Wednesday newsletters at all times function a resort or flight evaluate.
Final summer season, I loved an exceptional safari & seashore vacation in South Africa and Mozambique, most likely my greatest vacation ever. You may learn my journey stories right here:
Right now: Assessment of Air Belgium’s Airbus A330neo Enterprise Class (Johannesburg to Brussels)
Final summer season, I traveled with buddies to Southern Africa. I flew with Air France onboard a Boeing 777 outfitted with the provider’s latest Enterprise Class cabin with sliding doorways. My buddies booked Enterprise Class flights with Air Belgium and I requested them to take some movies & images of their onboard expertise (I imagine they did a reasonably good job, so kudos to them). Air Belgium is a Brussels based mostly airline working a fleet of 9 plane together with 4 passenger plane and 5 full-freighter plane: 2 Airbus A330-900 (A330neo), 2 Airbus A330-200, 2 Airbus A330F, and three Boeing B747-8F. Sadly, due to a restructuring course of, Air Belgium ended all scheduled passenger flights in October 2023. The provider at present solely operates cargo flights in addition to chartered flights on behalf of different airways (e.g. British Airways, LOT Polish Airways). As an aviation geek and to honor Air Belgium’s nice onboard service, I made a decision to nonetheless publish this journey report (although it’s not actually related anymore).
Have you ever ever flown with Air Belgium? In that case, what was your expertise? Depart a remark.
- Journey: Johannesburg (JNB) to Brussels (BRU)
- Airline: Air Belgium
- Plane kind: Airbus A330neo
- Plane registration quantity: OO-ABG
- On time departure: sure (7 pm)
- On time arrival: sure (6 am)
- Miles: 5510 mi (8870 km)
- Flight time: 10 hours
- Seat: 4A
- Class: Enterprise Class
On this evaluate (extra data & images under the YouTube video):
- Price of the ticket
- Shongololo Lounge at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport
- Enterprise Class cabin
- Enterprise Class seat (+ greatest & worst seats)
- Facilities & bedding
- Meals
- Leisure
- Onboard web
- Different inflight experiences
- Verdict (rating)
1. COST OF THE TICKET
The worth for the roundtrip ticket (Brussels-Johannesburg-Brussels) was 1800 euros. The ticket was booked on the Air Belgium web site throughout a web based sale.
2. SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE AT JOHANNESBURG O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT
Air Belgium provided its passengers entry to the Shongololo Lounge lounge at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport. The Shongololo lounge companions with a number of airways for his or her premium cabin passengers, together with Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Singapore Airways. The lounge presents loads of seating and a up to date decor. A self-service buffet presents an honest collection of sizzling meals, sandwiches, greens, contemporary fruits, pastries,, immediate noodles, curries and desserts. The drinks choice is superb and contains a number of well-known South African crimson and white wines.
3. BUSINESS CLASS CABIN
Air Belgium’s Airbus A330neo plane options one Enterprise Class cabin on the entrance of the cabin with 30 lie-flat seats. Behind this are 21 Premium Economic system Class seats, with one other 235 Economic system Class seats on the plane’s rear. This provides a complete passenger capability of 286.
The provider has chosen to put in Solstys-style, totally lie flat seats in its Enterprise Class cabin. The seats are unfold over 8 rows and organized in a 1-2-1 format, with all seats going through ahead and providing direct aisle entry. The window seats are solo seats, they usually alternate between seats nearer to the window (which supply extra privateness) and seats nearer to the aisle (that are extra uncovered). The seats within the heart of the aircraft are paired seats, alternating between ‘honeymoon’ seats (seats subsequent to one another with a divider which might be raised or lowered) and seats separated by a console. The center pair and window seats have just a few inches/cm extra size in mattress mode in comparison with their aisle counterparts. This can be a comparable product just like the one you discover on Iberia, Emirates (A380 plane), Qantas, Asiana, and Thai Airways.
Air Belgium’s Enterprise Class cabin has a clear, fashionable however considerably sterile look. The colour palette varies from white (cabin partitions) to gentle gray (seat shells, tray tables, and bedding) to darkish gray (seat cushions). The one colourful contact within the cabin is fashioned by Air Belgium’s signature crimson emblem, which is prominently displayed on the wall within the aft of the cabin.
Click on right here for a seat map of Air Belgium’s A330neo.
4. BUSINESS CLASS SEAT (+ BEST & WORST SEATS)
Air Belgium’s Enterprise Class seat includes a pitch of 78 inch (198 cm) and width of 26 inch (66 cm). The seat is snug and well-padded.
Subsequent to the seat is a console with some cupboard space that can be utilized to stow away smaller objects equivalent to glasses, wallets or a cell phone (bigger objects should be saved within the overhead bins or underneath the ottoman). This facet of the seat additionally includes a studying mild, a panel & handset for the seat & inflight leisure controls, a USB port, an audio jack, and an influence outlet to cost private gadgets.
In entrance of the seat is a hard and fast 16-inch HD leisure display screen with an ottoman (footrest) beneath. The latter turns into a part of the flat-bed (when the seat is reclined) and means that you can prolong your legs as a lot as you wish to. Subsequent to the leisure display screen is a big tray desk, which is hooked up to the again of the seat in entrance and which might be pulled out fairly simply; the desk will also be moved out-of-the-way when you have to stand up.
On the push of a button, the seat reclines into a completely and really snug flatbed with a size of 78 inch (200 cm), together with the footrest.
What are the greatest Enterprise Class seats on Air Belgium’s A330neo?
- Solo vacationers ought to go for the window seats. Home windows seats are alternately situated nearer to the window (in rows 2, 4, 6 and eight) or to the aisle (in rows 1, 3, 5 and seven). The seats nearer to the window are those you need to select (you’ll really feel extra uncovered within the different seats, that are extra situated alongside the aisle than the window).
- {Couples} and good buddies ought to go for one of many so-called ‘honeymoon’ center seats (in rows 1, 3, 5 and seven).
What are the worst Enterprise Class seats on Air Belgium’s A330neo?
- Seats in row 1 and eight could endure from some noise from the galley and bathroom.
- I additionally recommend to keep away from the final row of Enterprise Class, row 8, which is situated in entrance of the Premium Economic system bassinet seats.
- If you’re touring solo, you don’t need to select one of many honeymoon seats (it might be downright awkward when you find yourself subsequent to a stranger in that configuration). In case you’ll be assigned a honyemoon seat, there’s a divider you could elevate although for extra privateness.
- The home windows seats in rows 1, 3, 5 and seven face into the aisle and aren’t as non-public because the window seats in rows 2, 4, 6 and eight.
Click on right here for a seat map of Air Belgium’s A330neo.
5. AMENITIES & BEDDING
Air Belgium’s Enterprise Class passengers get the next facilities throughout a longhaul flight:
- An amenity equipment with a dental equipment, comb, socks, eye shades and ear plugs
- First rate bedding, comprised of a fluffy pillow and heat blanket
- Air Belgium labelled noise-cancelling headphones
6. MEALS
On this in a single day flight, a dinner (after takeoff) and breakfast (previous to touchdown) have been served.
My buddies select the next choice from the menu:
-
Starter: roasted kingklip with Cape Malay curry, pineapple, peppers and crimson onion salsa
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Principal course (first alternative): pan-fried Norwegian salmon, gentle harissa sauce, butternut and child squash purée
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Principal course (second alternative): mushroom ravioli with herbs, tomato sauce, boccocini cheese, and contemporary pesto
Snacks have been provided within the Enterprise Class galley in the course of the night time (in case somebody would get hungry once more).
Ninety minutes prior touchdown, a breakfast was served with a sizzling dish: brioche French toast, caramelised pineapple purée, ardour fruit coulis, and vanilla sauce. After breakfast, high quality artisanal chocolate bars produced from African Grand Cru cocoa beans have been provided as a goodbye current.
7. ENTERTAINMENT
Air Belgium’s inflight leisure system presents as much as 120 movies, documentaries, cartoons and TV sequence. There’s a various vary of leisure and passengers can entry a library of 600 music tracks and a dozen video games for all ages. ARC maps supply all the required route data, together with data on the nation overflown, views from the cockpit, and 3D visualization.
8. ONBOARD INTERNET
Air Belgium’s A330neo planes are outfitted with WiFi and three totally different web packages are provided:
- Chat (5€): permits to ship textual content messages from a pill or smartphone together with WhatsApp, iMessage and Messenger for the complete length of the flight.
- Surf Simple (12€): permits to ship emails, surf on internet mild pages and social media for the complete length of your flight.
- Surf Plus (20€):: permits to browse on bigger internet pages and entry VPN and audio streaming at some point of your flight.
9. OTHER INFLIGHT EXPERIENCES
# CREW: The cabin crew on this flight was very well mannered, courteous and able to assist.
# LAVATORY: Air Belgium’s A330neo plane options three toilets for Enterprise Class passengers: one is situated behind the cockpit and the opposite two within the galley behind the Enterprise Class cabin.
10. VERDICT
- Cabin design: 8/10
- Seat privateness: 8/10
- Seat consolation (upright): 8/10
- Seat consolation (mattress place): 8/10
- Meals (high quality): 8/10
- Meals (amount): 9/10
- Inflight leisure : 8/10
- WiFi: 8/10
- Service: 9/10
- General expertise good: 8,2/10
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