After staying at United Club Seattle we made our way to the departure gate A14 shortly after half eight. The boarding of our flight AC540 to Toronto started punctually. Unlike in Germany it was arranged according to booking class or frequent flyer status on board the Embraer ERJ-190.
Since the wrong food was loaded on board at the beginning, the departure was delayed by a few minutes. When finally everything was correctly loaded and stowed, we were ready to go. Due to the temperature around freezing, our plane was de-iced shortly before taxiing to the runway. Meanwhile we marvelled at the rise of the sun, which slowly came out behind Mt. Rainier. After the morning traffic jam at the runway had been overcome, we took off for Toronto at 8:40 a.m.
Thanks to the great weather we had a fantastic view of the surrounding mountain landscape after the start. More attentive than with any film in the on-board entertainment, we marvelled at the clouds, which moved between the mountain ranges. An unforgettable moment!
The Air Canada “North America and Caribbean” Business Class in the Embraer ERJ-190 consists of nine seats located in the first three rows. We took a seat on 2D and F seats, as these are located at seatguru.com were very well rated.
Storage compartments were only available on the left side. In addition, they weren't really big, so we had trouble putting our handmade biscuits in the overhead bins accommodate. Unfortunately, our camera backpack did not fit in and must be stowed under the front seat. So it is worthwhile to go on board early to get a place in the storage compartment.
The seats clearly show the age of the Air Canada Embraer fleet. The blue fabric cover was already very damaged in some places. However, the padding was very comfortable. Also the legroom was sufficient for a four hour flight. The table was in the outer armrest. The seat area was with approx. 50 centimeters but pleasantly wide. During boarding there was also a cushion on our seat. Blankets are probably only available on request.
As usual, the 8.9-inch touchscreen was located in the front seat. The range of films, series and music was sufficient for the 4:30 hour flight. Simple in-ear headphones were handed out free of charge. Since there was a normal headphone connection, we used our own. In addition, there was a USB charging socket to the left of the screen. There was also a socket for our own laptop.
A flight attendant was responsible for the fully booked Business Class. The gentleman was very friendly at all times, but also very slow. So the service started only one hour after the start. We had the choice between an omelette and a plate with fruits. Since I am not a fan of egg dishes in the airplane, I decided for the latter. The fruit selection was really sufficient with strawberries, pineapple, honeydew melon, grapefruits, blueberries and orange. I also had a yoghurt and rolls. After the initial difficulties, the supply of drinks for the rest of the flight was very good.
MORE? Visit https://www.miles-around.de/en/trip-reports/business-class/air-canada-business-class-im-embraer-erj-190-nach-toronto/
