tan,
Warm and fuzzy because of a Maple Leaf? Come on. If anything, flying DXB-LHR on EK with full service, the best IFE in the world, friendly attractive cabin crew...and then getting on a clapped out old 767 for the leg to Canada with the chipped-paint toilets, crap food and service, the 70's-era projection TV...yeah, I was feeling downright sentimental.
It was one of the more shocking contrasts between two airlines I've ever experienced. Granted, not all of the differences between EK and AC are flattering to EK. But if you think that people's nostalgia over your brand is gonna save you, think again. Perhaps I get misty-eyed about the people I'm traveling to see, but the AC flight is simply something to be endured.