Air Canada's new cabins: lie-flat seats on the A321XLR and Signature Plus suites on the 787-10

Air Canada has shown the new cabins it plans to put on its newest aircraft. The airline calls the design "Glowing Hearted," and it covers every class of seat, from economy to a brand-new top cabin. Air Canada first showed the cabins at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, in its announcement on April 14, 2026. It called the program its most significant cabin investment.

The new look appears first on the Airbus A321XLR and later on the Boeing 787-10. Air Canada says it will also refresh older planes over time. Here is what each cabin gets and when you might see it.

Lie-flat seats on a single-aisle plane#

The A321XLR is a narrow-body jet with one aisle. Planes like it usually fly shorter routes with recliner seats up front. The XLR has a much longer range, so Air Canada can use it to fly across the Atlantic. The airline also plans to use it on longer flights within North America, where it says the cabin will be a step up from what it offers today.

To make those flights comfortable, Air Canada fitted 14 lie-flat Signature Class seats at the front. The airline says this is the first time it has offered lie-flat seats on a single-aisle aircraft. Business class seats get 19-inch screens, and economy seats get 13-inch screens. All of them are 4K OLED with Bluetooth audio, so you can pair your own wireless headphones.

In April, Air Canada said the XLR cabins would debut that summer. In January, it said it would base XLRs at Toronto Pearson and use them on year-round flights to Manchester and Copenhagen starting in late October 2026. If you book one of those routes, you should get the new cabin. We covered the winter schedule separately.

A new top cabin on the 787-10#

The 787-10 brings something Air Canada has never sold before: Air Canada Signature Plus. These are four seats at the very front of the plane, above regular Signature Class.

According to Air Canada, each Signature Plus seat has:

• A bed about 6 feet 5 inches (2 meters) long
• A table with a quartzite top
• A guest seat, so a companion can sit with you during the flight
• Higher walls for more privacy and more room to store things

The two seats in the middle have a sliding panel that can open fully. That lets up to four people traveling together share one space. Screens in the premium cabins are up to 27 inches.

Air Canada has not said when the 787-10 will enter service or which routes it will fly first. It says only that Signature Plus launches when the aircraft does. It also has not said how Signature Plus will be priced or how Aeroplan members will redeem points for it.

Upgrades for everyone else#

The redesign is not only for premium passengers. Air Canada says every seat on the new aircraft gets:

• New seats shaped to give more personal space, with a built-in tablet holder
• Larger overhead bins
• Bigger 4K OLED screens with Bluetooth audio
• High-powered USB-C and regular AC power outlets

Premium Economy seats also get bigger privacy wings at the sides. On the 787-10, Premium Economy screens are 16 inches and economy screens are 13 inches.

The look leans on Canada. Expect gray and stone colors, red stitching, wood grain and bronze metal accents. Air Canada says it chose leather-grain surfaces and metal finishes for durability as much as for looks. On the XLR, a lit-up canopy of maple leaves greets you at the door. On the 787-10, premium passengers walk past a curved entry wall inspired by Canada's waterways, with the airline's round logo cast in bronze.

"Details matter: we listened closely to feedback," said Mark Nasr, Air Canada's chief operations officer, in the release. The airline ties the cabins to what it calls its New Frontiers growth strategy.

Changes to the rest of the fleet#

Air Canada is also moving planes between its brands. The Airbus A320 and A321 jets that Air Canada Rouge flies now will move to the main Air Canada fleet. They will be refitted to the newest cabin standard. At the same time, the Boeing 737 MAX jets will move to Rouge in 2026.

For Rouge passengers, that means a better plane on many leisure and sun routes. The 737 MAX has seatback screens, reclining seats and fast, free Wi-Fi sponsored by Bell. Jazz Aviation, which flies regional Air Canada Express routes, is also getting new cabins and already has free Wi-Fi.

Air Canada says it will share details on new food, drinks and amenities later in the year.

My take for lounges#

A better seat often comes with a better lounge visit before you board. If you fly Signature Class on an international Air Canada flight from Toronto, you can use the Maple Leaf Lounge (International) at Pearson. It has a full bar and six showers, and our readers rate it 4.6 out of 5. Pearson also has the Air Canada Signature Suite, a restaurant-style space with four showers that rates 4.5; check its page for who gets in. In Montreal, the international Maple Leaf Lounge serves long-haul departures and rates 4.5.

Air Canada also says it is renovating lounges across Canada and in Europe this year. See every Air Canada lounge we track, and who can get in, on our Maple Leaf Lounge program page and our Air Canada page.

Related reading#

• Air Canada shuts its Toronto Signature Suite to expand and its Vancouver domestic lounge until 2028
• The 10 best Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges, ranked: 2026

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