Flight Test: Air Canada business class

Comfort The lie-flat beds are truly flat; they recline to 180 degrees, unlike some so-called lie-flat seats that force you to sleep on an angle of 160 or 170 degrees. No special padded mattresses or quilted duvets but it's certainly comfortable enough to sleep for six to seven hours at a stretch. The cabin's disco-like "mood lighting" (blue for night and pink for day) is meant to ease jet lag. The amenity kit covers all the usual bases, with aromatherapy lotion from Vancouver company Escents being the highlight.

Entertainment Air Canada's excellent bilingual magazine EnRoute has been named one of the best airline magazines in the world by CNN. But should the stories on subjects as diverse as Cincinnati and China not take your fancy, there are also eight movie channels, 16 TV channels and 24 audio channels. The selection of new-release movies is not extensive so you might find more interesting fare in the avant-garde, arthouse and international sections. There's a 30-centimetre touchscreen and Sennheiser noise-cancelling headphones (whose covers can be difficult to keep on).

Service Despite a cabin attendant committing the faux pas of offering me "sparkling wine" (it is in fact Drappier Carte d'Or Brut champagne), the service is generally friendly and efficient without being too overbearing. Even after dinner when the lights are dimmed, cabin staff are quick to offer snacks and drinks to those passing through the galley.

Food and beverages Dinner is served after departure with an entree of scallops and tiger prawns on a fennel and dill salad and four main choices — steak, mushroom risotto, salmon and the ubiquitous chicken dish. The five wines available are mainly European — and the only North American drop is from California — which seems like a missed opportunity to showcase Canadian wine. For breakfast there's a choice of pancakes with maple butter and a cran-apple compote or that perennial airline favourite: the omelet. In between meals you can order "snacks" such as a dim sum selection, chicken wrap or raspberry chocolate fudge tart, or help yourself to drinks, fruit, sandwiches and muesli bars in the bar area.

Flight frequency Air Canada flies daily direct from Sydney to Vancouver. An Executive First (business class) return airfare costs from $7358 including taxes.

Tested by Lauren Quaintance, who flew courtesy of Air Canada.