REVIEWS
JOON A340-300 Business class, Paris CDG-Cape Town
JOON IS THE NEW AIRLINE BRAND from Air France. The aim is that it will support Air France in growing its network to and from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. By summer 2019 Joon will have increased its fleet to 18 Airbus A320s and A321s, with four A340s flying long haul. This flight to Cape Town departs three-times weekly during the summer, and five-times weekly in the winter. By Tom Otley
BOARDING I was transferring from a morning flight from London Heathrow. The flight boarded on time at Gate L22 and we were quickly away without any fuss. THE SEAT The business class cabin has a total of 30 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, with four rows A-C, six centre rows of D-H and five rows of J-L. This is an old-style Air France
business class seat with new upholstery. It is lie-flat with a recline of 175 degrees, a bed width of 24 inches and a length of 78 inches. There is one USB socket for each seat and an electric socket, though you need an adaptor if you have a UK plug. There is a compartment
between each seat and a slot for your shoes. The side table slides out and upwards from the arm of the chair. There is a new in-flight entertainment system (IFE) or you can download the Joon app before you fly and use the onboard wifi to stream entertainment to your device from the onboard server. THE FLIGHT Once at my seat, I was offered champagne, juice or water. There was a sheet/duvet at the seat, along with a shoe bag containing slippers, flight socks and covers for the headphones. I was given an amenity bag that
Joon business class seats – an old-style Air France seat with new upholstery
included an eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste. For the meal, there is a
choice of four hot courses with another six courses available for pre-booking at no extra cost. By the time they got to the last row where I was sitting, they had run out of most choices so I was given the option of pork or squid. The meal started with a pre-
starter of shrimp and grapefruit jelly with a cocktail. The starter proper was a neat slab of poultry terrine served with a fruit chutney, spelt salad and crusty roll. The main course options
included chicken in a lemon sauce with dauphine ravioles (French cheese-filled ravioli); risotto with saffron and basil cream; orecchiette pasta with squid; or pork loin with sesame in an orange and vinegar sauce. To finish there was canele (a pastry) with fruit and some chocolate. When the cabin lights were
dimmed for a few hours I reclined the seat to sleep. It’s comfortable, though not quite long enough. VERDICT In business class there isn’t much to choose between Air France and Joon. The airline is positioning itself as new, which is difficult to do convincingly on long haul with an ageing fleet.
Emirates Business Class Lounge, Terminal 3, Dubai International airport
EMIRATES BUSINESS CLASS LOUNGE, DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
EMIRATES HAS SEVERAL LOUNGES ACROSS concourses A, B and C at Dubai International airport. It has a separate lounge for business and first class passengers, as well as eligible Emirates Skywards members and passengers of Qantas codeshare flights. By Neha Gupta Kapoor
WHERE IS IT? After security, past Duty Free, follow the signs to the Emirates Business Class Lounge in Terminal 3’s Concourse A. It spans all Emirates departure gates within the concourse, allowing direct access to some boarding gates. WHO CAN ACCESS IT? Skywards Silver, Gold or Platinum members and business and first class passengers. Blue tier members can pay US$105 to enter, and the same for each guest. Gold Skywards members are allowed one complimentary guest and Platinum are allowed to take one adult and two child guests to the lounge at no extra cost. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The space is divided into sections in which to relax, dine and work. It has a champagne lounge, a food hub with healthy snacks and other outlets offering gourmet dining options. There is also a bar that offers a selection of fine cigars. At the health hub you can help
yourself to pita with hummus, international and Arabic hot and cold dishes, juices, sodas, hot drinks and alcoholic beverages. Buffets at both ends of the lounge
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have communal tables, as well as individual tables for privacy. Outside these dining areas,
there are plenty of sofas arranged around coffee tables where you can relax or work in privacy connected to free wifi that is impressively fast. There is also a business centre equipped with computers and at the reception desk you can get help with printing and scanning. Desks with power points
are convenient for recharging mobile devices and catching up on emails. Alternatively, there are screened areas with loungers where the weary traveller can take a short nap. Showers and a spa are
available for passengers to freshen up before their flight. During the day the lounge is crowded, so you may have to wait up to an hour for these facilities. There are two sets of all the
amenities, one at each end of the lounge, so you don’t have to traverse the entire space (which could take a considerable time) to find what you need. VERDICT This is a fantastic place in which to both work and relax.
2018 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 137
FLIGHT
LOUNGE
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