AC20/19 Singapore to Vancouver Nonstop on Air Canada, and a Solar Eclipse in Montreal

[yflyer]

Cabin lights and windows were centrally dimmed...



The AC business seat went almost fully flat.



I say almost, because while it would definitely be considered a lie-flat bed, I found that at maximum recline, the upper portion of the bed was still marginally angled -- very marginally. Close, but not exactly horizontal. It was fine for me, however a small minority of pax might take issue with it.

Very good bedding was supplied, with a mattress topper and pillow, as well as a thick blanket.



Ample space in the cubby hole to stretch out.



Although this was a daytime flight, I still somehow managed to fall asleep for long stretches at a time (Perhaps unsurprising, considering how much Champagne and wine I had consumed so far...).

[yflyer]

Time for meal service, beginning with the starter and salad on a tray...



Salt and pepper in paper sachets...



Bread from a basket...



The seared tuna tataki starter was tasty...



On my other AC sectors, including my return YVR-SIN sector, it was possible to pre-select a main course, however this was not yet available for the SIN-YVR sector.

I picked the Dory fish in hot garlic sauce with szechuan ban mian noodles, and choy sum...



...and paired it with a glass of white...



A very satisfying dish!



After that, I switched to the red...



Very nice...



Dessert and cheese were served from the trolley...



I opted for both cheese...



...and dessert...

[yflyer]

The cabin crew came round with hot towels...



Refreshing!



I reclined my seat into lounging mode...



At this point early in the flight, pax could still control the electronically dimmed windows. Later, after meal service, the cabin was centrally dimmed.



A round of beverages was served...



More champagne, along with a bowl of nuts...

[yflyer]

As soon as the seatbelt signs went off, I headed to the bathrooms at the rear of the J cabin...



There was also one bathroom in the front, but for this flight, I would use the rear bathrooms almost exclusively. The next picture should make it abundantly clear why.



While not the only aircraft out there fitted with bathroom windows (CX's A359 also has them), they remain quite rare on today's commercial aircraft.



My seat was a middle seat so if I wanted window views, I would have to head to the loo...

[yflyer]

An outdoors-themed safety video, featuring many scenic locations in Canada...



A nice video, and I enjoy these entertaining safety videos as much as anyone else (Especially QF's walk through the airline's history), but at the back of my mind I always wonder if a straight, serious safety video would get the message across better in case a real emergency happened.

Pushback, taxi and turn onto Runway 02C...



Wheels up, with nice views of the Changi control tower out the left side windows...

[yflyer]

A glass of Champagne before departure...



I browsed the menu...



Like SQ, AC also has a culinary panel...



On this flight, they would serve dinner after take-off, followed by breakfast 1 hour and 15 minutes before landing.



I was amused that the meal after take-off was called "dinner" although it was probably going to be just 1 or 2 hours after the 9.10am departure time out of Singapore -- more like brunch. But I guess it was dinner time at our destination, Vancouver.

Champagne, wine and cocktails...



Non-alcoholic beverages...

[yflyer]

As I settled in for the flight, I thought this was a very impressive business class hard product, which I would be very happy with on long or even ultra-long haul flights.

[yflyer]

The IFE platform itself was very comprehensive and easy to use.



There was information about onboard services, including the catering.



The movie and TV selection was impressively large.



There was no shortage of new and older releases to watch.



There was a James Bond collection!



Something for everyone, really.



I did not notice live TV on this flight (Although AC's domestic Canada services did feature it).

The 3D map display. Flight time to Vancouver today was a fairly short 13 and a half hours.

[yflyer]

Large flatscreen / touch screen display. Note the tray table under the screen. I thought the design of the tray table was quite good.



In fully stowed position (Above), it still protruded outwards, which meant it could be used as a shelf for drinks.

You could push it forward...



...and unfold it to become a firm and stable dining or work table.



There were individual air vents overhead (Who in SQ decided to omit these from all their planes?).

[yflyer]

Noise cancelling headphones...



Slippers, amenity kit and bottle of water...



The amenity kit was a very attractive leather pouch from Acqua di Parma which simply exuded style and quality.



The contents of the amenity kit...



The kit also contained a spectacle / screen cleaning cloth -- how useful!



Opening a cover by the seat revealed more storage space, as well as the IFE controller (Not really needed, as it was a touch screen) as well as A/C and USB power.



Adjustable reading light...



Simple seat control buttons -- one to lie flat, and one to go upright, along with a touch screen to access additional features. Very simple to use, and they were positioned such that I didn't accidentally touch them at any point during the flight.



Some of the functions on the touchscreen included the DnD button, and its inverse, the "Wake Me for Meals" button!



Additional seat adjustments...



Even a gentle massage function...



You could adjust the firmness/softness of the seat, although the actual effect was quite subtle...

[yflyer]

After that brief tour of the plane, I headed back to my seat, 2D, in business class.



First impressions: Very comfortable. Spacious and well thought out.



The footwell was not particularly wide, but it was very long and high, so it did not feel cramped.



Movable armest...



...which could be lowered for more space when lying flat.

[yflyer]

The economy cabin was laid out 3-3-3.



The bulkhead seats...



I sat in the Y seat for a few moments. It seemed about the same as other 9-abreast 787's, which is to say acceptable but not great.



I wish more airlines would follow JAL's example and configure their 787 Y cabin in 8-abreast 2-4-2, which is as good as it gets in Y.

[yflyer]

As I boarded very early, with boarding zone 1, I had time to take a stroll through the PEY and Y cabins.

The PEY seats looked very wide and comfortable...



There were 3 rows of seats, laid out 2-3-2. I thought the 2-3-2 PEY layout on the AC 787 was better than SQ's PEY on the A350, which was laid out 2-4-2.



I would get to try PEY on my return AC19 YVR-SIN flight in a week's time.

[yflyer]

On these aircraft, the bulkhead seats had a flat storage shelf area on top, where snacks were placed later on during the flight.



Unlike some other aircraft where the 1st row bulkhead J seats have more legroom, on this AC aircraft the bulkhead legroom and size was identical to all the other J seats. In fact, you probably felt like you had less privacy because the cabin crew and the occasional pax would come by and place or take something from the shelf during the flight, so I would not recommend selecting these seats in preference to the other J seats in the cabin.



Row 8 window seat, the last row of the J cabin.



The middle seats in the first 2 rows of J had no overhead bins, as the area overhead was occupied by the crew rest, but in practice this was not an issue, as there was ample overhead bin storage along the sides, and also under the footrest within the seat as well.

[yflyer]

On-time boarding...



This was a 3-class aircraft, with Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins.


My ticket for the trip was a PEY ticket, but I successfully bid for a paid business class upgrade, which was confirmed 2 days before my flight.


Seats in the J cabin were laid out 1-2-1 in reverse herringbone layout, with aisle access for every seat.



The J seat on this aircraft was a heavily customized Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seat, which is also used on Qatar's A350 and 787.



While the seats were not enclosed, with no sliding doors for each seat, there was good privacy when seated, and I quite liked the open and airy feel of the cabin. There was a fixed privacy partition in between the middle seats.