AZ or AF in J class??
 

Im flying to CPH in November and wanted to know who has the better all around Biz Product in the following categories:

1) Seat Comfort- AF 747, A340,777 vs. AZ 777
2) Service- friendliness, attentiveness and efficiency
3) Quality of Food
4) Lounge Access
5) Ease of Connecting Airport- MXP, FCO vs. CDG

Anybody who has flown on these carriers feel free to comment even if it wasnt in J. Ill probably be flying out of MIA or JFK depending on ease of schedule.

Let the competition begin.

From JFK I'd consider KLM -- I have only flown the 'old' AF J, and it was wickedly unimpressive -- plus you have to transit CDG.

Steve

I haven't flown much longhaul, but I can comment on hubs. I find the AZ hubs (particularly FCO) far nicer places to transit than CDG. For a start, they're not as big/crowded as CDG so there's fewer people moving about creating noise. The AZ extra-Schengen lounge in Rome is quite nice, too.
And most airport workers (not just airline employees) seem to speak English which is a big plus when you 've got to be at gate Z998 in 3 minutes and for some reason can't find/understand the signs.
So IMHO Alitalia wins hands down in the ground/transfer department. Another positive for AZ is that it offers (nonconvertible) F class seating in shorthaul- it is AFAIK the only European airline to do so.
But you'll have to rely on others for opinions on the longhaul part!

The AF arrivals lounge in CDG is a very civilized place to relax. There are no comparable AZ facilities in MXP and the Schengen departures lounges there are definitely subpar.

I would agree that the AF lounges at CDG are quite nice, but the headache of transferring at CDG since the 2E collapse is quite unpleasant. I've been stuck going through CDG 4-5 times/year. It is less pleasant than returning connections through JFK! (And that is not good).

I would also try to avoid the AZ airports as someone always seems to be on strike. The "non-convertable F class depends on the equipment. The A321s I flew on 2 months ago TLV-MXP were definately "convertable".

Therefore, I would use KL in AMS on this one, it should be both quickest and least painful.

The only problem is that it HAS to be a Delta or Delta codeshare flight(Im travelling on a "B" fare and I was told this by SMS). Since KLM does not codeshare with DL I cant use them. So, really the only two options I have are AF or AZ. Czech is also an option but the connection in Prague doesnt get me to CPH in time.

AZ does not allow you to use DVD or CD players at altitude. This may or may not matter to you, however.

In that case, I'd go for the CDG.

i suppose this applies to Ipods as well. I would have to think that the AVOD entertainment on the AZ 777 would keep me occupied. How are the 747's for AF? If it came down to the AZ 777 or the AF 747 what would be the best option??

iPods look to be okay.

Consult the Alitalia Legal info page for more details.

It doesn't apply to Ipods or laptops sans cd/dvd or anything that doesn't depend on laser technologies.
This has been discussed beyond nauseam!

This, as most posts condemning AZ around here, is distorted and/or wildly exaggerated.
1) Strikes at Italian airports do exist but are less frequent than people seem to think and even when they're striking they usually manage to get you and your baggage there in time. AEA statistics give Alitalia a better luggage connection % than KL, in my view that's a more reliable measure than some relative who was affected by an MXP strike.
2) Unless you're involved in irr ops, M80s is the only equipment you are going to find on the CPH run, and all of them come with nonconvertible F seating. Undoubtedly configurations will depend on the equipment. I sometimes fly the ERJ on BHX-MXP, and that's convertible...actually the only difference between C and Y is a curtain. But that certainly doesn't concern the OP!

The above, of course, are completely unrelated to Alitalia's longhaul product. But they're no less than the objective truth as regards some AZ-related aspects (and no, I don't work for them neither do I claim they're the world's best airline...but some people round here seem to think that discrediting the honest efforts of others is fun, and I'm happy to defend the AZ folks who have always done their best to help me and more often than not recognise Skyteam benefits more readily and with a better attitude than AF....)

I totally agree!

the few times i've been flying with alitalia, there has been something that was not regular but each time they handled the irregularity very well and did more than what i could expect. Sometimes i wish that such irregularity would happen more often... especially my very cheap flight cancelled, rerouted on no-food SAS via FRA, i ask at the FRA AZ desk if i could get something (expected sandwish and orange juice)... i got a 23 EUR voucher to eat a very good meal anywhere in FRA, far better than what I had on the few J/C flights i made. And i arrived earlier than my original scheduled arrival time.

as well, i volunteered when my flight was overbooked and was proposed a connection on Lufthansa that arrived earlier than the next AZ/AF flight that was rather empty... i don't think AF would have done this in a general case.

and yes, they don't apply SkyTeam rules all the time... when I asked about the AZ lounge in Athens as an ST Elite, they told me no problem... while it should be only for Elite+ :)

I did not mean to be completely anti AZ with my post. I will agree that they are more friendly than AF, and the connections are less of a hassle at MXP than CDG. It my be my bad luck, but I always seem to be stuck on C class with the A-321 or similar and I do seem to always hit a strike (The Janitor strike a few years ago was particularly disgusting, garbage everywhere in the terminal).

My CDG recommendation was more based on saving 2 hours of flying.

Cheers