Air Canada has announced its intentions to launch a flight between Montreal (YUL) and Tokyo Narita (NRT) starting June 2018.
This flight will be operated daily in summer and 3x weekly during winter on board one of AC’s 787-8 aircraft, which features a total of 251 seats spread across three classes of service. The plane will top out with business class, which features 20 flat bed seats, followed by 21 premium economy, and 210 standard economy seats.
As a point of comparison, here are some of the seat counts that other carriers have equipped on their 787-8’s
- American Airlines: 226 total seats
- United Airlines: 219 total seats
- British Airways: 214 total seats
AC has crammed just about as many seats into the smallest version of the 787 as you possibly can, which will allow them to get the most bang for their buck.
It is important to note that this is a bit more than a “testing the waters” type of route, as AC has come out of the gate saying they will fly between the two cities daily in summer, then 3x weekly in winter. That may seem like a bit of a gamble, but starting June 1 will definitely benefit the airline. Air Canada will be able to attract both business and summer leisure travelers hoping to explore the two cities without having to make a stop in YYZ. If the flight performs well out of the gate, don’t be surprised to see AC increase from 3x weekly during the winter season.
On top of that, this represents the third non-stop destination to Asia from YUL. Here is what the airport will operate to Asia and the Middle East after AC commences service to NRT next June.
Asia from YUL:
Air Canada: Shanghai, China; Tokyo, Japan
Air China: Beijing, China
North Africa and Middle East from YUL:
Qatar Airways: Doha, Qatar
Royal Jordanian: Amman, Jordan
Royal Air Maroc: Casablanca
To the Point!
This is very exciting news for French speaking travelers north of the border. They will be the sole carrier linking the two cities, as neither ANA nor JAL presently operate a flight to Montreal. The aircraft selection for this route is perfect, and exactly what the designers at Boeing thought of when drawing up the plane and its intended purpose.
How was your experience with Air Canada?
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