Best Airline to Europe in Business class
Mar 12, 2011, 9:56 am
#6
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Italy
Programs: ITA Executive for life; AZ CFP "per sempre" (ST E+); LH SEN; BA Bronze
Posts: 1,948
Best food (as recently awarded; but without awards, I'm Italian, I love good food, and I'm often impressed by AZ's new offering) and flatbed seats.
Second to that, I would pick AF business; then AZ business on older aircraft. DL and KL would be my very, very last choice.
Mar 13, 2011, 2:47 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 925
Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (S60; SymbOS; Opera Mobi/498; U; en-GB) Presto/2.4.18 Version/10.00)
A wise résumé there raistlin, although I would probably go for something exotic like a c/s or Air Europa before daring the hell-ground occaisonally known as CDG!
All we need now is some more details to get some concrete choices on the table.
A wise résumé there raistlin, although I would probably go for something exotic like a c/s or Air Europa before daring the hell-ground occaisonally known as CDG!
All we need now is some more details to get some concrete choices on the table.
Mar 14, 2011, 3:25 pm
#8
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Italy
Programs: ITA Executive for life; AZ CFP "per sempre" (ST E+); LH SEN; BA Bronze
Posts: 1,948
Mar 14, 2011, 10:52 pm
#9
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: JFK
Programs: Delta GM, ST E+, SPG Gold
Posts: 141
In Skyteam, between the US and EU, by far the routes served by AZ new 330s (JFK-MXP; JFK-FCO; MIA-MXP).
Best food (as recently awarded; but without awards, I'm Italian, I love good food, and I'm often impressed by AZ's new offering) and flatbed seats.
Second to that, I would pick AF business; then AZ business on older aircraft. DL and KL would be my very, very last choice.
Best food (as recently awarded; but without awards, I'm Italian, I love good food, and I'm often impressed by AZ's new offering) and flatbed seats.
Second to that, I would pick AF business; then AZ business on older aircraft. DL and KL would be my very, very last choice.
Sorry, I have to disagree. AZ is a pitiful, sad airline. Business class or coach, it is by far one of the worst products ever offered! Italy may represent the best food on the ground, but in the sky, on the national airline of Italia, it's just horrible....horrible. And I'm Italian too!
Last November, I took a chance, flying biz class, JFK-FCO-JFK on a shabby, jacked up 772. Mama mia...molto vergognoso! Service was non existent...floor was dirty, seats dirty and in one case, they used a piece of electrical tape to hide the tear in the leather!
I love my people, but ghetto AZ will never change!
Mar 15, 2011, 2:52 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
To me AF is the best in most categories, except of course the slanted seat. If your trip ends in Paris, then CDG is great. It has the shortest walk to a taxi of any major airport. Transit can be tricky for newbies, but I know the airport well and have no problems. If we count the UK as Europe (most Brit's I know prefer not to), then BA is a winner. Fully flat seats and the new Terminal 5, while not perfect, is fine to spend a few hours in.
Mar 15, 2011, 5:20 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SUX
Programs: BA Silver; HHonors Gold; SPG Gold; Points but dirt with everyone else
Posts: 8,050
This video is amusing and informative throughout, but he makes that point in a quite humo(u)rous way around the two minute mark.
Mar 15, 2011, 1:27 pm
#12
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 925
Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (S60; SymbOS; Opera Mobi/498; U; en-GB) Presto/2.4.18 Version/10.00)
@upgradelovr: Well, a rather heated debate, so let's just say that recent AZ reviews have been mixed rather than entirely negative. For business I would recommend first the (new) 330's and then the 767's. For economy I would recommend the 330's followed by the 777's. In the future (say from now till end 2013) the 767's will be dismissed in favour of 330's and the 777's upgraded, so the outlook isn't that bleak.
@upgradelovr: Well, a rather heated debate, so let's just say that recent AZ reviews have been mixed rather than entirely negative. For business I would recommend first the (new) 330's and then the 767's. For economy I would recommend the 330's followed by the 777's. In the future (say from now till end 2013) the 767's will be dismissed in favour of 330's and the 777's upgraded, so the outlook isn't that bleak.
Mar 15, 2011, 4:00 pm
#13
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Italy
Programs: ITA Executive for life; AZ CFP "per sempre" (ST E+); LH SEN; BA Bronze
Posts: 1,948
Sorry, I have to disagree. AZ is a pitiful, sad airline. Business class or coach, it is by far one of the worst products ever offered! Italy may represent the best food on the ground, but in the sky, on the national airline of Italia, it's just horrible....horrible. And I'm Italian too!
Last November, I took a chance, flying biz class, JFK-FCO-JFK on a shabby, jacked up 772. Mama mia...molto vergognoso! Service was non existent...floor was dirty, seats dirty and in one case, they used a piece of electrical tape to hide the tear in the leather!
I love my people, but ghetto AZ will never change!
Last November, I took a chance, flying biz class, JFK-FCO-JFK on a shabby, jacked up 772. Mama mia...molto vergognoso! Service was non existent...floor was dirty, seats dirty and in one case, they used a piece of electrical tape to hide the tear in the leather!
I love my people, but ghetto AZ will never change!
Mar 16, 2011, 5:29 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,347
I write this as a Lifetime Platinum on AF/KL and a 2MM on Delta who has enough experience on all the carriers mentioned to know what he is talking about. AF is only a good option IF you are flying ONLY to Paris, OR you are flying from a US outstation which would make it so you would NOT have to connect in the US, even if having to connect in Paris. Otherwise AF Business Class is subpar in most respects:
Terrible Food
Terrible airport for connections (has improved over last 2 years, but just two weeks ago for example still had to deal with two "tours" of CDG by bus).
Horrible slanted cramped seat.
Subpar IFE on majority of planes
Horrible drink selection.
Almost universally terrible ground staff, and while some FA's are good, mosts till do the "run and hide" as soon as meal service is over for the entire flight (after all they are only there for "Surete")
If connecting to a further European flight you not only have the connection idiocy to deal with, but you will be in their horrible (and now with NEO, doubly horrible) Euro Biz class.
So LAX-CDG (for example).......AF is the best choice.
but LAX-IST (for example)...... DL is the best choice
Generally, at least in my opinion a nonstop beats certain lacking amenities everytime.
Terrible Food
Terrible airport for connections (has improved over last 2 years, but just two weeks ago for example still had to deal with two "tours" of CDG by bus).
Horrible slanted cramped seat.
Subpar IFE on majority of planes
Horrible drink selection.
Almost universally terrible ground staff, and while some FA's are good, mosts till do the "run and hide" as soon as meal service is over for the entire flight (after all they are only there for "Surete")
If connecting to a further European flight you not only have the connection idiocy to deal with, but you will be in their horrible (and now with NEO, doubly horrible) Euro Biz class.
So LAX-CDG (for example).......AF is the best choice.
but LAX-IST (for example)...... DL is the best choice
Generally, at least in my opinion a nonstop beats certain lacking amenities everytime.