Air Canada unveils upgraded A321 interior
The new A321 coming 2024. Image credit: Air Canada
Air Canada is investing in customer comfort across its fleet of A321s and A320s. According to an October 23 press release, the airline’s upgraded aircraft will feature new cabin interiors, technologies and services including Bluetooth audio and free high-speed internet sponsored by Bell. The aircraft will also have a new camera feature connected to the seatback entertainment system providing a pilot’s eye view of take-off for passengers.
"We're proud to welcome customers on board to experience the comfort, convenience, and connectivity of our latest cabins. These upgraded fleet interiors will align the A320s and A321s to the highly popular A220 experience, further strengthening our industry leading product offering," said Mark Nasr, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Digital, and President of Aeroplan. "Additionally, new features such as our inflight entertainment system streaming exterior aircraft camera feeds, Bluetooth connectivity, and free, fast internet connectivity will be extremely popular with travellers. We will continue advancing our product leadership by trialing more new in-flight experiences with this A321 and expanding those learnings to additional aircraft in our fleet."
The new cabin features are set to include:
- Larger overhead bins with the Airspace XL design
- Upgraded seating in Business Class and Economy Class
- Bluetooth audio with Air Canada’s newest IFE system for wireless listening
- New exterior cameras to watch the flight live using the new first-in-class narrowbody tail and belly camera system
- Full colour LED mood lighting in the cabin for difference ambiances
- Fast and reliable Wi-fi with upgraded satellite-based connectivity
- Power option for all passengers in their seats (power outlets, USB-A and USB-C)
The IFE system on the A321 and A320 fleets will feature Air Canada’s award-winning inflight entertainment on seatback monitors, according to the press release. The IFE will also allow passengers to watch live TV in the upgraded cabin, including BNN, CTV, LCN, RDS, TSN1 and TSN2 on all flights.
The airline’s remaining 14 A321s and its 8 A320s will be retrofitted beginning this fall and into the end of 2025. The upgrades will provide the narrow-body cabin experience that passengers are already enjoying on the A220 and 737 MAX, reads the press release.
Sustainability is one major advantage of Air Canada’s interior and cabin changes. The upgraded A321 cabin reduces the weight of the aircraft by 240 kilograms, which will also reduce fuel consumption for the entire fleet by more than 2.4 million litres. It will also reduce GHG emissions by 6,256 tCO2 equivalent per year. The press release indicated that this is the equivalent of the electricity used annually by 4,185 Canadian homes.
