I was quite looking forward to this flight for two reasons:
- The last time I flew US Airways business class was from Charlotte to Paris about a year ago, and the service was amusingly bad, so I was curious if that was the exception or the norm
- Given the merger with American and the “standardizing” of products, I was curious how the offerings differed from my flight last year
US Airways 733
London Heathrow (LHR) – Charlotte (CLT)
Saturday, October 11
Depart: 2:25PM
Arrive: 6:20PM
Duration: 8hr55min
Aircraft: Airbus A330
Seat: 2H (Business Class)
Upon boarding through door 2L I was pointed left into the business class cabin. US Airways has the most primitive form of reverse herringbone seats of any airline, and that’s actually a compliment. Reverse herringbone seats are my favorite type of business class hard product, and US Airways is the airline that first offered these seats.
So while the seats aren’t quite as snazzy as the “evolved” versions of the product available on American, Cathay Pacific, and EVA, etc., it’s still a fantastic product.
The A330-200 business class cabin consists of just 20 seats, spread across five rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. Not only does every seat have direct aisle access, but the cabin actually feels pretty intimate. Keep in mind that American has 16 first class seats on the 777-200, so really the cabin is more the size of a first class cabin than a business class cabin.
I had booked seat 2H, a window seat in the second row. It’s an all around really solid hard product, though I’d say the one area where the more modern reverse herringbone seats have improved is with privacy. There’s not much privacy around your head while seated — the more advanced versions of the seat have a “widget” which goes along the side of the seat for added privacy.
US Airways business class seat A330
US Airways business class seat A330
US Airways business class seat A330
The great thing about reverse herringbone seats is how private they are. To some I guess that’s not a good thing, because even the center seats are private to the point that you can’t have a conversation with the person seated next to you without leaning forward.
US Airways business class cabin A330
In terms of the seat’s features, to the right of the seat were the entertainment controller, reading light, headphone jack, and power outlet (both 110v and USB).
US Airways business class seat controllers and outlets A330
Below that were the seat controls, which were fairly intuitive.
US Airways business class seat controls A330
Also waiting at my seat were a pillow and blanket — not the best pillow and blanket out there, but better than the stripper stockings and bra stuffing they offer as blankets and pillows domestically (respectively).
US Airways business class pillow & blanket
To the left of the seat is an armrest which can be lowered, though it has to be in the upright position for takeoff.
US Airways business class seat A330
There’s also a bottle holder next to the armrest, which holds a big bottle of water. I appreciate that they offer such large bottles, because I consume liquids like a drain on planes (typically alcoholic on non-US airlines, and non-alcoholic on US airlines).
US Airways business class bottled water
Also waiting at my seat was an American Airlines amenity kit. They’re perfectly fine for business class amenity kits and have all the basics.
US Airways business class amenity kit
US Airways business class amenity kit
Once settled in the flight attendant working my aisle, Mallorie, came by to offer me a drink and introduce herself. I could immediately tell it would be a great flight. Mallorie was just lovely — she was friendly, genuine, smiling, and had an eye for detail.
Anyway, I had a glass of water pre-departure, which was served with a lemon.
US Airways business class pre-departure water
I was also offered Bose headphones. American has long been leading the industry when it comes to premium cabin headphones, as they’ve been offering Bose headphones in first and business class for years, while some of the world’s top airlines still use cheap headphones in their premium cabins. It’s nice to see that has been brought over to US Airways now.
US Airways business class Bose headphones
After that Mallorie also offered me the menu for the flight.
US Airways business class menu
Shortly before pushback the captain came on the PA to advise us of our flight time of 8hr25min, which he anticipated would put us into Charlotte on schedule.
London Heathrow Terminal 3
There was a bit of congestion in the alley, first with a Virgin Atlantic 747 pulling out of the apron, and then with an American 777 pulling into the apron.
American 777-300ER London Heathrow Terminal 3
London Heathrow Terminal 3
American 767-300 London Heathrow Terminal 3
American 777 London Heathrow Terminal 3
We began our taxi to runway 27L, which took about 10 minutes. During that time the safety video played.
British Airways 777 taking off London Heathrow
As we taxied I couldn’t help but smile at the Qatar Airways A380 which had just arrived at Heathrow. It’s the same plane I flew the day before, and it was only the second time it visited London.
Qatar Airways A380 London Heathrow
British Airways A320 London Heathrow
Once at runway 27L we were number three for takeoff, behind an Emirates A380 and an American 777.
Emirates A380 London Heathrow
American 777-300ER London Heathrow
As we taxied into position on the runway I had a pretty spectacular view of the American 777 in front of us rotating.
Lining up runway 27L London Heathrow
I also had a nice view of the British Airways oneworld 747, which I’ve flown a couple of times before.
British Airways 747 London Heathrow
Our takeoff roll was quick, and since I was seated on the right side of the aircraft I had a great view of Heathrow right after takeoff, especially of British Airways’ home, Terminal 5.
Terminal 5 London Heathrow after takeoff
Add an Instagram filter or two, and it looks even cooler. 😉
Terminal 5 London Heathrow after takeoff
Our climb out was mostly smooth.
View after takeoff from London Heathrow
View after takeoff from London Heathrow
View after takeoff from London Heathrow
I took the opportunity to check out the airshow.
US Airways airshow A330
US Airways airshow A330
US Airways airshow A330
US Airways airshow A330
And then I browsed the entertainment selection as well. It’s a fairly decent selection, and I eventually decided on Bad Words, which was kind of ridiculous and amusing at the same time.
US Airways entertainment A330
About 25 minutes after takeoff the flight attendants began their service.
US Airways A330 business class cabin
The menu read as follows:
And the wine/drink list read as follows:
Service began with meal orders being taken, and was quickly followed by hot towels.
US Airways business class hot towel
After that I took out my tray table in preparation for the meal service. The trays are on the small side, though at least they slide in and out easily.
US Airways business class tray A330
Service began with drinks. I ordered a Diet Coke with lime, which was served with warm mixed nuts.
US Airways business class drinks and hot nuts
After that the appetizer and salad were served.
The appetizer consisted of chicken with tzatziki sauce, arugula cream cheese, and cream cheese stuffed baby peppers. Then there was a salad with sundried tomatoes and pine nuts. I was also offered bread from the breadbasket, and selected a pretzel roll (yum!).
US Airways business class salad and appetizer
The appetizer was fine, though it’s hard to get excited over thinly sliced chicken as a premium cabin meal. But it was good for what it was.
US Airways business class appetizer — chicken with tzatziki sauce
The salad and pretzel roll were excellent, though!
US Airways business class salad with sundried tomatoes and pine nuts
US Airways business class pretzel roll
For the main course I ordered the cod. It sounded amazing. I love cod and I love parmesan, but together it really didn’t work. Not only was the flavor weird, but the cod was chewier than Swedish Fish.
US Airways business class main course parmesan crusted roasted cod
I was kind of surprised that US Airways doesn’t censor their in-flight movies. I got some full on ta-ta action in my movie (censoring mine). Go figure one of the other flight attendants was clearing my tray as that scene came on, and I think he DDamn near died. 😉
US Airways doesn’t censor movies?
After the main course the dessert cart was rolled around, which had ice cream, cheese, and cannolis on it.
US Airways business class dessert cart
I had some ice cream with the strawberry toppings and nuts.
US Airways business class ice cream sundae dessert
The entire meal service took about 90 minutes, which is the perfect length. And while the food wasn’t amazing, the service was, at least by US standards. Not only was Mallorie friendly and efficient, but she was also extremely proactive. For example, when she saw that my Diet Coke was running low on ice she brought another cup with just ice in it.
It had been a long week for me, so within just under seven hours to go to Charlotte I decided to try and get some rest. Reverse herringbone seats are great for sleeping, and I slept really well for over five hours, which is about the most sleep I’ve ever gotten on a transatlantic flight.
US Airways A330 business class cabin
When I woke up we were already approaching New York, with just over 90 minutes to go.
US Airways airshow
US Airways airshow
Within minutes of waking up the pre-arrival meal service began. The menu read as follows:
I had the salad. While the turkey skewer had seen better days, it was still quite good.
US Airways business class pre-arrival snack
After the snack, less than an hour before landing, I asked Mallorie for a cappuccino. To be honest I felt a bit guilty asking for it, since I know the crew has a lot of work to do in the last hour of the flight. And I realize the fact that I felt sheepish asking for it is a function of being conditioned to US airlines. On Singapore Airlines I wouldn’t feel guilty asking for a cappuccino 20 minutes before landing.
Not only did Mallorie get me a cappuccino without rolling her eyes, but she said “of course!” So kudos to her, and I really do appreciate that US Airways offers espresso and cappuccino on their A330s (American only offers this in first class on the A321s and 777-300ERs).
US Airways business class cappuccino
About 30 minutes out the captain came on the PA again with updated arrival information, anticipating we’d be arriving on schedule.
View on descent into Charlotte
We hit some pretty strong turbulence on our initial descent, but it was smooth beyond that.
View on final descent into Charlotte
View on final descent into Charlotte
View on final descent into Charlotte
Our touchdown in Charlotte was gentle, and we had a roughly five minute taxi to the gate.
Touchdown in Charlotte
Charlotte Airport terminal
We parked right next to a US Airways A321 and Lufthansa A340. Whenever I see a Lufthansa plane I say to myself “hmmm, I could hop right back on that plane and fly in the other direction.”
Charlotte Airport traffic
There was a slight hold up on arrival. Apparently the customs facility was so full that we had to wait on the plane for 10 minutes after the door opened. That’s always a bit frustrating when you have Global Entry, since obviously there’s no queue for that.
It certainly wasn’t a big deal, especially since we had arrived a bit early.
US Airways business class bottom line
I tend to say that transatlantic business class is all about the seat. And US Airways does have a very good seat. They were the first to have the best seat out there and while there are slightly more pimped out versions of the product in the meantime, it’s still very good. Each seat has direct aisle access, lots of personal space, and a comfortable sleeping surface.
The food on the flight was edible, though not amazing. Then again, aside from Austrian and Turkish, I don’t remember the last time I’ve had a memorable meal in business class on a transatlantic flight.
But in terms of the service, this flight was the polar opposite from my last US Airways transatlantic flight. Mallorie was a star, and frankly sort of what I was hoping for from a flight attendant base that seems as wholesome as Chaw’lotte.
Thumbs up!
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