Air Canada Business Class Airbus A220-300 Review (Montreal to Chicago)

Can Air Canada Business Class on a short-haul Airbus A220-300 justify the premium price? On this flight from Montreal to Chicago, we tested Air Canada’s regional Business Class product, including lounge access, seating comfort, food, service, and onboard amenities.

While this is not a lie-flat long-haul business class experience, Air Canada still offers a dedicated premium cabin on its Airbus A220-300 fleet. The question is whether the additional comfort and benefits are enough to make the upgrade worthwhile on a relatively short transborder flight.

In this Air Canada Business Class review, we cover the full experience onboard the Airbus A220-300, including boarding, Maple Leaf Lounge access, seat comfort, legroom, food and drinks, inflight entertainment, service, and overall value for money.

Boarding and Lounge Access

Passengers traveling in Air Canada Business Class had access to dedicated check-in desks and priority security lanes, making the airport process relatively smooth and efficient.

However, Business Class passengers did not receive fast-track access for US immigration in Montreal. Since US immigration is completed before entering the transborder departure area, the process ended up taking more than 30 minutes.

Our flight departed from the transborder section of Montreal Airport, giving us access to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, which we reviewed separately here.

Air Canada A220-300 Business Class Seats

The Air Canada Airbus A220-300 Business Class cabin features a 2-2 seating configuration. Unlike long-haul business class products, these are recliner seats rather than lie-flat beds, which is perfectly normal for short-haul North American routes.

The seats are reasonably comfortable for a flight of this duration, although the recline remains fairly limited. Each seat includes a small footrest, but in practice we found it of limited usefulness, especially because it slightly reduces usable legroom.

Legroom overall is acceptable and noticeably better than in economy class, although the cabin does not feel especially spacious compared to some European short-haul business class products.

One positive feature is that every seat has its own individual air vent, allowing passengers to adjust airflow for additional comfort. The adjustable headrest also improves the seating experience.

Each passenger has access to a fold-out tray table, power outlet, and limited storage space for smaller personal items.

Food and Drinks

No pre-departure beverages were offered before takeoff, and there was also no printed menu available on this flight.

Shortly after departure, the cabin crew started the drinks service. We ordered a Gin and Tonic, which had already been pre-mixed in the galley.

Dinner consisted of a small cold plate featuring a tuna salad. While the salad itself tasted good, the overall meal service felt rather limited for a Business Class product, especially considering the ticket premium.

Passengers were also only offered a small bowl of nuts as an appetizer, and there was no dessert service afterward.

Another downside was that the crew did not proactively offer a second round of drinks during the flight. Additional beverages had to be requested manually.

Entertainment and Other Amenities

After takeoff, passengers received a hot towel and a pair of basic headphones for the inflight entertainment system.

The entertainment system itself is perfectly adequate for a short regional flight, offering a selection of movies, TV shows, and music.

The lavatories follow the standard narrow-body aircraft layout and are relatively compact, as expected on the Airbus A220.

Service Onboard

Unfortunately, the onboard service did not leave a particularly strong impression.

Only one round of drinks was proactively offered during the flight, and after the initial meal service, the crew became noticeably absent from the cabin.

For a Business Class cabin with relatively few passengers, service felt surprisingly limited and lacked the attentiveness one would normally expect from a premium product.

Arrival in Chicago

Arrival in Chicago O’Hare was smooth, and Business Class passengers were among the first able to leave the aircraft.

Is Air Canada Business Class on the Airbus A220 Worth It?

Air Canada Business Class on the Airbus A220-300 offers a better overall experience than economy class, mainly thanks to additional space, lounge access, priority airport services, and a quieter premium cabin environment.

However, the seats themselves remain fairly average for a regional Business Class product, and the onboard service on our particular flight felt underwhelming.

If you can secure a good upgrade offer or a competitive fare, Air Canada Business Class on short-haul North American routes can still be worth considering. However, passengers expecting an experience similar to international long-haul business class should adjust their expectations accordingly.

Final Verdict: Better than economy, but far from a premium long-haul Business Class experience.

You can find more information directly on the official Air Canada website.

By Sacha

I'm Sacha, founder of Premium-Flights.com. Over ten years ago Chris and I started finding Business and First Class deals for ourselves, then for family and friends, and in 2018 we decided to share them with everyone, completely free. Every deal on this site is personally verified by us. This isn't a corporate operation, it's a passion project built by two friends who genuinely love aviation and smart travel.