A vital component of Kazakhstan’s bold new identity, national carrier Air Astana thrills passengers with crisp intelligent service on its direct flights between Almaty and Hong Kong, discovers Nick Walton.
Check-in/The Lounge
After an easy check-in process at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan’s largest, we met long delays going through immigration and security. On the other side we discovered that while the airline offers lounge access for its business class passengers, the privately-owned lounge insists every aspect of the visit is on a cash basis. As the lounge itself isn’t anything to rave about, we decided to wait in a nearby café instead. Before long we boarded buses from gate 1A, driving out far from the terminal where we there was a rugby scrum to board the flight via airstairs.
The Flight
Of course, once you’re aboard, that’s when the Air Astana experience – of which I’m an outspoken proponent – really begins. We were welcomed by smiling young crew into the business class cabin of the 757, in which half of the 16 seats were already occupied. The immaculately presented crew offered newspapers, glasses of Taittinger Champagne and juice, and beautiful amenity kits by Christian Lacroix, each complete with slippers, eye mask, shoehorn, dental kit, mouthwash, antibacterial gel and shoe polish, as we settled in for the six-hour night flight.
The Seat
The business class cabin of the 757 has the feel of a chic Miami club thanks to white leather seats and indigo neon lighting. The recently refreshed business class product of the 757 is ideal for mid-range journeys, although the angled-lie flat seat makes a good sleep a little hit and miss. While the rather minimalist seat doesn’t feature an Inflight Entertainment System (with crew offering iPads soon after takeoff), it does feature plenty of storage, AC connectivity, and, a personal favourite, individual air nozzles.
Dining
Although it’s great for onward connections in Asia, the midnight departure from Almaty and the relatively short flight time makes this route a little tricky – do you dine, or do you sleep, fearing there might not be adequate time for both. Having skipped the lounge, I opted to dine; the late-night meal began with air-dried Balyk and smoked salmon with chives, and marinated vine leaf dolma; followed by a salad of rocket lettuce, beetroot, feta and orange; and a roasted red pepper and tomato soup. For the main, I went with the paprika-spiced chicken breast with citrus and thyme jus, green beans and Parisienne potatoes, which was one of the best meals I’ve had in the air. I skipped dessert in order to get a few hours’ sleep, napping until minutes before arrival in Hong Kong.
Service
Despite moderate turbulence keeping crew in their seats for the latter half of the dinner service, cabin attendants were efficient, friendly and intuitive, maintaining the high levels of service I’d experienced on many previous flights with Air Astana.
Summary
Air Astana continues to win accolades and win over passengers with its intelligent service, its elegant business class produce, and its ever-broadening network.
Air Astana Business Class from Hong Kong to Almaty return from US$3,225. http://airastana.com
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