Air Canada 787-9 transcon
- KGO
- May 28, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2020
AC754
Boeing 787-9 C-FGEI / 04D Business Class
San Francisco - Toronto Pearson
21/05/2019 23:36 - 06:38 +1 / 04h02
On may 21st I flew out of San Francisco to Toronto on Air Canada's 787-9 dreamliner. While the other flights during the day are all on narrow bodies it's worth the wait for the last flight of the day on this dreamliner. After arriving earlier from Europe I headed to the check-in area to drop off my bag already so I didn't have to walk around with it anymore. Good thing about AC's check in is that's it's open constantly as they have flights leaving to various Canadian cities. When flying business class you get to skip the lines at the security check and use the fast lane which comes in handy since there are several flights leaving to Europe in the evening.
Once past the security I took a walk through the terminal as you're really up close with all airplanes so it's great for spotting. When flying business class on Air Canada you can use the United Club which I did once it became dark. The club itself is located one level lower and there's a lift access in the lounge. It's not the most cosy one but it has everything you expect from the United club. They also have the Polaris which is only accessible when flying Polaris on their flights.
Near the boarding time I headed to the gate which was already crowded meaning I was definitely at the right place, after some announcements for duty free purchases it was boarding time. When I came on board of this dreamliner the business cabin looked very cosy with plenty of storage space as it's laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration with a dividing wall between the 2 middle seats. Every seat had a pillow, a blanket and the mattress for this 4hr flight to Toronto. Furthermore headphones and a small amenity kit were present as well as a bottle of water which I have to say was very welcome. I was already surprised to find all those amenities as on European carriers you don't get any of these let alone a wide-body on such a flight.
When I settled I was offered a pre departure drink with choices of water, orange juice or champagne. I took the champagne however it was not chilled and I opened my water bottle instead. As the boarding process takes a while the purser made his round through the business cabin and introduced himself while handing over the menu card (something United used to do as well at some point but skipped with just placing the menu cards on the seats and no introduction anymore). Again I was pleasantly surprised by this level of service as I didn't expect any of this at all. As soon as the remaining passengers were on board and doors were closed the plane was on it's way to the runway and as SFO is pretty busy it took a while before we were airborne.
After take off a light snack aka cheese platter was served as there was a hot breakfast foreseen before landing. A good thing with these seats is you don't need to adapt your seat position in order to extend your tray table as it's just in front of you underneath the tv screen allowing you to stay as comfortable as you are. The headphones provided are also noise cancelling which on the 787 you don't really need as it doesn't make that much noise to be honest. Furthermore the amenity kit you get has a toothbrush, earplugs, an eye mask and socks just everything you need on a night flight. As it's a short flight I watched one movie and had some sleep in between before being waken up for the breakfast service upon arrival into Canada.
About an hour before landing into Toronto Pearson the lights went on again and breakfast was served, today's offer was a hot breakfast which was an omelette with a sausage, cheese and potatoes. Furthermore there was a bowl of fruit and a yogurt on the tray and bread. Soon after the descent commenced and the plane touched down 3 minutes later which was still ok as we left San Francisco 45 minutes late. Immigration went really smoothly however the luggage a bit slower as there were a lot of transit pax I guess those were offloaded first and then the local luggage.
Overall I was impressed with the amenities given on this so called red eye to Toronto. The mattress, blanket and pillow definitely were very comfortable, it makes your travel experience a lot more comfortable. The only negative point to say was the room temperature champagne which was really a turn down but other than that the crew was very friendly and professional especially the purser who took the time to have a chat with all passengers and tried his best to pronounce your name how difficult it might have been.
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