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Montreal – Toronto Pearson flight review on Air Canada in Business Class

YUL YYZ
Departing Airport Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
Arrival Airport Toronto Pearson International Airport
Flight Carrier Air Canada
Flight Number AC497
Duration 1:10
Aircraft Boeing 787
Cabin Class Business Class
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Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
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To the point Discover our report on the flight AC497 on Air Canada between Montreal and Toronto in Business Class with a visit of the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge!

The first flight of our East-West crossing with Air Canada in a Boeing 787-9 with the bonus of the Air Canada lounge at the Montreal airport.

We arrived 1h30 before the departure. I used the services of the Uber app while Jean-Maximilien took the 747 shuttle. With the disruptions of the Turcot interchange and the landings, the journey to YUL is not the easiest…

We consult the table of the departures which confirms us that our flight is on time. I find these (no longer very) new tables are more pleasant to read than the old ones.

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Departure table at Montreal airport

Few people at this hour, being already registered and without baggage in hold, we find ourselves on the side “airside” in some minutes.

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the entrance of the security post at the Montreal airport

We go then to the Maple Leaf Lounge of Air Canada on the international side since our plane is positioned at a door in the vicinity. The welcome is courteous and a Boeing 787 with the new colors awaits us at the entrance.

Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at Montreal Airport

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ac497 montreal toronto air canada boeing 787 6The lounge is composed of a catering part with a self-service buffet and a counter with a chef. The latter is not present at the time of our visit.

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Chef” corner of the Air Canada lounge in Montreal

The buffet offer is decent without being extraordinary. It’s a shame, for example, not to include beers from Quebec micro-breweries and to limit ourselves to industrial brewers. But we are very far from the salons of our southern neighbors.

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Self-service buffet in the Air Canada lounge in Montreal
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Self-service buffet in the Air Canada lounge in Montreal
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Self-service buffet in the Air Canada lounge in Montreal
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Self-service buffet in the Air Canada lounge in Montreal
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Self-service buffet in the Air Canada lounge in Montreal

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ac497 montreal toronto air canada boeing 787 22Behind the buffet is a bar where spirits are served.

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the Air Canada lounge bar in Montreal

One of the big advantages of this lounge is its brightness. The main hall is very large, with tables for eating.

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Air Canada lounge food court in Montreal

Few pictures of the rest of the room because it was quite busy at that time but it remains a good spot for spotting. In addition, we have already done a detailed review here.

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spotting from the Air Canada lounge in Montreal
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spotting from the Air Canada lounge in Montreal
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spotting from the Air Canada lounge in Montreal
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the Air Canada lounge in Montreal
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the Air Canada lounge in Montreal

After a small beer to celebrate this “avgeek” weekend, it’s time to head for the boarding gate.

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we never go out without the famous milesopedia coasters

Flight Ac497 Montreal – Toronto Pearson

We arrive at the gate shortly before boarding. Our aircraft registration C-FRSE is brand new, coming out of Boeing’s factories in January 2017.

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Boeing 787-9 Air Canada
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boarding of flight AC497
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two access ramps are available

I’ll let you discover the seat we find on our flight to Vancouver. To summarize, this is a very good seat that allows access to the hallway at all times. There is plenty of storage but foot space is a bit limited.

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Business Class seat on Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9
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Business Class seat on Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9
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Business Class seat on Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9
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of satisfied travelers
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Air Canada’s business class
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Business Class seat on Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9
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Business Class seat on Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9
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Business Class seat on Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9

The Dreamliner is known for its windows (or electrochromic windows) whose opacity can be adjusted manually and gradually. The mechanism is interesting and it’s nicer than the old porthole covers but there is a certain latency, especially when you want to “open” the porthole.

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Air Canada’s new newsletter which contains, in addition to timely information, flight schedules.
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We postpone to the hour, the weather is beautiful in Montreal
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on the way to the runway we meet an AlphaJet F-18 (of course! Thanks Jacques René!)
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View from seat 1A…alignment then…

Take off with a nice flight over Montreal.

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Shortly after takeoff, a snack is served for this short flight: tomatoes / mozza / red wine.

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Here is a picture to compare the two windows “open” and “closed”.

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windows in the Air Canada Boeing 787-9

The opacity is not total but sufficient.

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windows in the Air Canada Boeing 787-9

We arrive very quickly at our destination and there also the overflight of Toronto is interesting, we guess well the other airport, Billy Bishop.

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View of Toronto from flight AC497
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View of Toronto from flight AC497
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View of Toronto from flight AC497

During the ride we can admire some beauties that we don’t see much in YUL.

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ac497 montreal toronto air canada boeing 787 74A last look at our Boeing 787-9.

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We go to the UP Express which allows to reach the city in 30 minutes. Strangely, the ATM doesn’t sell the “layover” ticket which allows you to have a round trip for 12$ instead of 24$ when you have to come back to Pearson less than 7 hours later. Which is our case because we are just going to have dinner in town.

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The view of the Sheraton Hotel where we will spend the night.
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UP Express to downtown Toronto from Pearson.

Bottom line

For aviation enthusiasts like us, it’s always a pleasure to travel on a large aircraft like the Boeing 787-9, even if it’s only for an hour. The Business cabin does not disappoint and we can see ourselves spending a few hours in it, if only the company did not charge so many taxes on its award tickets…

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
4.4 Milesopedia Rating

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