{"id":2263,"date":"2014-09-19T09:36:50","date_gmt":"2014-09-19T13:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.guruoftravel.com\/?p=2263"},"modified":"2015-02-15T16:56:56","modified_gmt":"2015-02-15T21:56:56","slug":"air-canada-executive-first-suite-toronto-istanbul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guruoftravel.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/19\/air-canada-executive-first-suite-toronto-istanbul\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Canada Executive First Suite Toronto to Istanbul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Intro and Greensboro to Chicago<\/a>
\nAir Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Toronto and Exploring Toronto<\/a>
\nAir Canada Executive First Suite Toronto to Istanbul<\/a>
\n14 Hours in Istanbul<\/a>
\nAegean Airlines Business Class Istanbul to Athens<\/a>
\nHotel Amalia Athens and Exploring Athens (Part 1)<\/a>
\nExploring Athens (Part 2)<\/a>
\nAthens Airport Lounges and Aegean Airlines Athens to Santorini<\/a>
\nAnamnesis Luxury Spa Hotel and Exploring Santorini (Part 1)<\/a>
\nExploring Santorini (Part 2)<\/a>
\nExploring Santorini (Part 3) and Aegean Airlines Santorini to Athens<\/a>
\nHoliday Inn Athens Airport and Aegean Airlines Athens to Milan
\nUNA Hotel Cusani and Exploring Milan
\nUnited Business Class Milan to Newark to Greensboro<\/p>\n

\n

We relaxed in the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge<\/a> for about 90 minutes following our tasty Thai lunch in the Toronto suburbs.  The only issue we had with the lounge was that the Wifi was very sporadic and unreliable….but at least it was better than in the Ethiopian Airlines Lounge in Addis Ababa<\/a> (hooray….I guess…eh?)<\/p>\n

Anyway, around 3:30 pm, we headed down from the lounge, which was a floor above the main terminal level.  It was only a 2-3 minute walk from the lounge to Gate E76, where our flight would be departing from:<\/p>\n

\"Air<\/a>
Air Canada Flight AC810 Toronto to Istanbul<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The boarding area was a bit chaotic, as the gate next to ours, E77, was preparing to board a flight at the same time to Frankfurt:<\/p>\n

\"Air<\/a>
Air Canada Flight AC810 Toronto to Istanbul<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After about 15 minutes, boarding began for our flight.  We were among the first to board, and headed to our comfortable Executive First Suites, our home for the next 10 – well, make that 13 – hours:<\/p>\n

\"Air<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"Air<\/a><\/p>\n

As we settled into our seats (4A and 5A), we were offered a choice of Champagne, Orange Juice, and Water.  Both the Mrs. Guru and I opted for a glass of Champagne, which was nice to kick off our journey.<\/p>\n

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The flight was scheduled to leave at 4:25 pm, which is a bit early for an overnight flight, since your body really isn’t ready to sleep even a few hours after takeoff.  So even though it’s hard to call a delay a good thing, we weren’t too inconvenienced when some very heavy storms rolled into the Toronto area, closing the airport for over 2 hours and keeping the ramp workers from finishing loading the bags onto the plane.<\/p>\n

\"Storms<\/a>
Storms Rolling Into Toronto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While we were waiting, our flight attendant took our meal orders.  With a few more glasses of champagne, however, the delay seemed to fly by, and before we knew it, we were pushing back, finally en route to Istanbul.  With the airport being shut down due to the weather, the line of planes waiting to depart was much longer than normal, so our taxi took about 35 minutes.  Finally, we took off a few minutes after 7:00 pm…and at that point, after dinner, it would be a much more normal time to sleep, so in the end, I think the delay worked out to our advantage.<\/p>\n

Overall, the Air Canada Executive First Suite is very well designed.  One of the huge advantages is that every seat has direct access to the aisle, which means you don’t have to climb over anyone to get out, regardless of where your seat is located.  On the 767-300, which we flew to Istanbul, the seats are laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration:<\/p>\n

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As you can see, seats F and K face each other, but with the angle and size of each suite, we were actually closer to each other and able to talk more easily by picking 2 seats directly in front of each other. There is a wall along the left side of the F seats, so the only passengers using our aisle would be passengers seated in A seats, while the other aisle (on the right side) would be used by passengers in both F and K seats.  So the A seats are typically quieter, with less foot traffic passing directly by your seat.  Being in the middle of the cabin kept us away from the lavatories in the very front of the plane, and also away from light and noise coming from the Economy cabin behind row 8.  As a result, seats 4A and 5A would be my recommendation on this plane.<\/p>\n

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View Forward from Seat 5A<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The seat itself was spacious, with a decent amount of storage, although not nearly as much as ANA’s Business Class<\/a>, which has a huge side table next to each seat.  Along the right side of the seat was a 2-tiered shelf, with a cup holder and bottle of water:<\/p>\n

\"Air<\/a><\/p>\n

The entertainment system remote was also along the right side of the seat:<\/p>\n

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A huge 17″ touchscreen display folds out from the left side of the suite:<\/p>\n

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Below the ottoman was a small storage area, mostly designed for shoes (but nothing could be stored there during takeoff and landing).<\/p>\n

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About 30 minutes after takeoff, the meal service began with a salad, bread, and appetizer of shrimp and tuna, which were delicious:<\/p>\n

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I ordered a filet, while the Mrs. Guru ordered chicken…both were good.  Neither was out-of-this-world spectacular, but overall they were well-cooked and flavorful.<\/p>\n

\"DSCN5719\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After dinner, we were ready to get some sleep.  It’s sort of a surreal feeling to recline into a fully flat position on an airplane, and it still boggles my mind everytime:<\/p>\n

\"DSCN5724\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We both slept for a good 6 hours or so…the seat was comfortable, though again, ANA’s new Business Class<\/a> is really tough to beat.  ANA now includes a “mattress pad” that can be laid on the seat, which all but eliminates the minor gaps between seat cushions, and makes their seats just a bit more comfortable.  But on the whole, I slept well and would absolutely fly Air Canada’s Executive First Suite again.  I woke up about 2 hours prior to landing, as we were approaching Belgrade, Serbia:<\/p>\n

\"DSCN5726\"<\/a><\/p>\n

About 30 minutes after waking up, and 90 minutes before arrival, the crew began serving breakfast.  I ordered a spinach omelet, which was served with fruit, potatoes, turkey sausage, and a croissant:<\/p>\n

\"DSCN5728\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The omelet and potatoes were good, but unfortunately the turkey sausage was pretty bad (and I normally like turkey sausage).  Most airline omelets are a bit rubbery, but Air Canada does a pretty good job making theirs tastier than most!<\/p>\n

As breakfast was cleared, we began our final approach into Istanbul.  I still can’t figure out why (maybe there was a storm passing over the airport and we had to enter a holding pattern for a bit), but we circled several times before finishing our approach:<\/p>\n

\"DSCN5734\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As we touched down and taxied to the gate, I had to take a picture of the craziest looking helicopter I’ve ever seen:<\/p>\n

\"DSCN5739\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I can’t decide if I was more impressed with how futuristic it looked or stunned at how it looked flimsier than something I made with an Erector Set<\/a> as a kid:<\/p>\n

\"!BbWHfuQBWk~$(KGrHqMH-EUEquRH5Vo)BKvnF9eviw~~_35\"<\/a> \"41S2BZ7KTDL._SS400_\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In any event, I was very anxious to get to the Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge and take a relaxing shower before going out and exploring Istanbul….but unfortunately the Istanbul Airport layout had other plans for us….<\/p>\n\n