[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Finair looks like a safe bet.

[SimonRowberry]

Martyn/Disgusted,

No, I would have to pay for a hotel. But I could see my buddies and would not have to make a separate trip at some point. As far as KLM is concerned, this would be an obvious option, save for the fact that an absolute criteria (possibly even more than the nuances of the fare) is the need for the carrier to be Star or OneWorld.

Finnair is looking favourite, coupled with the fact that availability is (at the moment) good for the dates I’m looking at.

Cheers, Simon

[QCtraveller]

Finnair is Skyteam.

[QCtraveller]

Sorry, KLM is Skyteam.

[RichHI1]

With your criteria go Finnair. DId KLM flight to AMS twice. Very old 74M with uncmfortable seats, inedible food, no working seat power, seat reservations moved on boarding due to babies in front row. Customer service at usual Dutch level. Did AF 777 to CDG once. Nice flight but 3 hours late and they could not care less I missed my connection to Athens, so I had to buy new ticket on Olympic through CWT as I ran between the terminals.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Simon

MS A342 J class!

http://www.airliners.net/photo/EgyptAir/Airbus-A340-212/1408843/L/&sid=3f87390c44aa4ee3385642680a0c72c3

[RichHI1]

Not sure I would connect in CAI with current political situation in Egypt.

[KSHaggag]

My dear Simon !

Before reading the rest of your comments and once I realised you need to stick to Oneworld or Skyteam ,imeediately Finnair popped up to my mind !….good fares ,excellent connections ,Oneworld fellow member so u will secure 360 loyalty points in your BA Exec Club plus a fantastic sexy spa in HEL ..worth flying for !!….u also have the options of flying from LHR or even Manchester …moreover the comfort of their seats on the newer A330 or even the A340 is not debatable …if u can fly to Guangzhou or Bangkok on Egyptair then connect and still save ,go for Egyptair …otherwise go for Finnair …why is Swiss not an option ??..Oupsss for the Edelweiss leg ???..yep ,I see …next year Swiss will fly with its own metal to Bejing offering the product that has won the award of Best Business Class european carrier by World Travel Awards !!!!….u can still fly Swiss to Shanghai from BHX via ZRH …an issue ????….In my opinion ….go for either Swiss or Finnair ……the lounge of AY and the spa are a huuuuuuuuuge temptation ..if the lowest booking classes in biz class on AY are available on the schedule of your choice DON T MISS IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..

Enjoy the spa on my behalf !!!….

Cheers !

[SimonRowberry]

Guys,

Many, many thanks. Finnair it is. As an aside, my son (when he was tiny) thought the airline was called “Thin Air.” It is therefore known as “Fat Air” in our household.

Disgusted – thanks for the picture link. Yep. I take your point.

Karim – it’s Star rather than SkyTeam that I need, si MS fits that bill. As an AY member, I can totally endorse what you say about the spa. I’ve not tried the new long-haul seating yet, but the “old” one’s not too bad anyway. I will certainly enjoy the spa!

My only (minor) criticism of the Via Lounge is that the “harder” drinks are not free. Having said that, and given the importance of doing business successfully on this trip, that’s probably not a bad thing! I will certainly look at MS in the future (especially if, as I hope, I end up doing this route regularly). Also, LX will be a serious option next February when they start using their own metal. And from BHX too, with an dead easy transfer at the wonderful ZRH.

Thanks for all your help.

Simon

[KSHaggag]

Definitely Simon !

Oh yep !..Star ….by the way …with Swiss u never go wrong and ZRH airport is a lovely ,glittering ,elegant boutique ….indeed swiss !!!!….
MS is indeed a viable option whenever u know it s gonna be a B777-300ER or an A330-300 featuring the NEW flat beds whenever u are indeed on a budget for a biz class trip ……….excellent value-for-money !..Finnair seems the best bet for u this time!….

[Swissdiver]

I’ve just flown KLM on one of their A330. I hate this plane BUT their new seat are OK (lie flat similar to AF), service was great, food and wine, good, IFE as well. And AMS is efficient.

I flew Finnair a month ago (SIN-GVA via HEL). Was in eco with the family. But flight was OK. The issue with Finnair is the uncertainty about the seat. The new one seems to be only onboard the A330…

[KSHaggag]

Hi Swissdiver !

As a matter of fact ,the best biz class cabins with KLM are indeed on their new A332 and B744 upper deck !!!!..watch out for their new A333 to be deployed soon to Lagos ,Accra ,and Washington DC IAD airport …

Yep ,the new seats on AY are on the A330 s ,not the A340 s which are ok but the A330s have the better ones and AY deploys that A330 on and off on Delhi,Bangkok,Seoul ,Nagoya and New York ….

Have you sampled the new AF seats yet ????

[Swissdiver]

Hi Karim,

I am not sure what AF calls “new”… But I am flying with them in 3 weeks on both B772 and B773. So, let’s see…

[KeaneJohn]

I flew on the Egyptair A330-300 from Dubai to Cairo. The flight was at 5am and I had been up all night as I departed MCT at 2235.

The seat was comfortable as I fell asleep watching the film and woke up just coming into Cairo when they turned the lights up.

With regards to baggage, I had checked in at MCT and flew LX to Dubai and my luggage was on the carousel at Heathrow minus a destination tag which I am assuming came off at Heathrow due to multiple handling.. If it didn’t then that is even more kudos to Egyptair.

[KSHaggag]

Salut Swissdiver !

Well..AF is amidst the introduction of a brand brand brand NEW business class seat on their 777-300ER ,700-200 ,330-200 but the product is not yet on all the aircraft ….they also do not publish on their site where exactly u can expect it ..u can see the product on the site ..it looks good ….it depends on where u are flying to ,so it is still a gamble so far ..anyway their current 777-300ER and 777-200 is good …….AF is being rather silent on this ….I wonder pourquoi !!!!???….have u tried their Premium Voyageur on long haul flights so far ????am interested as the diff in fare btw it and class affaires to LAX is huuuuuuuuuuuge ….any hint ??

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