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?
Wow… I should have read the comments before I bought my ticket! Someone mentioned that they don’t use the Rouge for longer than 5 hour trip but in my confirmation email it says I will have to fly on a Rouge from Budapest to Toronto which is almost a 10 hour flight!!! How am I gonna survive that???
My flight Calgary – Halifax. The interior of the aircraft could do with 20 fewer passengers. I am only 5’2″ and I was cramped. There was insufficient space on the tray for my laptop to fully open. No chargers when requesting passengers to use their own device to view movies. Seriously!!
I dropped a pen and had to close my laptop, store my tray, unbuckle and bend sideways in order to pick it up.
Nice for them that they are economizing.
I booked a direct Aeroplan flight 2 months ago, same cities and was switched to a Rouge flight.
Not looking forward to 5 hours in a 3×2 space…….oh well, perhaps they will bump me because they decide they do not like my VISA this month.
Bring on WestJet.
Rouge is ok for some people and some flights. I found the service to be good from the flight attendants, and these are very young people who are forced to work all the time. They may be part of the union but part of a very different agreement. Probably a lot of these flight attendants won’t realize what they got themselves into working in these god awful conditions and they, literally, themselves are ROUGED by Air Canada.
All the new routes posted by Air Canada are ROUGE flights using 30 year old planes. As a fact you will have a sore back (even my teen children) for a flight over 3 hours.
I’m seeing ROUGE after our 8 hour flight to PERU. No entertainment system, not even headphone plugin. NO personal air control. Broken armrest and worst of all the LOUDEST flight I have ever been on. My ears were still ringing a day later. How old was this thing? NEVER AGAIN GETTING ROUGED.
what a deceiving scam ,overpaid for A.C got my first and last horrible flight, flight attendants were not helpful playing some game on the laptop they told me they were out of.. worst 7 hours of my life,.. big embarrassment to Canada and air canada
Rouge sucks beyond belief. A 9 hour flight back from Maui to Toronto and they have the NERVE to try and SELL you “ipads” for rent or “snacks” for 8$.
Ridiculous that flight attendants are now salespeople to try and rack some profits.
NO BLOODY MEAL ON A 9 HOUR FLIGHT………… NOT EVEN F$(*@#& PEANUTS………..
Rouge can go to hell, the only reason we took it is Air Canada Shafted us. It said “air canada” on the flight purchase but at the airport it said Rouge. NICE!!!!!!! F&!@# you Both.
My wife and I just returned from Vegas 2 weeks ago. After my last trip on Rouge I decided to spend $200 more for the two of us to be in preferred seats there and back. This was a good choice and the seats were far more spacious than economy which is really a joke unless you are very small.
My brother and I are back to Vegas March 24 on Rouge again…he generously paid for Business class seats so we should have a decent trip but the cost is ridiculous almost 2x the cost of economy seats. Air Canada Rouge is a sad excuse for an airline and unless you have deep pockets to upgrade your seat I would recommend another airline.
Our family flew 23 people to Houston in January to go on a 45th anniversary cruise out of Galveston. Our agent tried booking through AC and got nothing but grief so we switched to United. They seated us together and allowed several changes without additional fees. The best part were the seats they were comfortable and roomy…AC could learn a lot from United.
I have flown on Rouge twice now and shall not fly on them again. My husband who is 6 foot 3 has stayed home than fly Rouge. If a meeting requires him to fly Rouge to get there he teleconferences. Air Canada should be ashamed of itself. These flights discriminate against Tall people and Frankly our population is taller than previous generations so why decrease the leg room except for a money grab. News to you at Air Canada. Fuel is cheaper now than it was 5 years ago. Prices should be cheaper….without the need of making everyone on the plane suffer from lack of space. A real shame. Air Canada. Used to be a good airline.
I will not fly Air Canada again after being deceived with Rouge what a disgraced and price grab.
We have been Rouged for a second time (booked regular upcoming A/C flight to Mexico and now switched to Rouge without consent).
This is the final time, as we will no longer consider or book Air Canada for our annual winter vacation. Or for other destinations come to that.
If you pay A/C tariffs – you should get A/C service. Then again, perhaps Rouge represents what A/C is really all about.
Avoid Air Canada Rouge.
My worst flying experience ever due to the incredibly cramped seats (I’m 5ft 10″), no complementary food despite a 5+ hr fight time and no personal TV screens.
The cramped seats was the biggest killer.
Air Canada execs: when you decide to add 4+ extra rows to increase revenue per flight think about the long term implications too. It makes for a terrible flying experience and I like many Rouge customers will never fly Rouge again.
Going to South America with a non-AC airline in 2 weeks. Booked in July, and the first leg of the trip is codeshared with Air Canada. At the time we booked it was an Air Canada flight, but has since morphed into a Rouge flight. If I hadn’t stumbled across this by accident a couple of weeks, we wouldn’t have known until we got to the airport. And then would we have known that you have to download their entertainment system app in advance? They didn’t inform our travel agent. Feels pretty awful booking one thing and getting another and having no recourse. We could cancel, but it would cost a pile to do so. If we’d known it was going to be Rouge we would have made another plan. Hoping to book Preferred seats, and that it won’t be too awful. We’re holding off booking the Preferred seats, as have been told since it’s codeshared, if we had to cancel or even if they cancelled or changed the flights we wouldn’t get our money back for the seats! That’s just robbery if they cancel! Wouldn’t put it past them to do that just to keep our money, given their sneaky ways so far.