Watch this In Flight Video for Air Canada Business Class Review.
Today we’re going to review Air Canada’s international business class on their Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. For those who aren’t familiar with the 787 it’s currently the most advanced commercial jetliner in operation. It does a lot of things different including flying higher, faster and smoother. If you want to find out more about the Dreamliner make sure to watch our three class overview on this aviation marvel.
Our trip starts in Vancouver Canada enrooted to Shanghai China. The business class consists of five rows of four in Air Canada’s newest executive pods. The orientation of the seats are opposite to what their classic pods are. So window seats now face the window instead of facing our way making it more natural to look out. If you’re going to fly on the Dreamliner the window is the place to be. And that’s coming from someone who always takes the aisle. They are the biggest in the industry 30% actually and have five electronic dimming options. So let’s start exploring the pod. Forgot your headphones? No need to worry. Business class travelers get comfy noise-canceling headphones that plug right into the compartment that we’re going to show you next. These are not for you to keep though.
Open up the compartment and you’ll find a USB for your mobile device, phone on jacks for your headphones and 110 volt outlet that has no problem powering a 15 inch laptop that I used. Also there’s a touch screen remote for the in-flight entertainment system. With it you can select a variety of entertainment like television movies music games and even purchase your duty-free. Coming soon is a feature allowing you to message other passengers on the plane which could be really handy if you’re traveling with a group that aren’t sitting together. Of course the remote isn’t the only way to control the in-flight entertainment. You can also touch this huge 18 inch screen to control whatever you want there is no comparison when it comes to picture and quality. The 787 system is so much clearer than the classic pods found on their other wide-body cabins and one of my favorite things is that if you want to go to a specific time in a program you can just drag the playhead to the point instead of some other older systems that you have to press fast-forward or rewind and scrub through the entire program.
Also it doesn’t matter what screen you’re on you can always check out your flight info and progress by hitting the little plane and the best thing about it you can go right back to where you left off not like some other systems where you have to exit out or whatever you’re doing before starting the flight map. One thing that I have noticed when flying with this newer system is the programming seems to be quite a bit more limited as far as selections compared to the programming on the classic Air Canada executive pods shortly after takeoff meal service starts off with hot mixed nuts and your choice of beverage. The table on this 787 is quite large it unfold and has two separate locking positions the wine list is adequate. There is champagne choice of two White’s three reds and a port along with that are your usual spirits liquors soft drinks and exclusive to the 787 you can even get espresso and cappuccino.
I don’t drink coffee so I can’t comment on. Now time to check out the amenity kit. it’s a cloth bag with the magnetic closure. inside you’ll find a toothbrush kit moisturizer lip balm, eye mask, a mint, earplugs and socks. Not sure if all fights get them but on this Asian flight you also get slippers nice touch. The menu has a decent variety of items. Since this flight is to Asia there are some Asian options to choose from as well as a regular Western fare. Since the time of this recording the international business class menu has been changed and now include signature dishes from celebrated Canadian chef David Hawksworth. From the looks of these pictures I can’t wait to try these out. A white tablecloth is supplied for dinner and for the Appy poached Nova Scotian lobster marinated shrimp and sauteed scallop. The presentation was very nice and the taste was pretty good for the entrée. I chose the braised pork and fried rice option. This dish had simple flavors and wasn’t overly seasoned which I appreciated. Now I never have it anywhere else but I really enjoy cheese and port post-dinner while flying it’s a nice selection of three cheese’s. The only thing their default number of crackers is three which I find too few for the amount of cheese of course I’m sure you could always request more and for the dessert the choice of chocolate cheesecake or fresh fruit hmm I think I’ll take both. Time to get comfortable using the control panel you can adjust your window tinting your seating position and the comfort level of your mattress making it softer or firmer. There’s even a massage option now don’t expect one of those shiatsu massage chairs remember this is in an airplane there are three service options as well. One attendant call button one do not disturb and one to let them know to wake you for meal service. Time to push down the adjustable armrest and check out the sleep mode the seat lies flat and is noticeably wider than those are the classic pods which will be welcome for larger passengers. Mobility is hampered though as your feet are enclosed and that’s great big table that we talked about earlier well it can get in the way of your knees if you choose to bend them where and try to turn. Controls are made simple with remote and although the screen does not tilt you still get a fairly glare-free experience while laying down. Pillows are supplied. Mid-flight there are several snack options available at your leisure. I decided to have an odd mix of hot noodle soup tomato bocconcini salad and ice cream.
As I said earlier the 787’s fly a lot higher which allow them to fly faster and smoother than conventional commercial jetliners this particular flight was quite smooth one thing I definitely notice is that Aircraft Interiors seemed quite a bit quieter than others that I’ve flown on. Here’s another great thing about the electronic windows you can still look under the window without blinding the rest of the cabin and it works great as a camera filter as well. Unless you’re a camel I’m sure you’ll get to visit the washroom during your flight and it too has a nice big window there’s also a nice compact and contoured changing table for those with little ones and the toilet and faucets are censored touch-free systems they’re fairly tidy and clean for the duration of my flight.
90 minutes prior to landing you’re served another meal a light one this time keeping with the Asian theme I chose the braised noodles with dim sum. I was thinking about the other options but it felt a little heavy for me throughout the flight cabin attendants were coming around regularly asking for other drink orders or bringing water at any time during the flight. They also had a snack basket with fresh fruit chips and chocolate bars so how does this compare to other business class products out there? Air Canada’s pod system definitely wins in terms of privacy I’m also a big fan of the seat facing the window and love how much room you get with this big table you can easily be eating your meal and still have room for your laptop at the same time.
I would like to point out to you that the pods are locking a proper drink holder which can be handy for moderate turbulence especially if you doze off I think the 18 inch in-flight entertainment screen is a huge winner and the feel and the width of the mattress is better than others like I said before I love that big great table but remember that table can also hamper your mobility for your knees it would be great if you could just push that table in farther forward maybe that could be a future upgrade you don’t get that problem with a classic pod setup but for me these few negatives don’t outweigh all the positives of this flight and if you give me a choice of which plane to fly on I’ll take the Dreamliner every time see on the next review and thanks for watching