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I have just attended an Air Canada media event where I had the opportunity to check out the brand-new A321XLR (Fin 301), which is scheduled to enter service on June 9th, 2026. You know it was a special event because I got to enter the aircraft from the right side 🙂 The inaugural flight will be from Montreal (YUL) to Toronto (YYZ). This is the first of 30 Airbus A321XLR aircraft on firm order with Air Canada, with 4 more set to join by the end of 2026, and the full 30 by 2029. Airline executives at the event confirmed that the first aircraft will serve the inaugural international route, Montreal-to-Toulouse, as early as the week of June 14th. As I sit back and reflect on my first impressions of the Glowing Hearted Design Standard that Air Canada announced in April, it is clear that this aircraft and its cabin layout will be a game-changer in many ways in the years ahead.
First of 30 – Air Canada A321XLR
Air Canada A321XLR – First Impressions – Signature Class
The brand-new cabin features a beautiful grey-and-white palette with bronze metal accents. The entrance ceiling with a backlit canopy of Maple leaves is a nice touch, and really sets the tone for something special.
Entrance ceiling
The Signature Class of the single-aisle aircraft is a 1-1 layout of 14 lie-flat seats, and this one is a head-turner. These seats are “the most angled seats” of the AC fleet, and come with a sliding privacy panel between seats (not to be confused with a sliding door – we will come to that in a bit). The seats have a leather-grain finish with signature red stitching, and are equipped with a night table, a 19-inch 4K OLED screen, a wireless charging tray, an AC power outlet, and multiple USB-C charging ports. Signature class passengers will be able to deploy their screens during meal service, and there is enough space around the screen for crew to place and remove F&B without interrupting the deployed IFE screen.
Air Canada Signature Class
Air Canada A321XLR aircraft layout
Signature Class Seat
Now the door, or lack thereof. According to executives, AC chose not to install privacy doors on this aircraft to maximize yield from the aisle space, and, honestly, a door with such a low seat frame would have been cosmetic anyway. I am glad AC decided against the doors on these seats.
No sliding door – feature not fault
Signature Class Tray Table and IFE Screen
The space to get in/out of the seats is narrow, and it will take a few flights before I get comfortable backing into it without hitting my head on the luggage bin. The overhead luggage bins are perhaps the most impressive aspect of the aircraft, but they also come in the way when getting in/out of the signature seats.
Power outlet and multiple USB-C connections
Seat controls and side storage
Full lie-flat configuration with screen deployed
While the seat itself, design, and features are well thought out, I am not a fan of such angled seats, and I would have no window views since I would be facing the aisle throughout. As a 5’8 ” person with a wide hip and body frame, I found the space to be tight and hit my head every time I went in and out. Also, not sure how I feel about taking off and landing sideways given the extreme angle of these seats.
In a nutshell, the cabin and seat aesthetics are 10/10, but the experience in these seats would differ drastically from person to person, and personal preferences.
Air Canada A321XLR – First Impressions – Economy Cabin
Economy seats really surprised me in how spacious they were. Perhaps I had preconceived notions of an economy seat in a narrow-body aircraft with a 3-3 configuration. But the layout and seat design really come through here.
Economy Cabin
Air Canada A321XLR – Economy Cabin
The economy seats and cabin featured a warm aesthetic and came equipped with a 13-inch 4K OLED screen, a USB-C outlet, a bi-fold table with a built-in tablet holder, and lower seatback storage for personal items. I tested the standard seat with the seat in front reclined and still had a decent amount of legroom. With the tray table fully deployed and the seat in front reclined, the space was, as expected, tight but manageable. And once again, the overhead storage bin in the cabin is just epic!
Standard Economy Seats
Decent legroom, even with seat reclined
XXL overhead storage bins
Economy cabin also includes an impressive 36 preferred+ seats that offer extra legroom. The legroom and comfort delta between standard economy and preferred seats is significant, and I have no doubt these would be in high demand.
Preferred+ Seats with extra legroom
Preferred+ bulkhead
Final Thoughts
So is it a wide-body experience in a narrow-body aircraft? No, but it’s darn close, especially in the economy cabin. The Signature Class cabin is so unique that it would be unfair to compare it to the widebody Signature Class experience. That said, it is the best narrowbody aircraft design I have seen, by some distance! And it has set the bar even higher for the anticipated induction of the 787-10 aircraft. It’s a product that we can all be proud of as Canadians, and that will definitely shape our preferences and onboard experiences in the coming years as AC deploys more A321XLRs across its network.
