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Wednesday newsletters all the time characteristic a resort or flight assessment.

Final summer time, I loved an exceptional safari & seaside vacation in South Africa and Mozambique, in all probability my finest vacation ever. You’ll be able to learn my journey experiences right here:

At present: Overview of Air Belgium’s Airbus A330neo Enterprise Class (Johannesburg to Brussels)

Final summer time, I traveled with buddies to Southern Africa. I flew with Air France onboard a Boeing 777 geared up with the service’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 consider they did a fairly good job, so kudos to them). Air Belgium is a Brussels primarily based 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 service presently 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 (even though it’s not actually related anymore).

Have you ever ever flown with Air Belgium? In that case, what was your expertise? Go away 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 assessment (extra data & images beneath the YouTube video):

Value of the ticket
Shongololo Lounge at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport
Enterprise Class cabin
Enterprise Class seat (+ finest & worst seats)
Facilities & bedding
Meals
Leisure
Onboard web
Different inflight experiences
Verdict (rating)

1. COST OF THE TICKET

The value for the roundtrip ticket (Brussels-Johannesburg-Brussels) was 1800 euros. The ticket was booked on the Air Belgium web site throughout an internet sale.

AIR BELGIUM AIRBUS A330NEO

2. SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE AT JOHANNESBURG O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT

Air Belgium supplied 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 gives loads of seating and a up to date decor. A self-service buffet gives an honest choice of sizzling meals, sandwiches, greens, recent fruits, pastries,, prompt noodles, curries and desserts. The drinks choice is great and contains a number of well-known South African purple and white wines.

SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE AT JOHANNESBURG O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT
SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE AT JOHANNESBURG O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT
SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE AT JOHANNESBURG O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT
SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE AT JOHANNESBURG O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT
SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE AT JOHANNESBURG O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT
SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE AT JOHANNESBURG O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT
SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE AT JOHANNESBURG O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT
SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE AT JOHANNESBURG O.R. TAMBO AIRPORT

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 Financial system Class seats, with one other 235 Financial system Class seats on the plane’s rear. This provides a complete passenger capability of 286.

The service 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, and so they alternate between seats nearer to the window (which provide extra privateness) and seats nearer to the aisle (that are extra uncovered). The seats within the middle of the aircraft are paired seats, alternating between ‘honeymoon’ seats (seats subsequent to one another with a divider which will 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, trendy however considerably sterile look. The colour palette varies from white (cabin partitions) to comfortable 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 purple brand, 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.

AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS CABIN
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS CABIN
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS CABIN

4. BUSINESS CLASS SEAT (+ BEST & WORST SEATS)

Air Belgium’s Enterprise Class seat incorporates a pitch of 78 inch (198 cm) and width of 26 inch (66 cm). The seat is comfy and well-padded.

Subsequent to the seat is a console with some space for storing 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 beneath the ottoman). This facet of the seat additionally incorporates a studying gentle, 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 set 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 lengthen 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 will be pulled out fairly simply; the desk can be moved out-of-the-way when that you must stand up.

On the push of a button, the seat reclines into a completely and really comfy flatbed with a size of 78 inch (200 cm), together with the footrest.

What are the finest 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 might undergo 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 Financial system bassinet seats.
In case you are touring solo, you don’t need to select one of many honeymoon seats (it will be downright awkward when you find yourself subsequent to a stranger in that configuration). In case you’d be assigned a honyemoon seat, there’s a divider that you would be able to increase although for extra privateness.
The home windows seats in rows 1, 3, 5 and seven face into the aisle and are usually not as personal because the window seats in rows 2, 4, 6 and eight.

Click on right here for a seat map of Air Belgium’s A330neo.

AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS SEAT
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS SEAT: FLAT BED
AIR BELGIUM A330NEO BUSINESS CLASS SEAT: FLAT BED

5. AMENITIES & BEDDING

Air Belgium’s Enterprise Class passengers get the next facilities throughout a longhaul flight:

An amenity package with a dental package, comb, socks, eye shades and ear plugs
First rate bedding, comprised of a fluffy pillow and heat blanket
Air Belgium labelled noise-cancelling headphones

AIR BELGIUM AMENITY KIT
AIR BELGIUM AMENITY KIT
NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES
BLANKET
PILLOW

6. MEALS

On this in a single day flight, a dinner (after takeoff) and breakfast (previous to touchdown) had been served.

My buddies select the next choice from the menu:

Starter: roasted kingklip with Cape Malay curry, pineapple, peppers and purple onion salsa

Fundamental course (first alternative): pan-fried Norwegian salmon, gentle harissa sauce, butternut and child squash purée

Fundamental course (second alternative): mushroom ravioli with herbs, tomato sauce, boccocini cheese, and recent pesto

Snacks had been supplied within the Enterprise Class galley through 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 constituted of African Grand Cru cocoa beans had been supplied as a goodbye current.

MENU
MENU
MENU
MENU
DINNER: APERITIF
DINNER: STARTER
DINNER: MAIN COURSE
DINNER: MAIN COURSE
DINNER: CHEESE
MID-FLIGHT SNACKS IN GALLEY
BREAKFAST
BREAKFAST
CHOCOLATES

7. ENTERTAINMENT

Air Belgium’s inflight leisure system gives 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 provide all the required route data, together with data on the nation overflown, views from the cockpit, and 3D visualization.

AIR BELGIUM INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
AIR BELGIUM INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
AIR BELGIUM INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

8. ONBOARD INTERNET

Air Belgium’s A330neo planes are geared up with WiFi and three completely different web packages are supplied:

Chat  (5€): permits to ship textual content messages from a pill or smartphone together with WhatsApp, iMessage and Messenger for your entire period of the flight.
Surf Straightforward (12€):  permits to ship emails, surf on internet gentle pages and social media for your entire period of your flight.
Surf Plus (20€):: permits to browse on bigger internet pages and entry VPN and audio streaming at some stage in 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 bathrooms 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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