Air Canada Unveils First Retrofitted A321 with New Interior and Spiffy Tech



With flight AC692, Air Canada unveiled its first upgraded Airbus A321 on 21OCT. Air Canada's remaining 14 Airbus A321s and its eight A320s will be retrofitted starting this fall through to the end of 2025.

Exterior cameras connected to the aircraft's seatback entertainment system allowed passengers "a pilot's eye view" of the take-off.

According to AC, the new camera feature is a first for a narrow-body aircraft and one of several upgrades unveiled.

Other enhancements include a new cabin interior with new seating, larger overhead bins, full colour LED mood lighting, services such as Bluetooth audio, and free high-speed internet sponsored by Bell.

"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 of Loyalty and Product at Air Canada. 

"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," he added.

Highlights of new cabin features:

• Larger overhead bins – Airbus Airspace XL design includes the largest overhead bins that will also be installed on the Airbus A321XLRs.
• Upgraded seating – A standardized product across the Air Canada narrowbody fleet in Business Class and Economy. The new seats are designed to optimize passenger personal space, improve ergonomics, and provide more storage.
• Bluetooth audio – Air Canada's newest IFE system will feature a Bluetooth-enabled seatback monitor. Customers can connect their headsets while watching video on demand, live TV, or listening to podcasts or music. This initiative helps reduce the usage of single-use headphones and supports Air Canada's sustainability objectives in reducing waste.
• New exterior cameras – Customers can now watch their flight live thanks to a new tail and belly camera system providing high-resolution, real-time video of the aircraft exterior. 
• Full colour LED mood lighting – The new cabin lighting system will allow different ambiances to be set depending on the time of day and phase of flight.
• Wi-Fi – Upgraded satellite-based connectivity.
• Power options at all seats – Customers can access power outlets, USB-A, and USB-C.

The new IFE system installed on the Airbus A321 and A320 fleets will feature AC's in-flight entertainment via screens at each seat. Customers will also have access to live TV on their flights, including BNN, CTV, LCN, RDS, TSN1 and TSN2, available on all flights operated by this aircraft, including when flying over the U.S.

"With these upgrades, customers will benefit from an elevated narrow-body cabin experience, in line with the cabins of the Airbus A220 and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that comprise the majority of Air Canada's narrowbody fleet," AC said.

The new cabin also reduces the overall weight of the A321 by approximately 240 kilograms, reducing fuel consumption for the entire fleet.

More information on Air Canada's website.