New Particulars about Air Canada’s Airbus A321XLR Enterprise Class

In March 2022, Air Canada introduced its plans so as to add a lot of Airbus A321XLR plane to its fleet within the coming years. Within the media launch, the airline acknowledged that lie-flat seats are to be a part of the expertise, amongst a lot of different inclusions.
By an interview posted on Government Traveller, Air Canada has revealed some extra particulars concerning the order, and in addition alluded to a refresh of the enterprise class cabins on different plane in its fleet.
New Enterprise Class Cabin on Air Canada Airbus A321XLRs
Within the preliminary announcement of Air Canada’s plan to amass Airbus A321XLR plane, it was merely acknowledged that there can be capability for 182 passengers, with 14 lie-flat Signature Class seats within the enterprise class cabin, and 168 seats in economic system. On the time, it wasn’t clear what the configuration for the enterprise class cabin can be, which we now know might be 1-1.
Within the interview, Mark Nasr revealed that Air Canada’s in-house design staff 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 Condominium and Residence suites, ANA “The Suite” First Class, and the Hawaiian Airways 787 Dreamliner enterprise class merchandise.
Acumen additionally labored on the design of JetBlue’s Mint enterprise class on the Airbus A321LR
Apparently, there isn’t any affirmation concerning the inclusion of a door with the suites; nevertheless, Nasr described the suites as “personal”, which means that it’s fully doable.
On condition that sliding doorways are all the fashion in new enterprise class merchandise as of late, it wouldn’t be fully shocking to search out them on the A321XLR enterprise class product as soon as extra particulars are launched.
As we knew earlier than, a premium economic system cabin just isn’t going to be included on these plane. Recall that Air Canada operates narrowbody plane on some transatlantic routes, equivalent to between Halifax and London or Toronto and Reykjavik, in addition to on a lot of routes inside North America.
At present, the enterprise class cabin Air Canada’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Airbus A220-300 plane is being bought as premium economic system on transatlantic routes, however as enterprise class on flights inside North America.

If the Airbus A321XLR plane are used on comparable routes, we’d count on the product to be constantly marketed and bought as enterprise class, since it would supply a totally lie-flat seat.
It’s value noting that there’s not lots 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 economic system. Whereas there are some clear variations, there are additionally many similarities.
Air Canada A220-300 enterprise class
Air Canada premium economic system
The addition of a lie-flat product to a narrowbody plane would dispose of these similarities, and would clearly make transcontinental and transatlantic narrowbody flights far 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 sides of our customer-facing expertise”, based on Nasr.
This means that we’d count on to see a refresh to your 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 will likely be unveiling a “new-look enterprise class product” on its Air Canada Specific regional plane someday subsequent 12 months.
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 complete rollout of the revamped Signature Class will come a bit farther down the road with the supply of the Airbus A321XLRs.
Air Canada will start rolling out a “new-look enterprise class” on a few of its Specific fleet in 2024
Maybe probably the most attention-grabbing 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 doubtlessly in some unspecified time in the future on new wide-bodies, to introduce a brand new long-haul product as nicely”.
Because it stands, Air Canada’s Signature Class product is kind of constant by its wide-body plane. Whereas there are some minor variations, you possibly can largely look forward to finding the same onerous and comfortable product on the Airbus A330-300, Boeing 777, and the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 plane.
When will we see a revamp of Air Canada Signature Class?
Due to this fact, it will likely be very attention-grabbing 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 current wide-body fleet, in addition to what we’d count on to see on any new wide-body plane orders.
Conclusion
By an interview with Government Traveller, Air Canada executives provided a little bit of perception into what we are able to 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 staff 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 Specific 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 doubtlessly include a brand new long-haul product.