Air Canada made some interesting product announcements today, including tighter economy seating, the addition of a premium economy product, and a new business class configuration. These new cabins will be featured on five of their brand new 777-300ER aircraft, the first of which will start flying between Montreal and Paris on July 11, 2013. The…
Continue reading: Air Canada introduces premium economy and a new high density 777 configuration
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Ouch - that sounds tight!
I haven't flown AC's current Executive First product, but this feels / looks like a serious downgrade from a personal space perspective.
It's also going to be REAL cozy in economy - 17" seat width for longhauls?!?!
i think it's a typo... probably 358? there is no way they can cram so many seats on a 777.
@ Lantean -- Definitely not a typo. 36 seats in ExecutiveFirst, 24 seats in premium economy, and 398 seats in economy.
They're putting 36 Executive First seats between the first 2 doors - in a space that was used for only 24 in the current herringbone setup.
I have been on the herring bones from SYD to YVR and it was OK, mainly I felt due to direct aisle access
A bit below UA F but above UA C
This looks to bring the bar down further to UA C or below
I think as Lucky has pointed out F is dying everywhere
Biz is the new F
Premium economy has become the new Business
and economy is getting worse and more packed
3-4-3 is the new 777 trend, sadly, for Y. AA's new -300s have it, along with reportedly a 1" decrease to pitch. Having done 10-across on NZ's 773, it's not fun at all.
AC actually posted the following on FT regarding the new J seats: "However, the seating configuration and onboard product of these new 777s will not be the same as the new standard that will be delivered in 2014 with the Boeing 787."
Terrible.
Y class pitch goes from 32" to 31" !!! OUCH Super sardine class. AC is in a race to the bottom to become like Air Transat.
I wouldn't want to be stuck in Economy on this plane - 31' seat pitch is tight, but the real problem is the 17' width - a regular Airbus 320 is 20'! Let's pray you have a supermodel or a small kid next to you!
AA is just as crammed AC in the back, it's just that the back in ACs planes is way bigger (both 10 abreast with 31" pitch).
Another downgrade for AC.
The AE program has been slashed and now AC is after the cheap tourist or forced to pay more for aerolotto. Not looking forward to this change.
Was hoping for the new US Airways style "suites", though it's still a step up from the herringbones.
No plans for the A330s to get the new seats?
@ Kai -- That's correct, I don't think they have plans to reconfigured the A330s as of now.
@lucky AC clearly indicated that the new interior product for the 787 will not be similar to the 777 expected to be delivered this year
Boeing 777-300 Vancouver-London Heathrow 2 Sep 2014
The new business class studio pod is TERRIBLE - narrow, short and ridiculously sized and shaped. It's okay as a seat, but I paid for a good night's sleep. Forget it! I'm 6ft 4 and when the seat turns into a bed, it slides the lower half of your body into a tiny plastic coffin-like box (in the area under the armrests of the two passengers in front) with no room to move your legs at all, and it wasn't long enough for me - so it wasn't humanly possible to lie down!! Hell on earth. As a result, I arrived at LHR tired and irritable, lacking the sleep I had needed and deliberately paid for. The cabin crew was brilliant, but they told me that a lot of other business class passengers had complained about this new seat. It's also difficult to get the seat back up again from a supposed "bed". My seat 2A on C-FIVO was also missing a seat-based flexible reading light. It is a reasonably new aircraft so why on earth was that missing?
Basically, Air Canada has decided to shove more seats in every class onto this aircraft at the expense of comfort and space, and every passenger is short-changed as a result. The 777-300ER that normally takes 359 passengers is being converted to 458 passengers - mine was one of them. The passenger loses. I have read that it is a plan to reduce cost per seat by 15%. It is a total disgrace - avoid this aircraft at all costs. Air Canada used to be a great airline but it is heading downhill. I have sent two emails, two letters to the LHR office and two letters to Calin Rovinescu: the CEO of Air Canada. No reply of any kind has been received to date. Air Canada really doesn't care anymore. If this is the way Air Canada is going, then it's time to change airlines folks.