Air Canada offers rock-star comfort - and social distancing - with "covid class"

With passengers nervous about commercial aviation in the age of coronavirus, Air Canada is deploying special A319 aircraft fitted with only 58 seats on commuter air routes. The “Jetz” fleet carriers barely one-third of the maximum 156 capacity, and less than half the typical Air Canada configuration. The Canadian airline has a fleet of three bespoke jets that normally charters out to sports teams, touring rock artistes and industry. Starting on Monday 1 June, the A319s will be flying normal scheduled services – operating peak-time flights on Air Canada’s key business routes connecting Toronto with both Ottawa and Montreal. The configuration has been dubbed “Covid class”. Passengers will have little time to appreciate it, with a journey time of an hour from Toronto to Ottawa (226 miles away) and 74 minutes to Montreal (316 miles). The airline says: “While our favourite sports teams are on hiatus, we’re bringing our special fleet of Air Canada Jetz Airbus A319 aircraft to you.” At the airport, travellers will be able to avoid too much contact with other passengers thanks to a “prime gate location,” reducing walking distances, and with boarding beginning only 25 minutes before departure. On board, there are two seats rather than three on either side of the aisle, and the “seat pitch” is up to 49 inches – giving much more space than a normal flight.<br/>