Air 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.

Read Review

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!

Boarding

The cabin felt tight with narrow aisles

Boarding started  as scheduled 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.

The overhead bins could only fit 1 rolling carry-on each

The seats felt narrower than on the Boeing 777

The footwells were long enough to fit my legs when fully extended

The seats can be controlled via this touch screen panel

The entertainment system was a touchscreen but could also be controlled via a remote

This convenient storage panel was perfect for the complimentary bottle of water

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 Air Canada complimentary amenity kit

Complimentary noise cancelling headphones

Complimentary mattress pad and blanket

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.

The wine list and drinks menu

Air Canada business class menu

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.

I started off with an aperol spritz

Served with some warm cashews and almonds

Appetizer: The Mediterranean Mezze platter was delicious

Main course: braised lamb

Cheesecake for dessert

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!

Have a question? Leave us a comment below.

You might enjoy these:

Emirates A380 Business Class Review - Still the best? (Mauritius to Dubai)

At the end of 2024, I visited Mauritius for my sister’s wedding and booked my return flight to Canada in Emirates Business Class. I’ve always seen raving reviews about Emirates and having only flown them once 20 years ago in Economy, I had high hopes and was buzzing with excitement.

Emirates offers a chauffeur service for Business Class passengers that includes pick you up at your accommodation and a drive to the airport. Unfortunately, this perk is not offered when departing from Mauritius.

Check-in

The Emirates check-in counters are located near Hall A located on the left side of the terminal at Mauritius SSR Airport. The counters are separated into 2 lines with one for economy passengers and a shorter line for Priority/Premium/First/Business passengers. Check-in was quick and smooth. Business class passengers are allowed 2 suitcases weighing up to 32 kgs each. I always travel with my mini luggage scale to make sure I’m always under the weight limit. In my experience, the weight limit for carryons is not enforced.

Emirates check-in counters are located in Hall A

The security line at SSR Airport is located to the right of Hall A. There is a separate entrance for premium passengers located to the right of the main security line clearly marked by a vertical red sign. Enter via the automatic gates by simply scanning your boarding pass. You will then pass through immigration on your way towards the security check. Just after security, make your way straight through the Duty Free shops then turn right and walk to the end of the terminal to the Air Mauritius Amédée Mainguard Lounge.

Lounge

The lobby of the Air Mauritius Amédée Mainguard Lounge

Access to the Amédée Mainguard Lounge is complimentary including all meals and alcohol/non-alcoholic drinks. I've already written a full review of this lounge which you can read here. To summarize, this is one of the nicest lounges I've been to and includes a shower, full service cocktail bar, and several varied dining options. The decor is fresh and tasteful, the lounge is not usually too crowded and the small size of the Airport means that it is close to all Gates.

New for 2024, they've added a Nespresso machines which I very much appreciated! As is common in airport lounges, they do not make announcements so keep an eye on the screen to find out when your flight starts boarding. In my experience, Gate changes are rare at the Mauritius Airport and you will often spot the plane already parked at the gate after security. Once the screens in the lounge indicated that boarding had started, we made our way to the Gate.

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

Stairs? on a Plane?

There were far fewer passengers waiting at the Gate than I expected. Even the Gate for a typical Boeing 777 flight gets more crowded than this. I figured it's maybe because I was flying on Christmas Eve. Boarding was a breeze and Emirates opted to board the A380 with not only 2 jetways but 2 separate Gates as well. The Gate to the left was for premium passengers only and led us to the front of the aircraft where the flight attendants welcomed us and directed us straight upstairs. Immediately upon entering the Emirates A380, it felt like it was a class above the twin engine widebodies with it expansive open areas and high ceilings. The plane was huge and the grand stairway in the front had me feeling like I was walking into a swanky lounge instead of on a plane. On the lobby walls were carefully placed bouquets of fresh roses that added a subtle touch of luxury and invoked a sense that Emirates pays attention to the little details, a feeling that would continue throughout this flight.

We walked past the first class cabin (which had full privacy doors) to the business class cabin in the back. The business class cabin on the Emirates A380 is expansive and runs the entire length of the aircraft all the way to the bar at the tail. The massive cabin made it feel a bit less exclusive and had me seriously wondering how Emirates could fill all those seats on every single flight.

Upstairs on Emirates’ A380. It’s unbelievable that there’s another floor with hundreds of passengers seated under us.

Seats

The seats adjacent to the aisles offer less privacy

The seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 layout with every seat providing direct aisle access. Couples will enjoy the middle seats while solo travellers would be better off at the window seats. Not all the window seats are the same as they alternate between being directly next to the window or open to the aisle. The seats directly next to the window offer more privacy and a better view. As for the middle seats, the rows alternate between being located in the center together then further apart and more exposed to the aisle. In the photo above, you can see the aisle seats are open and less private.

Upstairs on the Airbus A380.

The seats were very spacious and had a huge TVs as part of Emirates’ renowned ICE system. Although the TV quality and cabin were starting to show their age, the accented wood theme with blue lighting separated it from the usual dull shades of grey you find on basic airlines like Air Canada. The TVs offered a live camera view from the tail of the aircraft in front, but the video quality was very pixelated and blurry so I ended up just leaving the TV back to the welcome screen.

The center seats are great for couples travelling together and features a privacy separator that can be lowered

The footwells are deep but offset to one side so you may have to sleep slightly diagonally.

Waiting for me at my seat was a small mini bar with two bottles of Evian water, some snacks, noise cancelling headphones, a kit containing an eye mask and slippers but oddly no amenity kit (more on that below).

The seats and in-flight entertainment system could be controlled by both the detachable console to the left or the tablet on the right of the mini-bar.

The personal mini bar was stocked with Evian water, Perrier (sparkling water), chocolate covered dates, nuts and jelly beans.

I rarely use the included noise cancelling headphones but decided to test them out in-flight for this review and they were honestly very disappointing. I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones as they do an excellent job at turning the engine rumble and cabin noise into a quiet whisper so I used them throughout the flight instead.

Noise cancelling headphones

Moët & Chandon Champagne - Welcome Drink

As boarding had just begun, I walked around and visited the bar at this time and it hadn’t opened yet. The flight attendants were utilizing the space to set up the welcome drinks and amenity kits. The bar/lounge opened later on after take-off.

A quick visit to the bar before take-off

As I settled back in my seat, the flight attendant came back to offer me a welcome drink with the choice of apple juice, orange juice or champagne. Emirates serves Moët & Chandon Champagne on-board flights throughout Africa, something which sets them a level above other Airlines in my opinion. For flights to North America, you’ll be served Veuve Clicquot. The flight attendant them came right back with some hot towels. Another flight attendant followed up right away with amenity kits but oddly enough, she walked right past me. I started to wonder if she was ignoring me when she came back again with different amenity kits. Turns out Emirates provides different amenity kits customised for male and female passengers and here I thought that they were ignoring me. Silly me.

The complimentary BVLGARI amenity kits (for men)

The amenity kit included a razor and shaving cream, aftershave, earplugs, tissues, a dental kit, deodorant, lotion, lip balm and perfume. As this flight was around 7 hours long, it was not considered long haul and no pajamas were handed out (I did receive them on my other 14 hour Emirates flight from Dubai to Montreal though)

Soon afterwards, the flight attendants handed out the menus and we started taxiing towards the runway with a view of the distant mountains out the window. As the plane started moving, we were able to keep drinking out of the glassware, but once we were close to takeoff, the flight attendants came by to pick up all of our drinks. We were chatting quietly and perusing the menus when we realized that we didn’t even feel the A380 pick up speed and take off. I could barely hear the engines and it’s without a doubt the quietest and most comfortable plane I’ve ever been on. I wish Airbus and Emirates could’ve struck a deal for Airbus to keep producing them.

Dining

The menu was extensive and included several wines, a long list of cocktails and mocktails, beers, whisky and other spirits. There were 3 choices for the appetizer, main and dessert course.

A little reminder from Emirates that their Muslim passengers will definitely appreciate

The flight attendants took our orders and dinner service began soon after. For the round of aperitifs, I chose an Aperol Spritz which was sweet and premixed. It was served with a decadent side of warm nuts.

The flight attendants set up the tray table with white linens and silverware, followed by the appetizers.

I opted to start with the lobster medallions which tasted fresh and bright.

For the main, I opted for the seared beef fillet with roast potatoes. It was also excellent but I was already so full by this time that it was hard to finish the plate.

I decided to skip the dessert but did opt for the luxury chocolate which were smooth and delicious. These were bite size pieces of chocolate that hit the spot.

Lobster Medallion Appetizer

The Seared Beef Fillet was delicious

Felix chose the Turkey Roulade which was also good

For dessert, I had the mini box of chocolates which hit the spot

After a heavy dinner, I reclined my seat and immersed myself in a movie. The in-flight entertainment system had an extensive list of TV shows and movies to choose from. The screens were large and clear. However, the plane was starting to show its age as the audio quality was truly awful. It felt like listening to a radio station with lots of highs and no bass. I watched Alien Romulus and the soundstage was lacking. By comparison, the audio was significantly better on my next flight on Emirates’ Boeing 777. The ICE system also allows you to view the live feed of the cameras mounted at the nose and tail but the video feed was blurry and filled with static lines, similar to the old TVs from the 90s.

Emirates’ ICE system

It was easy to control both the seat and the TV using the console on the right. You can also use the tablet (pictured left) to watch TV or just as a remote.

After dinner, the flight attendants came by with some hot chocolate and marshmallows. It was served with a plate of white chocolates, strawberries and additional boxes of chocolates. At this time, the cabin lights had dimmed and the ceiling transitioned into a blue hue with sparkling lights that looks like shining stars. Marshmallows and hot chocolate under the stars? YES PLEASE! I felt like a little kid again and thank you so much Emirates for this wonderful experience!

Hot chocolate and marshmallows under the stars? Yes please!

The ceiling lighting mimicked the night sky full of stars.

Feeling giddy like a little child with my hot chocolate and marshmallows under the stars.

The Bar

The cocktail menu at the bar

After indulging in my second dessert, we headed towards the tail end to visit the lounge. The lounge was mostly empty with just a passenger or couple occasionally dropping by. The lounge had its own menu of snacks and drinks (see above for the food menu).

The elegant A380 bar was fully stocked. The fresh flowers was a nice touch.

Felix enjoying a drink in the lounge. Notice the fresh roses on the wall.

The bar lounge was very spacious and a nice place to chill during the flight.

After savouring our drinks, we headed back to our seats. I grabbed a snack from the bar that consisted of macadamia nuts and dried cranberries. Later on during the flight, the flight attendants stopped by again to wish us Merry Christmas and offered us baked gingerbread cookies in the shape of a Christmas tree. At this point, Emirates had already exceeded my expectations of what a flight should be. The cookie was delicious and I ate all of it before landing. No regrets.

To-go snacks from the bar

Wrapped gingerbread cookies were gifted to all passengers in the spirit of Christmas

After a few minutes, another flight attendant walked by with ice cream to see if we wanted any. I couldn’t possibly eat anymore at that point and unfortunately had to turn it down.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi on this flight was not free unless you had a Emirates Skyward Member account along with your password in order to login. However, since we were not notified before take-off, I didn’t have my password on hand to log in. The packages were not visible for non-skyward members and the flight attendants mentioned that we had to pay for the plan which started at $3.99 USD. They recommended that we don’t purchase the plan because they couldn’t guarantee that the Wi-Fi would actually work and the Wi-Fi seems to be spotty when we fly over the ocean.

It wasn’t until my next flight on Emirates that I found out you can register for the Skyward member account in flight. Even though I tried to log in with my password on that flight, the Wi-Fi still wouldn’t work. I ended up creating a new account in flight (check out the screenshot to see how) and that allowed me to connect right away. Now I have 2 Emirates Skyward Member accounts.

As we approached Dubai, the flight attendants stopped by with Polaroid cameras to snap our photos. What a cool idea! They inserted the polaroid in a holiday card and gave to us to keep as souvenirs.

Our polaroid photo taken by the crew as a souvenir

Arrival

This 7 hour flight included a single meal (Dinner) but due to the myriad snacks served throughout the flight, I didn’t feel hungry at all. We were offered hot towels again before landing to freshen up as we began our descent towards Dubai. The amazing food, fancy drinks, great service and attention to detail made this flight the best business class I have every experienced and I can’t wait to fly on Emirates again (which I didn’t have to wait too long for as I had a 3 hour layover before boarding my next flight to Montreal). Having just flown on Air Canada’s A330 on the way to Mauritius, my experience on the two Airlines couldn’t have been more different with Air Canada being overall “meh” and Emirates going above and beyond at every turn (I did smell those roses on the cabin walls to check if they were real).

Air Canada A330 Business Class Review - London Heathrow to Montreal (LHR to YUL)

After visiting the stunning Maldives, this was my last flight on my way back home to Canada. Check out my previous reviews of Air Canada’s Business class from Mumbai to London and the amazing scuba diving in the Maldives. I had a short layover at London Heathrow Airport where I visited the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and had time to take a shower and eat breakfast. Air Canada Business Class passengers receive complimentary access to this lounge. Soon afterwards, I headed to the gate to board my flight.

I always leave an Airtag in my suitcase so that before boarding, I can track my luggage location using the Find My App to make sure it’s loaded onto the plane (Airtags only work with iPhones but you can also use a Samsung SmartTag or a Tile). They are also useful to locate your luggage in case the airline loses them). In this case, the app showed my suitcase was on board so I was worry-free knowing my luggage was flying back home with me.

Boarding started on time, with a separate line for Business Class and Premium Economy passengers. I soon found myself aboard the Airbus A330-300. As I settled into the Signature Class Suites (what Air Canada calls their lie flat seats), it became evident that this aircraft offers a smaller experience compared to the Boeing 777 and 787.

If you are visiting the UK or Canada, you can purchase your esim on the Airalo App ahead of time so you're connected as soon as you land and can call your Uber, use Google Maps and WhatsApp without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3 USD off your first purchase!

SEATS

Having just flown on Air Canada’s Boeing 787 a few hours earlier, I definitely felt the difference but it may be more subtle otherwise. The first noticeable difference was the size of the suites themselves. The A330's Signature Class Suites are smaller than those on the 787. The screen is also on the smaller side.

The personal entertainment system

To my right was a storage compartment

The TV Could be controlled by a remote

The backside feature a full keyboard

Amenities

At my seat was the newly designed Aqua Di Parma amenity kit which included a toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm, hand cream, socks and an eye mask. It was placed on the tray table which extends out then folds open further for meals. At my seat were complimentary noise cancelling headphones although I can’t comment on their quality since I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones as they do an excellent job at turning the engine rumble and cabin noise into a quiet whisper.

FOOD & DRINKS

After takeoff, the cabin crew started the meal service. It started with a drink and small snack. Note that no warm nuts were served in a separate bowl before or right after take-off as is often common on Business Class flights. Instead, I received a small bag of salted almonds. No menus were provided prior to dinner.

One peculiar aspect of the flight was the meal service. At 1 pm, the crew served what they referred to as “dinner”. Following this, a snack was provided at 4 pm just before landing. They served a smoked salmon platter with bread and salad as the appetizer. For the main course, I had their lamb dish which was delicious but nothing compared to what Etihad serves on their business class flight. I unfortunately didn’t grab a picture of the main course. For dessert, I had the chocolate pie with wine.

The Appetizer

Who are the plastics?

Cady found out she was really pretty!

Dessert

By this point in the movie, Susan from Planned Parenthood had urgent news!

After dinner, I clicked the lie flat button and watched my seat turn into a cozy bed. Each seat was provided with a pillow, duvet and mattress pad. I put on my Noise Cancelling Headphones to get some peaceful rest.

When I woke up, we were only an hour or so from landing. It was 4 pm EST at this point and the crew started another meal service. This time, we were offered a club sandwich and fruit salad. The meal was average.

In conclusion, this Air Canada flight felt lacking somewhat basic with an average meal service. The seats however, were very comfortable although smaller than what you would find on Air Canada’s 787 and 777.

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Check out my other Air Canada reviews below:

Is Air France Premium Economy worth it? (Flight Review | Paris CDG to Montreal | Boeing 777-200)

In this trip report, I'll review my last flight in Premium Economy on Air France from Paris CDG Airport to Montreal, Canada. Having flown Air France multiple times travelling back and forth to Mauritius, they’re still one of my favourite airlines despite the issues I’ve had with them over the years and they are significantly better than Air Canada. I also flew Air France’s Premium Economy earlier this year if you want to check out that review as well.

Some of the links below are Amazon affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I may receive a small commission from sales of certain items. Thank you for supporting the blog.

Priority Check-in and Luggage Drop Off

This benefit may or may not be worth it for you depending on the airport you're flying out of. Some busy North American airports can have very long lines for luggage drop off, specially if you're using the lines of Delta, Air France's partner.
Having upgraded last minute while I was already airside after security, I was not able to use the Skypriority luggage drop-off line at the Check-in counter. While the line was not particularly long, it would've saved me about 15 minutes of waiting.
Next time, I would upgrade before arriving at the airport because there was no one in the Skypriorty line and luggage drop-off would've been a breeze.

Priority Security

Depending on which airport you are flying out of, you'll likely have a dedicated Skypriority or Premium security line that you can use for faster access. This is really going to depend on how busy your departure airport is, sometimes it can save you an hour or more while other times it's not any faster than going through the regular security line.
When flying out of Paris, there are dedicated Skypriority lines everywhere at Paris CDG Airport that are accessible to Premium Economy Passengers. Most times I’ve gone through security in Paris CDG, the security line was usually short. However, I have transited through Paris CDG Airport before where the security line took over an hour to get through.
In those cases and if you hate waiting in line or have a very short layover, access to the Skypriority line is absolutely worth it. It also makes a difference if you are carrying a heavy backpack like I was. It makes the experience a little exhausting. If you can, I always suggest travelling with a rolling carry-on, your back will thank you!

If you are visiting France, you can purchase your eSIM on the Airalo App so you're connected as soon as you land and can call your Uber, use Google Maps and WhatsApp without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3 USD off your first purchase!

Lounge Access

Unfortunately, Air France Premium Economy passengers do not benefit from complimentary lounge access. Air France probably wants to avoid overcrowding their Premium Lounges but they should offer some deal for lounge access. Your only option here is to pay the normal price. I feel like having lounge access would make paying for premium economy significantly more worth it, specially if you have a layover in Paris where you can shower, have lunch with an open bar and even take a nap at Air France's Lounge.

Boarding

You'll be assigned to Zone 2 boarding, which boards just after business class although they don't usually separate the Zone 1 & 2 boardings. Economy is usually Zones 3,4,5 but since it's a single line, people start lining up from up to an hour before so you may easily have to wait for atleast one to two hundred passengers to board first. Even if you are in Zone 3, the line is so crowded that you are not getting past everyone to board. I always enjoy this priority boarding perk. The stress of not having to line up early or wondering if you'll find enough space in the overhead bin is worth it to me.

I always leave an AirTag in my suitcase so that before boarding, I can track my luggage location using the Find My App to make sure it’s loaded on the plane (AirTags only work with iPhones but you can also use a Samsung SmartTag or a Tile). They are also useful to locate your luggage in case the airline loses them). In this case, the app showed my suitcase was just outside the gate so I was worry-free.

Boarding on this flight was speedy. The priority line was very short (around 10-15 people max) compared to at least 100 for economy and you can usually show up even after boarding has started and they'll let you right on without having to wait.
If you show up later during boarding, the line is usually empty but they keep it open for business and premium passengers so no worries there.

Cabin

My flight was on the Boeing 777. While I tried to search for the layout on Seatguru to help me pick the best seat, I couldn't find this layout on their site (this plane had 4 rows in the Premium Economy Cabin).
I sat in the bulkhead row and right away I noticed there was no personal TV on the wall unlike my last Air France flight. The TV was in armrest instead. The bulkhead row provides a lot more leg room but at the cost of having to watch TV staring down as the arm is too short and the screen does not rise up to eye level. The worst part is you cannot use the TV during takeoff and landing because it has to be stowed away. The cabin is arranged in a 2-4-2 layout.

Amenities

At my seat were a pillow and blanket. The blanket we large and thicker than the one offered in economy. In between the two windows seats were a pair of noise cancelling headphones. I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones as they do an excellent job at turning the engine rumble and cabin noise into a quiet whisper but the Air France ones they did look sturdy and they tend to work very well from prior experience.

A flight attendant passed by after takeoff to hand out complimentary amenity kits. These included a single use toothbrush, toothpaste and socks.

Basic Wifi for messaging is complimentary for ALL passengers

Once boarding was complete, we took off on time. A glass of Champagne on a tray was served immediately after takeoff along with a refreshing towel. A cabin crew member soon came by to ask if everything was ok and to let her know if I needed any help. I mentioned that their headphones port was splitting the sound unevenly and she quickly took note of it.
She provided some information on which lavatories were available for us and to feel free to walk around through the cabin during the flight. This is as a big improvement over my previous Air France Premium Economy flight where I was pretty much ignored for the first hour. The Premium Economy cabin had 3 lavatories available for the small cabin; a decent ratio as I rarely had to wait for more than 1 person to use the washroom.

Food

Lunch was served soon afterwards. After a subpar experience on Air Mauritius, I was pleasantly surprised by the meal on this flight. I had salmon risotto with bread and camembert cheese followed by a lava cake for dessert. Wine and beer was available with lunch but sadly no gin and tonics. For the digestif, mini Cognac bottles were served. Although the service was more personal and much quicker than economy, this is generally the same meal that is served in both cabins so nothing extra for flying premium here. By the time the pilot announced the lunch service for economy, the premium economy cabin had already been served lunch.

Seat

I thought that these seats were similar to the other Air France Premium Economy seats but I was very wrong about that. While the seat is indeed very spacious, it reclines inside a hard shell. In fact it felt more like the seat slid down and forwards rather than reclined. It's hard to describe, it kind of feels like you're falling forwards and it's hard to sleep in that position. I kept waking up and my head fell forward throughout the flight since I didn't bring my travel pillow with me. It maybe works if you bring one and lean against the window but overall I didn’t manage to sleep comfortable. The seat next to me was empty and I found it more comfortable to rest my feet on them and sleep sideways despite the immovable armrest sticking up under my thighs. This seat needs a serious redesign!!

This Boeing 777 is noticeably louder than the A350 I had just flown on. The plane also felt much older. Since there were so many empty premium economy seats, I have to wonder if my flight was originally on a newer Boeing 777 without Premium Economy that had to be swapped for maintenance and that's why they didn't have enough time to sell all the seats in this cabin.

Snack

About 2 hours before landing in Montreal, we were served a snack consisting of a sandwich and drinking yogurt with choice of tea or coffee. It was nothing to write home about but the sandwich was better than the muffin and slice of cake they often served.

Overall, this premium economy flight was much better experience than my previous Premium Economy Experience on Air France. Although the plane and seat were not as good, the food and service was better. Of course their Business Class is an elevated experience with a lie-flat bed but I don't consider that necessary on a 7 hour flight.

CONCLUSION - WAS IT WORTH IT?

✅ FOR

• Spacious Seats - Enjoy wider seats with ample legroom

• Priority Check-in, Security and Boarding lines make the entire experience so much more calm and hassle free.

❌ AGAINST

• Seats not comfortable for sleeping when “reclined”

• No complimentary lounge access

• Standard economy food offerings may disappoint some travellers.

The big value proposition here is skipping the lines for luggage, security and boarding while having wide, comfortable seats. If those are not important to you, it’s unlikely that you will find it worth your hard earned dollars.

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