Transat vs Air Canada..which one ?
 

Hi !
What would you chose (price is moree or less the same)

Option 1) direct flight from YUL to Rome (a310 or a330 depending Days)nd direct flight from Venice tour YUL (a310) with Transat

Option 2) direct flight from YUL to Rome (A330) with regular Air Canada and direct Return from Venice to YUL with Rouge.

Thanks!

AirCanada.

Transat is a charter, not a scheduled airline, if a Transat flight is cancelled, or delayed for any reason, Transat has no legal obligation to re-schedule you on any other other airline.

Air Canada Rouge is designed to compete with "budget" carriers such as Air Transat. Transat flies fixed schedules rather than the special occasions on which charters were built; that distinction has somewhat faded. Rouge goes to what AC considers tourist destinations so there is no business or "first" class, only a slight upgrade for some seats. AT also offers upgrades. Both airlines' websites spell out what a passenger can expect, and what services carry extra charges; Rouge is somewhat clearer. For instance, it says there is no personal entertainment system at each seat; passengers can rent a tablet or bring their own to use with an ap.

I'd go w/AC. Their regular service is ok and fairly reliable. Their Rouge service has tighter seating and is likely to be a less pleasant flight. Air Transatis a low-cost carrier, and it doesn't have as robust an infrastructure as does Air Canada. In practical terms, that means that if something goes wrong, it's likely to be considerably more painful on Air Transat.

A propos of nothing, Air Canada and Air Transat are the only 2 North American carriers I'm aware of that have each run out of gas in the middle of a flight, forcing the pilots to make a dead-stick (no power) landing in the middle of nowhere.

Links to a list of airlines on which AirCanada can book their passengers in case their flight is cancelled or delayed.

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...-partners.html

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...-partners.html

I am not able to find a similar list for AirTransat.

Air Transat would be my choice over the AC Rouge flight. As Don described the Rouge flight has tight seating and may not be pleasant for 8 hours..
I have used AT to Rome from Toronto and back from Venice with no issues. Just check the added service costs with Rouge for meals, entertainment, etc.

I know that seating is a bit cramped on Rouge, But we are short people (5 foot 6) and not really overweight (losing 10-15 pouund wouldn't be bad !) So maybe we wont notice that much the short pitch.

The best selling point for Air canada is the fact that they have more flights and agreements with others carriers.