During the summwr months, Air Canada deploys widebody aircraft on popular routes to the West Coast, mostly the A330-300 and 787-8 and -9 Dreamliner, but also its least-common long-haul aircraft: The 777-200LR. Acquired by the Canadian flag carrier in the late 2000s as a replacement for the fuel-thirsty A340-500s, the 9,500-mile-ranged 777s are used on select long-haul routes, such as YVR-SYD and YYZ-DEL. However, due to increased passenger demand in the summer, the big Boeings occasionally show up in Los Angeles on the popular YYZ-LAX route. Given how few 777-200LRs were built and how most carriers that flew them into LAX have retired them (Delta Air Lines and Etihad Airways) or replaced them with other equipment (Emirates and Qatar Airways), this is a rarer opportunity to fly the longest-ranged Boeing airliner to Los Angeles.
Server: Solo
Airline: Air Canada
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LR
Origin: Toronto Pearson International Airport, Mississauga, Canada (YYZ)
Destination: Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Flight Number: AC785
Route: CYYZ-KLAX
Seat: 12A (Economy)
Time En Route: 4 Hours 54 Minutes
Boarding at Gate F71. After Delta retired their 777 fleet in 2020 due to decreased passenger demand and a desire to consolidate the long-haul fleet around the A350 and A330-900neo, Air Canada remains the only North American operator of the 777-200LR.
Pushing back for our transcontinental flight. Our aircraft, with 300 seats, is a major upgrade in capacity from the usual 787-8 Dreamliner.
After a long taxi, we’re about to line up on Runway 05 for departure
Taking off from Toronto
Cruising over the cornfields of Iowa
Over the Grand Canyon just before we began to prepare for our decent and arrival in LA
Final descent into Los Angeles
Late morning arrival in LA after just short of 5 hours in the air
Taxiing to Terminal 6
Parked at Gate 68B. Unlike most international carriers and certainly almost all ones flying widebodies into LAX, Air Canada generally doesn’t use the Tom Bradley International Terminal for its operations, enabling easier connections with fellow Star Alliance carrier United Airlines at Terminals 6 and 7.