Air Canada’s recently launched flight from Dubai to Toronto and back is a great way to travel to the maple leaf country with ease, as I found out on a recent visit.
The 787 Dreamliner operates a three-class cabin – Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class. I was fortunate enough to travel their International Business Class. This cabin has Executive Pods with a one–two–one configuration meaning everyone has isle access. These pods offer privacy and the seats recline fully to form a flat bed, which is a big bonus when flying for 14 hours or more.
The domestic business seats depend on what aircraft is commissioned on that particular timing and we travelled both on the A319 and the A333, which were extremely comfortable and with great service. I did, however, enjoy the A333 a bit more as its one–one–one configuration was similar to the Dreamliner with the private pod layout. The flight leaves Dubai late in the evening, reaching Toronto early morning the next day, making a number of convenient connecting flights available, not only across Canada but to 52 cities in the US and more than 190 from Toronto’s hub.
The night-time departure is also ideal as it means you may have a light bite and/or nightcap – from a menu offering variety for all nationalities – and follow it up with a leisurely nap. I went straight to sleep for a good six hours, which is great because I don’t usually sleep that well on a flight!
Once passengers are awake, an 18-inch entertainment screen comes handy. It is reportedly the largest screen on any North American carrier, with touchscreen controls and offering the latest blockbusters, TV shows and games.
During the flight, light snacks are available anytime you are feeling peckish. The return flight also departs Toronto at night, so again, you can sleep at the start of the flight, then stay awake at the end to arrive in Dubai in the evening to get you back on the right time zone track.
The service on board was what you would expect not only from business class, but from the Canadian crew who were from all around the country. They were chatty when you wanted to chat and left you in peace when they could see you didn’t want to be disturbed (if you were reading or watching a movie.)
Our departure from Dubai International Airport was a little delayed due to a problem with the train that connects Terminal 1 and Concourse D, where all international flights (except Emirates) fly from. The pilot, however, made up quite a lot of the time and we landed only a half hour later than scheduled.
Once in Toronto, we made it through formalities with ease (US and British passport holders), and in fact, made it to the gate on time for our connecting flight to Montreal, but the staff at the gate had received a message that our bags would not make the flight, so the shifted us on the next flight, which was only half an hour later and at the gate next door. We were quite impressed.
I would definitely recommend Air Canada not only for your next trip to Canada – but any trip that takes you to North America and beyond.
By Kim Thomson