Justin Van Camp & Alex Handa from Handa Travel, AC Pilot, ACV's CEO, Zeina Gedeon & Open Jaw's Nina Slawek
Blow up aircraft costumes
Air Canada's Calin Rovinescu addresses the crowd
Higher, larger windows
Last Friday afternoon, Toronto’s 401 was charged with frequent flyers heading for Pearson’s Hangar 8 to witness their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. There’s nothing like a shiny new aircraft to draw a crowd, and Air Canada knows it.
The timing for the unveiling of the long awaited Boeing coincided with Air Canada’s 75th Birthday kick-off. So along with the big bird, we were treated to a vintage Trans Canada Air Lines Lockheed L-10A and some less vintage blow ups. There was also the opportunity to travel down memory aisle with a fashion show retrospective of flight uniforms over the decades. Very Pan Am.
The twin engine silver Lockheed L-10A aircraft in 1937 was the first passenger aircraft in the fleet of
Trans-Canada Air Lines serving YVR-SEA.
Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada, spoke with pride about the long history of Air Canada marked by a new stage of evolution with the introduction of the 787 Dreamliner. “We thank our customers for choosing Air Canada over the past 75 years and we look forward to serving them for the next 75 and beyond."
Needless to say, most guests were anxiously awaiting the curtain being pulled back on the main attraction – the plane. She’s big and curvy, and she gets great mileage. Roving Boeing staff gave on-the-spot presentations of all the bells and whistles.
It all starts with the shell. It’s of light-weight and durable composite structures with no need for rivets which is estimated to improve fuel efficiency by 20% to 30%. The wings also contribute to better efficiency – a sleeker and longer aerodynamic design reduces drag.
All the cost savings allow for some refreshing changes to the cabin experience. The cabin is pressurized to a more comfortable maximum of 6,000 feet which is less tiring on the body. The air is filtered to exclude jet fumes. And more humidity is pumped into the aircraft.
A lot of research went into the positioning of the bins and windows. Both are larger and higher, providing a more spacious experience. The windows are also electronically dimmable, so no more up and down plastic shades. LED lighting also helps fight jetlag by changing through a spectrum of night and day.
In a word, it’s cool.
The first delivery is expected in 2014 and the remaining 30 between 2015 and 2019. They will replace existing Boeing 767 aircraft and the Airbus A330, and will be configured to carry between 210 and 290 passengers.
