Tried & Tested

Bmi A320 business class

26 Feb 2009 by Tom Otley

CHECK-IN I checked in online for my flight to Beirut, confirming seat 2A (there is an option to change seats during the online check-in process). I arrived at Heathrow’s Terminal 1 at about 1400 for the 1600 departure, and dropped my bags at one of the priority desks. The terminal was extremely quiet on this Monday afternoon, and the removal of the check-in desks, which have been replaced by self check-in terminals, made it look positively spacious.

LOUNGE There was no queue at security, and although I had the option of using the Bmi business class lounge by Gate 16, having previously used the new Star Alliance lounge I went for that, stopping at reception to collect the password for free wifi.

BOARDING Flights are not called from the lounge so at about 1510 I walked to Gate 21. Boarding was shambolic, since many passengers either did not understand the announcements or ignored them and crowded around the gate, blocking those needing special assistance. Once the wheelchair users had been boarded, there were several mothers with small children, one of whom left all of her luggage at the gate to take her child on board, which finally got her the attention she’d been demanding.

Once on board, there were long delays as passengers tried to find room for their bags. Presumably staff knew this would happen, which was why rows 15 to 23 were called first, but this announcement had been lost in the melee. Meanwhile, a flight attendant knocked the free tray of champagne, orange juice and water over me. My complimentary newspaper took the worst of it, and I had time to dry out before we departed 45 minutes late.

THE SEAT Bmi has short, mid and long-haul aircraft, and there is different seating on all of them. The carrier has 12 A320s (three of which are ex-Bmed) and eight A321s (six of which are ex-Bmed). This flight to Lebanon was on a two-class mid-haul A320. Of the three newer A320s that operate mid-haul services, business seats are upholstered in leather and have a 50-inch pitch (127cm), while the older ex-Bmed planes have cloth seating and a 49-inch pitch (124.5cm).

This two-class A320 had 22 business class seats and 102 economy class seats (Bmi was unable to provide Business Traveller with a seat plan). In business, the layout is 2-2 (A-C, D-F) with row one fitted only with seats A and C, and a wardrobe on the other side of the aisle. If you want to get off the aircraft first, these are the best seats, and on this flight I didn’t even have the inconvenience of passengers walking past my seat to reach the washroom at the front, because it was out of order.

Generally, the business class seats on the A320 (and on the A321, which served the return journey) are similar, with little to recommend one over the other, since they all have plenty of space and a decent recline (30.5-33cm/12-13in), although at full recline you can get bumped by the person behind you. In-flight entertainment was provided by personal screens in the seat arms and offered nine video channels. Although it was not audio and video on demand (AVOD), it did the job.

Economy class is configured 3-3 on both the A320 and the A321 (A-B-C, D-E-F) with a pitch of 81cm/32in. Entertainment here is provided by overhead screens. Walking back through the economy cabin to join the queue for the rear toilets, it was clear that other than the bulkhead seats, there is little difference between the seats in this class, although I would avoid the back three or four rows (20 to 23) because of their close proximity to the washrooms.

THE FLIGHT Once at cruising altitude, the food was served. Starters were salmon tartare with citrus crème fraiche, or roasted cherry tomatoes with sliced mozzarella and pesto. The main courses included wild mushroom and tarragon risotto; cod and shrimp fishcake with mangetout and new potatoes; and beef pie with peas, green beans and pont neuf potatoes. These were followed by a choice of desserts – the sticky toffee pudding wedge was nice – and coffee or tea.

ARRIVAL We landed on time at Beirut Rafic Hariri International airport. There were no difficulties in clearing immigration and our bags were on the carousel quickly (note that for the return flight from Beirut, you should arrive early, as there are five sets of queues to negotiate between arriving kerbside and boarding).

VERDICT After a shaky start, it turned out to be a good flight with a comfortable, if dated, business seat.