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Today in Hamburg, Air Canada unveiled its next-generation business class on the Boeing 787-10 and the A321XLR. This represents Air Canada’s most significant cabin investment in the Glowing Hearted Standard.
Boeing 787-10
Here’s how Air Canada describes the seat and cabin upgrades across the entire aircraft:
- All-new ergonomic seats designed to maximize personal space with built-in tablet holders, and larger overhead bins.
- Significantly larger 4K OLED screens and Bluetooth audio available for all customers.
- Access to high-powered USB-C and AC power outlets at every seat, ensuring laptops and all personal devices stay fully charged.
- Air Canada Premium Economy cabins will also feature new extended privacy wings for added comfort.
Air Canada has placed a firm order for 14 aircraft. On each, Air Canada’s 787-10 has 332 seats: 42 in Signature Class (business class), 28 in premium economy, and 262 in economy.
Signature Class features a reverse herringbone seat complete with sliding doors. It’s not a far departure from Air Canada’s existing Signature Class seat, but the new seat features a door, updated seat finishes, better tech, and, hopefully, improved storage options.
The design is inspired by Canada’s natural landscape, featuring wood grain details, water patterns, and Air Canada’s complementary signature red stitching.
Signature Plus Suite
The most exciting thing about Air Canada’s new Boeing 787-10 is the introduction of Signature Plus Suite.
This is a new trend in business class, with many airlines opting for a more premium business class product at the front of the cabin in order to take advantage of the extra space and sell those seats at an additional cost. Usually, there’s a differentiated soft product as well, with a mattress pad, pyjamas, or improved food and beverage.
Air Canada will feature 4 of these Plus seats. The Signature Plus Suite hard product includes:
- 27″ IFE monitor
- Larger 2-metre/6’5″ bed
- Dedicated guest seat
- More storage
- Higher wall for additional privacy
The two Suites in the centre will have fully retractable sliding privacy panels and will undoubtedly be the best seats in the cabin for companions travelling together.
It remains to be seen how Air Canada will offer these seats — at an additional price, free for Super Elites, or something else?
A321XLR
Air Canada has a firm order of 30 aircraft, with each aircraft featuring 182 seats: 14 in Signature Class and 168 in economy.
At this point, Air Canada has made many route announcements featuring the A321XLR, so it’s great to see the actual cabin finishes. The same design language from the Boeing 787-10 are on the A321XLR, down to the bronze metal accents and red logo stitching.
The A321XLR features herringbone seats, where you sit closer to the window facing the aisle. I’m not a huge fan of this seating configuration, but it does make sense for a narrowbody aircraft.
The in-flight entertainment monitor is an impressive 19″ with Bluetooth audio. As a new aircraft, you can also expect USB-C ports alongside the usual AC power outlets.
Notably, Air Canada’s A321XLR Signature Class does not feature sliding doors or even very high privacy partitions. This should contribute to a more open cabin, which should make a noticeable difference on the A321XLR as a narrowbody aircraft. Other airlines, like American, have chosen to install doors, and it’ll come down to a personal decision about which approach is better.
More Interior & Soft Product Upgrades
Air Canada is switching around other narrowbody aircraft and will take over A320 and A321 aircraft from Rouge, retrofitted to the new design standard. Meanwhile, Air Canada’s Boeing 737 Max aircraft is moving to Rouge, which should offer a big improvement with upgraded interiors, in-flight entertainment monitors, and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Regarding the soft product, Air Canada promises that the Glowing Heart design standard will extend to onboard amenities, food and beverage offerings, entertainment and connectivity, as well as new digital tools. That’s all the details we have for now, with more information to be revealed at the end of the year.
Takeaway
Air Canada’s new business class onboard the Boeing 787-10 features reverse herringbone seats with a sliding door, updated seat finishes, and better tech like Bluetooth audio and 4K OLED displays. New to Air Canada, the first row will feature a longer bed, a companion seat, higher doors, and more storage branded Signature Plus Suite.
The A321XLR features herringbone seats with a 19″ 4K OLED IFE screen, also with Bluetooth audio.
Honestly, the new business class cabins on both aircraft look fantastic, but not overly innovative — which is fine, given this is more than enough to be competitive in North America. Moreover, Mark Nasr and the Air Canada team are known to be detail-oriented down to the last finish, so I expect the seats and cabin to feature unique and thoughtful touches that are more prominent onboard than in the renderings.
