Would you take a long-haul flight on a narrow-body aircraft?
That’s the gamble 25-plus airlines have now made, ordering more than 500 total frames of the revolutionary new Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
With a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles (just over 5,400 miles), longer than New York to Rome, the impressive capabilities of this aircraft open up new route possibilities that may not warrant a wide-body aircraft, as well as giving airlines the flexibility to use a narrow-body aircraft on popular routes during low-demand travel periods.
Air Canada’s first passenger flight on this aircraft took off on Tuesday on a short hop between the airline’s two eastern hubs, Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ). TPG was invited on board in business class to experience this historic moment: the first Canadian narrow-body aircraft with lie-flat seats.
Related: On board the world’s first Airbus A321XLR, the aircraft that could revolutionize transatlantic travel
How the Airbus A321XLR fits into Air Canada’s fleet and strategy
Air Canada has taken delivery of the first of 30 Airbus A321XLR aircraft on order. Four more frames should join the fleet by the end of this year, with the remaining 25 to be delivered by 2029, though these deadlines could slip.
The airline also has options for 10 additional orders, with deliveries between 2030 and 2032.
Air Canada has been looking for a mid-size aircraft larger than a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 that has the range to operate mid and long-haul flights with the comfort more similar to a wide-body jet.
The airline plans to base these new jets in Montreal (and eventually Toronto) to serve smaller airports in Europe that don’t have enough demand for regular wide-body service. The first jet will operate to Toulouse, France — home to the aircraft’s manufacturer — starting June 15. Additional XLR services to Nantes and Berlin are planned once the airline receives more frames.
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Business class on Air Canada’s Airbus A321XLR
The XLR features 14 lie-flat Signature Class seats in a 1-1 configuration, all with direct aisle access and 21 inches of seat width. Air Canada uses the Collins Aerospace Aurora suite product, which anyone who has traveled on American Airlines’ new XLR aircraft will recognize, though the cabin has six fewer seats than American’s 20-seat cabin and feels intimate.
Each seat faces the aisle (away from the window) in a herringbone layout, which may be polarizing for passengers who would prefer to look out the window, since you really need to twist your neck or torso to see outside.
As all passengers board through the front of the business-class cabin, premium passengers might not be so keen to use early group boarding and then face every passenger walking past their direct line of sight to the economy cabin behind.
A key difference between the seats of Air Canada and American Airlines XLR aircraft is the absence of sliding doors. This was a deliberate decision by Air Canada to maximize the aisle space and because the relatively low height of the seat walls gave the doors limited privacy benefits.
As you cannot see any other passengers while seated, the lack of doors didn’t feel like a deal-breaker and did feel slightly more private than the Iberia XLR business-class seats.
While a reverse herringbone layout might have been more popular with passengers in a new narrow-body aircraft (I was blown away by Italy’s ITA Airways A320 business-class product), Delta Air Lines can attest to the risk of delays from trying to get these highly customizable new seat types certified in 2026.
In the absence of a sliding door, passengers can enjoy upgraded tech in Signature class, including a 19-inch 4K OLED seatback screen that stays deployed during meal service, wireless charging, Bluetooth audio and multiple USB-C charging ports.
There is also a neat privacy screen that can be raised and lowered if you are traveling with a companion and should make conversation easier than being seated across the aisle from each other.
The two seats in row one are branded “Signature Class Plus” and offer marginally more room thanks to an additional high shelf, but should not be considered a super business-class product like United’s new Polaris Studio suites.
There is one bathroom for the 14 business-class seats at the front of the aircraft next to the cockpit.
No premium economy class
Air Canada has decided not to install premium economy on its newest long-haul jet, despite offering this “between economy and business” class on all wide-body aircraft.
Premium economy has had mixed appeal with full-service XLR operators — American and United have installed 12 seats each across 3 rows in a 2-2 configuration, while Iberia and Aer Lingus have not (noting Aer Lingus does not operate premium economy on any other aircraft, either).
Related: United unveils 3 luxe new planes, ‘Coastliner’ with Polaris for cross-country routes
Economy class on Air Canada’s Airbus A321XLR
Those passengers traveling in economy class will find 168 Collins Aerospace Meridian+ slimline seats with 18 inches of width, 31 inches of legroom arranged in a 3-3 configuration, including 36 extra legroom “Preferred+” seats with 34 to 35 inches of legroom in rows 12 to 15 and 19 to 20. It’s about as comfortable as economy class gets.
Larger overhead storage bins should mean fewer passengers will need to gate check bags.
Economy passengers can also enjoy upgraded tech, with 13-inch 4K OLED seatback screens, USB-C charging ports, a bi-fold tray table and a tablet holder.
The 168 passengers must share three lavatories, all located at the rear of the aircraft, so it’s advisable to avoid rows 36 to 39 of this plane, where passengers will inevitably line up on longer flights.
What it was like on Air Canada’s inaugural Airbus A321XLR flight
Air Canada chose a rather unassuming route for the first XLR passenger flight, a short domestic hop from Montreal to Toronto, a route the airline operates more than a dozen times daily, primarily on narrow-body aircraft with standard recliner seats.
A gate celebration was set up, complete with a DJ spinning party tunes, balloons, a red carpet and plenty of Air Canada and Airbus novelty props for photo opportunities.
Pistachio croissants, themed cookies and coffee were also available to help passengers get into the celebratory spirit.
Executives from Airbus and Air Canada gave speeches to commemorate the occasion (which were mostly delivered in French) before a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and boarding right on schedule.
A large number of invited media and suppliers were in attendance for the flight, including representatives from seat manufacturer Collins Aerospace and Panasonic, who performed various quality assurance tests during their flight to ensure everything worked as it should on a regular passenger flight.
Regular passengers appeared somewhat bewildered at the level of activity when they arrived at the gate, but there were plenty of audible gasps and photos taken when they stepped onboard and saw the shiny new seats.
Wi-Fi worked from gate to gate, and while it was not Starlink-level speeds, I recorded downloads of a respectable 30 Mbps, free for Aeroplan members.
With a snappy 50-minute flight time, the crew had precious little time to service passengers, but managed a full drinks service and a hot snack of a grilled cheese sandwich, which was small but tasty, before our descent into Toronto.
How to book Air Canada’s XLR with points and miles
Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program is a transfer partner of most major transferable currencies and redemption prices on its own “metal,” like the XLR, meaning prices rise and fall depending on demand. I found flights on the XLR from Montreal to Toulouse starting at:
- 31,400 Aeroplan points in economy class; and
- 65,200 Aeroplan points in business class,
- plus 80.41 Canadian dollars in taxes and fees (about $58).
You can also book Air Canada flights through Star Alliance partner programs, such as United MileagePlus, where rates to Europe will cost you 44,000 United miles in economy class and 88,000 United miles in business class one-way, plus the same taxes and fees as Aeroplan charges.
Bottom line
It’s an exciting new chapter for Air Canada as the airline introduces the Airbus A321XLR to its fleet, the first Canadian airline to offer lie-flat seats on a narrow-body aircraft.
The XLR’s revolutionary range allows nonstop flights from Toronto and Montreal deep into mainland Europe, opening up new route options and points and miles redemptions, which will only increase as the airline takes delivery of its remaining 29 XLR orders over the coming years.
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