Review: Aeromexico 787-9 Business Class Mexico City To Paris

My late-night flight from Mexico City to Paris represented the perfect flight-time for sleeping…but would service suffer as a result?

I lined up at the gate one hour prior to departure, hoping to be first onboard. Boarding began about 50 minutes prior to departure…sort of. My ticket was scanned and passport checked and I was led down the ramp the jet-bridge door. There, however, a giant glass door was closed. It remained closed for the next 20 minutes. By the time it opened, there were 100 passengers standing behind me.

Aeromexico 003
Mexico City (MEX) – Paris (CDG)
Tuesday, August 07
Depart: 11:55 PM
Arrive: 6:00 PM+1
Duration: 11hr, 05min
Distance: 5,725 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Seat: 4A (Business Class / Clase Premier)

Stepping onboard, the purser inspected my boarding pass and directed me to my seat in the forward business class cabin.

Aeromexico 787-9 Business Class Seating

Keep in mind there is a big difference in seating between the Aeromexico 787-8 and 787-9. The 787-8 has B/E Aerospace Diamond seats in a 2-2-2 configuration while the 787-9 has B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seatings which are in a reverse herringbone arrangement.

I actually wouldn’t call this seat any more comfortable than other seats, but I love the privacy and personal storage. I appreciated the many compartments, which made personal storage quite easy. The large compartment next to my armrest including the IFE controller, USB port, headphone jack, and power port.

Seat adjustments were made via a touch-panel in the armrest:

If you prefer, here’s what the seat looks like in daylight hours:

The Aeromexico business class cabin on the 787-9 features 36 seats in business class with 30 in the forward cabin and six in a mini-cabin behind the galley. Behind that is three rows of premium economy (AM Plus), making me wonder if those last six flights in business class will stick around on a long-term basis. Perhaps it was just an off-night, but the flight was less than half full in business class but appeared nicely filled in economy class.

On the seat was a comfort package featuring a blanket, pillow, and noise-canceling headphones. The bedding was comfortable. While the blanket was heavy, it was soft and each seat had individual air nozzles. I slept for about five hours. More would have been nice, but I appreciated what I got.

Aeromexico 787-9 Business Class Dining

With a midnight departure, I figured dining would go quickly and indeed it did. FAs sprang into action shortly after takeoff to offer warm towels and place tablecloths down.

Here’s the menu:

Service began with a cheese appetizer and choice of beverage. The brie and Manchego cheese was quite mild.

For the main course, I chose short rib served with couscous, nuts, herbs, and tomatillo. While not the best-looking dish, it was quite tasty. The meat was tender and full of flavor and the nuts and tomatillos were an excellent combo. Also on the tray was a shrimp appetizer and green salad with zucchini in it.

For dessert, three flavors of Häagen Daz ice cream were offered (strawberry, chocolate, vanilla) along with an orange-flavored pound cake. I just had some chocolate ice cream.

All drinks and meals are served via cart:

Mid-Flight Buffet

Between the two business class cabins, FAs set up a self-serve buffet after the first meal course. It included mixed nuts, chips, croissant sandwiches, and chocolate. Also available: wine, soft drinks, and water.

I woke up with about four hours of flight time left and enjoyed the mixed nights while working.

Breakfast

Breakfast was served 90-minutes prior to landing. I chose the red chilaquiles omelet with refried bins and panels cheese. It was served with a great red sauce, tostada, yogurt, and fruit. I also ordered a cappuccino, which was the “real thing” (not powder) and so tasty I had a second one. The orange juice was atrocious, though.

In summary, I thought the food on this Aeromexico flight was excellent.

Aeromexico 787-9 Business Class IFE + Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi worked perfectly on the flight from Los Angeles to Mexico City, but not so on this flight. I tried no less than three dozen times during the course of the flight to connected and could not.

I thought the safety video was well-done:

The IFE library included about 30 English movies and a good selection of TV shows, boxed sets, music, and two channels of live TV. Seat-to-seat chat was also available. I didn’t watch anything, though, and had had my screen set to the moving map for most of the flight.

Noise cancelling headphones:

Aeromexico 787-9 Business Class Amenity Kit

Amenity kits were Boggi branded. Contents included a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, pen, eye mask, socks, ear plug, hand sanitizer, and a box of Boggi toiletries (cologne, lip balm, body lotion).

Aeromexico 787-9 Business Class Lavatory

The Business class cabin includes three lavatories, including one outside the flight deck and two in-between cabins. The lavs in-between cabins have windows, which I always appreciate in a lavatory. Amenities inside the lavatory included body and hand lotion from Institut Karite.

Aeromexico 787-9 Business Class Service

Lastly, I’ll commend the flight crew for courteous, friendly service. The purser did much of the work herself, working my side of the aisle for both meal services. Furthermore, the crew did not take open business class seats. I’m frankly surprised they didn’t, considering the entire rear business class cabin was empty. But I’m glad: not because I didn’t want the crew to be comfortable but because it screams unprofessionalism.

The purser also addressed me by name while taking meal service orders. It’s a small touch, but a nice touch that demonstrates a higher level of care.

CONCLUSION

Comfortable seat? Check. Good food? Check. Friendly service? Check. Decent IFE and at least potential Wi-Fi? Check. I’d say Aeromexico measures up well. I recommend it and look forward to flying it again.