US was the next-best thing.

To that end, I was able to grab a reward flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles via Sydney. In Qantas Airbus A380 Business on that long leg, no less, using Qantas Points. Huzzah! That’s the hardest part of the journey done – getting from Australia to North America. From LA, Toronto is then less than five hours. And as it happens, there are plenty of reward seats available on Virgin Australia’s partner Air Canada. You can guess what I did next.

For less than AU$105 including checked baggage, plus 20,000 Velocity Points, I can get from LA to where I need to be. And on a widebody aircraft to boot. When your own travel plans require a similarly open-minded strategy, here’s what you can expect when flying Economy aboard the Air Canada Airbus A330.

(Note, since booking this flight, the reward seat cost has changed to 21,000 Velocity Points for the same flight).

Departing Los Angeles

I’m pleased to find no queues at Air Canada check-in. Especially so, given that Virgin Australia Velocity status doesn’t currently unlock any priority perks with Air Canada – so I’d been expecting a bit of a wait. I’ve pre-paid the fee for my checked bag (US$35 for 1x 23kg suitcase) which also makes bag drop quick and easy.

Security doesn’t take long, and then I’m off to the lounge. Naturally, by itself, an Air Canada Economy ticket doesn’t include this. But I’ve planned ahead, and you can do the same. You might qualify for one (or several) of the LAX lounges below when flying Air Canada Economy:

• Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge. Open to Velocity Gold (and above) and Star Alliance Gold frequent flyers. Also welcomes Maple Leaf Lounge (North America Plus and Worldwide) and United Club members.
• United Club. Open to Star Alliance Gold, Maple Leaf Lounge (North America Plus and Worldwide) and United Club members. However, this lounge isn’t available via Velocity status when travelling on Air Canada. One-off entry can instead be purchased for US$59.
• American Express Centurion Lounge. As applies to Australian travellers, welcoming holders of the Amex Platinum Card, Platinum Business Card, Corporate Platinum Card and the by-invitation Centurion Card. Allow around 15 minutes to walk between terminals – not just after check-in, but again for boarding.
• Star Alliance Lounge (Business Class). The entry list mirrors the United Club, except that United one-time lounge passes aren’t accepted here. Not overly practical before a short flight, but if you must, allow 20 minutes each way for the airside walk.

On the day I fly, the Maple Leaf Lounge is undergoing refurbishment (it’s since reopened). Instead, I make use of a spare United Club pass to enjoy breakfast before boarding.

Economy Class seating on the Air Canada Airbus A330

Air Canada runs multiple flights per day between Los Angeles and Toronto. By distance, this cross-continent trek is a comparable length to flying from Sydney or Brisbane to Perth, back home in Australia. In a similar vein, many of Air Canada’s services on the route rely on single-aisle jets. That’s mostly the Airbus A321 and the Boeing 737, with an occasional Airbus A220 peppered in. But from time to time, you can snag a larger plane.

When booking flights on my desired travel date, I spot one option that stands out from the pack. That’s an Air Canada Airbus A330 service hidden among the day’s Boeing 737 flights. In effect, I’ve found a long-haul plane serving on a short-haul route. I quickly secure my seat.

Pleasingly, the A330 offers two aisles, which makes it easier to move around. It also renders the seating layout as 2-4-2, meaning only a quarter of the cabin gets stuck with a middle seat. That’s compared to a third of the cabin having middle seats on the Boeing 737. Beyond that, it also means that passengers are only ever one seat away from an aisle.

I stake my claim to seat 23C. It’s close to the front, gives me direct aisle access, and is close enough to the window to still see something. The Air Canada website kept glitching when trying to select my seat, but a quick message to Air Canada via the company’s public social media channels gets things sorted. I often find this necessary with Air Canada on Velocity reward seat bookings, even in Business Class – go figure.

Comfort-wise, the seat itself feels relatively standard. There’s room to move my knees without hitting the seat in front, and a shared power point between the seats keeps my laptop alive. Happy days.

Food and beverage in Air Canada Airbus A330 Economy Class

This may be an international route flown by a long-haul plane. But on the dining front, keep your expectations a little dim. Like most Economy flights in North America, this Air Canada Airbus A330 journey doesn’t include a meal. There’s an inflight menu, so you needn’t go hungry – but just expect to pay.

As for this journey, I’ve had a solid brunch at the United Club and have dinner plans in Toronto. It makes me glad that there isn’t a mountain of food flowing from the galleys. Having no meal included would be more noticeable when flying right through a mealtime. But this leg, which departs right as I’ve eaten and lands right when I’m thinking about eating again, is okay without. I remind myself of the ‘cost’ of this ticket – I’m still quite content.

On the beverage front, the drink cart comes by several times, and most of the choices are complimentary. As you might expect, there are soft drinks, juices, tea, and coffee. There’s also a line-up of beer and wine included. Select from Hop Valley IPA, Creemore Springs Premium Lager, Molson Canadian, Coors Light, or a red or white from Paul Mas wines.

It’s a working day, so I’m sticking to soft drinks. Coke Zero Sugar and cold water is all I need.

I’m pleased to find just enough space on the tray table for my laptop as well as my beverages.

Service and entertainment in Economy on the Air Canada Airbus A330

Given the limited service included in Air Canada Economy, interactions with the crew are relatively minimal. But when the crew do come past, they’re pleasant and polite. It’s all you can really ask for.

I spend most of the journey on the entertainment front with the moving map open in the background. It’s handy to keep tabs on the flight’s progress while I’m busily working on my laptop.

I make good use of the inflight Wi-Fi. I buy a flight pass for the lowest speed plan, and even then, find the connection more than usable. Connection prices are below.

• Standard, one hour: 1,050 Aeroplan points or CA$10.25.
• Standard, full flight: 1,800 Aeroplan points or CA$18 (the plan purchased).
• Premium, one hour: 1,400 Aeroplan points or CA$13.75.
• Premium, full flight: 2,400 Aeroplan points or CA$24.

The verdict

Air Canada’s Airbus A330 Economy Class is a reasonable offering on flights like this. Sure, there’s no meal included – but this isn’t Australia where that’d be expected on a full-service airline. This is a jaunt within North America, where the expectation is that travellers will buy food on board or bring snacks.

The same can be said of the checked baggage fee. It’s relatively standard in this market. It is a shame that Air Canada doesn’t extend any frequent flyer recognition to Velocity members. Making the same journey with United Airlines would include the first checked bag for free for Velocity Gold and Platinum members. But on the day I need to fly, the only Velocity reward seats available are on Air Canada. Ho hum.

Still, this is a flight that can cost a pretty penny. At least, when you’ve used Velocity Points, you’re not treated the same as Basic Economy. On Air Canada, Basic Economy tickets don’t even include cabin baggage. Instead, Velocity reward bookings receive cabin baggage plus free standard seat selection. The latter being a perk normally included only with paid Air Canada Economy Flex fares.

On the same route, the best-priced dates in March 2025 clock in at AU$320 one-way for Economy Standard and AU$469 in Economy Flex. Given the reward seat inclusions are somewhere in between, it’s safe to say this booking is ‘worth’ around AU$400. But by using Velocity Points, I’ve paid less than AU$105 in cold hard cash (the fees and baggage charges) to get from one side of North America to the other. And when my travel date was completely inflexible. In my book, that’s still a win.

Sure, there are ‘better’ ways to spend Velocity Points. This booking, for instance, gave a value of around 1.48 cents per point (AUD). But when it meant saving hundreds of dollars on an already expensive trip, that works for me.

Also read: How to avoid checked baggage fees on US domestic flights

Featured image courtesy of Air Canada. Other photography by Chris Chamberlin, who travelled at his own expense using Velocity Points.

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