TUIfly opb Air Belgium A340-300

KGO
May 11, 2018
5 min read

TB5315/5316

Airbus A340-300 OO-ABB 2L Business Class

Brussels - Valencia - Brussels

06:10/06:26 - 08:15/08:19

09:30/10:06 - 11:45/12:06

Since TUIfly is getting new 737Max8 and those are having a little delay they have to seek elsewhere for replacement aircrafts. For this route it was scheduled to be on the Air Belgium A340-300 replacing the usual blue/white 737. As it was only known a couple of days in advance I was lucky to buy a last minute ticket for no more than 100 EUR with a layover of 1h15 in Valencia which was just enough to try-out Air Belgium's A340-300 since they aren't flying their long haul flights yet but ACMI flights in the meantime.

Arrived early enough at the airport which was needed as TUIfly has at least 10+ flights leaving around 06AM to all their destinations including long haul flights. One little negative point on TUIfly is their online check-in process, you can book your seat in advance but even when checking in online you still have to pay for a seat which costs €7. As there would be enough empty seats on this A340 I just queued and did the old school check in at the airport. At 5AM the airport was already busy with people running around everywhere but the security check point had a good flow with a lot of points open to speed up the process.

The airplane was parked at the far end of the A terminal (A74) where almost all TUI planes were parked, the Orange2fly and EuroAtlantic wetleases could be seen as well at those positions. Near 0530 boarding started and they first started with the rear section of the aircraft to smoothen the boarding process. As I was in 26H I had to wait a little bit longer before I could board the plane.

Once arrived at the door I was greeted by 2 female TUI flight attendants accompanied by the Air Belgium crew with their stylish red/grey uniform. As I asked them if they happened to have a window seat they've said they would come back later when they had the passenger list (as there was no option given at check in). When I took my seat I was surprised by the generous legroom. A little while later the purser came to see me and told me he had found a window seat which happened to be 02L in Business Class. On TUIfly's 737 there is no dedicated business class cabin although they do have the fly deluxe package which gives you the same treatment when flying business class on a non charter airline. Once I was settled in I could discover the seat already a little bit. The cabin on Air Belgium's A340 is still Finnair hardware but with Air Belgium touches such as a different seat and headrest covers. Furthermore they also opted for dark grey bulkheads with the signature 'AB' logo in red.

Once the loading was finalized and door was closed the plane made it's way to the runway, as it was parked at gate A72 the taxi was rather short but time enough to perform the live safety demo as they don't have a safety video yet. The plane took off from runway 25R and made a little turn to the right to avoid the city of Brussels to turn left to fly south to Valencia.

As soon as the service started a standard TUIfly BOB service began. In the Fly Deluxe passengers get a complimentary breakfast service.

In between the 2 services the purser invited me for a tour around the aircraft and explained ma that the business class section would be reduced as they have more bookings in economy. On their airplane they also have a dedicated crew rest area, unlike the Eurowings A340 where the bunk is behind the wheels on the Air Belgium aircraft hey have it near the tail section. A little while later the 2 TUI flight attendants came around with their (TUI) shopping boutique before starting the descent into Valencia airport. With a beautiful low sun a magnificent view over Valencia could be spotted during final approach. Once at the parking stand, busses were waiting to bring the passengers to the airport building. As many passengers were still surprised about the big plane almost everyone took pictures before getting on the bus.

As soon as I was at the airport I had to run to the check-in area as they close their desk 40 minutes before departure. I was surprised that the check in agent didn't ask me a window or aisle seat (as I prefer a window seat) but told me it was free seating instead. Headed to the security checkpoint right away as time was ticking to get to the boarding gate in time. Once there the boarding started a little while later and as I knew it was with busses there was no need to que straight away but wait until there were more or less 15 people queueing. As soon as I was on the bus it left to the aircraft again, was funny to hear people were surprised that such a big plane would fly them to Brussels. As it was free seating it didn't matter weter to board through the front or rear of the aircraft. I boarded through the front door and was greeted again by the friendly crew. Because I've told them I would be flying up and down to Valencia with them they let me sit in the front section of the cabin again which was completely empty this time. A real treat and perfect as I could make some shots from their seats during cruise as it was completely empty.

This time the turnaround took a little longer as they were not used with handling the A340 at Valencia (as they have containers in stead of bulk cargo). With 15 minutes delay the plane was heading to the runway to fly back to Brussels, the taxi time until the runway took another 15 minutes which made a take-off at 10:06 (35 minutes later).

The way back to Brussels was a lot bumpier than the way in as soon as we entered France. During the calm part of the flight I took the opportunity to take some pictures of their Business Class cabin and seats. The seats are in a specific layout where they have 1 or 2 seats on the left hand seat while they have 2 seats in the middle and solo seats on the right which gives travellers enough options to choose wisely. The seat itself reclines fully to a full lie flat bed with a massage function. There's a reading light, power socket and mood lights at floor level which is handy on night flights if you have to get up. They also have a tray table which is big enough and stable. They all have a tv screen and remote control which is hidden in the armrest. Speaking off the armrest it can be lowered to be at the same level of the lie flat bed. The crew told me that they'll get matrasses and good pillows and blankets for the Hong Kong flights which weren't loaded on today's flight obviously. What's also nice on their planes is the fact they have a window in the business class toilets.

You could tell they were proud of their airline as now and then during the flight (and non turbulent times) on of AB's crew members would explain the business seat features to curious passengers. In the seat pocket a safety card and inflight brochure could be found. The inflight brochure was a duty free and buy on board selection in one. Too bad they didn't have their A340 models on this flight as I would gladly add it to my shelf as a souvenir from this flight. Despite that the crew was very friendly, chatty and professional from the first moment I came on board until I left in Brussels. I'm wishing them all the best and looking forward to fly to Hong Kong with them to experience their own service.