Last week (in 2014), I flew on Air Canada rouge for the first time. They began operating on July 1, 2013 with a start-up fleet of two Airbus A319 aircraft and two Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. By the end of this month, they’ll operate a total of 27 aircraft including 19 Airbus A319s and 8 Boeing 767-300ERs.
At launch, their planes serviced a network of 14 routes flying from Toronto and Montreal to Europe and the Caribbean but they’re now up to a total of 52 routes from Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver—including 11 to Europe.
I recently flew them roundtrip from Los Angeles to Calgary in both classes. Here are 10 things you need to know about flying Air Canada rouge:
1. Same check-in as Air Canada
Although Air Canada rouge is a separate airline from Air Canada, you still check-in for your flight as if you’re flying Air Canada.
2. Cool flight attendant uniforms
All the Air Canada rouge flight attendants that I came across were young and attractive, and sporting funky uniforms that included a gray pin-striped trilby hat. The look was created by Maybelline and Redken and their burgundy Fluevog shoes were designed and manufactured by Canada’s own Fluevog Shoes. Rob Lowe famously made fun of their uniforms but I like them—especially the hat.
3. The planes aren’t brand-spanking-new
I was expecting Air Canada rouge’s planes to be brand-spanking-new since the airline is only a year old, but they’re actually just converted Air Canada planes. According to Renee Smith-Valade, Vice President of Customer Experience, “the aircrafts Air Canada rouge operate (the Airbus A319 and the Boeing 767-300ER) have been transferred from Air Canada’s fleet. Air Canada rouge aircraft are restyled inside and out. They have modern charcoal and burgundy cabin interiors, featuring new Slimline seats with a streamlined profile, and branding accents throughout the cabin (e.g. bulkheads, curtains) and onboard service elements (e.g. tray liners in Premium rouge). Both aircraft types sport a sleek white, red and burgundy livery that clearly establishes Air Canada rouge as part of the Air Canada family.”
4. There are no built-in entertainment systems
Although Air Canada rouge’s planes don’t have Air Canada’s seatback entertainment systems, they do have a very cool app that you need to download BEFORE getting on the plane. Air Canada rouge aircraft are all equipped with Player, a next generation in-flight entertainment system that streams unlimited live entertainment to customers’ personal electronic devices. Customers should bring their own fully-charged laptop or iPad, iPod, or iPhone and download the latest Air Canada app (from the Apple App Store). For those with a laptop, make sure you have Adobe Flash Player installed. Availability on other platforms like Android is coming this fall.
5. You can rent an iPad
If you don’t own a tablet, you can rent an iPad on-board for $10 (free for Premium rouge passengers). They hand them out after takeoff.
6. There are no electrical outlets
Rouge planes don’t have electrical or USB outlets to charge your devices so be sure to have everything fully charged before getting onboard.
7. Coach seats are TIGHT
I flew on rouge’s A319 and the seats are really tight in coach. The A319s are configured with 3×3 seating and they only have 29 inches of pitch (distance between the back of your seat and the back of the seat in front). In comparison: American Airlines has 30 inches, United has 31, Virgin America has 32 and regular Air Canada has between 31-35. The good news is rouge does have 18-inch wide seats, which are wider than American’s and Virgin America’s. FYI: On rouge’s other style of aircraft, the 767, which flies longer distances, they offer 30 inches of pitch in economy.
8. You can buy food
Just like on Air Canada, you can buy food—including pizza—on rouge on flights in coach. But on their flights to Europe, they do offer complimentary meals and non-alcoholic beverages. FYI: Food pic is from Premium rouge.
9. Premium rouge (UPDATED on May 19, 2016)
Air Canada rouge let me know that after I took my original flight that they improved their premium product on their Airbus 319 aircraft. The premium cabin in Air Canada rouge’s fleet of 20 Airbus 319 aircraft has been converted from 3×3 seating configuration with a blocked middle seat to two side-by-side larger seats in a 2×2 configuration. This seating offers the same or more space than equivalent seating on Air Canada rouge’s Boeing 767 aircraft. They also increased carry-on space throughout its Airbus A319 fleet by 30 per cent with the installation of new overhead bin doors – dubbed “pillow doors” because of their curved shape – which allow carry-on items to be stowed more efficiently. In addition, they also have full power charging capacity with a 110-volt power plug and a high-powered USB port at every seat.
10. They write the flight number on landing cards
This was a first for me…When the flight attendants handed out the landing cards for Canadian immigration, the airline and flight number were already filled out. When I asked the flight attendant if they always do this they said they try to on all rouge flights. That’s a nice touch.
Because Air Canada decided to pack in way too many seats on this plane I would only take Rouge again on a short flight or if I was upfront in Premium Rouge. How about you? Have you flown Rouge?
Just got off a 9 hour Rouge flight from Venice to Montreal. There were no international gates available. Waited about 40 minutes for the first transporter to arrive as we could not exit in the domestic section. Had to exit from the rear. The people who paid big money to sit up front waited over an hour to get off the plane. Flight attendants were too inexperienced to ask people who did not have a connection to step aside to allow people with connections to exit first.
Why did the pilot not wait a bit for an open gate?? This is usually the solution when this happens. I think there is a lot more to this story as the custom’s hall and the baggage claim area was not crowded.
We just returned from Barcelona and I could not believe my eyes when I walked on the plane and could not see TV screens to watch a few movies for the 7.5 hour flight. Then I sat down and the seats were small and my legs were so cramped on my 5’10” frame!
Shame on Air Canada for this sneaky manoeuvre on long haul flights.
Our 45 minute connector from Montreal was a roomy Airbus! Go figure!
Fortunately I had an iPod and watched archaic reruns and played solitaire.The flight attendants were very nice but passengers were really frustrated . I will not fly air Canada again.
Personally, I’m completely appalled with the wages. $25,000 a year? You make more doing housekeeping in a hotel. The training is also in Disneyworld, because they wish to offer Disney-like service. Not to mention the rouge “look” down to which nail polish you’re supposed to wear. It’s great that they’ll hire people with no experience, but they need to be making more than barely over the poverty line.
AVOID AVOID AVOID
All I can say is this is one of the worst long haul flights I have ever had air Canada should be embarrassed by them,secondhand aircraft,secondhand service need I go on……if your offered this airline by your tour operator DECLINE it and ask for another airline.
I think that anyone who has written anything good about this airline must work for them and are trying to keep there jobs………
AIR CANADA ROUGE YOUR A DISGRACE
True the seats are not 100% comfortable, but it’s rare to get comfortable at 38000ft up there, just a little reminder to those who don’t fly as much. if you are 6foot and more book the first seats in economy or the overwings more legroom. I have travelled a lot with lufthansa, birtish airways (europe flights) and even westjet and the space is the quite the same.
The app is great! i dont have to touch those dirty broken screens that i can see shit because it’s poor resolution, i have my own ipad and when i dont have it, well itS not a 10$ who will break my bank account.
The hats? really the hats really bother you that much? poor flight attendants who have to wear them when it’s 30degrees out there, be a little respectful i don’t think it’s their choice to wear those hats that you were proudly wearing a couple years ago.
everytime i take Rouge i always get a good service, they are kind and make sure I enjoy my flight because they know how “comfortable” the seats are. they are young and energetic.
You don’t like rouge? don’t fly them, if you do stop complaining you are probably not the first asshole that complains about the plane and the ugly hats. Go fly westjet turquoise who is a copypast of ROUGE. or transat with their hungover pilots. Good luck to everyone and dont forget security comes first in an aircraft not your extra leg room…
From a passenger who was on a Vegas flight yesterday and is a bit tired of hearing people complain.
Thank you SE100, nice to read one good comment. My girlfriend and I will be flying Rouge in 12 days to Vegas.
Those seats you recommended are classified as premium seats that you pay $90 more for. We selected to do that and were placed in the very seats you suggested … first row behind bulkhead & bathrooms. We had seats 27A and 27C on Boeing 767-300. I’m 6′ tall and I’ve had bulkhead seating before and could not touch the bulkhead with my legs stretched out. These seats are actually the worst seats on the aircraft. Sitting straight up in the seat with knees at 90 degree angle, your toes will touch the bulkhead. There is no way you can stretch out at all. Much better to take normal economy seat with only 1 carry-on so you don’t have to put one under the seat … at least then you can stretch out your legs a little. Do not pay extra to upgrade your seat to the bulkhead seats. SE100 must work for Rouge. It wasn’t the worst flying experience I’ve every had, but it was close.
Hi SE100 – question for you … have you ever upgrade to Rouge Premium!6 If so, is it worth it? thanks
Thanks to all for the reviews. They only confirm what I have been hearing. I would be afraid to fly this airline and in their planes. I will book other airlines at any cost to avoid be rouged and scrouged (as one person so cleverly stated).
I first got Air SCROUGED about 1 year ago and I still fume thinking about having some poor guy behind me involuntarily massaging my lumbar region with his kneecaps for almost 6 freaking hours!! And I keep wondering just how much did this rebranded TRASH cost in order for these corporate snakes to provide us with this sorry @$$ disservice?! And now these rats at Air Canadamn want to scRouge me on my next winter trip to Barbados where as in times past I would have been flying in business class in the cabin with executive pods and lay flat seating.And of course there is no reduction in pricing: SURPRISE! All that I have left to say is; SCROUGE YOU AIR CANADAMN SCROUGE YOU!!!
all accurate except…..yes you can charge your devices, I did while I was on the plane (regular seating) it’s just hard to see the plug, it’s in front of you and rather low, I kind of had to feel around for it.
I’m flying LAX-VCE and return ROM-LAX in the fall. After reading all the awful Rouge reviews re tiny seats I paid almost $200 to upgrade to “preferred” exit row aisle seats.on four flights. I’m 6’4′ and I would like to be able to walk off the jetway after a 15 hour flight.
rouge dont operate those routes
Don’t count on more room with preferred seats. My wife and I are both tall so paid for preferred seating to Venice. Only two preferred seats left on Boeing 767-300 was 27A and 27C on the bulkhead next to restrooms. I’ve had bulkhead seats before that had legroom … but not these. Sitting straight up in seat, legs bent at 90 degree angle, our toes were touching the bulkhead … impossible to straighten out legs at all. Impossible to get any sleep with stream of people using the bathroom and people hovering around your seat waiting to use the bathroom. This was our worst flight experience for a long flight ever.
Second year in a row flying rouge from yyc to Venice (ac to yyz or yul, then rouge to Italy). I’m not sure what the hate is about. Tickets are $600-700 less than I used to pay for ac flights to Italy.
Service is about the same as ac. Not great compared to Delta for example (recently flew to shanghai, great service and super cheap upgrades to premium economy). I fly ac 2-3 times a month out of yyc. The only thing keeping me loyal are the perks.
If wj ever figures out a ff program, I would switch right away. What makes me mad is that ac getting government handouts cost us Canadian airlines, where service was really good.
Flew Heathrow to Montreal on Air Canada and service was excellent. Returned Toronto to Dublin on Air Canada Rouge – awful. i didn’t know my flight was a rouge flight as I’d booked my flights with Air Canada. I had an iPad with me but didn’t know about their app (as i thought I was on Air Canada) and had no inflight entertainment for a transatlantic flight. Food was OK, annoyed that alcohol was only for purchase and the seats are tight.
Rouge is the worst flying experience ever. The seats are so uncomfortable and aren’t fit for flights over a few hours but, of couse, they do get used for 5 hour flights. I dread having to use Rouge and there is certainly no cost saving to the customers despite the lowered service standards. Who cares about their uniforms? Give the customers better service and forget their cute little hats. Air Canada should be ashamed to provide this low class service to their customers.