I flew from Montreal International Airport (YUL) to Mauritius (MRU) via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) on Air France. In this post (Part 1), I review the Air France Lounge at Montreal Airport
Read More
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
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.
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!).
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
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.
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:
Featured
Clubroom No1 Lounge Review - London Gatwick Airport LGW
In this trip report, I'll be sharing my experience at the Club Room No1 Lounge at London Gatwick Airport. I was flying from Montreal to Mauritius with a layover in London and I received complimentary access to this lounge with Air Mauritius's business class boarding pass.
All of the Lounges at Gatwick are located in the same area and spread over four floors. Once you are past security, follow the signs marked “Lounges” and take the elevator downstairs to the first floor. If you are travelling internationally, you can now purchase an 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 off your first eSIM purchase!
The lounge has a trendy contemporary look with lots of sofas for seating. The lounge itself looks more like a cozy bar than an airport lounge. There are no tables to sit at and absolutely no plugs available to charge your devices.
The main lounge area
Food and Drinks
Food can be ordered from a menu with à la carte service.
Clubroom No1 Lounge Menu
I decided to try the butterfly chicken breast burger and it was small and tasty. The fries were not my favourite. Drinks are must also be ordered and the wine pours are measured. The menu listed Champagne and the lounge attendant clarified that those cost extra.
Showers and Amenities
There are no showers available and the bathrooms are tiny. I usually like to shower during my layover but in this case that wasn’t an option. There was one tiny sink (tiny even by European standards) in the bathroom that could barely fit my hands. It was not only difficult to wash my hands, but trying to brush my teeth resulted in water just splashing everywhere on the floor. No towels were available.
The impossibly small sink
The service was pretty good with all the attendants frequently checking up on guests to ask if we would like to eat or drink anything. After spending an hour or so here, I noticed that my flight was boarding so I headed down to the Gate. This lounge was a quiet place to spend a layover but the lack of showers is a glaring omission for an airport lounge.
Air Canada A330 Business Class Review - Montreal to London Heathrow
In this review, I'll be sharing my experience flying onboard Air Canada's Airbus A330 from Montreal to London Heathrow. I have previously flown this route before and sad to see the experience and service has declined.
Check-in and Lounge
Once you arrive at the airport, you can head straight to the priority line to check in or drop off any luggage you may have. Air Canada business class passengers are entitled to 2x suitcases up to 32kg each. The agent will then tag your luggage and issue you a printed boarding pass. The boarding pass will have a logo indicating that you have access to the Maple Leaf Lounge (or other lounge depending on where you are departing from). At the Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, domestic and international security lines are shared however you can fast track by using the priority security line. After clearing security, had left towards the Maple leaf lounge. I wrote a full review of this lounge if you are interested.
Maple Leaf Lounge
Business class passengers receive complimentary access.
I hung out at the lounge for about an hour and a half and had something to eat before heading to the gate for boarding. If you are travelling outside of Canada, 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 off your first esim purchase! It is far cheaper than any roaming plan provided by the Canadian telecom companies!
Boarding
The cabin felt tight with narrow aisles
Boarding started on time and we boarded from the back of the business class cabin. Immediately upon entering the cabin, it felt significantly smaller than the Boeing 777 and a lot narrower. The aisle felt very tight and the overhead bins were so tiny that they could not fit my carry-on sideways and instead I had to put it flat which took up most of the bin above me. On newer planes with larger overhead bins, I can put my carry-on sideways which would leave enough space for another 2 carry-ons.
There was no space at all in the overhead bins in the first row as that was already taken up by the cabin crew. The passenger sitting there asked the flight attendant who said something like “it’s the configuration, it’s wrong”, “yeah it’s the engineering with the layout” and told the passenger to go put her carry-on back in row six. She seemed pretty upset about it, probably because she paid several thousand dollars for this flight. Her carry-on was a small and soft bag, not even the larger rolling carry-ons that are ubiquitous nowadays.
Seats
The A330 features Air Canada's classic pods, which are different from their more spacious and modern executive pods that have the ability to adjust the mattress and seat firmness and feature proper massage functions. These seats did not offer the ability to adjust the firmness and the massage function was more like a faint vibration that eventually turned off after a few minutes. The seats do convert into a completely lie-flat bed that are comfortable to sleep on though.
Amenities
At my seat was an amenity kit which included socks, a toothbrush, earplugs, lip balm and hand cream. There was also a mattress pad, blanket, pillow, and a bottle of water laid out for each passenger. Air Canada has downgraded their Amenity kits from the beautiful Acqua Di Parma Kits they used to provide in prior years.
The left side of my seat offered some counter space to store my belongings. I can’t comment on the quality of the complimentary headphones since I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones that do an excellent job at turning the engine rumble and cabin noise into a quiet whisper. I was surprised to find a USB-C charging port as the plane seem quite old so that was unexpected.
The seatbelt was a little odd with an extra over shoulder strap
After boarding, we were offered a welcome drink and I chose a glass of champagne. The champagne was dry and bubbly, always a great start. Soon afterwards, we took off on schedule and headed towards the Atlantic.
Welcome drink
Food and Dining
Menus were handed out as soon as I had sat down at my seat. The menus were bilingual (Canada has two official languages) and opened from each side with one side in French and the other side in English.
I started off with an Aperol Spritz which was accompanied by a bowl of mixed nuts consisting of warm cashews and almonds. The Mediterranean mezze platter was delicious and well seasoned. For the main course. I chose the braised lamb which was very fatty and disappointing. For dessert I opted for the cheesecake which was not bad.
After dinner, the cabin crew asked if I’d like to be woken up for breakfast. This flight is so short for a transatlantic flight (at around six hours) that I recommend just sleeping through breakfast if you want to feel a little more rested on arrival. However in my case, I had an upcoming layover of almost 9 hours so I decided to have breakfast even though I’d only sleep for 2.5 hours as I’d be too hungry after landing otherwise.
I turned my seat fully flat and tucked in for the night. The A330 seats felt a lot narrower than Air Canada’s Boeing 777 or 787 business class.
Breakfast
After a short nap, the lights turned on as the flight attendants made their way down the aisles for breakfast service. On the menu today was a parsley omelette served with chicken sausage, potatoes, fruits, yogurt and a bun. The omelette was alright but I preferred the fruits and yogurt. The meal was basic airplane food with nothing memorable.
After breakfast, the flight attendants cleared my tray table and it was soon time to land.
Takeaway
Out of all my business flights on Air Canada, this was my least favourite. The food was sub-par, the airplane was old and felt claustrophobic and the service lacked a smile. However, I did appreciate the fast priority boarding, the lie-flat seats and decent entertainment system. Air Canada doesn’t hold a candle to the likes of Emirates or Etihad though.
Now off to Gatwick Airport to board my next flight to Mauritius!
Have a question? Leave us a comment below.
You might enjoy these:
Featured
I thought I’d write about where I was born since many people have never heard of it. Mauritius is an Island off the east coast of Africa, about a 2 hour flight east of Madagascar. It is multicultural with people of African, Indian and Asian ancestry! The island is well connected by several major airlines with daily flights from France and direct flights from South Africa, England, Germany, India and Dubai, UAE.
Some of the highlights? Swimming with wild dolphins and watching live crocodile feedings!