For the final segment of the outbound journey of our ski trip in the French Alps, we flew Air Dolomiti business class from Munich to Geneva.
For those not familiar with Air Dolomiti, this is an Italian airline that belongs to the Lufthansa Group, which operates a fleet of around 20 Embraer jets. Historically the airline has primarily operated flights between Italy and Lufthansa’s hubs, though the airline also sometimes operates other routes on behalf of Lufthansa. At the moment, Air Dolomiti jets are operating on behalf of Lufthansa between Munich and Geneva, so that’s what we booked.
It had been a while since I had flown with Air Dolomiti, so I was excited to experience the airline again. We had an excellent flight, and the airline didn’t disappoint — the Embraer jets are fantastic within Europe, the crew was friendly, and Air Dolomiti even has espresso, which is fun! If Lufthansa Group does end up acquiring ITA Airways, I wonder what that means for the future of Air Dolomiti.
How I booked my Air Dolomiti business class ticket
I booked both our Lufthansa first class flight across the Atlantic and our connection within Europe as part of the same award ticket. I booked the following for 100,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points plus $74.34 in taxes and fees per person (the first flight was in first class, while the second flight was in business class):
3/14 LH425 Boston to Munich departing 9:05PM arriving 9:25AM (+1 day)
3/15 LH2384 Munich to Geneva departing 11:20AM arriving 12:30PM
Admittedly there are much more creative awards you can book with Aeroplan points, but this was still a very good value. Aeroplan points are easy to come by, as the program is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, and Chase Ultimate Rewards. On top of that, there’s the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card (review) in the United States, which is phenomenal.
Air Dolomiti Embraer E195 business class cabin & seats
Our flight was departing from a remote stand. Since we had access to the Lufthansa First Class Lounge Munich during our layover, we were lucky to be driven to our connecting flight in a Porsche, which is much nicer than being on a bus. We also got to the plane before all the other passengers, which allowed me to snap some cabin pictures.
Air Dolomiti’s Embraer E195s consist of a total of 112 seats, spread across 28 rows in a 2-2 configuration. As is standard on intra-Europe flights, the size of the business class cabin can be changed on each flight based on demand, by simply moving the curtain.
Munich to Geneva is a big business market, so not surprisingly, the business class cabin was large, with 10 rows of seats.
I also quickly peeked into the economy cabin, which had 18 rows of seats.
In intra-Europe business class, you typically get a blocked middle seat. Since the Embraer jet is in a 2-2 configuration, this means that you get a pair of seats. This is ideal, since you can choose whether you want to sit in the window or the aisle. I assigned us seats on the right side in the last two rows of the cabin. I have to say, legroom and seat pitch were both quite good for an intra-Europe flight, which often isn’t the case.
The seatbacks had both a literature pocket and a tray table.
Meanwhile the overhead consoles had reading lights and individual air nozzles.
Fortunately unlike smaller regional jets, the overhead bins on these Embraer aircraft are quite large, and can accommodate a properly sized carry-on.
Aside from flying with an airline like Turkish Airlines, intra-Europe business class doesn’t get much better than this. I should also mention that even though this jet was nearly 14 years old, it still felt pretty new to me.
Air Dolomiti business class amenities
Intra-Europe flights don’t exactly come with a lot of amenities. However, during boarding, each business class passenger was given both a bottle of water and a refreshing wipe.
Air Dolomiti Embraer E195 business class entertainment & Wi-Fi
Air Dolomiti doesn’t have Wi-Fi, which isn’t a huge deal, given the very short flights the airline operates. The airline does however have a portal you can log into on your personal device, which includes reading materials, games, videos, and even a moving map feature.
Air Dolomiti Embraer E195 departure from Munich
Boarding took some time, as passengers arrived on two buses. By the time boarding was complete, there were six empty seats in business class, so business class was 70% full (meanwhile economy seemed to be nearly full).
At 11:20AM the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 50 minutes. A few minutes after that the main cabin door closed, and then at 11:30AM we began our taxi. Since we were at a remote stand, we didn’t even have to push back, but rather could just taxi forward. At this time the crew performed the manual safety demonstration.
As we taxied out, I enjoyed the views of two Lufthansa A340-600s — it’s such a beautiful plane!
Our taxi was short, and by 11:35AM we were cleared for takeoff.
There were a few bumps on departure, and the seatbelt sign was turned off around 10 minutes after takeoff.
Air Dolomiti business class meal
As soon as the seatbelt sign was turned off, the crew sprung into action and began the inflight service. Meals were served on trays that had a cardboard cover, with a bread roll offered separately.
The snack was pretty standard for a short flight within Europe. I joke that Air Dolomiti should be renamed Air Deli Meat, and the snack on this flight is the perfect example of why. It consisted of some roast beef, artichokes, and crackers.
Drinks were served once the meals were distributed. I was excited about this aspect of the flight, because in 2022, Air Dolomiti started serving espresso onboard flights, as any proper Italian airline should. The flight attendant gladly made one for me, and it was even served in an illy-branded espresso cup. I also had a still water to go along with it.
By the way, even if you’re not traveling in business class, you can pay for an espresso in economy.
As meals were cleared, cookies were distributed in cute Air Dolomiti packaging.
The crew couldn’t have been nicer. On this short flight they were attentive, and constantly checked on passengers.
Air Dolomiti Embraer E195 business class lavatory
Just prior to landing, I checked out the lavatory at the front of the cabin. The lavatory was in decent condition, though as is standard on these jets, it was pretty tight.
Air Dolomiti Embraer E195 arrival in Geneva
25 minutes after takeoff, at 12PM, the captain announced that we were at 30,000 feet and just passing Zurich, and that we’d be descending shortly, with an anticipated landing at 12:30PM. The views on approach were simply stunning — the area around Geneva is breathtakingly gorgeous.
Sure enough, we touched down in Geneva at 12:25PM, and from there had a five minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we parked next to an Iberia Airbus A321.
Once in the terminal we waited on our checked bags, and then headed to The Woodward Hotel Geneva, where we’d be spending the night.
Bottom line
We had a fantastic flight on Air Dolomiti. The Embraer is a great plane to fly within Europe in business class, since you get both a window and aisle seat. On top of that, Air Dolomiti had friendly service and espresso, and the flight operated on-time. While the snack wasn’t anything to get excited about, I find that to be the case across Lufthansa and SWISS short haul flights as well.
I’ve always enjoyed my flights on Air Dolomiti, and am always happy when I see my long haul connecting itineraries have a segment with this boutique Italian airline.
If you’ve flown Air Dolomiti business class, what was your experience like?
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