We’ve known for quite some time that Air Canada plans to introduce a new passenger experience on its long haul flights, launching on upcoming, newly delivered aircraft. There’s now an exciting update, as Air Canada has just unveiled those details.
Air Canada rolling out new business class seats
Air Canada plans to introduce two different kinds of new business class seats — this includes a new business class (branded as Air Canada Signature Class) for the carrier’s upcoming 30 Airbus A321XLR narrow body planes, plus 18 Boeing 787-10 wide body planes. The A321XLRs will start to be delivered in the coming weeks, while the 787-10s will follow.
Air Canada describes these new cabins as the first major expression of its new Glowing Hearted Standard, and claims that the “design delivers a distinctly Canadian experience, emphasizing comfort, care, and connection for all customers on every flight, while signalling the airline’s bold growth ambitions.”
Here’s how Mark Nasr, Air Canada’s Chief Operations Officer, describes this:
“This investment is about fundamentally redefining the experience of flying with Air Canada. From the moment of stepping on board, we’re setting a new standard for how Canadians and the world connect with our brand. Details matter: we listened closely to feedback and challenged ourselves to create an experience defined by a strong Canadian sense of place, alongside a commitment to craftsmanship, functionality, and long-term durability. This investment in the care and comfort of our customers is a key element of our New Frontiers growth strategy to become one of the world’s leading airlines.”
Now let’s take a look at what we can expect on the planes…
Air Canada’s new 787-10 business class
On the Boeing 787-10, Air Canada will have 332 seats, including 42 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats, and 262 economy seats. Four of the 42 business class seats will be a “business class plus” product, branded as Air Canada Signature Plus Suites.
The new business class is based on the Elevate Ascent product, which is an increasingly popular business class seat for the Dreamliner, as you’ll find it on some planes of American, United, etc.
These are reverse herringbone seats with doors, and as you’d expect, tech is greatly improved, with 27″ 4K OLED monitors and bluetooth audio, along with AC, USB-C, and AC power outlets.
Air Canada Signature Plus will be a new product at the front of the cabin, and these seats will offer companion seats for use during flight. Furthermore, all seats will turn into a 6’5″ bed, and the center seats will also have a retractable sliding privacy panel.
Air Canada’s new A321XLR business class
On the Airbus A321XLR, Air Canada will have 182 seats, including 14 business class seats and 168 economy seats. Business class will be based on the Collins Aerospace Aurora platform. That means seats are herringbone seats, facing the aisle.
Business class will have greatly updated tech, including 19″ 4K OLED monitors and bluetooth audio, along with AC, USB-C, and AC power outlets.
Air Canada overhauling business class soft product
While it’s great to see a new hard product, that’s not all that’s changing at Air Canada. The airline is also promising that later this year, it will introduce a new “end-to-end hospitality experience will be distinctly Canadian and include upgraded service, food and beverage elements and elevated amenities.”
So it’s cool to see that overhaul is coming, though we have no details beyond that. When you combine a new hard product with a new soft product, plus the ground experience — the Signature Suite in Toronto (YYZ) and Vancouver (YVR) — Air Canada will offer a very competitive experience.
My take on Air Canada’s new business class concept
As I often say, I think we’re at the point where business class has largely peaked in terms of the amount of personal space that will be allocated to each passenger, and space can’t be utilized much more efficiently than it already is. So with new business class products, I tend to think it’s mostly about tech, finishes, and other thoughtful design choices, since that’s what can differentiate an experience.
With that in mind, what’s my take on Air Canada’s new products?
- Narrow body planes represent a bit of a regression when it comes to long haul passenger experience, and I’m not a huge fan of herringbone seats; but the concept (in theory) is that the A321XLR opens up routes that wouldn’t be possible with wide body planes
- The new wide body business class looks great, and like a very nice improvement over the existing product
- On both planes, I think Air Canada did a stellar job with cabin finishes, and while there’s a lot of use of dark colors, I think it works really well
Here’s my biggest takeaway, though — Nasr and his team at Air Canada have an obsessive attention to detail, and I think that will be reflected in the experience of flying in these new cabins, beyond what we see in the media images. I know for a fact that every little detail of these seats was considered, and sadly, I don’t get the feeling that’s the case at some other airlines.
Let me give an example — Air Canada is using the Collins Aerospace Aurora platform for its A321XLR business class, which is the same business class seat you’ll find on American’s new A321XLRs (which don’t really impress, if you ask me).
American opted to install doors and high walls between seats on these A321XLRs, which you’d assume is a good thing. Meanwhile Air Canada didn’t. Why? Well, because they actually considered what it’s like to fly in this cabin, and how the A321XLR with the low-hanging overhead bins and the high doors can just feel borderline claustrophobic.
By not installing doors, the airline was able to make the bed longer, and to make the cabin aisle wider. Similarly, Air Canada intentionally didn’t have the partitions between seats go as high, to give the cabin a more spacious feel. I think these are all smart moves, and I’m looking forward to actually flying this product.
Bottom line
Air Canada has just unveiled two new business class products, which will be debuting on the carrier’s two upcoming new long haul aircraft. This includes new passenger experiences for the A321XLR and 787-10. As you’d expect, the product differs between the planes, given the unique needs of narrow body planes vs. wide body planes.
All-in-all, I’m impressed by what Air Canada has come up with, and I look forward to seeing these planes in service!
What do you make of Air Canada’s two new business class products?
