Air Mauritius A350 Business Class Review

During my last trip to Mauritius for my sister's wedding, I had the pleasure of flying Air Mauritius' Business Class. I have flown Air Mauritius several times before but only in economy so I was excited to try their business class. My experience with Air Mauritius was generally positive before Covid but since then I’ve felt that the airline had deteriorated so I wasn't sure what to expect on this flight.

Air Mauritius flies out of London from Gatwick Airport which unfortunately means it's hard to find international connections from North America. In my case, I flew from Montreal to London Heathrow in Air Canada Business Class, and then had to catch the Gatwick shuttle during my layover.

Check-In

Once I arrived at Gatwick Airport, I headed upstairs to the Air Mauritius counters located to the left of the terminal. The check-in and luggage drop off counters are situated at the far end, across from the Emirates counters. The business class line was not too long, but there were a lot of passengers checking in copious amounts of luggage which did take some time. The economy line was more chaotic. After dropping off my suitcase, I headed through security, which is located across from the Starbucks inside the Terminal. Business class passengers benefit from access to the priority security line which was fast and had no wait time.

The Air Mauritius check-in counters at London Gatwick Airport

Lounge

Once Airside, I headed over to the Clubroom No1 Lounge where Air Mauritius business class passengers are offered complimentary access before their flight. You can read my review of the lounge here.

Clubroom No1 Lounge

Read Review

Hot Tip: now would be a good time to fill out the Mauritius health traveller declaration form online and ensure that you receive the QR code on your phone as you will need it on arrival. Otherwise you will have to wait in line and fill it out in person which is way more inconvenient. The form is available here.

Now is also the perfect time to purchase an eSIM an install it ahead of time on the Airalo App so you're connected as soon as you land and can use WhatsApp and Google Maps without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3/€3 off your first eSIM purchase! There is a Telecom shop at the Terminal in Mauritius as well but depending on your arrival time, they may not be open. WiFi is available for free inside the Terminal but not after you exit.

If you are flying out of Mauritius, you will have access to the gorgeous Amédée Maingard Lounge instead.

Boarding and Cabin

Once the Flight Info Display indicated that my flight had started boarding, I left the lounge and made my way to the gate. To my surprise, the gate was empty and all passengers had already boarded. It took no time at all to make it on board.

As soon as I stepped on board, a courteous flight attendant greeted me then peeked at the seat number on my boarding pass and whisked me to my seat. My flight today was aboard the gorgeous Airbus A350. The aircraft felt new and spacious. 

Air Mauritius’ Airbus A350 Business Class Cabin

Seats

I chose the window seat which felt private and separated from the aisle and other passengers. The seats were very comfortable with decent size personal TVs.

I had a double window view out the right side of the airplane

Plenty of legroom

This counter to my left was great for storing my personal devices

Seat Controls

The seat functions could be controlled by a set of buttons to the left. There was a phone-sized remote control which could be used to control the entertainment screen. The device was reminiscent of the old HTC android phones and even seemed to have the camera port in the back

The flight attendant came by while I was settling in and offered me a choice of champagne, juice or water as a welcome drink.

 The seatbelt had an extra over-shoulder strap

Amenity Kit

At my seat was a gorgeous turquoise amenity kit that included several personal care products like a lip balm, hand cream, as well as a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Also at my seat were complementary noise cancelling headphones which I never use because I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones. I tested them out and they were on-ear rather than over-the-ear and did not block out much of the cabin noise. I highly suggest bringing your own. I wrote a review of my Sony XM3/4 here in case you are looking for a great set of travel headphones (I highly recommend them!).

A pillow was also included

Menus were handed out prior to takeoff and so I had plenty of time to peruse the menu (more on that below). We took off shortly after to this view of the sun setting above London.

Food and Dining

Soon after takeoff,  I received a hot towel with which to freshen up. Dinner service started shortly after.

The dinner service started with a cocktail and a bowl of mixed nuts and dried fruit.

For the starter, I had the chicken salad followed by a king prawn masala curry for dinner which was indulgent. Air Mauritius serves their meal with real silverware and even includes a metal napkin ring to wrap the utensils in.

I was already full by this time so I did not eat anything else and just had the light mousse cake for dessert.

Apero

Appetizer: Chicken Salad

Main Course: Masala King Prawn

My utensils came bound by this metal napkin ring

Dessert: Chocolate Mousse Cake

Bedtime (Lie-Flat Seats)

After dinner, I went to the bathroom and the flight attendant seized this opportunity to lay out my mattress pad. Upon my return, I just had to press a button to turn my seat into a lie-flat bed for the night.

The provided blanket was blue, symbolic of the azure waters that surround Mauritius and it was adorned with an outline of Mauritius' national bird; the Paille-en-queue (the red-tailed tropicbird). The bed was comfortable and I dozed off for several hours and woke up as we were nearing the end of our journey.

Air Mauritius' lie-flat seats/beds

Breakfast

As the morning light lit up the cabin, we were served some special cocktails that included a punchy and refreshing kiwi ginger smoothie. I freshened up while breakfast service started with some french jam, flakey croissants and a cheese omelette paired with sausage. Also included was a cold fruit bowl and yogurt.

Breakfast

After breakfast, the rest of the flight was uneventful and we arrived in Mauritius as scheduled. Pick a seat on the right side of the plane for a view of Le Morne mountain as you land.

I can already feel the island vibe

Although I’ve heard of Air Mauritius facing some issues lately related to cancelled or delayed flights and my previous flight in economy was sub-par, I had a great time on this flight and look forward to flying with Air Mauritius again.

If you are planning to go to Mauritius, I’ve added some photos below for your inspiration. Consider visiting the northern islands by catamaran, having a coconut at Flic-en-Flac beach while watching the sunset, eating the delicious street food and just let the island win you over with its tropical charm.

You may find these related posts interesting:

Emirates A380 Business Class Review - Still the best? (Mauritius to Dubai)

At the end of 2024, I visited Mauritius for my sister’s wedding and booked my return flight to Canada in Emirates Business Class. I’ve always seen raving reviews about Emirates and having only flown them once 20 years ago in Economy, I had high hopes and was buzzing with excitement.

Emirates offers a chauffeur service for Business Class passengers that includes pick you up at your accommodation and a drive to the airport. Unfortunately, this perk is not offered when departing from Mauritius.

Check-in

The Emirates check-in counters are located near Hall A located on the left side of the terminal at Mauritius SSR Airport. The counters are separated into 2 lines with one for economy passengers and a shorter line for Priority/Premium/First/Business passengers. Check-in was quick and smooth. Business class passengers are allowed 2 suitcases weighing up to 32 kgs each. I always travel with my mini luggage scale to make sure I’m always under the weight limit. In my experience, the weight limit for carryons is not enforced.

Emirates check-in counters are located in Hall A

The security line at SSR Airport is located to the right of Hall A. There is a separate entrance for premium passengers located to the right of the main security line clearly marked by a vertical red sign. Enter via the automatic gates by simply scanning your boarding pass. You will then pass through immigration on your way towards the security check. Just after security, make your way straight through the Duty Free shops then turn right and walk to the end of the terminal to the Air Mauritius Amédée Mainguard Lounge.

Lounge

The lobby of the Air Mauritius Amédée Mainguard Lounge

Access to the Amédée Mainguard Lounge is complimentary including all meals and alcohol/non-alcoholic drinks. I've already written a full review of this lounge which you can read here. To summarize, this is one of the nicest lounges I've been to and includes a shower, full service cocktail bar, and several varied dining options. The decor is fresh and tasteful, the lounge is not usually too crowded and the small size of the Airport means that it is close to all Gates.

New for 2024, they've added a Nespresso machines which I very much appreciated! As is common in airport lounges, they do not make announcements so keep an eye on the screen to find out when your flight starts boarding. In my experience, Gate changes are rare at the Mauritius Airport and you will often spot the plane already parked at the gate after security. Once the screens in the lounge indicated that boarding had started, we made our way to the Gate.

If you are travelling Internationally, you can purchase your esim ahead of time on the Airalo App and install it so you're connected as soon as you land and can call an Uber and use Google Maps without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3 USD off your first esim purchase!

Boarding

Stairs? on a Plane?

There were far fewer passengers waiting at the Gate than I expected. Even the Gate for a typical Boeing 777 flight gets more crowded than this. I figured it's maybe because I was flying on Christmas Eve. Boarding was a breeze and Emirates opted to board the A380 with not only 2 jetways but 2 separate Gates as well. The Gate to the left was for premium passengers only and led us to the front of the aircraft where the flight attendants welcomed us and directed us straight upstairs. Immediately upon entering the Emirates A380, it felt like it was a class above the twin engine widebodies with it expansive open areas and high ceilings. The plane was huge and the grand stairway in the front had me feeling like I was walking into a swanky lounge instead of on a plane. On the lobby walls were carefully placed bouquets of fresh roses that added a subtle touch of luxury and invoked a sense that Emirates pays attention to the little details, a feeling that would continue throughout this flight.

We walked past the first class cabin (which had full privacy doors) to the business class cabin in the back. The business class cabin on the Emirates A380 is expansive and runs the entire length of the aircraft all the way to the bar at the tail. The massive cabin made it feel a bit less exclusive and had me seriously wondering how Emirates could fill all those seats on every single flight.

Upstairs on Emirates’ A380. It’s unbelievable that there’s another floor with hundreds of passengers seated under us.

Seats

The seats adjacent to the aisles offer less privacy

The seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 layout with every seat providing direct aisle access. Couples will enjoy the middle seats while solo travellers would be better off at the window seats. Not all the window seats are the same as they alternate between being directly next to the window or open to the aisle. The seats directly next to the window offer more privacy and a better view. As for the middle seats, the rows alternate between being located in the center together then further apart and more exposed to the aisle. In the photo above, you can see the aisle seats are open and less private.

Upstairs on the Airbus A380.

The seats were very spacious and had a huge TVs as part of Emirates’ renowned ICE system. Although the TV quality and cabin were starting to show their age, the accented wood theme with blue lighting separated it from the usual dull shades of grey you find on basic airlines like Air Canada. The TVs offered a live camera view from the tail of the aircraft in front, but the video quality was very pixelated and blurry so I ended up just leaving the TV back to the welcome screen.

The center seats are great for couples travelling together and features a privacy separator that can be lowered

The footwells are deep but offset to one side so you may have to sleep slightly diagonally.

Waiting for me at my seat was a small mini bar with two bottles of Evian water, some snacks, noise cancelling headphones, a kit containing an eye mask and slippers but oddly no amenity kit (more on that below).

The seats and in-flight entertainment system could be controlled by both the detachable console to the left or the tablet on the right of the mini-bar.

The personal mini bar was stocked with Evian water, Perrier (sparkling water), chocolate covered dates, nuts and jelly beans.

I rarely use the included noise cancelling headphones but decided to test them out in-flight for this review and they were honestly very disappointing. I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones as they do an excellent job at turning the engine rumble and cabin noise into a quiet whisper so I used them throughout the flight instead.

Noise cancelling headphones

Moët & Chandon Champagne - Welcome Drink

As boarding had just begun, I walked around and visited the bar at this time and it hadn’t opened yet. The flight attendants were utilizing the space to set up the welcome drinks and amenity kits. The bar/lounge opened later on after take-off.

A quick visit to the bar before take-off

As I settled back in my seat, the flight attendant came back to offer me a welcome drink with the choice of apple juice, orange juice or champagne. Emirates serves Moët & Chandon Champagne on-board flights throughout Africa, something which sets them a level above other Airlines in my opinion. For flights to North America, you’ll be served Veuve Clicquot. The flight attendant them came right back with some hot towels. Another flight attendant followed up right away with amenity kits but oddly enough, she walked right past me. I started to wonder if she was ignoring me when she came back again with different amenity kits. Turns out Emirates provides different amenity kits customised for male and female passengers and here I thought that they were ignoring me. Silly me.

The complimentary BVLGARI amenity kits (for men)

The amenity kit included a razor and shaving cream, aftershave, earplugs, tissues, a dental kit, deodorant, lotion, lip balm and perfume. As this flight was around 7 hours long, it was not considered long haul and no pajamas were handed out (I did receive them on my other 14 hour Emirates flight from Dubai to Montreal though)

Soon afterwards, the flight attendants handed out the menus and we started taxiing towards the runway with a view of the distant mountains out the window. As the plane started moving, we were able to keep drinking out of the glassware, but once we were close to takeoff, the flight attendants came by to pick up all of our drinks. We were chatting quietly and perusing the menus when we realized that we didn’t even feel the A380 pick up speed and take off. I could barely hear the engines and it’s without a doubt the quietest and most comfortable plane I’ve ever been on. I wish Airbus and Emirates could’ve struck a deal for Airbus to keep producing them.

Dining

The menu was extensive and included several wines, a long list of cocktails and mocktails, beers, whisky and other spirits. There were 3 choices for the appetizer, main and dessert course.

A little reminder from Emirates that their Muslim passengers will definitely appreciate

The flight attendants took our orders and dinner service began soon after. For the round of aperitifs, I chose an Aperol Spritz which was sweet and premixed. It was served with a decadent side of warm nuts.

The flight attendants set up the tray table with white linens and silverware, followed by the appetizers.

I opted to start with the lobster medallions which tasted fresh and bright.

For the main, I opted for the seared beef fillet with roast potatoes. It was also excellent but I was already so full by this time that it was hard to finish the plate.

I decided to skip the dessert but did opt for the luxury chocolate which were smooth and delicious. These were bite size pieces of chocolate that hit the spot.

Lobster Medallion Appetizer

The Seared Beef Fillet was delicious

Felix chose the Turkey Roulade which was also good

For dessert, I had the mini box of chocolates which hit the spot

After a heavy dinner, I reclined my seat and immersed myself in a movie. The in-flight entertainment system had an extensive list of TV shows and movies to choose from. The screens were large and clear. However, the plane was starting to show its age as the audio quality was truly awful. It felt like listening to a radio station with lots of highs and no bass. I watched Alien Romulus and the soundstage was lacking. By comparison, the audio was significantly better on my next flight on Emirates’ Boeing 777. The ICE system also allows you to view the live feed of the cameras mounted at the nose and tail but the video feed was blurry and filled with static lines, similar to the old TVs from the 90s.

Emirates’ ICE system

It was easy to control both the seat and the TV using the console on the right. You can also use the tablet (pictured left) to watch TV or just as a remote.

After dinner, the flight attendants came by with some hot chocolate and marshmallows. It was served with a plate of white chocolates, strawberries and additional boxes of chocolates. At this time, the cabin lights had dimmed and the ceiling transitioned into a blue hue with sparkling lights that looks like shining stars. Marshmallows and hot chocolate under the stars? YES PLEASE! I felt like a little kid again and thank you so much Emirates for this wonderful experience!

Hot chocolate and marshmallows under the stars? Yes please!

The ceiling lighting mimicked the night sky full of stars.

Feeling giddy like a little child with my hot chocolate and marshmallows under the stars.

The Bar

The cocktail menu at the bar

After indulging in my second dessert, we headed towards the tail end to visit the lounge. The lounge was mostly empty with just a passenger or couple occasionally dropping by. The lounge had its own menu of snacks and drinks (see above for the food menu).

The elegant A380 bar was fully stocked. The fresh flowers was a nice touch.

Felix enjoying a drink in the lounge. Notice the fresh roses on the wall.

The bar lounge was very spacious and a nice place to chill during the flight.

After savouring our drinks, we headed back to our seats. I grabbed a snack from the bar that consisted of macadamia nuts and dried cranberries. Later on during the flight, the flight attendants stopped by again to wish us Merry Christmas and offered us baked gingerbread cookies in the shape of a Christmas tree. At this point, Emirates had already exceeded my expectations of what a flight should be. The cookie was delicious and I ate all of it before landing. No regrets.

To-go snacks from the bar

Wrapped gingerbread cookies were gifted to all passengers in the spirit of Christmas

After a few minutes, another flight attendant walked by with ice cream to see if we wanted any. I couldn’t possibly eat anymore at that point and unfortunately had to turn it down.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi on this flight was not free unless you had a Emirates Skyward Member account along with your password in order to login. However, since we were not notified before take-off, I didn’t have my password on hand to log in. The packages were not visible for non-skyward members and the flight attendants mentioned that we had to pay for the plan which started at $3.99 USD. They recommended that we don’t purchase the plan because they couldn’t guarantee that the Wi-Fi would actually work and the Wi-Fi seems to be spotty when we fly over the ocean.

It wasn’t until my next flight on Emirates that I found out you can register for the Skyward member account in flight. Even though I tried to log in with my password on that flight, the Wi-Fi still wouldn’t work. I ended up creating a new account in flight (check out the screenshot to see how) and that allowed me to connect right away. Now I have 2 Emirates Skyward Member accounts.

As we approached Dubai, the flight attendants stopped by with Polaroid cameras to snap our photos. What a cool idea! They inserted the polaroid in a holiday card and gave to us to keep as souvenirs.

Our polaroid photo taken by the crew as a souvenir

Arrival

This 7 hour flight included a single meal (Dinner) but due to the myriad snacks served throughout the flight, I didn’t feel hungry at all. We were offered hot towels again before landing to freshen up as we began our descent towards Dubai. The amazing food, fancy drinks, great service and attention to detail made this flight the best business class I have every experienced and I can’t wait to fly on Emirates again (which I didn’t have to wait too long for as I had a 3 hour layover before boarding my next flight to Montreal). Having just flown on Air Canada’s A330 on the way to Mauritius, my experience on the two Airlines couldn’t have been more different with Air Canada being overall “meh” and Emirates going above and beyond at every turn (I did smell those roses on the cabin walls to check if they were real).