TRIP REPORT | Air Canada B777-300ER | Toronto to Dubai | Habibi back to Dubai!

Hi folks, welcome back for another Trip Report. Today we're flying with Air Canada on their ultra-long-haul service from Toronto's Pearson Airport to Dubai. Although this will be my 150th plus flight with Air Canada, it's been a very long time since I've flown with them on an international long-haul sector, so let's see what they have in store for me. We arrive several hours With the March spring break holiday around the corner, we expected the airport to be quite busy. After a quick drop-off, we proceeded to the check-in counters and bag drop and experienced no issues. I took a quick peek across the apron and I could see that our aircraft was already sitting at its gate. Pearson Airport has reconfigured T1, so once through security, it was quite a circuitous route to the international gates at the end of Pier E. After the long walk, we descended to gate level and were presented with numerous shopping and food options. Surprisingly though, no Tim Hortons in this section of the airport, for those who may be looking for that last fix of home before their trip abroad. Soon it was time for boarding, and after a chaotic boarding process, we made it to our seats, 22A and B, in the front section of economy. The seat was okay and had okay legroom. I'm 6'2 for reference. My window however, while providing a decent view, was scratched up really badly. Here's our takeoff from Toronto Pearson's runway 5. After a turbulence-filled climb to a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet, we were served dinner as we cruised somewhere near Halifax. Dinner came with a cold bun, a quinoa salad, and I had ordered a special meal entree, which ended up being a fish kofta and pulao rice, and a cookie for dessert. I was quite disappointed with the plastic cutlery provided by Air Canada. Maybe I've just been spoiled by all that flying on Emirates Airlines. Despite the presentation, food was flavorful and tasty to my surprise. However, I promptly fell asleep after dinner and didn't partake in any of the movies or other entertainment options. As our flight hit daylight over England, I continued to sleep before waking up over Germany, when the cabin crew distributed veggie wraps to the passengers. The cabin lights were brightened somewhere over Iraq, and we were served breakfast, with approximately two hours till touchdown in Dubai. Breakfast came with a small muffin, some fruit, and again the special meal entree I'd ordered, which was an omelet and chicken kebab. The breakfast cutlery, while still not metal, was much better than the plastic we had earlier. The veggies looked a little suspect, so I left them alone, but the omelet and kebab were okay. The meal service was completing as we began our evening descent into Dubai. Enjoy the landing on Dubai International Airport's runway 30. Welcome to Dubai, the local time is approximately 18 minutes past 7 p.m. Please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened if your bag is stowed. Until the seatbelt sign has been turned off, smoking is not permitted. You may verify your flight status and find gate information for your connecting flight using the Air Canada mobile app or visiting aircanada.com. Air Canada will eventually be moving over to the awesome Emirates Terminal 3 in Dubai, but for now, we're headed to Terminal 1. As we taxi to our gate in T1 and disembark, I can say that while Air Canada isn't anywhere near the level of service and comfort of Emirates, Qatar, Singapore, etc., it wasn't as bad as many other carriers out there. The cabin crew were friendly and attentive. The seats and entertainment provided were adequate, although probably better suited for five- to seven-hour flights rather than this 12-plus-hour sector. It was great to be back in Dubai again. See you again soon, Air Canada.