Air Canada recently unveiled its new cabins for long haul aircraft, referred to as the Glowing Hearted cabin standard. We’ve known that these cabins will be delivered on new Airbus A321XLR and Boeing 787-10 aircraft. One big question has been if/when existing aircraft will be retrofitted with new interiors, so let’s talk about what we know there…
Air Canada will retrofit wide bodies with new cabins
Executive Traveller has a story about Air Canada’s wide body aircraft retrofit plans, quoting Kiyo Weiss, Air Canada’s Senior Director of Sales for Asia Pacific, who said the following:
“Our 777 and 787 aircraft will be refurbished, but it will not happen until 2029, so the existing markets with those services will have to wait for a little bit.”
To add a little more to that, as I understand it, all existing Boeing 787s will be retrofitted, and all Boeing 777s that will fly well into the 2030s will be retrofitted, while Airbus A330s will retire with their current cabins.
Regarding 777s, my assumption would be that all the 777-300ERs stick around, while we’ll see what happens with the 777-200LRs, especially with Air Canada now having the A350-1000 on order (the most direct replacement in terms of range, though significantly higher capacity).
It’s also my understanding that the timeline on retrofits is still being finalized. The project should start by 2029 at the latest, but don’t be surprised if it starts earlier than that.
Air Canada’s cabins are already good, will get even better
I think Air Canada deserves a lot of credit for the consistency of its long haul business class product. While nothing flashy, the carrier has identical reverse herringbone seats across its 777 and 787 fleets. While not cutting edge, this product continues to be very competitive.
With Air Canada’s new Glowing Hearted cabin standard, we’re going to see updated reverse herringbone seats across wide body aircraft. Air Canada has opted for the Elevate Ascent product, which is an increasingly popular business class seat, as you’ll find it on some planes of American, United, etc.
Compared to the existing product, you can expect that the new seats will have privacy doors and massively improved tech, including 27″ 4K OLED monitors and bluetooth audio, along with AC, USB-C, and AC power outlets.
This also includes a front row “business class plus” product, marketed as Air Canada Signature Plus Suites.
What’s also exciting is that beyond the new hard product, the airline is also going to overhaul its soft product later this year. As it’s described, the “end-to-end hospitality experience will be distinctly Canadian and include upgraded service, food and beverage elements and elevated amenities.”
Bottom line
Air Canada plans to retrofit most of its existing wide body aircraft with its new Glowing Hearted cabin standard. The project is expected to start in 2029 at the latest, and with this, we’ll see all 787s retrofitted, along with the 777s that will stick around in the long run.
These new cabins look great, and more immediately, I’m looking forward to flying Air Canada’s new 787-10s, once they do enter service.
What do you make of Air Canada’s wide body retrofit plans?
