AIR SEYCHELLES (Hong Kong Chep Lap Kok to Abu Dhabi International), AIRBUS A330-242, BUSINESS CLASS

Air Seychelles Airbus A330-200 landing at Hong Kong: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh

Signature Creole warmth and hospitable welcome on-board Air Seychelles: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh

Air Seychelles is the national flag carrier of the Republic of Seychelles, literally a thousand miles from everywhere. Founded in 1978, the airline operates 160 domestic flights a week throughout the archipelago, as well as domestic charter, serving destinations using 9 state-of-the-art modern, and young aircraft. The airline maintains a strategic partnership with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and 40 per cent stakeholder.

The airline began long-haul service in 1983 and now offers international flights to Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Johannesburg and Mauritius, operated by an A330-200 aircraft.

Hong Kong is the only destination in the Asia Pacific region that Air Seychelles flies to (code shared with Etihad Airways).

I was on the flight from Hong Kong to Abu Dhabi on their Airbus A330-200 to check out their Business Class seat, cabin and service. So enjoy the 5-star experience of this beautiful aircraft and airline:

Route: HONG KONG (HKG) to ABU DHABI (AUH)

Departure date and time of flight: December 2013, 19:10pm local time (Hong Kong)

Flight number: HM87 (code-shared with Etihad Airways as EY4121)

Flight duration: 8 Hours and 35 minutes

IACO Code: HM

Class: BUSINESS CLASS

Aircraft type: AIRBUS A330-243 (2 aircraft in service)

Aircraft Name: Aldabra

Aircraft registration: A6-EYY

First flight: 20th April 2006

Delivery date to Air Seychelles: 3rd July 2012

Engine Type: 2 x Rolls Royce Trent 772B-60

Aircraft Serial Number:  751

Seat configuration for this aircraft:

Business Class: 18 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration,
Economy Class: 236 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration

Comments on the check-in process:

Air Seychelles has dedicated check-in desks at Hong Kong airport. There are two desks for Business Class passengers and 5 desks for Economy Class passengers. I always find that the check-in process at Hong Kong to be very smooth and efficient. The processing time from check-in, through security and to the gate can take about 20 minutes if you are not going to spend whiling away shopping or enjoying the Club Lounge. Hong Kong Airport provides a fantastic Duty Free experience with an abundance of shops selling everything under the sun and a myriad of restaurants and cafes.  

Any baggage issues:

There were no baggage issues. Air Seychelles is one of the very few airlines that have a generous luggage allowance for all passengers in all cabins. Business Class passengers can carry one complimentary bag in the hold with a total not exceeding 40kg (Economy Class passengers can carry hold luggage of up to 30kg). Even if you choose to exceed your luggage allowance (at additional cost) each item must not exceed 32kg. Items must not exceed the dimensions 45cm x 72cm x 90cm.

Business Class Lounge:

Air Seychelles don’t have a dedicated lounge at Hong Kong. So on the day of departure a lounge area within the paid members area is designated exclusively for Air Seychelles passengers. The lounge has plenty of privacy and all the creature comforts that one would expect from a 5-star lounge for Business Class passengers. As there were only 3 passengers flying Business Class so therefore it was nice to have an almost empty lounge!  The gate was only a 5 minute walk away from the lounge.

Punctuality of the flight:

The ground staff at Hong Kong are one of the world’s most efficient personnel. The flight got off to a punctual start with a departure from runway 25L heading towards the north side of Lantau Island. The departure gave a spectacular view of Hong Kong Disneyland as we turned around back into the South China Sea to head towards the Indian Sub-continent and on towards the Middle East. The flight arrived around 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled landing time early in the morning in Abu Dhabi.  

Comments regarding the pre-flight service:

The first thing you notice as you enter the aircraft is the immediate signature Creole warmth and hospitable welcome from the Air Seychelles cabin crew in their dashing blue uniforms. A genuine smile with a personalised welcome is all it takes to make a lasting positive impression. Passengers were offered pre take-off drinks, including mineral water from Al Ain brand, and some boiled sweets (treat!). All passengers were provided with an amenity kit comprising of socks, eyeshades, toothbrush, and a ‘wake me up/don’t wake me up’ stickers.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

A glass of champagne with warm peanuts was served prior to departure. I took plenty of water and orange juice as this was a night flight (to keep me from being dehydrated). The orange juice had a pleasingly fresh-squeezed flavour. 

Air Seychelles Drinks List:

Joseph Perrier Marquis De Joncry Brut NV, Champagane, France

White Wine:

Oyster Bar Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011, New Zealand
Corte Giara Pinot Grigio 2011 delle Venezie, IGT, Italy
Catena Chardonnay 2011, Mendoza, Argentina

Red Wine:

Les Vignes de Bila-Haut, 2011 (Chapoutier Cote de Roussillon Village, France)
Fleur de Cap Pinotage 2011, South Africa
St Hallett Gamekeeper’s Shiraz 2011, Barossa, South Australia

Comments regarding the first meal:

Starters:

Smoked Duck Salad with smoked tofu and red peppers, plum dressing and pickled shallots

Creole Spiced Salmon; caramelised onion with mango salsa, cheery tomatoes, grilled courgettes, and balsamic reduction

Main Course:

Pan seared fillet of halibut; broad beans braised in Creole spices, basmati rice, and passion fruit sauce

Grass fed fillet of beef, mashed potato with spring onion. French beans, bell peppers and beef jus

Chicken in Guizhou sauce, stir fried flat noodles, spicy sauce, julienne of vegetables

Vegetable Lasagne with tomato concasse and asparagus spears

I opted for the Creole Spiced Salmon for the salad and the Vegetable Lasagne for the main course. The cabin crew also gave me a sample dish containing the pan seared fillet of halibut.

Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks:

A second round of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (including any coffee, tea and beverages) were offered. I opted to drink plenty of still mineral water. Tempting drinks such as Dewar’s Whiskey, Bacardi Rum, Beefeater Gin, Seybrew, and Absolute Vodka, Stella Artois, Foster’s and Heineken were offered. Non-concentrated 100% juice drinks of orange, apple, mango and tomato were offered too.

Cheese

Selection of cheese

Dessert

Warm pineapple crumble with vanilla custard

Ginger and white chocolate cake with raspberry coulis

Seasonal fresh fruit with mango coulis

Provide natural ice-cream – selection of flavours

Plenty of fresh water (provided by Al Ain) was distributed throughout the flight. Passengers could go to the galley and get a free flow of pot noodles, drinks (alcohol and non-alcohol) if they wanted. Coffee and tea are offered in lovely Air Seychelles branded brown paper cups (that can be recycled), and milk is offered by local Abu Dhabi vendor. Evervess (soda, tonic water, and ginger ale), and Al Ain exclusively offered bottled water.

Comments regarding the second meal (“Anytime Dining”):

Since this was a late night/early morning flight so no heavy meal was offered. Instead Business Class passengers were offered a selection of delights that were available throughout the flight- Air Seychelles calls this service Anytime Dining (their code-shared partner Etihad Airways have a similar service known as Anytime Dining). This means you can dine as you like, when you like.

The following options were available:

Steak Sandwich with red onion compote, Turkey bacon, melted cheese and rocket leaves

Cantonese noodles with oyster sauce, lotus root, bok choy, and steamed dumpling

Selection of cheese

Seasonal fresh fruit

Baked cookies

Swedish crisp bread

Banana Chips

Various types of warm bread rolls, pain du chocolate, cheese, and preserve were served.

A final round of drinks was completed. This included a selection of beverages, soft drinks, juices, eight types of teas by Dilmah (Ceylon, Green Tea, Lemon and Lime, and Decaffeinated), and coffees (cappuccino, filter coffee), and hot chocolate.

Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks:

A second round of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (including any coffee, tea and beverages) were offered. I opted to drink plenty of still mineral water. Tempting drinks such as Dewar’s Whiskey, Bacardi Rum, Beefeater Gin, and Absolute Vodka, Sey Brew (Seychelles beer), Stella Artois, Foster’s and Heineken were offered. Non-concentrated 100% juice drinks of orange, apple, mango and tomato were offered too.

Plenty of fresh water (provided by Al Ain) was distributed throughout the flight. Passengers could go to the galley and get a free flow of pot noodles, drinks (alcohol and non-alcohol) if they wanted. Coffee and tea are offered in lovely Air Seychelles branded brown paper cups (that can be recycled), and milk is offered by local Abu Dhabi vendor. Evervess (soda, tonic water, and ginger ale), and Al Ain exclusively offered bottled water.

Comments on the in-flight entertainment system:

Because the flight is code-shared with Etihad Airways, and the aircraft is on lease from Etihad Airways, so therefore the in-flight entertainment system is similar to the one provided on Etihad Airways flights. Huge noise cancellation headphones were offered in the Business Class cabin. The 10.5-inch PTV screen is placed behind every Business Class seat. The screens are NOT touch screen. Air Seychelles have three different IFE systems: Widescreen AVOD, PTV AVOD and Main screen. Passengers can choose from over 675 hours of on-demand entertainment on our E-BOX In-flight system.

Every seat in the Business Class seat is equipped with power sockets to charge laptops or phones, and sockets for USBs, Ethernet and audio jacks, allowing passengers to plug and play their own devices or music through the E-BOX system. Silhouette is the in-flight magazine for Air Seychelles provided to every passenger.                                              

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very hospitable, and proud to work for Air Seychelles, and seemed to be very proud to wear their uniform too (Senior cabin crew wear a blue uniform while the main cabin crew wear a red uniform). There was a genuine smile on every crewmembers face and you could tell that they really enjoyed their job. There was a real sense of teamwork in the cabin. That sense of being proud of their airline, and of their job was portrayed the minute the crewmembers walked through the departure gate. While the majority of the crew are natives of Seychelles, because this was a code-shared flight with Etihad Airways so there were two cabin crew members representing Etihad Airways (complete with the Etihad Airways uniform).

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The Airbus A330-200 of Air Seychelles is leased from Etihad Airways and has 18 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, and 236 Economy Class seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. Each Business Class seat has a pitch of upto 73 inches, and a seat width of 20 inches and each Economy Class seat has a pitch of upto 33 inches, and a seat width of 17.5 inches. Business Class seats can turn into a flat bed with 82-inch seat pitch. Individual lighting options in every seat allow passengers to create their own ambience

The Business Class cabin is fitted with cradle-style privacy shell seats that slide with 65 degrees lie-flat  in sleeping mode. Each Business Class seat has an adjustable reading lamp, personal TV with video on demand and 110 volt AC in seat power.

I managed to get a very good sleep for around six hours on the fully flat 6 foot 1 inch bed, which is well placed inside a privacy shell. The seat is not as wide as I had thought, however the good thing is that it is single seat that allows you the freedom to move to the aisle as and when you like. I seldom drink alcohol on flights, but I do drink a LOT of water (best way to fight jet-lag and keep hydrated!), which means I also pay a visit to the lavatory quite a lot. Therefore for that reason alone the Business Class seat such as this one is perfect!

There is enough space to move your arms and legs, and there is an in-built massage which is set off at the press of a button. Air Seychelles provides a luxurious in-flight amenity kit which contains the essentials of a toothpaste and brush, lip balm, eyeshades, socks, earplugs, face moisturiser by Korres, refreshing mints, and a set of cotton buds. Air Seychelles do not provide night pyjamas or slippers for their Business Class passengers.

A large comfortable blanket and soft pillows are provided on request. 

The seat and the flight experience is made comfortable by the mood lighting, the extra amenities (soft black and white striped cushions, and complimentary blankets), eyeshades, socks, and a toothbrush to keep you clean and fresh.

Air Seychelles logo and livery: 

The company’s slogan is ‘Fly the Creole Spirit’. It essentially reflects the ‘experience of Seychelles. Evoking the sights, sounds and fragrances of Seychelles, it captures the spontaneous enthusiasm, passion and natural warmth of the Seychellois people shining through their attitude to life and the way they interact with others.

The Creole Spirit embodies a distinct approach to, and celebration of life that is unique to the Seychelles Islands.

In October 2011, after nearly 25 years in the traditional red, white and green local colours with two fairy terns (the Seychelles national bird), Air Seychelles collaborated with Turnstyle  and Teague to deliver on a wide range of brand touchpoints, including their website, advertising, signage, uniforms and print collateral. The airline painted its first Boeing 767-300ER aircraft in the company's new colours. The new livery formed part of a new and recently launched corporate branding of the national airline where vibrant and tropical colours have been used to blend in with the natural beauty and environment of the Seychelles. This is also seen as our contribution to promote these islands as a long-haul tourism destination.

The colours used on the tail end are commonly associated with the Seychelles blue, green, red and white. These striking colours with the abstracted images of the birds and leaves are aimed at evoking the Seychelles’ Creole spirit and blend in with the airline’s tagline – “ Flying the Creole Spirit ”.

The new livery also promotes the wonderful ecosystem that Seychelles boasts and to signal Air Seychelles support for a greener Seychelles. The new logo, which is in the form of a fluid organic shape like that of a leaf, is painted on either side of fuselage with a more modern image of the trademark pair of Fairy Terns embedded on. The wordings “air” is in a lighter blue to signify the sky, while “Seychelles” in a darker blue to signify the ocean that appears at the centre of either fuselage sides.

The interior furnishings of the aircraft provide an equally refreshing feeling with navy blue leather seat covers in Business Class and a lighter blue and green colour arrangement used for Economy Class seats.

There are 18 Business Class seats on the A330-200: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh

Each Business Class seat on the A330-200 unfolds into a 180 degrees flat bed: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh