For the next portion of my Orient Express adventure via Africa trip, I flew Air Algerie’s Airbus A320 business class on the one-hour flight from Algiers (ALG) to Tunis (TUN). Okay, Air Algerie doesn’t actually operate A320s, so this flight was operated by Lithuanian and Maltese charter operator Avion Express (which Air Algerie is really bad at disclosing during the booking process).
I mean, what can one really say about this flight, especially after coming off of Air Algerie’s A330neo business class, which was possibly the worst long haul business class I’ve ever flown? Truth be told, for a short haul flight this wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t good. It was just… whatever. As an aviation geek, I always do love a wet lease adventure!
How I booked my Air Algerie business class ticket
As I explained in the last installment, I booked an attractive one-way business class cash fare on Air Algerie, even though it didn’t start or end where I actually wanted to go. 😉 I booked the following in business class for $1,171 in cash:
10/03 AH2701 Montreal to Algiers departing 4:10PM arriving 5:00AM (+1 day)
10/04 AH4000 Algiers to Tunis departing 7:10AM arriving 8:30AM
So in the last installment I reviewed Air Algerie’s A330neo business class, and then this installment is my review of the connecting flight.
Air Algerie business class lounge & boarding
I’ve already reviewed the Air Algerie VIP Lounge Algiers, which gives strong furniture store vibes and is nothing remarkable, but is still much better than Air Algerie’s onboard experience.
My flight to Tunis was scheduled to depart at 7:10AM, and my boarding pass indicated that boarding would start at 5:40AM. Yes, 90 minutes before departure… for an Airbus A320. Not surprisingly, that was completely inaccurate. I get that airlines don’t want people to miss flights, but I do find it frustrating when airlines don’t actually tell you when you should realistically be at the gate.
Anyway, my flight was departing from gate nine, roughly a five-minute walk from the lounge. Algiers Airport is fairly pleasant — it feels sterile and there’s not much to it, but compared to some other airports in the region, it isn’t half bad. But of course let me remind everyone that nothing holds a candle to Cairo Airport (CAI), easily one of the world’s finest facilities. 😉
I showed up at the departure gate plenty early, but even by 6:10AM (30 minutes after the alleged boarding start time), there wasn’t actually anyone at the gate.
The crew showed up at around 6:20AM, and boarding actually started at 6:35AM. The boarding process was rather strange on a variety of levels.
For one, before boarding started, the gate agent and security staff walked onto the jet bridge and then lit a cigarette and smoked. Nice… real professional.
Second, when boarding did start, it was just a free for all, with no priority give to business class passengers.
Third, there were three separate passport and boarding pass checks on the jet bridge by airport police. So first the gate agent checked documents, then upon entering the jet bridge a security officer checked both, then 100 feet later another security officer did the same, and then at the door of the plane, another security officer checked. After all that hard work protecting us, they definitely deserve a cigarette!
Avion Express A320 business class cabin & seats
At the forward door to the plane I was greeted by the crew, and then headed toward my seat. I was flying on an 18-year-old Avion Express Airbus A320 with the registration code 9H-AMJ. While Avion Express is a Lithuanian company, this plane was registered in Malta.
This A320 has seen quite some things, as it started its career in 2008 at Wizz Air Ukraine, then in 2015 it moved to the main Wizz Air fleet when the Ukrainian subsidiary shut down, and then in 2021 it was taken over by Avion Express. Since then, it has flown on a wet lease basis with carriers like Eurowings, British Airways, Viva, and more.
For those not familiar with the concept of wet leasing, this is when an airline leases out its plane to another airline, including the crews. So while it’s sold just like any other Air Algerie flight, and the catering is like any Air Algerie flight, the crew and planes are from Avion Express.
This Avion Express A320 had a total of 180 seats, spread across 30 rows in a 3-3 configuration. Unfortunately unlike most of Air Algerie’s own planes, this one didn’t have a dedicated business class cabin with different seats. Instead, the first three rows were designated as business class, and they just had economy seats with blocked middles. That means business class had the capacity for 12 passengers.
I assigned myself seat 3F, the window seat on the right side in the third (last) row. This was a pretty old school cabin, which is a double edged sword. On the plus side, this meant seats were well padded, which you don’t typically find nowadays, given the emphasis on slimline seats.
Legroom was okay when you consider these are really economy seats, so it could’ve been worse.
The seat had a standard tray table, which folded down from the seat in front.
Given how old school the cabin was, it definitely wasn’t in very good condition, though. I mean, just look at the liner inside the window, and how that was coming apart.
Also, given the age of the cabin, it was clear that nothing had really been updated — there were no power ports, there was no Wi-Fi, and there was no streaming entertainment. That’s of course not a huge issue for such a short flight, but I’m just trying to help people manage expectations here.
The overhead console was typical for an A320, and had individual air nozzles and reading lights.
The cabin stayed really empty — there were only two other commercial passengers, and then one pilot who seemed to be commuting to Tunisia, for whatever reason.
Avion Express A320 departure from Algiers
Boarding was really efficient, and wrapped up by 6:55AM, as the flight wasn’t very full. That was still 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Before departure, the crew came around with juice or water as pre-departure drinks. I opted for a water, and was also given a packaged refreshing towel.
Ironically enough, on this flight the safety demonstration was exclusively performed in English (compared to my previous Air Algerie flight, where it was in French and Arabic, but not in English).
At 7AM the main cabin door closed, and at 7:05AM we began our pushback (sorry for the quality of the pictures, as the windows were super dirty)…
…and at 7:10AM we began our taxi.
On the taxi out, we saw another Avion Express A320, which looked identical to ours (we also had an all-white A320).
There were quite a few Air Algerie planes parked on the ramp, as very few seemed to actually be at gates. I’m not sure if Air Algerie’s aircraft utilization is just terrible, or what.
By 7:25AM we made it out to runway 23, and were immediately cleared for takeoff.
Our climb out was smooth, and I loved the views on departure… I wish I could’ve actually visited Algiers, but the visa situation is complicated (and after my review, I’m not sure they’d be happy to have me anyway). 😉
The seatbelt sign was turned off around five minutes after takeoff. At that point the crew closed the curtain between the cabin and galley, and got started with the service.
Air Algerie business class meal service
On this morning flight, breakfast was served. There was no choice, but I was served a hot dish with scrambled eggs, veggies, and some sort of meat. There was also a yogurt, a croissant, and a pastry, and additional bread rolls were offered (though I passed).
It sure seems like Air Algerie instructs Avion Express flight attendants to not deviate from their service protocol, which is to say that everything must simply be thrown on the tray, with zero effort put into presentation. 😉
So I couldn’t help but reorganize the tray a little bit, to make it look a little more presentable.
Drinks were also offered. I asked for a coffee, and it was a rather disgusting powdered coffee that I didn’t at all enjoy.
Avion Express A320 business class lavatory
Before the descent, I checked out the lavatory, located at the front of the cabin. It was very basic and worn, though at least it wasn’t dirty.
Avion Express & Air Algerie crew & service
Since this was a wet lease, the flight attendants onboard worked for Avion Express. I couldn’t actually figure out what country they were from (and they weren’t really friendly enough that I felt like being conversational). But anyway, they went through the motions, and weren’t rude, and they spoke a little bit of English (more than the Air Algerie crew on my previous flight).
There was also one Air Algerie flight attendant onboard, I guess to “oversee” the service, as is common with wet leases like this. In this case, he just plopped down in a business class seat and relaxed for most of the flight.
Avion Express A320 arrival in Tunis
Around 30 minutes after takeoff, at roughly the halfway of the flight, the captain made an announcement, informing us we were at an altitude of 10,700 meters (35,000 feet), and that we’d be descending in around five minutes. Sure enough, we started our descent as planned, and the seatbelt sign was turned on 10 minutes after that.
The views on approach were gorgeous. Tunis is of course a coastal city on the Mediterranean Sea, so the views are tough to beat. I fondly remember my visit to Tunisia around a decade ago.
On our approach, we ended up flying out over the Mediterranean, and then circling back to land toward the south.
We ended up touching down on runway 19 at 8:25AM.
From there we had a short five-minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we pulled in at 8:30AM next to an Etihad A321LR (probably the nicest plane that serves the airport).
From there I cleared transit security, and had an extended layover, before connecting to Marseille (MRS) in Tunisair economy (due to a downgrade from business class).
Bottom line
My Air Algerie flight operated by an Avion Express A320 was perfectly whatever. For an hour-long flight, I thought the meal was quite good. However, the Avion Express A320 wasn’t terribly inspiring in terms of its modernness, seating, amenities, or service. So yeah, I don’t really have strong feelings on this one, other than appreciating that the flight was at least on schedule.
What do you make of Air Algerie business class, operated by an Avion Express A320?
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