Tried & Tested

Air Canada A330-300, Executive First (business class)

3 Nov 2009 by Mark Caswell

Check-in I arrived at Montréal Trudeau airport at 1800 for the 2050 AC864 flight to London Heathrow. Air Canada departs from section two of the airport departure hall so make sure you are dropped off outside this area. The Air Canada economy desks were busy but those for business class (Executive First) were not. I checked in quickly and was allocated seat 3A on the A330.

I followed signs for Zone B, and passed lots of shops and cafés. The airport is well designed and easy to navigate. Zone B had a separate queue for passport control, which took about ten minutes to clear, followed by the security check. I walked to Gate 52 and my boarding pass was checked again.

The lounge The Maple Leaf lounge is on the right of the concourse by Gate 52 (after reception, go up one level in the lift). The lounge is a long, open room overlooking the runway and gates, and has sections of curved, wooden wall from the floor to the ceiling. To the left is a kitchen with various food stuffs laid out including pasta with meat or cheese sauce, salad, olives, croutons, dressing, cookies and crisps. The usual drinks were on offer.

Behind the dining area is a TV lounge with a huge screen that was showing ice hockey, and beyond that is a separate kids’ area. Beneath the windows are leather chairs in groups of four with low-level lighting. To the right of the entrance is the business centre with several computer booths. There is also a shower and lots of magazines and newspapers.

The lounge was really busy when I arrived but I managed to find a seat and have some food. There were power points by the seats next to the windows but you need a UK adaptor. I logged on to the free wifi and worked until the flight was called.

Boarding The flight departed from Gate 58 and boarding was scheduled for 1955. I left the lounge at this time and walked about five minutes to the gate. Boarding began about ten minutes later and, as a priority passenger, I was quickly on board and in my seat.

The seat There are two business class cabins on the A330-300 and I was in the first, larger one so turned left when I entered the plane. The front cabin has nine rows in a herringbone 1-2 configuration A, G-K (27 seats). The second cabin is more intimate and has three rows (11 to 13) in a 1-2 configuration – although there is an extra seat, 10A.

I was in seat 3A, which had access to an aisle and views from the window. It also felt more private as A seats are walled off from G and K seats, which also all have access to an aisle, but have twice the number of people trying to cram bags into the overhead bins that are above seats K.

Seats are in a herringbone layout and are in self-contained units, which give a lot of privacy. They feel a bit narrow when you are trying to work, but when the bed extends to fully flat it does feel more spacious. There were a few crumbs left on my seat from the previous passenger (as there was on the outward journey too).

The AVOD (audio-video on-demand) screen is fixed to the left of the seat and is pulled out from a panel in the side. It is touchscreen so you have to sit close when you are choosing your entertainment. The remote is also in the side of the seat, as are the controls – there are pre-set positions, as well as buttons to adjust the position of certain parts of the seat. I liked the movable headrest, which made me feel more comfortable.

There was a bottle of water and some headphones already at the seat, and an amenity kit in a blue bag, which unfolded to reveal different sections. This was a different offering from the outbound flight, which was much more basic. This one had the usual toothbrush and paste, earplugs, eye mask and socks but also a face wipe, a mint and a shoehorn, as well as lip balm, moisturiser and mouthwash by Canadian company Deserving Thyme.

There was a thin duvet and white pillow provided, a reading light on the left, an overhead spotlight, and an in-seat power socket, but it did not accommodate my UK plug. Luckily, I had an adaptor with me, but it was a tight fit. There are places to slot magazines and the footrest has storage space underneath.

The best seats in the front cabin are on the left-hand side (A) and anything from rows two to seven as these are the furthest away from the galley and washrooms. Avoid 10A in the second cabin as this is a seat on its own but right by the galley so you may suffer disturbance from the crew walking back and forth. It’s also probably best to avoid the last row (13) as it is in front of the economy cabin so may be noisier.

The flight I was offered a drink once I was settled and, after take-off, was given a hot towel and the menu. As this was a night flight, there was an express meal to be served shortly after take-off. I opted for the full dinner service and had smoked salmon to start. Main course options were grilled veal with potato gratin, mushrooms and vegetables; herb-crusted halibut with leek and rhubarb butter and vegetables; and four-cheese gnocchi. (I had the veal – the potatoes were lovely but I found some of the meat a bit over cooked.) Cheese, biscuits and dessert followed.

I then watched a film and fell asleep for the remainder of the flight, only waking up when the lights were put on before a light breakfast was served. I had some fruit but there were croissants and Danish pastries on offer too.

Arrival On the approach to Heathrow the pilot informed us that we were in a queue and would have to circle for a while because of congestion. We landed at 0755, 25 minutes late. However, I was one of the first off the plane and used IRIS to avoid the long immigration queue. My priority bag was one of the first on to the belt and I was on the tube heading into central London by 0830.

Verdict An excellent business class offering. The lounge at Montreal was a lovely space to wait in before the flight. The onboard seat was very comfortable, especially when fully flat, but the table was a bit difficult to get in and out of the panel at the side. The flight attendants provided an efficient and friendly service, and there was plenty of food and drink offered throughout the flight.

Price Return business class flights with Air Canada from London to Montreal in December started from £1,502 online.

Contact aircanada.com

Felicity Cousins

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