In March 2022, Air Canada announced its plans so as to add a lot of Airbus A321XLR plane to its fleet within the coming years. Within the media release, the airline said that lie-flat seats are to be a part of the expertise, amongst a lot of different inclusions.
By an interview posted on Executive Traveller, Air Canada has revealed some extra particulars in regards to the order, and likewise alluded to a refresh of the business class cabins on different plane in its fleet.
New Enterprise Class Cabin on Air Canada Airbus A321XLRs
Within the initial announcement of Air Canada’s plan to accumulate Airbus A321XLR plane, it was merely said that there could be capability for 182 passengers, with 14 lie-flat Signature Class seats within the enterprise class cabin, and 168 seats in financial system. On the time, it wasn’t clear what the configuration for the enterprise class cabin could be, which we now know might be 1-1.
In the interview, Mark Nasr revealed that Air Canada’s in-house design workforce is working along with Acumen to design the seats.
A few of Acumen’s different initiatives embody Mint enterprise class on the JetBlue Airbus A321LR plane, the Etihad Airways First Class Apartment and Residence suites, ANA “The Suite” First Class, and the Hawaiian Airways 787 Dreamliner enterprise class merchandise.
Curiously, there isn’t any affirmation in regards to the inclusion of a door with the suites; nonetheless, Nasr described the suites as “non-public”, which means that it’s solely attainable.
On condition that sliding doorways are all the trend in new enterprise class merchandise today, it wouldn’t be solely stunning to search out them on the A321XLR enterprise class product as soon as extra particulars are launched.
As we knew earlier than, a premium economy cabin just isn’t going to be included on these plane. Recall that Air Canada operates narrowbody plane on some transatlantic routes, comparable to between Halifax and London or Toronto and Reykjavik, in addition to on a lot of routes inside North America.
Presently, the enterprise class cabin Air Canada’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Airbus A220-300 plane is being bought as premium financial system on transatlantic routes, however as enterprise class on flights inside North America.
If the Airbus A321XLR plane are used on related routes, we’d count on the product to be persistently marketed and bought as enterprise class, since it can supply a completely lie-flat seat.
It’s value noting that there’s not a number of distinction between the North American-style enterprise class product that’s out there on a few of Air Canada’s narrowbody plane and premium financial system. Whereas there are some clear variations, there are additionally many similarities.
The addition of a lie-flat product to a narrowbody plane would cast off these similarities, and would clearly make transcontinental and transatlantic narrowbody flights rather more snug.
Moreover, the Government Traveller interview additionally hinted that the introduction of the A321XLR to Air Canada’s fleet will include “a brand new design commonplace for our cabins, our interiors, our lounges, actually for all aspects of our customer-facing expertise”, in line with Nasr.
This means that we would count on to see a refresh to the complete Air Canada Signature Class expertise, each on the bottom and within the air.
A Signal of What’s to Come?
Whereas Air Canada is anticipating to take supply of the Airbus A321XLR beginning in 2025, it is going to be unveiling a “new-look enterprise class product” on its Air Canada Categorical regional plane someday subsequent yr.
The present variations of the Embraer E175 and Bombardier CRJ900 have 12 enterprise class seats in a 1-2 configuration. The rollout of a brand new enterprise class cabin on these plane will give us the primary style of what’s to return, even when the total rollout of the revamped Signature Class will come a bit farther down the road with the supply of the Airbus A321XLRs.
Maybe probably the most fascinating a part of the interview is that Nasr alluded to an upcoming revamp of the Signature Class cabin on Air Canada’s Boeing 777 and 787 plane “quickly”.
Air Canada took supply of its first Dreamliners virtually a decade in the past, and sooner or later, Nasr talked about that “they’ll be due for heavy upkeep and a retrofit…so that gives us the chance, whether or not it’s on these plane or probably sooner or later on new wide-bodies, to introduce a brand new long-haul product as nicely”.
Because it stands, Air Canada’s Signature Class product is sort of constant by way of its wide-body plane. Whereas there are some minor differences, you’ll be able to largely look forward to finding the same laborious and mushy product on the Airbus A330-300, Boeing 777, and the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 plane.
Subsequently, it is going to be very fascinating to see what the brand new Signature Class cabin on the Airbus A321XLR seems to be like, because it may set the precedent for any future retrofits of Air Canada’s present wide-body fleet, in addition to what we would count on to see on any new wide-body plane orders.
Conclusion
By an interview with Executive Traveller, Air Canada executives supplied a little bit of perception into what we will count on for its acquisition of Airbus A321XLR plane. The enterprise class cabin will characteristic a 1-1 configuration of 14 lie-flat seats, and the airline’s design workforce is collaborating with Acumen for work on the suites.
In 2024, Air Canada will start to roll out a “new-look enterprise class product” on its fleet of regional Air Canada Categorical plane, which is able to give the primary hints of what Air Canada’s new enterprise class merchandise would possibly appear to be.
Additional down the road, it expects to start a retrofit of its wide-body Boeing 777 and 787 plane, which is able to probably include a brand new long-haul product.
