I flew in Air Canada’s 777 Business Class!
These widebody twinjets, specifically, the larger 777-300ER models, are the
biggest planes that Air Canada flies. They usually operate the
company’s busiest international routes out of Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.
However, they’re also a common sight on some busy domestic routes,
especially during the summer. One of those routes is between Toronto and Vancouver,
and Air Canada alone sends multiple widebodies a day between the two cities.
So, after winding up in Toronto back in May last year, I decided to take the long
way home and try out their 777 on a proper transcontinental flight.
However, when booking that flight I noticed Business Class was still pretty empty.
I had planned on just taking the flight in Economy, but after seeing a bunch of
window seats open in Business, I, for the first time ever,
used Air Canada’s bid-to-upgrade, and obviously for the lowest offer possible.
Given the original Economy ticket price of around $200, an extra $400 or so for
Business seemed… justifiable. Besides, Air Canada’s widebody Business Class,
which they actually call Signature Class, has some very nice lie-flat seats.
To my surprise, they accepted that offer about 48 hours before the
flight. I quickly went in and picked my seat on the app, and here we are!
I didn’t have a ton of time between flights,
but still took advantage of the free Maple Leaf Lounge access to grab a quick snack and a drink.
Waiting at a not-so-great gate is the triple seven taking us across the country,
this then-14-year-old 777-300ER registered as Charlie Foxtrot Romeo Alpha Mike.
This plane has been with AC for its whole life, and although I can’t seem to find
anything official on this, the registration seems to be a nod to one of Air Canada’s previous CEOs.
“RAM” apparently stands for “Robert A. Milton”, who led the company through the merger with
Canadian, and then the financial challenges of the early 2000s. There’s a bit more to the
story of that particular chapter in Air Canada’s history but that’s something for another time.
It’s not the only time a plane has been named in honour of an executive though,
seeing as AC’s first A220 was named after former CEO Calin Rovinescu and registered as such.
But I digress, boarding soon started on time,
and we headed down the jetway for what was sure to be a very comfortable flight.
This 777 has Air Canada’s less-dense configuration,
which means two separate business class cabins. My seat for the next 4 to 5 hours
is 9A, in the smaller cabin just behind the second set of doors.
Waiting there was the usual extra bedding that comes with Signature Class,
including a pillow, blanket, and mattress pad.
Also waiting there was a water bottle,
Air Canada’s now-phased out CleanCare kit, and some headphones too.
As expected, the legroom is phenomenal, and this actually might be one of the
most comfortable seats on AC’s 777s. Because there’s no seat in front of you,
the foot room is completely unrestricted. As strange as it might look, having the screen
just kinda floating there, that amount of space by your feet is huge if you’re a bit taller.
The other big reason for picking this seat is this perfect engine view outside! Those two GE90-115Bs
are the most powerful jet engines in the world, and they have quite a distinct sound to them.
I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t most of the reason why I bid for this in the first place!
Pretty soon after, these menus were handed out as a cabin crew member introduced themselves.
Just for some context, this flight took place right after a friend and
I had flown from Whitehorse on Air North’s inaugural flight to Toronto,
so this was another 5 hours on a plane after already flying across the continent once today.
We mentioned that detail to them and they were actually interested in hearing about
our questionable decision making. We ended up chatting for a bit, and they said they
see similar things at the end of each year when Aeroplan members are trying to keep their status.
Unfortunately I didn’t write down their name,
but it was a great conversation and started off the flight on a really good note.
Eventually, the doors were closed, and I think I’ll let those GE90s speak for
themselves. Here’s the departure from Toronto, off of runway 05.
Well that sound alone was worth every cent of that upgrade! A 777 takeoff
from a seat like this is something I’ve always wanted to experience.
Now that we’re airborne, here’s a quick look at the seat. In this storage compartment on the left,
you’ll find a universal power outlet, remote, USB port, and headphone jack.
Down by your feet is a literature pocket, which has the safety card,
this credit card offer, and the air sickness bag.
Further down is the ottoman, which again, has nothing above it leaving it nice and open.
The tray table slides down from below the screen, folds open, and can be adjusted.
To the right of you is, well, a wall, along with a small coat hook.
The right side also has some more storage below it, and the armrest moves up and down.
There’s also this bit of padding along the edge,
I guess for when somebody inevitably walks into it as they board.
Lastly, you’ve got this reading light at the top,
and then the actual seat controls, which are quite customizable.
That about sums up the seat itself. Air Canada now has a few slightly differing
versions of this seat across their 777s, 787s, and all but one A330,
but with how wide the 777 fuselage is, I think this is the most comfortable version of them all.
There has been an article recently about Air Canada developing a second-generation
Signature Class seat though, and I cannot wait to see what that’ll look like.
The post-departure drinks were soon served, and I had a cup of coffee, as well as these
packaged almonds. It’s worth noting that AC is back to the proper bowls now for those.
Before the meal service started I scrolled through the in-flight entertainment. Back
when I filmed this, there wasn’t really anything different from usual here,
although AC has recently introduced Live TV and complimentary messaging
for Aeroplan members. To be able to use that though, you have to have your Aeroplan number
on your booking before you depart. I found that out the hard way recently!
Another thing they are apparently adding are tail and belly camera views! Since the
777 already has those built in for taxiing, I have to imagine that’s where they’ll start.
As we chased the sunset westbound,
the meal service started with these tablecloths and then the meal tray.
The appetizer had this green salad, a warm bread roll,
and a smoked salmon dish with potato and vegetable salad.
That also came with another drink in AC’s nicely branded glasses, plus the real metal cutlery.
That salad was pretty enjoyable, and the bread roll, though not very easy to cut,
was soft enough. The actual appetizer was delicious too!
For the main course, I went with the veal, which came with mashed potatoes and broccoli
in a mushroom sauce. Sure enough, like most Air Canada beef dishes, this was a 10/10,
by my admittedly, very unsophisticated standards, but I could not get enough of
it. I pretty much cleared the plate as we passed through some more clouds over Western Ontario.
At that point, I remember feeling just pure contentment. Not only was that a great meal,
but flying straight into the sunset, that light on the engine is a photographer’s dream.
We still had dessert to look forward to though, and I thoroughly enjoyed this brownie,
plus a cup of coffee to try and keep me awake for that sunset.
With the meal service all done, I got up to take a look around before the cabin lights dimmed.
On Air Canada’s low-density 777-300ERs, the smaller Signature Class cabin has 14 seats in
the usual 1-2-1 layout, with 4 pairs of seats in the middle and 3 on the sides.
The larger forward cabin has 26 seats in the same 1-2-1 configuration,
with 7 rows on the sides, and 6 in the middle.
For Signature Class, there’s one lavatory at the very front,
and another two located by the 2nd set of doors. Those two both have a decent amount of space,
and are very nicely decorated, but what’s even better is that they have their own windows!
Behind the smaller Signature cabin are three rows of Premium Economy,
seating 24 in a 2-4-2 configuration. The rest of the plane has 336 Economy seats
in the much less comfortable 3-4-3 layout. I keep calling this their “lower-density”
configuration, but this plane still seats 400 people in total. The high density version doesn’t
have that second Business cabin and trades those 14 seats for another 50 Economy ones instead.
With just over half the flight to go still,
I decided to get a bit of rest and put the seat into the fully flat position.
I think this is where these bulkhead seats shine the best, because even though the tray
table kind of prevents sleeping on your side, there’s still lots more room for your feet.
It’s also arguably a bit cozier with the wall in front of you. That plus
the setting sun made this super relaxing, and I dozed off for the last half of the flight.
Sure enough, I woke up as we were descending over the mountains into Vancouver. Here’s us
making a beautiful dusk approach over the city as we arrive on runway 08L.
Just under 5 hours later, that was an excellent transcontinental flight on Air Canada’s 777!
From the seat, to the food, to the service on board,
I think that bid to upgrade was well worth it! I love flying on the 777 whenever I get the chance,
and today’s flight was probably the best 777 flight I’ve had yet.
Air Canada’s Signature Class itself is consistently enjoyable,
and especially with all the new product improvements coming down the line,
plus lie flat seats on their A321neos, there’s a lot to look forward to.
Although the neos have been delayed to 2025 now, there are those reports
of a big Boeing order coming up, which could have that newer seat. Honestly,
it’s just really nice to see this sort of forward-looking investment happening again.
I had a great time flying in Air Canada’s Signature Class today
and I cannot wait to see what else they’ll have to offer in the future.
Thanks for watching this look at Air Canada’s 777, and I’ll see you in the next one.