REVIEWS AIRLINE Aeroflot A330, business class, LHR-SVO (Moscow Sheremetyevo) By Tom Otley AIRLINE Malaysia Airlines A350 business class, LHR-KUL (Kuala Lumpur) By Tom Otley
AEROFLOT WILL INCREASE ITS FLIGHTS FROM Heathrow to Moscow to five daily from 25 March, as the airline drops its Gatwick- Moscow service. There are several different aircraft types used on the route, both narrow body short-haul aircraft, such as the A321, and widebody long-haul aircraft, such as the A330-300. This afternoon departure was on a long-haul aircraft.
CHECK IN & BOARDING: I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 4 at 11.45 for my 13.35 departure on Aeroflot SU2579 to Moscow. There is a dedicated check-in area at Zone G. There was no queue and I used the fast track to go through to airside. As a member of Skyteam, Aeroflot uses the Skyteam Lounge. Boarding was at Gate 12, a short walk from the lounge. There was no queue, and I was quickly on board. The flight was not very busy in business, but was in economy. On my seat was a bright blue amenity bag with a toothbrush and toothpaste, eye mask, hand cream, comb, shoehorn and a pen. THE SEAT: Aeroflot has several versions of business class. On this A330-300, it is called Business Class President, and is typically used on long- haul flights. The business class seating is in a 2-2-2 configuration on this aircraft, in five rows of six seats and then a final row – row six, with just four because of the galley. The rust-coloured seats are a good size and have a strong table, which comes out of the armrest. In-seat
114 BBT March/April 2018
power is supplied via a USB port or plug socket (US, UK or EU). It isn’t a fully-flat seat, more of the angled, lie flat (160 degrees) that used to be common in European long-haul business class a few years ago. There was a large choice of films. Wifi through On Air was available, but highly priced – US$5 for 15 minutes, up to US$50 for the entire flight or 150MB. THE FLIGHT: There was a good choice of food. I had starter of nelma (a type of Arctic salmon) with grilled capsicum pepper, capers and black olives, served with soft cheese with dill. For the main, I chose halibut with emmer wheat and snow peas, served with cream sauce and halibut caviar. The wines included a champagne, a Chablis and a Bordeaux red. The flight was just over three hours and I worked throughout. VERDICT: Very good. Aeroflot has different aircraft types on this route including short-haul aircraft, but for a three-hour flight this was a slice of luxury. Good service, excellent food and wine, and one of the few times I wouldn’t have minded the flight being a bit longer.
THIS WAS THE INAUGURAL FLIGHT OF ONE of Malaysia Airlines’ new Airbus A350s on the Heathrow-Kuala Lumpur route. The A350 has four new first class seats, 35 in business class and 247 in economy. First class is in a 1-2-1 configuration at the front of the aircraft, behind which is a business class cabin (22 seats), a galley, then a second business class cabin of 13 seats.
LOUNGE & BOARDING: I was so early, check-in wasn’t open in Heathrow’s Terminal 4, although I had already done that online and had no bags to check in. The Malaysia Airlines’ lounges are available for business and first class passengers, and those with status in the Malaysia Airlines programme or Oneworld. The lounges are comfortable and clean, attractively decorated but dated and lack sufficient powerpoints/plugs. The bar, food selection and service make this a very agreeable place to wait for the flight. From the lounge it was only a short distance to gate 5A. THE SEAT: The fully-flat seats are all standard in the sense they are the Thompson XL Vantage seat. The cabin has a few quirks in its layout, not least the 1-2-1 and then 1-2-2 configuration of each row. It means some seats are preferable to others. They have differing storage space, depending on where you sit, but all have full automation with pre-sets for sitting, relaxing or sleeping. There is a powerpoint in the seat for EU, US or UK plugs, and wifi on board, costing US$20 for the
entire flight. The amenity bag includes Bulgari products. THE FLIGHT: Before take-off, we were offered a choice of drinks including champagne, and hot towels. Strangely, there was no safety briefing either by the crew or on the IFE – perhaps because it was an inaugural flight. Supper was served about 60 minutes after take- off. Starters were a choice of Asian-style duck salad, followed by mains of beef in black pepper sauce, halibut with wakame butter, chicken biryani or an open pie of seasonal vegetables. The meal was served without fuss, and since I wanted to work, I liked the way the flight attendants took the tray away as soon as I had finished so I could carry on working. VERDICT: This is a very good business class with delicious food that raises it above many competitors. My seat was comfortable, albeit quite narrow. The service was good – though we should have been told how to use the seatbelts properly, and passengers asked to stow their belongings. A safety demonstration is mandatory, even if it’s an inaugural flight.
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