New Details about Air Canada’s Airbus A321XLR Business Class

In March 2022, Air Canada announced its plans to adhd a fig of Airbus A321XLR craft to its fleet successful the coming years. In the media release, the hose stated that lie-flat seats are to beryllium portion of the experience, amongst a fig of different inclusions.

Through an interrogation posted connected Executive Traveller, Air Canada has revealed immoderate much details astir the order, and besides alluded to a refresh of the business class cabins connected different craft successful its fleet.

New Business Class Cabin connected Air Canada Airbus A321XLRs

In the initial announcement of Air Canada’s program to get Airbus A321XLR aircraft, it was simply stated that determination would beryllium capableness for 182 passengers, with 14 lie-flat Signature Class seats successful the concern people cabin, and 168 seats successful economy. At the time, it wasn’t wide what the configuration for the concern people compartment would be, which we present cognize volition beryllium 1-1.

In the interview, Mark Nasr revealed that Air Canada’s in-house plan squad is moving unneurotic with Acumen to plan the seats.

Some of Acumen’s different projects see Mint concern people connected the JetBlue Airbus A321LR aircraft, the Etihad Airways First Class Apartment and Residence suites, ANA “The Suite” First Class, and the Hawaiian Airlines 787 Dreamliner concern people products.

Acumen besides worked connected the plan of JetBlue’s Mint concern people connected the Airbus A321LR

Interestingly, determination isn’t immoderate confirmation astir the inclusion of a doorway with the suites; however, Nasr described the suites arsenic “private”, which suggests that it’s wholly possible.

Given that sliding doors are each the rage successful caller concern people products these days, it wouldn’t beryllium wholly astonishing to find them connected the A321XLR concern people merchandise erstwhile much details are released.

As we knew before, a premium economy compartment is not going to beryllium included connected these aircraft. Recall that Air Canada operates narrowbody craft connected immoderate transatlantic routes, specified arsenic betwixt Halifax and London oregon Toronto and Reykjavik, arsenic good arsenic connected a fig of routes wrong North America.

Currently, the concern people compartment Air Canada’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Airbus A220-300 craft is being sold arsenic premium system connected transatlantic routes, but arsenic concern people connected flights wrong North America.

If the Airbus A321XLR craft are utilized connected akin routes, we’d expect the merchandise to beryllium consistently marketed and sold arsenic concern class, since it volition connection a afloat lie-flat seat.

It’s worthy noting that there’s not a batch of favoritism betwixt the North American-style concern people merchandise that’s disposable connected immoderate of Air Canada’s narrowbody craft and premium economy. While determination are immoderate wide differences, determination are besides galore similarities.

Air Canada A220-300 concern class

Air Canada premium economy

The summation of a lie-flat merchandise to a narrowbody craft would bash distant with these similarities, and would intelligibly marque transcontinental and transatlantic narrowbody flights overmuch much comfortable.

Furthermore, the Executive Traveller interrogation besides hinted that the instauration of the A321XLR to Air Canada’s fleet volition travel with “a caller plan modular for our cabins, our interiors, our lounges, truly for each facets of our customer-facing experience”, according to Nasr.

This suggests that we mightiness expect to spot a refresh to the full Air Canada Signature Class experience, some connected the crushed and successful the air.

A Sign of What’s to Come?

While Air Canada is expecting to instrumentality transportation of the Airbus A321XLR starting successful 2025, it volition beryllium unveiling a “new-look concern people product” connected its Air Canada Express determination craft sometime adjacent year.

The existent versions of the Embraer E175 and Bombardier CRJ900 person 12 concern people seats successful a 1-2 configuration. The rollout of a caller concern people compartment connected these craft volition springiness america the archetypal sensation of what’s to come, adjacent if the afloat rollout of the revamped Signature Class volition travel a spot farther down the enactment with the transportation of the Airbus A321XLRs.

Air Canada volition statesman rolling retired a “new-look concern class” connected immoderate of its Express fleet successful 2024

Perhaps the astir absorbing portion of the interrogation is that Nasr alluded to an upcoming revamp of the Signature Class compartment connected Air Canada’s Boeing 777 and 787 craft “soon”. 

Air Canada took transportation of its archetypal Dreamliners astir a decennary ago, and successful the future, Nasr mentioned that “they’ll beryllium owed for dense attraction and a retrofit…so that provides america the opportunity, whether it’s connected those craft oregon perchance astatine immoderate constituent connected caller wide-bodies, to present a caller long-haul merchandise arsenic well”.

As it stands, Air Canada’s Signature Class merchandise is rather accordant done its wide-body aircraft. While determination are some insignificant differences, you tin mostly expect to find a akin hard and brushed merchandise connected the Airbus A330-300, Boeing 777, and the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft.

When volition we spot a revamp of Air Canada Signature Class?

Therefore, it volition beryllium precise absorbing to spot what the caller Signature Class compartment connected the Airbus A321XLR looks like, since it could acceptable the precedent for immoderate aboriginal retrofits of Air Canada’s existing wide-body fleet, arsenic good arsenic what we mightiness expect to spot connected immoderate caller wide-body craft orders.

Conclusion

Through an interrogation with Executive Traveller, Air Canada executives offered a spot of penetration into what we tin expect for its acquisition of Airbus A321XLR aircraft. The concern people compartment volition diagnostic a 1-1 configuration of 14 lie-flat seats, and the airline’s plan squad is collaborating with Acumen for enactment connected the suites.

In 2024, Air Canada volition statesman to rotation retired a “new-look concern people product” connected its fleet of determination Air Canada Express aircraft, which volition springiness the archetypal hints of what Air Canada’s caller concern people products mightiness look like.

Further down the line, it expects to statesman a retrofit of its wide-body Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft, which volition perchance travel with a caller long-haul product.

The station New Details astir Air Canada’s Airbus A321XLR Business Class appeared archetypal connected Prince of Travel by T.J. Dunn.