Review: Air Canada Business Class (A330)

Air Canada offers a variety of aircraft types within its widebody fleet, such as the Boeing 787 and 777, alongside the rather old Airbus A330. However, two A330s in Air Canada’s fleet give a significantly different experience.

Rather than an updated cabin installed with Signature Class reverse herringbone seats, these aircraft are still outfitted with an ancient Singapore Airlines interior. While I wouldn’t opt for this configuration over other widebody aircraft, it’s certainly better than any narrowbody offering Air Canada has in its fleet.

It’s rare to fly on one of these aircraft, so let’s go over what you can expect when flying on Air Canada business class on the A330.

Booking Air Canada Business Class

Booking this flight was an adventure. Truly matching my travel style, I had to change plans at the last minute after my passport went missing, and I was supposed to be headed to Phoenix to celebrate my 30th birthday. 

Pro tip: Don’t keep your NEXUS card and passport in the same place. You can still cross the border with one of the two, but not both, if your passport case goes missing. 

Traveling within Canada as a points enthusiast often means flying Air Canada, but this doesn’t necessarily mean using Aeroplan points. I found this Business Class itinerary available with Avianca LifeMiles, which was a huge surprise on Air Canada’s flagship route! 

LifeMiles uses fixed pricing for Air Canada flights, meaning that the price was only 25,000 LifeMiles per person compared to the 62,800 Aeroplan points that it could have cost. It was also a screaming deal compared to the cash prices of these last-minute flights. Even using points for economy seats would’ve been a great deal.

One issue I encountered was that I was low on US Amex Membership Rewards (the easiest way to earn Avianca LifeMiles) and needed another 7,000 miles to book the two tickets for myself and my wife. I settled on taking a gamble with LifeMiles+, hoping that my 2,000-mile monthly subscription would immediately post and that I understood the 10% discount on flight awards benefit.

Luckily, getting my 2,000 LifeMiles instantly worked out, and I could book the two seats for 45,000 LifeMiles.

I thought I was getting a fantastic deal on Air Canada Signature Class until I saw the seat map was 2-2-2, which meant we would be flying on one of the old Singapore Airlines planes.

Ground Experience

Leaving on a domestic or international Business Class ticket from Toronto Pearson, Air Canada has a dedicated check-in lane on the far right of Terminal 1. You can also use the Priority Security line if you don’t have any trusted traveler programs.

Once past security, we opted for the Air Canada Cafe at Pearson rather than the Maple Leaf Lounge, as it’s often less crowded. Although there were a few delays, the cafe was still rather packed, but I found the ambiance nicer. 

Most travelers don’t know it exists. You can access the AC Cafe if you have an Aeroplan Premium Credit Card, have Star Alliance Gold Status, or are traveling on a Business Class ticket.

For more info about accessing airport lounges, listen to Episode 9 of Miles Ahead: How to Lounge in Airport Luxury.

Cabin Arrangement

The cabin arrangement is strange, to say the least. Singapore Airlines owned and operated these planes on their medium-haul routes, and they have been used and abused since. The cabin is sold as Premium Economy for international itineraries, which I think is fair. However, selling this as a Business Class seat without much warning in North America is a bit unfair.

The cabin is arranged in a 2-2-2 format, meaning not all seats have direct aisle access. This is less of a concern if you are traveling as a couple, but for single travelers, it would be best to select a middle seat or at least any seat except for a window.

Air Canada charges similar prices to fly on this A330 as they do for their flagship Signature Class planes, but as you’ll see, the experience is very different. Granted, I rank this experience higher than Air Canada’s narrow-body 737 Max 8 business class.

Seat

Boarding is done from the mid door, so you approach the seats from behind, and the nostalgia of a past age of aviation is present (that’s my kind way of saying it’s really old).

We were seated in Row 4 on the right side of the plane. Traveling with a companion, there’s really nothing bad about a 2-2-2 setup, but as a solo traveler, you better hope you’re in the middle seats for direct aisle access.

A pillow, blanket, headset, and water bottle are waiting at the seats. I appreciated the pillow and blanket as this was a pseudo-red-eye flight departing around 9:00 PM EST.

These planes show their age. Clear tape covers much of the seat back, and the storage compartments show signs of wear.

The storage pockets are useful, though rather small. The overall seat size is pretty small compared to Air Canada’s Signature Class, where you usually get three windows; here, you only have control over two.

The center armrest is small, but you will find some extra storage below it. The power port is handy, albeit in a slightly awkward position just under the armrest. The tray table folds out from the center.

I liked the tray table’s swivel functionality, which made getting in and out of the seat easy, even when the table was extended.

The final part of the center of the seat is the light and audio jack. There’s also a privacy partition in here, but of course, we didn’t use it.

The rest of the seat controls are in the “edge” armrests, where you’ll find the pitch and entertainment controls.

Bed

Calling this a bed is probably a stretch, as it’s an angled flat seat with questionable padding, but I did manage to get some shuteye.

Again, compared to the alternative of a narrowbody, it’s certainly better than that. Air Canada only has so many planes equipped with Signature Class, and we’re lucky that they’re operated on transcontinental routes rather than reserved for international flights. 

The seat is pretty comfortable when reclined into “zero-g” mode, and this is probably the sweet spot.

Without the blanket and pillow, you can see how much angle remains even in its “flat” setting.

Dining & Service

The service and dining on this flight aligned with what to expect from Air Canada’s Premium Economy or Signature Class on a redeye flight. Service began with a hot towel, followed quickly by a drink and warm nuts.

No menus were passed out, but the food options were listed verbally. My wife and I both opted for the Asian chicken dish, which was solid! In typical Air Canada fashion, all courses were served at once. 

You’ll get served each course individually on some routes with signature class service, but that wasn’t the case here. I appreciated it as I was looking forward to some shut-eye.

Entertainment

Entertainment Console

Old and tired are good ways to describe this entertainment system, but at least the software has been updated to be simple and easy to use.

I appreciated the simple entertainment setup, as the remote was quite buggy and would not have worked well with Air Canada’s latest-generation in-flight entertainment.

Loaded had a very solid selection of movies and TV shows to watch while I enjoyed my dinner. The settings tab was also nice and straightforward.

Headphones were the same as what’s given on the rest of Air Canada’s widebody’s, which is a step up from their usual premium economy.

WiFi

Wi-Fi​​ was free for texting, and passes were available for $10.25. However, Aeroplan 75K or Super Elite members who choose Wi-Fi as a Select Benefit can access it for free.

Conclusion

Air Canada’s business class on two of its A330s significantly differs from the rest of its widebody fleet. While this is a great deal when it’s sold as Premium Economy, I would be pretty disappointed with this product if I bought a business class ticket expecting Signature Class.