Then 25 minutes after takeoff a cart was rolled through the aisle with drinks and warm cashews. Inside the storage cubby in the armrest, I found a plastic-wrapped set of noise-canceling headphones and the touch screen remote for the IFE system. I do, however, have a stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio to United MileagePlus. Barbarians Gualtallary Malbec from the Valle de Uco in Argentina. About 30 minutes after the meal was served, the crew rolled another cart through the cabin with the appetizer, which consisted of prosciutto and melon. “You’re smart to choose the 787 for your transcon leg across Canada. Hot noodle soup with shrimp and pork wontons and gai-lan. CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners. If you’ve flown Air Canada, what was your experience like? Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 (CNW Group/Air Canada) TORONTO — Air Canada’s first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was introduced to the media and Air Canada’s friends, partners, and Aeroplan status members at a special event in Toronto on Tuesday morning. Stir-fried beef with mushrooms, jasmine rice, bok shoy and carrots. By Juergen in Air Canada, North America Repaint of the United Traffic Team (UTT) Boeing 787-9 in Air Canada colour scheme. There were Escents products in the bathrooms and I liked the no-touch sink sensors. I boarded through the front door along with the other business passengers and had a look around the cabin. Per the menu key, this was one of the dishes created specifically for the airline and the season by chef Hawksworth. According to Air Canada, the airline currently has eight 787-8s — compared to 21 of its 787-9s currently in service. Being Canadian, I feel like AC has gotten a bad rap, especially in the West of Canada. Tail Design for OC used with friendly permission by Garry Lewis. Please check your email to confirm your subscription. I flew AC on their 787-8 on ZRH-YYZ route. As on the 787-8, the 787-9 has reverse herringbone seats, and I had selected seat 4K. Seriously, I’ve been traveling for over 40 years and you can’t beat the product and service on AC. My flight didn’t leave Montreal until 1:30pm, but I wanted to spend some time exploring the airport and make sure I could check my bag through to Shenzhen instead of all the way to Lijiang, so I got to YUL at 11:30am. But then again, if I’ve learned anything from the many trip reports I’ve read on this blog (all of which are fantastic! The fruit was delicious, though. Wonder if you had an ex-Canadian Airlines crew. . You’re smart to choose the 787 for your transcon leg across Canada. A recent trip from Canada to China presented the opportunity to fly in Air Canada’s 787-8 Dreamliner business-class product. Air Canada’s entertainment system becomes available during boarding, so I already started browsing the selection during this time. There was only one dedicated business-class lavatory at the front of the cabin, which was busy for long spells of the flight and contributed to congestion up on the forward galley. For the new YVR-BNE, that is a 787-9. Hello! Inside were the usual essentials, like a dental kit, earplugs, socks, an eye mask and skincare products from all-natural Canadian brand Escents. Like Air Canada’s 777-200LRs — which the carrier has been retrofitting — 777-300ERs and 787-9s, the 787-8 has the airline’s newest business-class seats, customized B/E Aerospace Super Diamonds liked you’d find on some of AA’s retrofitted 777-200s and 787-9s, Virgin Australia’s 777-300ERs and most of Qatar Airways’ long-haul fleet. Painted in the companies Ice Blue livery (which I know some Canadians don't like but let me assure you, I think it's wonderful and… “Most of their flights are operated on a mixed fleet of Airbus A319/20/21 which offer a more standard domestic business w/ recliner seats and a more limited food offering”, true about the seats, but same J menu , same J food. The business-class cabin on this aircraft was much smaller than the one on Air Canada’s other long-haul jets, though. That’s the silent comedy show I’ve seen on a countless number of airlines, and it’s based in Canada. While Air Canada’s short-haul fleet is well-equipped, the airline hasn’t done much to put Wi-Fi on its long-haul jets for some reason. It would have been a lot better if they used higher quality chicken. Each seat is 21 inches wide and reclines to a full length of 80 inches, so it’s a few inches longer than those aboard the 777s. Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner by Konkku. Air Canada introduces its 787-8 aircraft on its initial routes from Toronto to Tokyo and Tel Aviv. Furthermore, the entertainment screen is always positioned in front of you, rather than having to be folded away for takeoff and landing. One negative note to share: though the seat seemed clean in general, there were crumbs everywhere — in the seat and along both armrests — and the table was grimy and sticky, so I ended up using my hot towel to wipe everything down. New Air Canada Aeroplan & Virgin Australia Partnership. Air Canada 787-8 C-GHPQ Apollo 1:400 June 2014 A13114 The aircraft is a model of a 787-8 which at the time of writing has just gone into service with Air Canada. The pillow was fine, but I thought the duvet was sort of rough and not too comfortable to sleep with. At around 7:25PM ET the captain came on the PA to inform us we’d be landing in about 30 minutes. The Cons: Lackluster amenities and no Wi-Fi. After that came a cheese course with Oka, Camembert, cheddar, crackers and fresh fruit. Made from felt-like gray tweed, it was not the most attractive kit I’ve seen. My two main mileage options for such an itinerary were either to pay 80,000 United MileagePlus miles plus $58 in taxes and fees, or 75,000 Aeroplan miles plus CAD$373 (~$305) in taxes and fees, as shown in the sample itinerary, below. Air Canada works with Vancouver chef David Hawksworth on some of its menus, while sommelier Véronique Rivest oversees the wine selection. Most of their flights are operated on a mixed fleet of Airbus A319/20/21 which offer a more standard domestic business w/ recliner seats and a more limited food offering. Alongside the window to the left of my seat was a wide side armrest where I could put my laptop during the flight. I was then told we had to wait to open that till we were up in the air, so I just had the water. As I’ve said several times in this report, I suspect it’s largely just a Canadian thing, but every Air Canada employee I interacted with was chipper and attentive. AC made a big deal over the espresso machines with Lavazza coffee they introduced on the 787, yet I see you’re drinking regular drip. Gérard Bertrand Corbières red blend from Languedoc in France. Overall, though, I’d rate my experience highly and wouldn’t hesitate to fly on Air Canada long-haul in the future. As usual, the views flying out of Vancouver were gorgeous. About BenBen Schlappig (aka Lucky) is a travel consultant, blogger, and avid points collector. The Malbec was robust and fruit-forward without being cloying. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Honestly, none of these sounded or looked appetizing, especially that omelette, so I asked if I could have the hot noodle soup from the anytime menu instead. The buffet is next to the bar and had pizza and other little snacks on offer while I was there. @nick Ha, I thought the same! I’ve found service to consistently be better on airlines with someone actually in charge, rather than just the US airline model, where a purser is paid a couple of extra dollars an hour to do the paperwork and make the announcements. Overall, though, I’d rate my experience highly and wouldn’t hesitate to fly on Air Canada long-haul in the future. View from seat 2A in Air Canada 787 business class. Air Canada Signature Class features superior dining and beverage service, priority check-in, security, boarding and baggage handling, and Executive Pods* with lie-flat seats, a plush duvet, pillow and mattress pad, adjustable cushions, and up to 600 hours of on-demand movies, TV and music. The airline’s updated business-class seats rank high up there with industry favorites like Qatar Airways. Overall 787-8 has a length of 57 m (186 ft) and a wingspan of 60 m (197 ft). Air Canada business class lunch — starter & bread, Air Canada business class lunch starter — prosciutto and cantaloupe with mixed greens. The live map had lots of details and was in high resolution — it changed views and orientation at almost exactly the same time as the plane, which was pretty cool. This photo is copyright protected and may not be used in any way without proper permission. Aviation Photo #6241369 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner - Air Canada [ Medium Large] Tweet. Having a reverse herringbone seat for a transcon flight is pretty awesome. I spent a few minutes strolling around the terminal before heading to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge. I ordered a glass of still water, and selected a Kit Kat bar (which I placed in my carry-on for consumption at a later point). I managed to nap for about an hour after the meal, and woke up just under an hour out of Toronto. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances. Finally, JetBlue is the best airline in the Americas and their transcon is the best way to get coast to coast. 2X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. We pulled into our arrival gate at 8:05PM, about 75 minutes late. I had automatically been assigned seat 4A, a window seat in the second-to-last row of business class. The rear lavs, however, were shared with premium economy, which meant they were also usually busy. Flew the 787-9 and 787-8 between YYZ-TLV and yyz-del. The service director, like you experienced, made a point to introduce himself to each of the passenger. Beyond that are the windows and several seating areas with armchairs. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. This asset was made using vasimr22's fantastic Boeing 787 model and template which can be found here. The seats each have their own 18-inch Panasonic eX3 high-definition touch screen entertainment system, which you can control either by touching it or with the remote. I appreciated how many plugs and outlets there were for charging electronics throughout the lounge. However, this happened to be the “stand-up” version, which featured some of the least funny comedians I’ve ever heard. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Horrid service bad meals and the flight attendants have won awards for being the rudest in North America. Air Canada really seems to embrace the concept of service directors, which I really appreciate. If you fly a US carrier, on the other hand, you’ll typically only get a paper thin blanket and no pillow, even in first class. 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