The Airbus 320-2, the backbone of Air Canada’s narrow body fleet, was used for today’s trip. With the Airbus 320 being the most popular model, Air Canada has been operating the Airbus 320 family of aircraft across the nation for nearly 35 years. In keeping with the aircraft’s age, the Business Class experience with Air Canada is likewise a little antiquated. Let’s check how the product has held up over time…

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This post is one chapter on a winter work trip within Canada. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Air Canada Aeroplan Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Air Canada Business Class A320-2, Winnipeg Richardson International Airport – Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport

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As the only practical choice for business travel in Canada, Air Canada continues to be the top choice for travellers on business. The majority of Canadian travellers still choose Aeroplan because it’s the only genuine frequent flyer programme that exists within Canada. I had to fly to eastern Canada for a series of meetings that required attendance.

As a result of better fare options, I found myself on a connecting flight between Vancouver and Montreal. The first segment was this post on Air Canada Business Class Vancouver – Winnipeg, and the second flight was on Air Canada Business Class Winnipeg – Montreal (this post).

Connecting through Winnipeg International Airport:

As I had mentioned, I had arrived to the Winnipeg International Airport on Air Canada Business Class Vancouver – Winnipeg. My flight in was on a similar Airbus 320-2, so you can check out that flight review if you want to see what a similar flight looks like.

I took the opportunity to stop in at both the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Winnipeg and Plaza Premium Lounge – Winnipeg. Access to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Winnipeg was included in the class of service of my ticket.

I had reviewed the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Winnipeg previously, so I won’t do so again. Unfortunately, when I visited the Maple Leaf Lounge in the mid afternoon, the lounge was completely at capacity with every available seat occupied. As a result, I didn’t end up staying too long and opted for the comfort of the concourse instead.

Air Canada
Business Class
YWG – YUL (Winnipeg Richardson International Airport – Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport)
AC 376 – Business Class (P)

2:45 PM – 6:45 PM
Dec 4, 2023
Booked: Airbus 320-2
Flown: Airbus 320-2

On Board Air Canada Business Class:

Since 1990, Air Canada has operated the Airbus 320-2 series, taking delivery of the aircraft in several phases until their last delivery in 2003. The Airbus 320-2 aircraft carrying Air Canada’s Business Class cabin is the airline’s oldest business class cabin. There were 16 in the Air Canada fleet left, as of the time of this report.

The last refurbishment took place in 2005 as part of the Air Canada XM project, adding personal video back screens and glacier blue chairs. Since then, many airlines have modernized their cabins, a lot has happened. Today, the cabin appears somewhat antiquated by modern standards. Thankfully, work on a new cabin is in progress, and by the end of 2025, most aircraft should have undergone the newer upgrades that are planned.

For today’s flight, I entered the familiar Air Canada Business Class A320-2 cabin. The narrow body cabin is set up with four rows of business class in a 2 – 2 configuration.

I found my way to my assigned Seat 3A, which is the second row on the left hand side of the plane. There is no row of seats on the left side of the plane for the first row. Again, I had no issues storing carry on luggage in the overhead bins, despite the older configurations.

The space was “as expected” for a domestic first- or business-class seat in terms of comfort. There was adequate shoulder room in the seat. The seat didn’t give many locations to keep digital items like computers or cell phones, which was indicative of its age. I would eventually store these away in the pocket of the seat in front of me.

Pre Departure Services:

Air Canada serves a simple pre-departure beverage, a tiny bottle of Naya Water that was waiting on the seat, unlike most US carriers that offer an open bar. Additionally, a free set of headphones for the in-flight entertainment system rested on the console.

While waiting for the plane to complete boarding, the flight attendants also passed out a printed breakfast menu. The printed menu that Air Canada still provides is a wonderful addition that elevates the quality of the service.

The lunch / early dinner menu featured a choice of two hot entrees, along with an appetizer consisting of a heritage mixed salad, along with a blueberry cheese cake for dessert.

The flip side of the dinner menu offered the drink list. It offered a list of beers, unspecified wines, spirits. The spirits were pretty mainstream; although there was an effort at upscale Tanquery Gin, there wasn’t all too much “wow” on the spirit menu.

Overall, this was a pretty reasonable menu service for a two hour flight. Most of my flights in First Class in the United States do not offer such a comprehensive meal offering.

The Meal: Lunch / Late Dinner

The flight time today was scheduled at two hours and thirty seven minutes gate to gate. The meal service started at about forty five minutes after take off from Winnipeg International Airport.

The in flight service started off with a warm towel service. This isn’t typically expected on domestic flights. It was a nice touch, even if the towels are looking a little worn.

We were also served some warm nuts that consisted mostly of almonds, with the occasional cashew nut in the mix.

I ordered the Lasagna Pomodoro, which was filled with creamy ricotta cheese and presented with pomodoro sauce and roasted fennel.

It seems that the chef ran out of a few ingredients as mine appeared to be missing some fennel. While it was relatively interesting, the lasagna was fairly limp and soft.

Despite the plan tasting lasagna, the oil and vinegar salad was pretty tasty and fresh. The blueberry cheese morphed into a version of carrot cake. It was also a nice pairing with the meal.

It’s great that Air Canada offers a full meal on a short two and a half hour flight. It’s a far cry ahead than our American counterparts that usually offer a snack basket instead. I would rather that the food be just a little more tasty and engaging as opposed to limp.

In Fight Entertainment:

I fiddled with the outdated in-flight entertainment system during the flight. The in-flight entertainment system is somewhat antiquated, as was previously observed. By today’s standards, the majority of inputs are non-responsive, exhibiting a significant touch slowness when entering commands.

The entertainment system offered a flight map, along with a limited number of movies. The system does not have the same number of movies that you might expect from an overseas flight. As a result, there are only about thirty – forty movies which makes the selection a little limited.

The entertainment system screen is a little on the smaller side. Despite this, it’s great to actually have a screen and not have to hand hold up your device to eye level.

This particular flight was outfitted with the Air Canada wifi system. The system was able to be activated through turning on wifi, then opening your web browser.

Air Canada allows for in flight wifi to be purchased within the following increments:

• 30 minutes = 600 Aeroplan Points or $6.50 CAD
• Flight Pass = 1,200 Aeroplan Points or $11.75 CAD
• North American Plan = $65.95 CAD

It’s great that Air Canada allows for the redemption of points for in flight wifi. It’s actually priced at a really reasonable redemption value at about a penny a point; an excellent deal.

As a reminder, Air Canada offers free texting for Aeroplan members. This is accessed through entering your seat and flight number. Since this met my needs, I didn’t access the access the wifi.

Landing at Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport:

As the sun drew to a close, I had an arctic view over the great lakes of the Mid West. There was recent snow in the area, making for a wintering view from the wing.

Our flight descended into Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s International Airport. It was a winter wonderland into a full on winter that can be expected in Canada.

After we landed, we rolled off to a taxi way. The pilot announced that thirty centimeters of snow had recently fallen that afternoon. The Montreal Airport operations were trying to keep the runways clear. However, this caused a few gate delays.

We ended up parked on a taxi way while gate ways were cleared for about thirty minutes. It’s always a bit of an inconvenience when gates are ready for aircrafts, and there isn’t much that flight attendants or pilots can do; other than to encourage everyone to remain seated.

Eventually, we rolled up to our arrival gate. Despite the snow, the door was connected relatively quickly. After stepping into the terminal, I wandered my way through to baggage claim and the exit.

I would end up collecting a Hertz President’s Circle car rental and driving myself over to the Courtyard by Marriott Montreal Brossard, for a three night stay.

The Bottom Line: Air Canada Business Class A320-2

The Air Canada Business Class on the Airbus 320-2 is nearing the end of it’s business lifecycle. The aircraft features a comfortable seat, but the features of the experience are quite dated as compared to today’s airplane business class standards.

While you will get a business class experience with priority services, the cabin is less designed for the convenient for the storage of electronic devices. While you’ll get a meal, the in flight food is pretty simple, and the entertainment system is a relic from a completely different generation. Despite this, it’s pretty much the only way to fly business class through Canada. Fleet refurbishment improvements are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.

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If you regularly fly Air Canada Business Class, do you find the older Airbus 320’s experience to be less than stellar ?

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