Air Canada recently unveiled its brand-new airplane cabin. It’s a comprehensive overhaul, and the design and feel are truly very nice. All 3 of their seat classes get tangible improvements, but the highlight is 3 very notable firsts for their improved business class (Signature Class): fully lie-flat seat beds on single-aisle planes, seats with sliding privacy doors, and “business class plus” suites.
A big industry event took place in April in Hamburg, Germany: the Aircraft Interiors Expo. I already told you about an airline’s innovative new airplane bunk beds and the “improved” double-decker airplane seat concept.
Our Canadian flag-carrier airline’s announcement might not have been as flashy, but it’s major. Flytrippers helps you travel for less with our 3 types of content, namely flight deals, travel rewards, and tips/inspiration/news.
Here’s everything you need to know about Air Canada’s new cabin.
What’s Air Canada’s new cabin?
Air Canada’s next-generation airplane cabin is called Glowing Hearted. It is their “most significant cabin investment” ever. That’s obviously pretty huge.
This new cabin standard is described as being a distinctly Canadian experience “rooted in comfort, care, and connection.”
The Canadian angle is fitting, since Air Canada is the only truly global Canadian airline.
This huge investment is to support the Montreal-based airline’s objective of becoming “one of the world’s leading airlines.” A very ambitious goal for sure.
If you’re interested in being a travel pro, you need to know the difference between the hard product (seats, layout, design, etc.) and the soft product (food, amenities, service, etc.) on airplanes.
Air Canada’s announcement is only about the hard product. The design is new, as are the seats and other features that improve the onboard experience in all 3 Air Canada seat classes. To be clear, it’s not just aesthetics.
The new cabin will also include soft product improvements, but they’ll be announced separately later this year. There will be an upgraded experience with digital and on-board service, upgraded food and beverage, along with elevated amenities.
Let’s look at each element of Air Canada’s new cabin one by one.
When will Air Canada’s new cabin be rolled out?
The new cabin hard product was unveiled now because Air Canada is taking delivery of 2 brand-new airplane types in 2026:
- Airbus A321XLR (30 on order)
- Single-aisle aircraft
- Extra long-range version of the popular A320 family
- AC already operates 37 A320s and A321s
- Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner (14 on order)
- Twin-aisle aircraft
- Bigger version of the popular B787 family
- AC already operates 40 B787-8s and B787-9s
Those 2 news aircraft types will be delivered with this new cabin installed.
The existing fleet will also eventually be retrofitted with this new cabin gradually. But that’s a long-term project, of course.
It will start with all A320s and A321s currently operated by Air Canada Rouge, as they will all be moved to the mainline fleet (while all B737 MAX planes will switch to Rouge; another huge change).
The 40 existing 787s will eventually be retrofitted, the 777s probably will, but the older A330s probably won’t. But that part is just speculation and not official, unlike the existing A320-family aircraft.
As for the new soft product standards, they will be rolled out to the entire fleet much sooner. That’s a lot easier to change, obviously (no complex retrofit needed).
Flytrippers will keep you updated about all those changes; join 150,000+ savvy Canadian travelers who get our free newsletter.
What’s the design of Air Canada’s new cabin?
I’ll start with the design of Air Canada’s new cabin, as this is relevant to all 3 seat classes offered by the Star Alliance airline.
The new design has been pretty universally lauded since the unveiling, and I agree that it’s very pretty.
Here are the 6 main features of Air Canada’s new cabin design:
- Main color palette of greys and stone
- Bespoke fabrics with red stitching for a Canadian touch
- Natural wood grain details complemented by bronze metal accents
- Leather-grain surfaces and metal finishes for durability
- A backlit canopy of maple leaves to welcome all passengers (A321XLR)
- Wave-like entrance monument for passengers in premium cabins (B787-10)
While very subjective, the overall feel is indeed quite premium and refined. And they mention a deliberate investment in materials that will endure, which is important.
All plane interiors look great upon delivery, but many don’t hold up very well and quickly deteriorate. Air Canada wants to avoid this. Especially in business class; a worn-out space devalues the experience.
You might know how much I hate marketing-speak, but I think it is relevant here to understand the design inspiration.
Here’s how Air Canada describes the overall design of their new cabin:
The new cabin design is inspired by Canada, creating a thoroughly modern space that evokes a sense of calm.
Obviously, that’s a bit much (at least for economy class), but it’s still a nice upgraded design.
What’s Air Canada’s new economy class cabin?
We’ll start with the back of the plane; most travelers fly in economy class, after all.
While business class changes headline this new cabin, there are also improvements for economy-class passengers.
Here are the 5 main upgrades in Air Canada’s new economy cabin:
- All-new ergonomic seats designed to maximize personal space
- Access to high-powered USB-C and power outlets at every seat
- Significantly larger 13-inch 4K OLED screens with Bluetooth audio
- Built-in tablet holders
- Larger overhead bins to fit more carry-on bags
The new seats are a bit different on the single-aisle plane and the twin-aisle plane, as usual.
The single-aisle plane has the standard 3-3 configuration.
The twin-aisle plane has the pretty standard 3-3-3 configuration (although some airlines squeeze in a 3-4-3 configuration on some planes).
Honestly, after 600+ economy class flights, I can confidently say the range of variety between different economy classes is nowhere near that of premium cabins.
But these details are worth taking into account if all else (price, schedule, etc.) is similar, or if you are willing to pay more for these kinds of extras.
Air Canada actually improved its economy class significantly in recent years, with free beer, wine, and premium snacks. Free high-speed Wi-Fi is also being rolled out.
Now, they’re clearly aiming to solidify their positioning as a more premium airline with the new economy class cabin, even though the difference is not huge (space is still tight, for example).
Apart from the larger overhead bins (which all airlines now offer on newer planes), the upgrades do differentiate Air Canada from more barebones competitors, both domestically and internationally.
The new seats should be more comfortable. And they all have the adjustable headrests, which, in my 600+ flights, I find are the most important feature to be able to try and get some sleep in economy class.
Power outlets are a must in this day and age. I literally have never used any in-flight entertainment, but I know I’m the exception, and everyone loves to have a TV. The tablet holder is another nice addition.
What’s Air Canada’s new premium economy class?
Many travelers enjoy premium economy, but we don’t often talk about it since it’s honestly almost always savvier to choose either business or economy.
There are improvements for this seat class, which is almost always offered on Air Canada’s twin-aisle aircraft.
Here are the 6 main upgrades in Air Canada’s new premium economy cabin:
- New extended privacy wings
- 16-inch 4K OLED screens with Bluetooth audio
- All-new ergonomic seats designed to maximize personal space
- Access to high-powered USB-C and AC power outlets at every seat
- Built-in tablet holders
- Larger overhead bins to fit more carry-on bags
The new B787-10 Dreamliners will feature this improved premium economy class.
As for the A321XLRs, they simply do not have a premium economy class. Air Canada opted for a 2-class layout with a proper business class with fully lie-flat seat beds (next section).
The highlight of the new premium economy class is the improved privacy wings.
While it’s nothing like the privacy you’ll get by flying in business class seats (it’s certainly not a sliding door), it does make a bit of a difference in terms of feeling a little bit more isolated from the aisle and/or other passengers.
By the way, flying has never been cheaper in all of History (relative to the cost of living), as I was interviewed about on TV recently.
When they complain that flying used to be more comfortable, a lot of people get a major thing very wrong.
For the same relative price flying used to cost, it’s actually even more comfortable now… it’s just in premium economy class now.
Economy is worse, for sure. But economy is also incredibly cheaper and now makes flying more accessible to all, rather than only being for rich people like in the 1980s.
What’s Air Canada’s new business class (Signature Class) on the A321XLR?
We’ll split out both new aircraft types for the business class improvements, since they’re vastly different.
Historically, only twin-aisle planes had the full business class experience with fully lie-flat seat beds, while single-aisle planes had a very basic business class hard product (not really worth splurging on, in our humble opinion).
Here are the main upgrades in Air Canada’s new business class cabin on A321XLRs:
- Business class with fully lie-flat seat beds
- Herringbone configuration typical for A321XLRs
- 14 seats per aircraft (7 rows in a 1-1 layout)
- No privacy door (to fit in 2 extra inches)
- 19-inch 4K OLED screens with Bluetooth audio
- No TV screen issue (as seen with AA)
- Launching in May 2026
As we’ve told you a few times, with technological advancements and current industry trends, single-aisle aircraft are now often used for transatlantic flights and other long flights.
So more and more airlines have introduced fully lie-flat seat beds in business class on single-aisle aircraft (especially on this A321XLR that has great economics).
Air Canada is doing so, marking the first time ever that there will be fully lie-flat seats on single-aisle aircraft in Canada.
These particular seats are often called coffins, as they certainly feel a bit tighter than business class seats on bigger planes.
But they look very nice. The A321XLRs will have 14 business-class seats.
Air Canada has also publicly said the transatlantic business-class experience on the A321XLR is meant not to be inferior to that on twin-aisle aircraft.
Note that they have decided against installing doors on this particular plane due to space constraints, unlike many competitors offering fully lie-flat seats on the A321XLR.
This has allowed them to fit a bed that is 2 extra inches in length and an extra 5 inches of total space in the aisle. That’s quite significant.
For perspective, remember the collective meltdown over WestJet’s new (now-canceled) economy seats? All that was for 1 inch less than many existing seats!!!
This is 2 more inches than competitors with similar seats.
The fact is that this single-aisle aircraft’s cabin is not as high, and the larger overhead bins come down to a point that doors have to be shorter than on twin-aisle planes anyway.
Air Canada believes the trade-off makes sense: more space is better than not that much more privacy with doors in this case.
Speaking of competitors, American Airlines recently rolled out similar lie-flat seat beds on its own A321XLRs. And it’s been a bit of a running joke that they were designed in a way that TV screens need to be stowed for flight attendants to serve meals. Very clunky.
Air Canada confirmed that this will not be an issue for them, thankfully. It’s actually a good example of the level of detail put into this new cabin, as they even custom-sculpted the TV screen bezel to increase space.
In addition to that movable main TV screen, there’s also a unique addition.
There’s a small display for when you’re lying in the bed, along with wireless charging.
What’s Air Canada’s new business class (Signature Class) on the B787-10?
The B787-10 has the new flagship business class, and we’ve split out the all-new “business class plus” offering into the last section.
Air Canada’s current long-distance business class, which they brand as Signature Class, is already a good hard product. But no one would mistake the experience for one of the best in the world. These improvements aim to change this.
Here are the main upgrades in Air Canada’s new business class cabin on the B787-10s:
- New Plus Suite option (next section)
- New sliding privacy doors for each seat
- Same standard 1-2-1 configuration
- Adient Ascent seat rather than Super Diamond seat
- Drop-down cocktail tray
- Launching in late 2026
As we’ve been mentioning quite often since we’re passionate about great deals, redeeming airline points for business class to get luxurious fully lie-flat seat beds is the absolute best deal in all of travel.
And Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is the best, but unfortunately, it’s rarely a good deal for Air Canada flights. You should redeem on the 40+ Aeroplan partner airlines at the low guaranteed fixed prices.
(That’s what I just did again to fly to Asia a few weeks ago; I paid the low guaranteed fixed price of 75,000 Aeroplan points for my luxurious transpacific flight on EVA Air, 1 of only 10 airlines in the world ranked 5-star!)
That said, there can be some good deals sometimes.
For example, in our new Flytrippers business class deals section, recently we’ve been spotting many flights in Air Canada’s business class to South America for under 60,000 points (the guaranteed fixed price for Europe on partners, and South America is actually farther, giving you a higher CPH).
What many don’t know is that the business class hard product standard has changed so drastically over the last decade.
Of course, almost all business class seats have plenty of space.
But there are now 2 main non-negotiable requirements to be a good product:
- Fully lie-flat seat beds
- Direct aisle access for each seat
Air Canada’s business class already had those.
However, a new standard has recently been quietly taking shape: sliding privacy doors to enclose each business-class seat.
Air Canada’s biggest competitors, the Big 3 US legacy airlines (United, Delta, American), now all have sliding privacy doors on their newest business class seats.
So it stands to reason that Air Canada adds this as well.
With the door closed, you don’t even feel like you’re on a plane (the bed and huge space sure helps).
There’s also a nice little drop-down cocktail tray. It’s another example of the little details Air Canada says they focused on.
I’ve now experienced many different business classes (9 flights in 2025 alone, plus 4 more this spring), and I must say the sliding doors really do make a world of difference.
In April, I flew the world’s best business class (the Qsuite with sliding doors) for 2 long flights, and it reminded me why no other product ever compared to it (I first flew the Qsuite in 2023, which kind of ruined every other business class after for me; first-world problems).
I hope I find a good deal to try these new Air Canada seats with my Aeroplan points (or maybe an even better deal with my 1 million Turkish Airlines miles from the 6-continents challenge; remember that partner airlines are the key).
It’s worth noting that there have been some issues getting these sliding doors certified on the B787, with United and American being forced to roll out the seats without the doors at first.
Air Canada has been proactively managing that and expects the door to be certified by regulators by the time they take delivery of its first B787-10.
What’s Air Canada’s new “business class plus” cabin (Signature Plus Suite)?
Lastly, there is the new pinnacle of the Air Canada flight experience, the long-rumored “business class plus” product.
It’s not a new seat class per se, but it’s a new better category of seats in business class (it even has guest seats).
Here are the details of Air Canada’s new “business class plus” option on the B787-10s:
- New exclusive suites at the very front of the plane
- Extra space
- 4 seats per aircraft (1 row in a 1-2-1 layout)
- Center seats have guest seats and a removable partition
- Larger bed (2-meter/6’5”)
- Quartzite-topped table
- More storage space
- Higher wall for more privacy
Very few airlines have a first-class cabin; most travelers confuse first class and business class and use the terms interchangeably, yet those are 2 completely separate seat classes.
So, a growing trend among airlines with no first class is to offer a “business class plus” product, which, as its name clearly conveys, is a bit better than business class.
That’s because there’s often a bit of extra room at the front of the cabin on many twin-aisle planes. And so many people are willing to pay more for a bit more space.
Air Canada has no first class and had actually teased this “business class plus” last year without even mentioning it, by simply including a cabin diagram that showed a bigger space in an investors’ presentation.
So unsurprisingly, the new Signature Plus product is coming to the B787-10, with so much space you can even invite friends to your suite.
It’s actually quite innovative.
The center suites somewhat mimic what has been a very popular option on the Qatar Airways Qsuite, as you can remove the partition and have a large space for 4 travelers, thanks to the 2 guest seats.
You can obviously also close the partition for privacy.
You can also see that the walls around the first row are a bit higher than those in the rest of the business class cabin, for even more privacy.
Even the fully lie-flat seat itself is much longer (2 meters or 6 feet 5 inches).
It remains to be seen how much more travelers will need to pay to assign themselves these Signature Plus suites compared to a regular business class seat.
Learning how to travel for less
Join over 100,000 savvy Canadian travelers who already receive Flytrippers’ free newsletter so we can help you travel for less (and keep you updated on all things travel)!
Sign up for our free newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter
Summary
Air Canada has unveiled its brand-new cabin. The design has been overhauled, and there are many improvements to their 3 different seat classes. But the highlight is certainly the 3 firsts in business class: new fully lie-flat seat beds on single-aisle aircraft, new sliding privacy doors on twin-aisle aircraft, and a new “business class plus” section.
What would you like to know about Air Canada’s new cabin? Tell us in the comments below.
See the flight deals we spot: Cheap flights
Discover free travel with rewards: Travel rewards
Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration
Learn pro tricks: Travel tips
Featured image: Air Canada’s new cabin (photo credit: Air Canada)
