Air Canada: first hints of new Boeing 787 business class

Air Canada is preparing a next-generation business class for its Boeing 787 jets with a spacious ‘business plus’ suite at the front of the cabin. That detail comes from a layout for the Boeing 787-10 revealed at the Star Alliance member’s 2024 Investor Day held earlier this week, where Air Canada talked up its shift towards a “premium product leadership position.” On its aircraft, this will take the form of new seating layouts to “reflect our focus on premium revenue” by an “increase (in) premium seating capacity” and “new layouts to optimize revenue.” Showcasing the layout of its forthcoming Boeing 787-10 jets, due from 2026, Air Canada revealed the first row of its Signature Class business class cabin boasts additional space compared to the seats behind. This suggests Air Canada will follow the lead of several other airlines – including Air New Zealand, JetBlue, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic – in transforming the first row of the business class cabin into a series of upgraded suites. These ‘business plus’ suites give passengers more privacy, more space, more features, ranging from personal wardrobes to bigger video screens and dining for two. Travellers have to pay for this privilege, of course, with airlines adding a special surcharge on top of the standard business class fare.<br/>