Aeroflot business class

HEATHROW-MOSCOW

BACKGROUND Aeroflot flies between two and four times daily from London Heathrow to Moscow, and has daily flights from London Gatwick. Several different aircraft types are used on the routes: both narrow body short-haul aircraft such as the A321 and widebody long-haul aircraft such as the A330-300.

CHECK-IN I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 4 at 1145 for my 1335 departure on Aeroflot SU2579 to Moscow. There is a dedicated check-in area at Zone G, where there was no queue, and then I used the fast track to go through to airside.

THE LOUNGE Aeroflot uses the Skyteam Lounge, which is set over two floors – see businesstraveller.com for the review.

BOARDING This was hassle-free. At the seat was a blue amenity bag containing a toothbrush and toothpaste, eye mask, hand cream, comb, shoe horn and pen. Ear plugs were brought before take-off.

THESE AT Aeroflot has several different versions of business class on its aircraft. On this A330-300 it is called Business Class President and is typically used on the longer-haul flights.

The business class seating is in a 2-2-2 configuration on this aircraft. Aeroflot has a few different configurations of the A330-300, however, and total seating in two classes ranges from 296 to 302 seats. I was in the last full row, row 5, in a window seat, 5K. The seat is a good size and has a solid table that comes out of the arm rest – it doesn’t vibrate as you work or eat. There was in-seat power via USB and plug sockets (US, UK or EU), which meant I could charge both my phone and my laptop while I worked on it. The other arm contained the controls for the in-flight entertainment (IFE) and the seat, with some presets for quick adjustments or individual controls for smaller adjustments. This isn’t a fully flat seat, more of an angled lie-flat that used to be common in European long-haul business class a few years ago.

BEST SEAT If you want access to the aisle without having to climb over anyone, then the two centre or aisle seats are best. Most service comes from the rear galley, so you’d be fairly safe being close to the front of the galley in rows 1 or 2, though I find that even if there is no noise disturbance from crew chatting there, you still get light disturbance when trying to sleep. Go for row 3 or 4.

THE FLIGHT The IFE had a large selection of films and wifi was available through OnAir, but highly priced at US$5 for 15 minutes, and up to US$50 for the entire flight and 150MB.

There was a good choice of food on the menu by leading chef Igor Grishechkin. I had a starter of nelma (an 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. I had planned to get some sleep but worked right the way through, slightly amazed at how quickly time passed.

ARRIVAL We arrived before the scheduled time at Moscow Sheremetyevo airport, and were quickly off the aircraft.

VERDICT Very good. Aeroflot has different aircraft types on this route, including short-haul aircraft, but for a threehour 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. Tom Otley

For a three-hour flight this was a slice of luxury. Good service, excellent food and wine