{"id":232352,"date":"2017-03-23T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mp-2702.milesopedia.dev\/news\/montreal-pekin-business-class-air-china\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T15:52:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:52:47","slug":"montreal-pekin-business-class-air-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mp-2702.milesopedia.dev\/en\/reviews\/flights\/montreal-pekin-business-class-air-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Air China B777 – Business Class – Montreal-Beijing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here is my feedback on the CA880 flight I took from Montreal to Beijing in business class on Air China, using Aeroplan miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more details about booking this ticket, and about this trip in general, I invite you to read my article “My friends and I in business class to Thailand”<\/a>. Here are the details of the flight and the booking on Aeroplan, which was paid for thanks to the American Express Small Business Platinum Card<\/a> sign-up bonus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aeroplan award ticket on Air China in business class<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Registration at Montreal-Trudeau<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n

It is an international flight that leaves relatively early in the afternoon: 3:05 pm. I’m pretty used to flying to Europe after 5-6pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air China check-in counters are busy at 1pm, 2 hours before departure. Fortunately, there is no one in the business\/first class line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Air China Check-in – Montreal Trudeau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These are “Star Alliance” counters shared by Air China and Turkish Airlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Air China Check-in – Montreal Trudeau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Air China gives us access to the National Bank lounge, but we prefer to go to the new Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge to which we also have access (business class travel on a Star Alliance airline).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Air Canada Montreal Maple Leaf Lounge – Elevator<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I have detailed in the past my visit in this new lounge<\/a> and have not taken any pictures except this one with the arrival of our plane from Beijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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milesopedia at the Maple Leaf Lounge with the arrival of the Air China flight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The lounge was not very busy and to our regret, the food offering was not exceptional (nachos and pizza). There was no “chef” delivering hot food in the buffet area provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Air Canada Montreal Maple Leaf Lounge – buffets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Boarding to Beijing on flight CA880<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After 30-45 minutes of celebrating our departure for vacation with a few glasses of champagne, it was time to go to our boarding gate with a close-up view of our plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Boeing 777-300ER – Air China<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And this one is packed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Big queue to board CA880<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After several minutes of confusion, boarding begins with priority given to business class passengers (there will be no First Class passengers on this flight).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Boarding on CA880<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The business class cabin consists of 42 seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you want to have access to the corridor without disturbing\/being disturbed by the person sitting next to you, you will have to choose the middle row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first class cabin has 8 seats arranged in 1-2-1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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First Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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First Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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First Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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First Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On this flight, only 14 seats were occupied in business class, so we had plenty of choice (and I took the opportunity to test several seats at different times of the flight!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Flight CA880 Montreal – Beijing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after settling in, the flight attendant offers us either champagne or orange juice. It will be Champagne for us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Champagne – Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They also brought us the menu of the day (written in Chinese\/English) and the L’Occitane en Provence kits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Menu – Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Amenity kit – Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In these, you will find the essential hygiene products for these 14 hours of flight as well as slippers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Amenity Kit – Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Slippers – Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We leave the door on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after takeoff, dinner service begins. Here are the different dishes offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Meals – Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Meals – Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Meals – Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Meals – Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What about the meal? I chose Asian dishes – I particularly like this type of food – and was quite disappointed. The taste was bland, and sometimes it was even inedible. My 3 friends were of the same opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand the service is fast and efficient. Within an hour, everything was finished, which is really appreciated!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if the barrier of the language is clear with the personnel on board, we manage to be understood in English. But don’t ask for “Mustard”, they obviously don’t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We finish the meal here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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End of meal – Business Class – Air China<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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End of meal – Business Class – Air China<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Between business and first class, there is plenty of room to refresh yourself during the flight or to stretch your legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bar area – Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What’s nice here is that it’s a separate area from the galley – unlike the vast majority of airlines operating a B777-300ER. You don’t feel like you’re interfering with the flight attendants’ work by staying here for a few minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see on the different pictures taken on the right and on the left side of the cabin, I walked around all along this flight, to try different seats. The one I preferred is 11A: it is the farthest from the engines and despite the warning from seat-guru that we could be disturbed by the passage to the toilets, we are still well away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are different views of the cabin with “red” lighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Business Class – Air China B777-300ER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The blankets provided by Air China are very thick. Once you lie down, you feel like you are in a cocoon. Here is a picture of the blankets used by my friends on our flight home:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cover – Business Class – Air China<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n