TRIP REPORT: Oh Canada! Introduction

• TRIP REPORT: Oh Canada! Introduction
• LOUNGE REVIEW: Qantas First check-in and Lounge, Sydney

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This is my most recent trip, completed in June 2026. It’s my first time in Canada, and we crossed the country from Vancouver on the West Coast to St John’s on the East Coast. The trip lasted about three weeks.

This trip was in paid Business Class on Qantas and Air Canada. I expect to cover these flights, the associated lounges, and a range of hotels in Vancouver (times two), Ottawa, St. John’s, and Montreal.

Outlined below are the basics of the trip, and over the coming days and weeks, I will publish flight, lounge and hotel reviews, plus some insights for travel in Canada.

Introduction

Canada has been on my travel list for a couple of decades. But when it came down to it, I didn’t have a compelling reason to go. I’m not a skier, for a start, and Canada just seemed too familiar.

Canada never sounded exotic enough. I conceptualised it as Australia, but with American accents and snow. I’ve visited the US many times. Snow is no novelty. I’ve been to Norway in winter to see the Northern Lights, and woken up to a snow-covered Beijing.

But I was meant to have a brief stay in Vancouver back in 2024, but I got COVID and had to cancel that trip. I had done my research, and it had whetted my appetite for a Canadian experience.

So when my husband had a couple of conferences to go to across different locations in Canada, I jumped at the chance. Well, that and a Qantas Vancouver fare sale cemented the deal.

Flight planning

With a wish not to go anywhere near the US at the moment, I had two direct non-stop carrier options. With Qantas, or with Air Canada.

I have read too many bad reviews of Air Canada’s long-haul service, and anyway, I needed some Qantas Status Credits to qualify as a Platinum Frequent Flyer for another year. So when sale fares in Business Class were advertised between Sydney and Vancouver in September 2025, it felt like the planets had aligned.

The Airfares

The cost of a return Business Class flight from Sydney to Vancouver departing late May 2026, and returning in June was AU$7,346

I had been monitoring prices on this route with Qantas for some time. They ranged quite dramatically, running from about AU$50 below what I paid, through to close to AU$14,000. On that basis, I think I got a good deal.

Not such a good deal were internal flights within Canada on Air Canada. These flights were booked several months later in February 2026. They were booked to match my husband’s internal flights, so the cost was what it was. No use bargain hunting if you want to travel with your partner.

Air Canada has an extensive domestic network in Canada, as you would expect. There were other options like Porter Air and WestJet, but interestingly, those options didn’t tend to appear on Google Flights. This may be because I was doing a multi-city search for all of our domestic flights.

That’s a reminder that not all airlines choose to share their route and pricing data with Google. This is particularly true of some low-cost airlines seeking to encourage direct booking.

I was set to traverse the country. Arriving in Vancouver on the West Coast, I would first head to Ottawa, then St John’s in Newfoundland on the East Coast. The return journey would be via Montreal and again Vancouver. In Business class. All up, these sectors cost AU$6,634. I know!

Airlines and Aircraft

Flight timings, aircraft, and the exact sub-brands of Air Canada I travelled on changed a few times between the original booking in February and the travel dates.

Air Canada operates its mainline brand alongside Rouge (low-cost leisure) and Express (regional, operated by partners). They also have several others, including a private Jet brand (Jetz). I never quite understand why airlines run so many brands that seem to differ little for consumers. But that’s a post for another day!

My international flights were with Qantas in Business class between Sydney and Vancouver on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Internal flights within Canada were on Air Canada and its subsidiaries Rouge and Express, in Business class.

Here’s a breakdown of the internal flights and aircraft:

• YVR (Vancouver) ➞ YOW (Ottawa) Air Canada A321-200
• YOW (Ottawa) ➞ YUL (Montreal) Air Canada Express Embraer E175
• YUL (Montreal) ➞ YYT (St John’s) Air Canada Rouge A319M
• YYT (St John’s) ➞ YUL (Montreal) Air Canada Rouge A319M
• YUL (Montreal) ➞ YVR (Vancouver) Air Canada A220

I intend to review all of these flights, although I may combine some, like the flights between Ottawa and St John’s via Montreal.

My husband travelled between Australia and Canada on Air Canada. If he has the time, and I can twist his arm, I will include some of his reflections on their service. For a start, they don’t do pyjamas!

Airport Lounges

I didn’t do any lounge hopping, but spent my time in the airline Lounges to which my ticket entitled me. In Sydney, that was the Qantas First Lounge. In Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and St. John’s: the domestic Maple Leaf Lounges. For my return journey out of Vancouver with Qantas, it was the Cathay Pacific Lounge.

Expect reviews of all these lounges, though some will be quite brief, reflecting the time we spent there.

Hotels

Choosing accommodation was a combination of practical hotels for the conferences being attended, chosen by my husband. The choice was largely determined by his work travel rules. Others were hotels I chose for their location, facilities, and price.

Some choices were very good, like the Fairmont Vancouver Airport; some were adequate, like the Andaz Ottawa, ByWard Market, and the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre, St John’s, Newfoundland. One was extremely overpriced, the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, due to North American World Soccer fever. And one was just an excellent indulgence, the Mount Stephen’s Hotel, Montreal.

I’ll be reviewing all of these.

2PAXfly Takeout

This was a combination work-and-leisure trip for my husband and a purely review-and-leisure trip for me. It was also mostly a taster of Canadian urban centres, with a little side of nature with whales and Puffins in St John’s, Newfoundland.

Prior to this trip, I think my conception of Canada was Australia with a North American accent. My image was shattered on that front. Canada is North America, but has kinder, more polite people than the US.

Canada was full of surprises. Canadian painters and the quality of the galleries and museums in Ottawa were impressive. Homelessness, untreated mental illness, and drug abuse on the street in urban settings were confronting and surprising.

I should point out that, aside from St John’s, we didn’t sample much of Canada’s natural beauty. We’ll have to do that next time. This trip was pretty much urban-based, which should be kept in mind when reading the reviews.

I was super impressed with Montreal, delighted by St John’s, and cultured by Ottawa. Vancouver, perhaps because of the World Cup and accompanying tourists, was disappointing, and my least favourite destination.

I’ll roll out these reviews over the next days and weeks, and give you some details of the food we ate and the restaurants we visited. Next up, my departure from Sydney, checking in at the First Class counter and the Qantas First lounge.