Review: Air Canada Express Business Class (CRJ900)

I recently found myself buffeted by fate toward the Bay Area for the privilege of seeing a San Francisco 49ers game and meeting with a good buddy who is a long-time reader of Frugal Flyer. My journey took me in a roundabout way to Vancouver, where I was also able to complete the US portion of my NEXUS interview.

The aircraft that took me to the Pacific coast was a venerable Air Canada Express CRJ900, and since I was seated in business class, I’d like to share the experience.

Booking Air Canada Express Business Class

Originally, I was supposed to fly on an Air Canada Express flight operating directly between Edmonton and San Francisco. Alas, that 3.5-hour flight was cancelled about 45 days before my travel dates in late October 2025, and so I was given a variety of choices, most of which required going through Vancouver. I chose the flight that would give me a chance to try out the CRJ900 in particular, as opposed to Air Canada’s business class on the 737 MAX.

I want to specify that while Air Canada Express is liveried as Air Canada, and its flight attendants wear Air Canada uniforms, it is actually a subcontractor operated by Jazz Aviation. Normally, I’d be sort of wary of subcontractors because my question would be “if they can operate this cheap enough for both Jazz and Air Canada to make a profit, where did they cut corners?”.

That meant that, from the outset, I booked business. In this case, I was paying cash, but I only did so because I managed to buy a cash fare far in advance and with a 20% off the base fare coupon for a rate that I wouldn’t consider a bargain, but which I felt was worth my time and effort to write this review and get to San Francisco.

While the plane itself was very old, I did feel that the soft product, such as the service and flight itself, was as good as they were comfortable.

Ground Experience

Fortunately, because I was booked on a Business-class itinerary from the outset, I had access to the Edmonton Maple Leaf Lounge. While it wasn’t impressive or anything, it did overlook Gate 52 whence the flight departed so I could overlook the plane and see when it was boarding from the comfort of the lounge.

If I hadn’t had airport lounge access as part of my fare, then a great way to guarantee myself entry within North America whilst flying on any Air Canada itinerary would have been to hold the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card. 

This card is a great option as it is one of the best cards for airport lounge access, paired with the fact that it currently has a welcome bonus of 85,000 Aeroplan points plus a $125 FlyerFunds Rebate.

American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card

$125

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The American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve card offers Air Canada benefits including Priority Airport Services, Eligible free first checked bags, and access to Maple Leaf Lounges™* across North America.

Check out our American Express Aeroplan Reserve card review for more details.

Earn $125 in FlyerFunds when you apply through Frugal Flyer.

BONUS
85,000 Aeroplan points

MINSPEND
$10,000

EST. VALUE
$1,910+

ANNUAL FEE
$599

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

Cabin Arrangement

The CRJ900 is a narrow-body regional jet that was created by Bombardier but which is now labelled as Mitsubishi due to the former’s purchase by the latter in 2020.

The plane itself is a neat design from the early 1990s, and while it shows its age (as we’ll see), it does have some unique advantages. For example, the Business Class cabin has a 1-2 seating arrangement, which means you don’t have to sit next to anybody if you don’t want to.

Me? I chose row 1A because I wanted it all to myself; as you can see, there are 12 total Business seats across four rows with four single seats. I wouldn’t be too worried about sitting in Economy on one of these CRJs either; the leg room didn’t look bad, and even the economy is in a respectable 2-2 layout.

Of course, it’s always best not to have to share, even if the front of the plane does have larger, more comfortable recliners.

Seat

Making my way to my seat, I was presented with a large leather chair whose grey silhouette reminded me that the airplane was of an older vintage. I think this is where Air Canada Express was cutting costs: it had to maintain high labour costs, and the food and beverages were decent, so that meant no facelifts for the inside of the cabin.

Overhead in the 1-2 layout, there are small cubbies all along the port side of the aircraft. These aren’t really big enough to put anything bigger than a purse or a duty-free shopping bag into. I had to put my carry-on duffel on the other side, in the overhead bin above seats 1D and 1F. Fortunately, the flight was half-empty, so this wasn’t a problem.

The seat itself was small, albeit comfortable. I’m 6’2” and didn’t feel too squished, though the seats didn’t really recline much. Once again, the age of the aircraft was apparent. Another curiosity was that there appeared to be a slot on the back of the seat for an In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system, but it was covered over.

I’m not certain if this was a legacy system that’s since been disabled and plastered over, or simply what Bombardier/Mitsubishi installed on seats for planes that operators didn’t want to pay extra to install IFEs on.

To the front of the seat was a footwell with a footrest. As you can see, with it down, my legs were riding way up. I didn’t like this layout, so I flipped it up, though I should warn you that some of these footrests can drift (rather than slam) down during turbulence. So watch your feet while getting up!

Finally, the cool thing about seat 1A was that you can see exactly where the stairwell attachment to the airport is. I like getting off the plane ASAP, so this made it easy for me to grab my bag and get out once we arrived at Vancouver International Airport.

Bathroom

The bathroom on the CRJ900 is reminiscent of the closet Harry Potter grew up in. It’s tiny, it’s not nearly big enough for my frame, and it’s just claustrophobic. I am not a claustrophobe, but even I felt boxed in.

I would recommend not using it for longer than you have to.

There is little space between the toilet and the door, so sitting down is not comfortable.

There’s not really many amenities to speak of, just a barebones setup. Given the size of the plane it’s understandable, but this was not a great bathroom experience.

I’ve tried to capture it here as the grey colour of the walls sort of camouflages the shape when photographed, but you can see in this image taken from the toilet the mirror. It’s bending down in a sort of inverted trapezoid, which is exactly how the roof slants down. Standing and doing your business is definitely not advised for the gentlemen.

For the really brave parents, there’s a baby table you can fold down in the inverted trapezoid. If you change a baby on this, you are a real one, and I salute your parental dedication.

Dining

Breakfast Service, Snacks, & Beverages

The flight was only about an hour and a half gate to gate, with maybe 60 or so minutes in the air, but to the credit of Air Canada Express they provided a full, friendly service that started with a hot towel, just the same as on the mainline carrier.

After the towel came a basic beverage service; the flight was in the morning so I figured I didn’t want to start drinking yet and just had a simple coffee. There was no cart in the business section hence why I got individual sugars and creamers separately from the flight attendant.

I was offered no menu. Why? Because the breakfast menu consisted of one choice and one choice only: the parsley omelette with sausage, accompanied by bread, fruit, and yogurt.

The Air Canada parsley omelette with sausage is the stuff of infamous legends. I have eaten exactly 3 bites of it once in my life, and aside from the fact that it tasted like desiccated chalk, I also felt a little bit ill for about 15 minutes after. I am not alone in this assessment. It will be a cold day in hell before I ever eat that breakfast entree again.

Thankfully, the flight attendant understood, and she brought me all the accompaniments, including yogurt, fruit, and warm bread. They tasted great, especially the strawberries. No hard feelings toward them.

Entertainment

WiFi

As I mentioned earlier, the entertainment system was totally patched over on the seatback.

On the upside, the power outlet did work fine, so I was able to keep my phone charged and avail myself of the wifi, which was free for all Business Class passengers with the input of my last name and seat number.

Everyone else on the plane was expected to pay $8.99 plus tax (usually Ontario sales tax of 13% for some reason) or 800 Aeroplan points. For a 90-minute flight, I’d recommend just downloading something on your phone first and enjoying it.

The wifi itself was fast, and I was able to stream on YouTube and Prime Video with no problem.

Conclusion

Overall, the Air Canada Express Business Class on the Mitsubishi/Bombardier CRJ900 was an enjoyable one. I don’t think there’s too much to describe here, though I do appreciate the flight attendant’s understanding that under no circumstances was I eating the parsley omelette.

While the plane itself is dated, its layout provides unique comfort and privacy on shorter-haul flights, and is a great candidate for people who might be on a regional flight operated by Air Canada Express within Canada or the United States. I’d also state that the level of service is at least as good as, if not even a little bit better than the mainline carrier, so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about when flying with Express.