This was an unusual review for me to write, partly because it encompasses two of what must be Aegean's longest flights – Dubai to Athens, Athens to Dublin, and partly because, more shockingly, I refrained entirely from drinking leaving me tasting every morsel with my full faculties unimpaired.
Airline: Aegean Airlines A3 630 & A3 959
Route: Dubai – Dublin (Approx. 4.5 Hours, per flight)
Class: Business
Curiously, on-the-ground Champagne was not a feature – much to my sober delight, as it would have meant resisting temptation – on the flight out of Dubai, and instead we sat there perusing the contents of our amenity kit, wondering how to while away the hours with precisely zero in-flight entertainment monitors.
Once airborne, at a truly lethargic pace as if to try and make the in-flight dining the official in-flight entertainment offering, drinks were offered before a menu was proffered, offering a vegetable quinoa salad to start followed by a choice of three main course options; I elected to go with the ‘beef tournedos', if only out of curiosity for what a meat-based tournedo might be like.
The meals, unexcitingly paired with a Coke Zero, in an in-flight dining selection that I have vowed never to make again in business class at least, were fine – but again, the service was drawn out to ridiculous levels, with the dessert making its way to me slower than we were making our way to Athens.
The onward flight, to Dublin, on the other hand, appeared much more geared towards European drinking patterns, with a delightful round of pre-departure champagne on offer – again, to my sadness on this particular occasion – but no amenity kits.
I mean, on a 4-hour flight, who needs an eyemask and ear plugs when you can enjoy a few nice glasses instead? Honestly, some people's choices…
I went for the familiar chicken kebab on this flight – similar to a previous journey some months back – thankfully served with military precision before, as with my previous Aegean flight to Dublin, the crew beat a hasty retreat to the galley post-service.
Overall, Aegean does a good job of putting together what is probably one of the more thoughtful intra-Europe business class dining experiences. They're probably pushing their luck with both fleet and service offerings on a connection onto the long jaunt to Dubai, but ultimately, they're still one of the more palatable carriers for intra-EU business class offerings.
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