Air Canada adds daytime Toronto-London Heathrow flight
Air Canada will launch a new daily daytime flight from Toronto to London Heathrow next summer using its new A321XLR aircraft, marking a return to daytime
Air Canada will add a fifth daily flight between Toronto and London Heathrow next summer. The service will be operated by the airline's new Airbus A321XLR aircraft and will be a daytime return flight across the Atlantic.
Most transatlantic returns to London are overnight flights. The new daytime option could be particularly useful for passengers in economy class who prefer not to fly overnight.
New routes enabled by A321XLR
The London Heathrow flight is part of a broader network expansion enabled by the arrival of Air Canada's A321XLR fleet. The aircraft's efficiency allows the airline to serve routes that would be uneconomical with larger jets like the Boeing 787. From Toronto, the airline will launch several new seasonal services.
| Destination | Frequency | Start Date |
|---|---|---|
| Shannon | Thrice weekly | June 2027 |
| Oslo | Four times weekly | June 2027 |
| Nice | Twice weekly | June 2027 |
| Guatemala City | Weekly | May 2027 |
The report also states that the existing Toronto-Manchester route will now operate year-round thanks to the A321XLR. The author speculates that the Heathrow-Halifax route could also be upgraded in the future.
The 'Glowing Hearted' cabin
The new A321XLRs will introduce a fresh cabin standard for Air Canada called 'Glowing Hearted'. Based on released images, this represents a substantial upgrade with warmer, more tactile finishes replacing what the source describes as existing "drab and sterile-looking" cabins.
The aircraft configuration includes 14 lie-flat business class seats followed by 168 economy seats in a 3-3 layout. Notably, Air Canada has decided not to install a premium economy cabin on its A321XLRs, a move that differs from some competitors like United. The airline also launched a redesigned food and beverage service and in-flight amenities in July.
Emirates reveals new premium economy seat
In separate news, Emirates has unveiled its second-generation premium economy seat. The airline bills it as "the world's first electric Premium Economy seat with full-height privacy screen". However, the source notes this claim is not strictly true, as Japan Airlines introduced a premium economy seat with electric recline in 2024.
Emirates does appear to be the first to introduce an electrically-raised privacy divider. The source describes it as "the most private premium economy seat I've seen", when disregarding an unusual classification by another airline. The seat features a full-height divider that rises up, unlike some models which have horizontally adjustable screens.
Seat specifications and rollout
The new Emirates seat is 20 inches wide with a seat pitch of up to 39 inches. This offers about one inch more legroom than Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, but three inches less than Japan Airlines. While not a fixed-shell design, the seats slide into a cradle position to reduce impact on the passenger behind.
Each seat also includes the recently unveiled U-Dream headrest, which is designed to cradle the head during sleep. The source tried it at the Farnborough International Airshow and was impressed by its comfort.
The new seat is being installed on the newest deliveries of the Airbus A350-900. Emirates already has 27 A350s with the first-generation seat but has orders for 73 in total. The airline's premium economy cabin is also available on over 100 refurbished A380s and Boeing 777s, though these will not receive the new seat in the short term. The source expects the seat to be fitted when Emirates finally takes delivery of its first Boeing 777X, reportedly still scheduled for 2027.
