Is Air Canada Bulkhead Seat worth an $80 upgrade

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I took a flight from Ottawa to Vancouver. I could see from the seating map that the flight was fully booked. I usually pay to book a window seat and then try and get a seat with no one beside me at the last minute it works 50% of the time and the planes that I have been on leaving from Ottawa are not usually full. This time was different the airport was busier than I have ever seen it. I could tell from the seating map the plane was full. It cost $40 to book a window seat. I saw a last minute opening for a bulkhead window seat and decided to try it. It cost $80 to upgrade to the bulkhead seat but the $40 I already paid would get credited. I liked the idea of having a wall in front of me on such a packed flight.  I have free check in luggage with my credit card so I usually only take a backpack to leave under my seat on the plane. If I was in the back of the plane I wait until the last minute to board. I knew I would have no storage at my seat but this seat comes with early zone 3 board

I got a great deal on a AirCanada Signature Class Lay flat seat



May 2024 I flew from Ottawa to Vancouver for my cousin’s wedding. I had a 25% off birthday discount to fly economy on the way there and I have an Aeroplan credit card so I often fly on points but I had recently used my points. When I was looking at flights I noticed on the return flight the amount of points on one flight for Air Canada signature lie flat business class seats was less than what I usually pay for economy. There was a point sale happening so I paid $250 to get enough points to get this seat and I paid another $150 to purchase the flight. The total for this class was $400 in comparison with the 25% discount on economy I paid over $200. This was a great price for this class. Normally, I would not book a 9am flight because I am not a morning person but I knew this was too good a deal. I have wanted to try the lay flat seats for awhile but I rarely see them for less than $1000. I have flown regular business class once before when I thought $500 was a deal you can read the post here. westjet-economy-vs-air-canada-business.html. When I flew business class I thought it’s okay if I get a deal I would take it but economy is fine in comparison. After Signature class I really hope I can get a deal again because it is the way to fly. I have noticed not all flights have this class so when looking to book go to business class and check the plane seating. It should look like this. 

I was grateful for the perks of business class. Priority check in and lounge access. I got to the airport around 8 and had just enough time to go to the lounge use the bathroom grab a drink and some bread for later. I had booked a vegetarian non-dairy meal for the flight as Air Canada doesn’t have a vegan option. I knew I would be getting a meal but my last business class flight it was inedible a backup was needed because the flight was over 5 hours. Boarding started at 8:25 and my flight was to leave at 9:10. Lately my flights have all been leaving early no more going to the bathroom when boarding starts. This flight left ten minutes early. My zone had already boarded when I got to the gate so I was able to skip the line and the section for this business class is behind where the flight attendants stand. This solves the problem of everyone walking by. 

 


I had booked an individual seat. It was a private pod and the aisles were wide. There were also pillows and headphones at the pod. I figured more stuff out during the flight but I felt like I should have watched a video to know what all the compartments were. I’m sure I still didn’t find all the hidden areas. Here is a YouTube video of my seat.




The  pods are private but I could see how people in other seats opened things. There was a garbage area, a charging station where I kept my drinks, and I am not sure what the controller was for so I never used it. I’m sure there are so many more things to discover if I ever get a chance to fly this class again. 


 

The seat is all set up with pillows, blankets, headphones, and a bottle of water when you get on the plane. There was already a lot of leg room when the flight attendant told me to move my bag further in I realized how much extra room there was under there. 

 

There was also a TV screen and tray table that folded out more. Later in the flight I discovered the buttons that adjusts the seat into different positions and this was my favourite thing. I usually don’t recline my seats on flights because I have short legs and I am that person whose button would probably get stuck. This flight was amazing. I wasn’t bothering any neighbours while playing with adjusting my seat and I didn’t have to worry about my space getting tighter if the person in front was reclining. 


I had to walk past the flight attendants area to get to the bathroom. I felt the bathroom was bigger and slightly more comfortable than other plane bathrooms. I believe there was one on either side but there was no where to walk through to the other side  from the seating area. 

 It 

The tray table folded down and it was spacious.  I liked the other compartment where I could keep my drinks. 


I find all the newer Air Canada planes have the windows where you can adjust the brightness in all seats. 


The flight attendant came around with the drink cart. I don’t usually drink hot beverages on flights but I needed coffee. I  asked if they had non dairy milk and he told me he would check but they always have it on international flights. He wasn’t sure if they had it on domestic flights but he went to the fridge and found some. I had brought a cookie with me. 


Then my meal came. It was such an upgrade from the last time I flew business class. Food was tasty and good. I wasn’t sure if it was good because it was breakfast or things have changed. I finished the oatmeal and some fruit thinking that was the meal. 


The flight attendant brought this hot meal. I did confirm it was vegan. I was already full from what I thought was the meal previously so I couldn’t finish it but it was tasty. I have since seen Air Canada is now using chef’s to prepare meals it is a significant upgrade from the previous business class meal I had. 


I recently visited Jamaica and went to the house where Bob Marley lived. The movie just came out and was available to watch. The TV was really comfortable to watch. I fell asleep while watching the movie before adjusting my seat. 


I got up to go to the bathroom and noticed there was a basket of snacks at the front. I don’t know if these were brought around while I was asleep or they were always there. They had some good vegan options. 


Towards the end of the flight I realized the controls were a touch screen to adjust the seat. I played with all the settings and they were all great. This flight was so comfortable it was time to land. I really enjoyed flying signature class and I will be on the lookout for deals and points offers so I can fly this class again in the future. If you get the chance to fly this class I highly recommend it. 

Thank you for reading. For more vegan food follow me on Instagram @LivingOttawaLocal and @VeganCanadianfinds
For scenery videos follow me on YouTube LivingOttawaLocal

Comments

  1. Nice. I wished the video was longer but thanks for sharing your experience. Good information to know.

    ReplyDelete

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