A detailed Air France Boeing 777-300ER new business class review from Paris (CDG) to Johannesburg (JNB). Seat, food, lounge, and full experience.
Read MoreAir Canada A330 Business Class Review - Montreal to London Heathrow
In this review, I'll be sharing my experience flying onboard Air Canada's Airbus A330 from Montreal to London Heathrow. I have previously flown this route before and sad to see the experience and service has declined.
Check-in and Lounge
Once you arrive at the airport, you can head straight to the priority line to check in or drop off any luggage you may have. Air Canada business class passengers are entitled to 2x suitcases up to 32kg each. The agent will then tag your luggage and issue you a printed boarding pass. The boarding pass will have a logo indicating that you have access to the Maple Leaf Lounge (or other lounge depending on where you are departing from). At the Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, domestic and international security lines are shared however you can fast track by using the priority security line. After clearing security, had left towards the Maple leaf lounge. I wrote a full review of this lounge if you are interested.
Maple Leaf Lounge
Business class passengers receive complimentary access.
I hung out at the lounge for about an hour and a half and had something to eat before heading to the gate for boarding. If you are travelling outside of Canada, you can purchase your esim ahead of time on the Airalo App and install it so you're connected as soon as you land and can call an Uber and use Google Maps without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3 off your first esim purchase! It is far cheaper than any roaming plan provided by the Canadian telecom companies!
Boarding
The cabin felt tight with narrow aisles
Boarding started on time and we boarded from the back of the business class cabin. Immediately upon entering the cabin, it felt significantly smaller than the Boeing 777 and a lot narrower. The aisle felt very tight and the overhead bins were so tiny that they could not fit my carry-on sideways and instead I had to put it flat which took up most of the bin above me. On newer planes with larger overhead bins, I can put my carry-on sideways which would leave enough space for another 2 carry-ons.
There was no space at all in the overhead bins in the first row as that was already taken up by the cabin crew. The passenger sitting there asked the flight attendant who said something like “it’s the configuration, it’s wrong”, “yeah it’s the engineering with the layout” and told the passenger to go put her carry-on back in row six. She seemed pretty upset about it, probably because she paid several thousand dollars for this flight. Her carry-on was a small and soft bag, not even the larger rolling carry-ons that are ubiquitous nowadays.
Seats
The A330 features Air Canada's classic pods, which are different from their more spacious and modern executive pods that have the ability to adjust the mattress and seat firmness and feature proper massage functions. These seats did not offer the ability to adjust the firmness and the massage function was more like a faint vibration that eventually turned off after a few minutes. The seats do convert into a completely lie-flat bed that are comfortable to sleep on though.
Amenities
At my seat was an amenity kit which included socks, a toothbrush, earplugs, lip balm and hand cream. There was also a mattress pad, blanket, pillow, and a bottle of water laid out for each passenger. Air Canada has downgraded their Amenity kits from the beautiful Acqua Di Parma Kits they used to provide in prior years.
The left side of my seat offered some counter space to store my belongings. I can’t comment on the quality of the complimentary headphones since I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones that do an excellent job at turning the engine rumble and cabin noise into a quiet whisper. I was surprised to find a USB-C charging port as the plane seem quite old so that was unexpected.
The seatbelt was a little odd with an extra over shoulder strap
After boarding, we were offered a welcome drink and I chose a glass of champagne. The champagne was dry and bubbly, always a great start. Soon afterwards, we took off on schedule and headed towards the Atlantic.
Welcome drink
Food and Dining
Menus were handed out as soon as I had sat down at my seat. The menus were bilingual (Canada has two official languages) and opened from each side with one side in French and the other side in English.
I started off with an Aperol Spritz which was accompanied by a bowl of mixed nuts consisting of warm cashews and almonds. The Mediterranean mezze platter was delicious and well seasoned. For the main course. I chose the braised lamb which was very fatty and disappointing. For dessert I opted for the cheesecake which was not bad.
After dinner, the cabin crew asked if I’d like to be woken up for breakfast. This flight is so short for a transatlantic flight (at around six hours) that I recommend just sleeping through breakfast if you want to feel a little more rested on arrival. However in my case, I had an upcoming layover of almost 9 hours so I decided to have breakfast even though I’d only sleep for 2.5 hours as I’d be too hungry after landing otherwise.
I turned my seat fully flat and tucked in for the night. The A330 seats felt a lot narrower than Air Canada’s Boeing 777 or 787 business class.
Breakfast
After a short nap, the lights turned on as the flight attendants made their way down the aisles for breakfast service. On the menu today was a parsley omelette served with chicken sausage, potatoes, fruits, yogurt and a bun. The omelette was alright but I preferred the fruits and yogurt. The meal was basic airplane food with nothing memorable.
After breakfast, the flight attendants cleared my tray table and it was soon time to land.
Takeaway
Out of all my business flights on Air Canada, this was my least favourite. The food was sub-par, the airplane was old and felt claustrophobic and the service lacked a smile. However, I did appreciate the fast priority boarding, the lie-flat seats and decent entertainment system. Air Canada doesn’t hold a candle to the likes of Emirates or Etihad though.
Now off to Gatwick Airport to board my next flight to Mauritius!
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Emirates Boeing 777 Business Class Review (Dubai to Montreal B777-200LR)
At the end of 2024, I had the chance to snap up 2 tickets on Emirates for my flight back home to Canada. In this post, I’ll be reviewing my experience on my second flight on the Boeing 777 from Dubai to Montreal. My first flight was from Mauritius to Dubai just 3 hours earlier. If you’re interested in my experience aboard that flight on the A380, you can find it here.
Emirates business class passengers are entitled to complimentary chauffeur service (more information here), priority check-in and travellers can bring up to 2 pieces of checked-in luggage at 32kg each. Since I was on a layover at DXB, I didn’t experience the services mentioned above but I hope that Emirates offers a quality experience to their premium passengers departing from their hub unlike the boarding experience that I had below.
Lounge
Emirates business class passengers also receive complimentary access to Emirate’s Business Class Lounges which are located throughout the DXB Airport. I suggest accessing the one closest to your Gate to avoid any potential delays. After a brief stay at the Emirates Business Class Lounge where I had just enough time to shower and grab a light snack, I headed to the boarding gate. I wrote a full review of this Lounge here (located in Terminal 3 Gates C).
If you are travelling internationally, you can purchase your esim ahead of time on the Airalo App and install it so you're connected as soon as you land and can call an Uber and use Google Maps without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3 USD off your first esim purchase!
Boarding (and second security check)
I read that Emirates now offers boarding directly from the lounge but this was not the case here. The screens at the lounge indicated that boarding had started but I was quite surprised because it seemed super early. The gate was just across from the lounge and as I arrived, I realized that it wasn’t actually a boarding call but a “pre-boarding” of passengers by moving us from the main Terminal area into a separate waiting room behind the gate. There was no priority boarding for business class passengers as the line was blocked off. Boarding was done via a single line for all passengers. After the gate agent scanned my boarding pass, I found that we had to go through an additional security check. I don’t know what the rationale was but the agent was clearly splitting up all couples and families and picking one person from each group to get searched again. The security check was taking place in the small waiting area which had gotten increasingly crowded at this point and could clearly not accommodate 200+ passengers with its inadequate space or lack of seating.
The security check was extremely thorough as they opened all bags, checking everyone’s clothes, asking them to take off their shoes, patting them down and also testing their bags for chemical residues. There was apparently a separate men’s and women’s line, but they weren’t notifying passengers until they reached the front of the line where the agent would then gesture for them to go to the back of a different line. It was a minimum of 15 minutes extra waiting for the additional security procedure. Be careful about trusting the boarding screen in the lounge and as you might just be going through additional security screening and then sitting in a waiting area at the gate for a while. It’s much nicer to wait in the lounge and head over later.
When the actual boarding announcement was made, everyone crowded the gate trying to push forward. The announcement asked for business class passengers to start boarding and the gate agent asked the man in front of me to wait his turn, but he grabbed his kids and walked through anyway at the agent just stood there and did nothing. The whole boarding experience felt very sad and it was a free-for-all as everyone pushed to get on the jetway. It was a very disappointing experience and not premium at all. I don’t always fly in business class because I simply cannot afford to but when I do, I expect the airline to provide a minimum level of service like priority boarding. Considering this is Dubai which is Emirates’ hub, this was extremely disappointing. I would’ve understood if this was the case when boarding outside the UAE but I just don’t understand what they were trying to do here or if all the gate agents were just fed up. This was in stark contrast to boarding in Mauritius the evening before where everything was done in an organized manner and we even had a separate gate number just for business and first class. Thankfully, this was the only unpleasantly part of the journey and the experience only improved thereafter.
Cabin
Boarding was via 2 jetways that both led into the business class cabin. The first jetway, reserved for business class, connected to the front of the plane while the second one connected to the second door towards the back of the business class cabin and was used for premium economy and economy passengers.
Entering the aircraft felt like entering an elegant and spacious lounge with contemporary lighting and decor. The wide and expansive panoramic ceiling is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen on a Boeing 777. I pondered why until I noticed the lack of overhead bins above the middle seats that made the cabin feel much larger and taller. I quickly checked my AirTag to find my luggage location and it showed that it was near the Gate. I always leave an AirTag in my luggage in case I lose it but the Emirates App also notified me that my luggage had been loaded on the plane.
We did not mind the lack of overhead bins in the centre as there was plenty of space. However, the business class cabin was less than half full so its possible that it could be an issue on fully booked flights. The seats were very comfortable and plush. We chose the windows seats.
Seats
The seats were wrapped in cream coloured leather and staggered in a 2-2-2 layout. They were not angled but straight and all facing the front of the aircraft. This made the aisle feel even more open and wide. For solo travellers, you will definitely want to choose one of the 2 centre seats that provide direct access to the aisles. For couples, you can choose either but you will need to walk over your partner to go to the bathroom if you opt for the window seat. During the flight, it would also prove difficult for the flight attendant to speak to the passenger sitting in the window seat so they will be leaning over you while they do so (more on that below). The window seat was the most private of all the seats and all seats featured a separator in the middle that was hard to move. This made it difficult to have conversations in flight as well as being unable to talk to each other during dinner.
The seat controls are accessible from the tablet or console
Compared to the business class seats on the A380, these seats were smaller and there was nowhere to store any of my belongings like a headphone case or phone charger. There was no storage compartment but the seats and the TV looked newer than the A380 and the screens were absolutely massive. The layout seemed impractical because I had to sit at the edge of my seat in order to talk to my partner. It would’ve been beneficial to have a retractable separator.
Mini Bar
At my seat was a mini bar with Perrier, Evian Water, a glass and some snacks that included mini packets of jelly beans and nuts.
ICE System
Emirates’ Boeing 777-200 cabins underwent a refurbishment a few years ago and it really shows. This is where it’s ICE entertainment system really shined with its massive 23” screens. The entertainment system offered a huge selection of TV shows and movies in mutiple languages.
Veuve Clicquot Champagne was served right after boarding with an alternative choice of water or juice. The business class cabin was eerily empty. I’m not sure if Emirates was running a loss on this flight or because it was Christmas, but it was quite surprising either way.
Amenity Kit and Pyjamas
Amenity kit and pyjamas were handed out to passengers while we were still on the ground. Emirates pays attention to the little details and that means different amenity kits that are customized for males and female passengers. The amenity kit included a razor and shaving cream, aftershave, earplugs, tissues, a dental kit, deodorant, lotion, lip balm and perfume.
By my seat was a blanket as well as a pyjama kit. Emirates provides pyjamas on long-haul flights and as this flight was close to 13 hours, I received some complementary loungewear to sleep in. The pyjamas were thin, silky, soft, and quite comfortable. However, they were single use as some of the threads had already starting to come apart during the flight and it clearly looked like it would not hold up against regular usage or maybe even a wash.
The pyjamas seemed to be a hit with most passengers having changed into them early on in the flight. The lack of storage space became very apparent during the flight when there was no room to store the amenity kit, a glass of water or a headphone case. I got a small box of chocolates from dinner, but I wasn’t able to find room to store it for later.
Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi was difficult to connect to. The Wi-Fi was technically not free, but if you have an Emirates Skyward Member account then you would be able to use it for free for messaging. I wasn’t able to login using my existing Skyward account so I ended up having to create a new one which logged me in right away and allowed me to connect. For more information, you can check out my review here on how to log into the Wi-Fi.
Bathrooms
The bathrooms were located at the front and rear of the cabin. They were decorated with some fresh flowers and stocked with small linen towels for passengers.
Food and Dining
Menus were handed out while we were on the ground so we had time to peruse it. There was Champagne, a wine list, juices, cocktails, and mocktails as well as beers and spirits. The meals were based on Dubai time which was very odd as usually they try to time meals so you are less jetlagged on arrival. In our case, we were departing at 2 AM Dubai time and we would be arriving at Montreal early in the morning so the meals offered were light bites and breakfast followed by lunch served at Dubai time. We were offered hot towels to freshen up before the meal.
Light snack
I had the tuna Poké bowl after takeoff and it was delicious
After my light meal, I decided to get some sleep The food section continues further below if you want to skip the next section.
In-Flight experience (Lie-flat seats)
As the cabin lights dimmed, the ceiling mimicked the look of the night sky with twinkling stars. The overhead bins above the centre seat seats have been removed to create a wide open space above.
I turned my seat into a bed with the press of a button. The seat can be controlled either via the buttons on the tablet or the console. We received mattress pads and a wrapped blanket for the night. I found the seats very comfortable but then again I am grateful anytime I can fly in business class.
Emirates 777 Business Class lie-fat seats
One thing to note is that you cannot fully extend both feet as the footwell only spans half the width of the seat and is offset to one side. This could be a problem if you are tall as you might need to sleep diagonally to fully extend your legs.
I woke up around five hours later and stopped by the “bar” for a quick snack. The bar was very disappointing compared to the A380. It was a snack stand that featured some soggy sandwiches, water and chips. If we don’t compare to the A380 then the bar was a nice little touch just like the Air France snack stands. Some more options would be appreciated.
Breakfast
It was the middle of the night at the destination when the flight attendant came by to mention that breakfast service was starting soon and asked if I’d like to join. I had previously said no before going to sleep but very much appreciated that they noticed I was up already and checked in again. I still don’t understand matching the meals to Dubai (Origin) time but oh well.
For the first breakfast, I had the chebab which are Emirati style pancakes. They were indulgent and served with a fruit bowl.
I had the chocolate mouse for dessert and it was heavenly.
We still had a few hours to go as it was around 2 am in Montreal. I killed the time by watching a movie and listening to some music. I couldn’t help but notice that so much of the cabin was empty with barely half the seats occupied.
Second Breakfast (5 AM “Lunch”)
For the second breakfast referred in the menu as lunch, I started with a Kir Royale and cappuccino. The cappuccino was decent and with served with a biscotti followed by a choice of nuts or olives. I chose the lobster tail for the appetizer and the tandoor lobster for the main. Both were light, fresh and flavourful. The lobster was tender enough to eat without a knife and had a mild seafood flavour. We were also served hot garlic rolls for lunch.
Veuve Clicquot Champagne was also served at breakfast time either straight up or in a mimosa. The flight attendants carried a handheld drink cart with bottles of champagne that allowed them to walk up and down the aisles and quickly top up my flute.
Cappucino and Chocolates after the meal
As we approached Montreal, a flight attendant stopped by with a Polaroid camera and offered to take our photo. He then inserted the photo into a customized greeting card for us to keep as a souvenir. This was a fun little extra that really showed how Emirates goes above and beyond for their passenger experience.
We were offered some hot towels to freshen as we prepared for landing in Montreal on this Christmas Day. I had a wonderful experience on this fight (minus the boarding fiasco) and I really look forward to flying on Emirates again. It far exceeds the business class experience compared to my recent experience on Air Canada and I hope that Emirates maintains their current standards and passenger service.
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The lounge Entrance is located just across from the Gates in Concourse C
Emirates Business Class Lounge Review - DXB Terminal 3 Concourse C
Emirates Business Class passengers departing from Dubai International Airport receive complimentary access to any of Emirates’ Business Class lounge. These lounges are a quiet place to sit and relax, maybe grab a snack or meal or even take a shower. In thi post, I’ll be reviewing my experience of the Emirates Business Class Lounge located in Concourse C. After landing at Dubai International Airport from Mauritius, I cleared security and took the shuttle bus to Concourse C where my flight to Montreal was departing. The lounge is located upstairs and across from the Gates. It is a medium sized lounge that did not offer direct boarding to the airport. Having read that Emirates offers boarding directly from the Lounge, I was pretty disappointed that this option was not available. It seems that Concourse B features the best services like direct lounge boarding, biometric entry and the Moët and Champagne Bar (more on that below).
The main area
The lounge had a decent amount of seats with large windows, but since it was nighttime, I'm not sure if there was much of a view but I could see Air Canada’s parking spot from the lounge seats. I could imagine the lounge becoming very crowded if there were several flights departing back to back, however since it was around midnight on Christmas Eve it was very calm when I visited. Screens throughout the lounge showed the departure time as well as some soccer games highlights Match scores.
If you are travelling internationally, you can purchase your esim ahead of time on the Airalo App and install it so you're connected as soon as you land and can call an Uber and use Google Maps without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3 USD off your first esim purchase!
Food
There was a decent selection of food and drinks. Some main courses included beef stew, roasted potatoes and seafood pie as well as salads and desserts. There was an unattended ice cream cart which looked enticing, but I was pretty full already so can't comment on the quality.
Drinks
To the left of the main buffet was a self serve bar with spirits, wines, and beers as well as some Moët champagne. Having read about the Emirates Moët & Chandon Champagne Lounge and anticipating a unique new experience, I was sorely disappointed to find just a couple of opened bottles in a bucket of ice at the bar with no canapés to pair it with as per the press release by Emirates. As I mentioned above, it seems Concourse B is the one that receives the finest services and amenities while Concourse C is just an afterthought so your Emirates experience will highly vary depending on which terminal your flight is departing from.
The Moët & Chandon Champagne “Lounge”
Showers
To the left of the main entrance were the bathrooms. The lounge had several showers and there wasn't just one but two attendants for the showers. We simply had to notify them if we wanted to take a shower and they provided us with fresh towels and an amenity kit that included a toothbrush and toothpaste. The bathrooms were sparkling clean and just perfect to freshen up in between flights.
After a quick shower, I noticed that my flight had already started boarding very early (which was actually not the case) so I left the lounge and headed to the boarding gate. This lounge was a decent place to kill some time on a layover and provided decent food, drinks and a hot shower to freshen up. However, it's worth keeping in mind that the best of what Emirates has to offer is not here, but rather in Concourse B.
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A detailed Air France Boeing 777-300ER new business class review from Paris (CDG) to Johannesburg (JNB). Seat, food, lounge, and full experience.