Air Canada introduced its newest plane Wednesday at its Montreal headquarters, and I (Kate!) was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the event. The timing was perfect as I had already planned on being in Eastern Canada visiting family, and since I’d used points for the trip, was able to add the Montreal…
Continue reading: Air Canada Debuts Airbus A220
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I've never understood those style foot rests. Not once were they even marginally more comfortable and better positioned for me that literally anything else in the plane: The seat brackets, the floor, or the bar under my own seat.
Thanks for the review, Kate.
I'll be on that bird next week. Had a planned trip YEG-YYZ, but when I saw the A220 would be flying, I booked a small detour, YEG-YYC-YUL-YYZ. And I scored a confirmed upgrade! Looking forward to trying it out.
I agree this is a great plane and a game changer in the sector. Let's hope they build the A220-500.
As for Air Canada's fleet renewal plans, they seem to have stalled! Hopefully they are talking nicely to Airbus about some A20Ns and A21Ns alongside the A220 rather than the death trap they currently have grounded.
Ben, do you have any intel on the grounded Air Canada 737 Max? Other airlines already announced they will not be flying them until at least June 2020
That was yesterday’s news. Today, Bombardier Inc shares fell 37% after the company warned its 2019 profits would be lower because of problematic rail contracts and said it might have to write down the value of a plane partnership with Airbus
Bombardier also said it is “reassessing” its minority stake in the A220 jet program, which will require additional cash to ramp up production.
As of right now, the 737 Maxes are removed from Air Canada's schedule until 30 April. Details are on the AC website. Last update was 13 January.
See https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/book/travel-news-and-updates/2019/737-airspace-closure.html
Thanks for the review. For legroom, I'll wait for Alex Praglowski's youtube review. The dude is 6'8", so if he fits than I'll have no problem.
If these are anything like Egypt Air's where Sam Chui reviewed them at the Dubai show, he was practically squeezed into that space. Really tight seating.
The seats in the A220 are good news for economy travelers because almost no middle seats are almost all seats are either a window or a passageway and couples traveling together enjoy some privacy.
Business travelers, on the other hand, are bad news because the seats are much narrower.
The plane is narrower than the classic single-aisle b737 and A320 planes and still has the same configuration in a 2-2 line business class
"Short person"
"Short human being"
But not a woman?
This Blog is just way to woke for me.
I flew the A220 on Thursday YYC-YUL in J class, and I can report that it is a very nice plane.
Pros:
It's quiet.
Loads of room in storage bins.
Very high ceiling, giving a feeling of spaciousness.
The J seat is comfortable and generally well conceived. Leg rest improves comfort when reclined.
No complaints on leg room or space.
Tray table was fine, but it was useful to have the heads up on the small lever.
Nice big windows.
Humongous IFE screen, very clear. And a little button to skip the ads before the movie!
Quibbles:
The power port is a bit oddly placed, but I suppose you have to put it somewhere.
The slide out drink tray is big enough for 1 drink, but it's supposed to serve 2 seats.
Soft product was lovely.
An SD came around to survey pax and I checked with her on how it felt for crew in the galley, and she said it was comfortable to work in. (I have heard complaint about tight quarters in the 737 MAX galleys.)
My return trip was on an E190 and an A320, so a chance to compare head to head. The A320 J seats are are little bigger, with more space between seats and a drink tray that can handle 2 drinks. But to be fair, there's more space available. I like the E190 seat on the left side of the 1-2 configuration, though it does have its drawbacks, such as small overhead bin.
Overall, I would say the A220 will be an excellent replacement for the E190s and could also replace A319s with no loss of capacity. I would fly it instead of an A320, and definitely prefer it over a 737 MAX, which I would go out of my way to avoid.
Looking forward to flying these planes for years to come.
Business class seats?
Aren't the first few rows really PE seats? According to seat guru: 37" pitch and 21" width, so bit wider than the normal PE seat I suppose. 6" of recline.