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The aircraft that carries hope for the future of Air Canada was introduced at Pearson International Airport today.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner uses less fuel, should improve jet lag, and will allow the airline to travel to new places around the world.
“This is an aircraft that is going to change the game for Air Canada.”
The 787 was designed for long flights. it’s not too big, 251 seats, so air canada can sell out flights, and save on fuel.
Craig Landry is with Air Canada: “It’s going to allow us to serve new markets, and fly to different places around the world that we’ve never been to before.”
But attendants on the inaugural flight like Luce McCoy say it feels bigger: “It’s like, simulated skylights — cathedral style entry.”
Instead of heavy metals, 50 per cent of the plane is made of a special composite fibre. That changes the air pressure in the cabin, and allows for humidity.
“Air quality is huge, that’s what makes you more jet-lagged when you get to your destination. If it’s dry on board, at high altitude with less oxygen, that affects you as well.”
Landry: “The wings are like a bird the way they stretch out and curve, they’re flexible, so they’re absorbing a lot of the turbulence which makes the experience a lot smoother.”
There’s lots of legroom in first class, the seats recline all the way. There’s also a big table in case you have your computer, and a big screen TV.
The middle section is called premium economy. You still get lots of leg room and your own screens — you can play poker with the guy sitting behind to you – though you can do that from any seat.
Luce said: “TV, movies, games all loaded, you’ll be able to message people on board the airplane. You can order duty free or a drink from the seat.”
There’s still quite a bit of leg room in economy. You still get a big window and your own TV screen. But the blankets aren’t nearly as nice.”
Air Canada has been waiting years for its first 787, but that means it wasn’t affected last year, when authorities grounded the aircraft around the world, while investigating the cause of several overheated batteries. Boeing has since reportedly fixed the problems.
Air Canada is eventually going to have 37 of these Dreamliners to replace its bigger, long-haul planes. By July it will be flying to places like Tokyo and Tel Aviv.
20 per cent fuel savings in this lighter plane, but even though they will be cheaper for Air Canada to operate, don’t expect to get a break on the price of a ticket. An airline executive told me pricing is driven by the competitiveness of the market.
