Flight Review: Air Canada Premium Economy | 787-9 Dreamliner | Toronto to Tokyo Narita (YYZ-NRT)

Off to the Land of the Rising Sun aboard a Canadian Dreamliner.

Tokyo, Japan — My partner and I recently had the chance to sample Air Canada’s transoceanic Dreamliner premium economy product on our way to Tokyo. The step up in space and service makes this a comfortable way to cross the Pacific if you can score a good price.

This flight was second part of a 4-leg journey; you can view associated reviews below:
– ATL to YYZ in business class
– Tokyo NRT to YYZ in premium economy
– YYZ to ATL return in business class
– Our accommodations at the Hilton Tokyo

Date Flown: 2023 April 15
Departure/Arrival Time: 1303 EDT (originally 1305) – 1514 JST (originally 1500)
Flight Time: 13h 17m (originally 13h 05m)
Aircraft Type: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Fare Class: Premium Economy (booked with cash)
Elite Status: Aeroplan 25k (via my Chase Aeroplan credit card)

Flight Overview
This was actually my first time aboard a Boeing Dreamliner variant, adding to the excitement of returning to Japan. This flight was operated aboard an Air Canada 787-9, flight number AC009, nonstop from Toronto YYZ to Tokyo Narita NRT, taking a bit over 13 hours to cross over the Pacific.

Air Canada’s Dreamliner variant has 30 lie-flat “Signature Class” business, 21 premium economy, and 247 economy seats which are arranged in 1-2-1, 2-3-2, and 3-3-3 configurations, respectively. My partner and I occupied premium economy seats 14A and 14C on the left side of this particular flight. The paired seats in the premium economy cabin are great for couples traveling together. The flight crew was courteous, and the service was efficient, no complaints from us.

Being a Tokyo-bound Air Canada flight, the crew was fluent in English, French, and Japanese, and all announcements were made in each language. As it takes some time to make mid-flight announcements in all three languages, the announcements can drag on a bit and can get annoying mid-flight if you are trying to sleep. I strongly recommend a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs if you are a light-sleeper.

Seat Overview
The premium economy seat on the Air Canada Dreamliner has an advertised 19 inches of width and 38 inches of pitch. For comparison, the regular economy seats are 18 inches wide with an average 30 inches of pitch (more for the exit rows and bulkhead seats).

Additionally, the premium economy seats also have more space between them due to the armrests/drink holder and in-seat tray tables, making them feel a lot more spacious than the extra inch of width would suggest.

For those riding in the front, the business class seats have a roomy 21 inches of width and a whopping 80 inches of pitch given their lie-flat nature.

The in-flight entertainment (IFE) system was perfectly adequate with a good selection of old and new movies and TV shows in multiple languages. The touchscreen was responsive, and you have the option of using the detachable remote below the screen which also has controls for the reading light.

One thing that was amusing to me was the option to dim your IFE screen for sleep and display a message on it for the flight attendant to wake you for drinks and/or meals. Not sure if the crew actually abides by it, but it was a nice touch.

Below the IFE screen are the expected headphone socket and a powered USB-A slot for charging your small electronics. Next to the screen is the obligatory coat hook. Between the seats under the seat-back pocket is a dual universal power socket if you need to power larger devices.

The premium economy seats have their tray-tables stowed away in the armrests. The tables are hinged in the center in case you want to fold it in half to get in and out of your seat with the table still deployed. The armrests between seats have a tiny space cut into the side that was the perfect size to store my earbud case and USB charging cable.

Amenity Kit
Premium economy passengers on this flight each received an amenity kit containing disposable toothbrush/toothpaste, long black socks, earplugs, and an eye-mask. The bag itself is actually fairly large (think reusable shopping bag size).

Initially I was a little confused by Air Canada’s bag choice as they do not scream premium at all, but the bags ended up being useful in Japan when we went shopping. In retrospect, these are a more practical choice than the expected small toiletry-bag sized kits.

Meal Service
We received bottled water as soon as boarding was complete to start things off (unclear if economy class received any pre-departure drinks). Shortly after take-off, the crew came around to pass out snacks and more drinks.

As we neared our cruising altitude around half an hour later, they came back around with hot towels to freshen yourself up with before dinner (glad to see some airlines still doing this!) and started taking meal orders.

Physical menus were handed out and also available on Air Canada’s app. Menus were available in English, French, and Japanese.

Dinner service in premium economy started with a nice spinach and lettuce salad, nothing too special but refreshing nonetheless. A vinaigrette dressing was served alongside in a small bottle.

The main course options were a yuzu salmon with rice or roasted chicken breast with potatoes. I opted for the salmon (and my partner the chicken). Both were nice, warm and flavorful though my salmon needed a little salt and pepper to match my tastes.

I was slightly disappointed with the rice served with my fish as it was a bit overdone along the edged and therefore a little dry. My partner seemed to enjoy her meal and finished most of it off. The meal was rounded out by a warm bread roll served with butter and a nice cappuccino cheesecake.

About 2/3 of the way over the Pacific, a mid-flight meal consisting of a tuna salad wrap and Biscoff cookie was served alongside another drink service which was great timing as I was feeling a bit peckish after my marathon of movies and intermittent naps.

Unfortunately, the remainder of the flight was a bit turbulent, so the pre-landing breakfast service was suspended. My partner and I were saddened by this development as we were both excited to try the breakfast noodles.

Lavatory
Premium economy passengers had access to two lavatories, one of each side of the aircraft, in between the premium economy and the business class cabins. They were stocked with Vitruvi-branded products. The crew did a great job of keeping them clean throughout the flight.

The lavatories were tastefully decorated with maple leaves as expected of the Canadian flag-carrier. One neat thing on these Dreamliners is the lavatory between the premium economy and business cabins have a view!

How We Booked
This itinerary (ATL-YYZ-NRT roundtrip) was originally booked around September 2022 on a mixed cabin ticket, economy for the first leg (see that review here) and premium economy for this second leg, and economy on the return legs for $1250.14 per person after taxes and fees.

At that time, the economy ticket was selling for around $900 roundtrip, and we personally decided the extra comfort on a 13+hr flight was worth the extra cost (especially since this was a celebratory trip).

Chase Aeroplan Credit Card
At the time of this flight, I held Aeroplan 25K elite status with Air Canada, which was obtained by way of my Chase Aeroplan credit card. The Aeroplan card is an interesting offering for US-based customers who are interested in flying the Canadian flag-carrier.

Among various benefits, it offers potentially up to 2 years of entry level Aeroplan 25K elite status with a spend pathway to maintain status or reach the next level, first bag free on Air Canada flights and no foreign transaction fees.

At the time of this post there is public offer for 50,000 points after a certain amount of spend (though historically there have been offers up to 100,000 for more spend). Based on The Points Guy’s valuation of Aeroplan points, this bonus could potentially be worth $750 in Air Canada award flights. If you are interested in this credit card and want to learn more, you can visit the official application page here.