Fly Flat: Air Canada’s Latest Airbus Offers Fully Reclining Seats

Lie-flat seating is set to be introduced on aircraft in Canada for the first time this summer.

Air Canada is acquiring 30 Airbus A321XLR single-aisle aircrafts, each equipped with 14 lie-flat seats, making it the first airline in Canada to provide a horizontal seating option, the company announced in an April 24 press release. 

Air Canada picked up its first Airbus A321XLR in Hamburg, Germany last week as the company embarks on what it calls its “fleet renewal and growth strategy.” It will purchase 15 A321XLR aircraft and lease an additional 15 from Airbus “over the coming years,” the airline said.

The single-aisle aircraft are engineered to fly longer routes with improved fuel efficiency compared to older-generation models, and will provide passengers with long-haul seating that can recline 180 degrees to a fully horizontal bed.  

“The Airbus A321XLR introduces a dynamic new component to Air Canada’s growth strategy, greatly expanding our flexibility to launch new international routes and improve our offering on existing markets,” Air Canada executive vice-president and chief commercial officer Mark Galardo said in the press release. 

“Equipped with a quieter, more comfortable cabin when compared to previous generation aircraft, this game-changing aircraft will shortly be deployed across the Atlantic from Montréal and Toronto, while also becoming a staple on key North American transcontinental markets.”  

The lie-flat seats will be introduced as part of the airline’s newly designed Signature Class premium cabins under the glowing hearted standard that the company announced earlier this month.

Glowing hearted cabins will feature personal device power at every seat, free Wi-Fi for Aeroplan Members, larger in-flight entertainment screens that offer Bluetooth connectivity, and finishes that are “inspired by the Canadian landscape” such as a backlit canopy of maple leaves visible to passengers as they board.

Air Canada said it plans to incorporate the aircraft into its schedule “progressively,” pending certification by Transport Canada.

The move to lie-flat seating comes after WestJet announced plans to add an extra row of seats to accommodate more passengers, as well as the introduction of a tiered economy seating arrangement, where higher-priced seats offer increased legroom.

Many of the economy seats were designed with a fixed recline feature, which meant they could not be tilted backward. That plan has since been paused after a test flight with the new seating received criticism by a union, which said the change would increase “guest frustration.”

WestJet subsequently suspended the implementation of this plan in December and then announced in January that it would eliminate the additional row of seats.