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Home » Reviews » Flight Reviews » Review: Air Malta A320neo Business Class
Air MaltaFlight Reviews

Review: Air Malta A320neo Business Class

Matthew Klint Posted onSeptember 16, 2023November 13, 2023 6 Comments

a plane on the tarmac

From Zurich to Malta we flew on Maltese flag carrier Air Malta, which proved to be a cost-effective and pleasant journey onboard the A320neo in business class.

Air Malta A320neo Business Class Review

While the future of Air Malta is in doubt, it was nice to fly the flag carrier one more time.

Booking

By the time we decided to go to Malta, we were less than 48 hours away from our departure, but thankfully the tickets on Air Malta were still very reasonable…especially when compared to SWISS on the same route.

One-way economy class tickets were $124 each or $138 with a checked bag. Not bad at all. There was one business class seat left for sale at $268 and I took it…I figured Heidi could sit up front and review business class for me. She turned me down, however, saying she would rather sit with the kids in economy class than review business class.


Tip: Book your tickets on Orbitz, where you will receive a 24-hour courtesy cancellation, versus booking directly with Air Malta. This has its downsides in case of irregular operations (you may be referred to the online travel agency), but I always like to have a 24-hour cool-off period when booking an airline ticket.


Check-In

Check-in lines were consolidated into a single gaggle for the 10 carriers seven by Swissport in Zurich Airport Terminal 2. The economy class lines were very long, but thankfully there was no line for business class and the agent checked us all in.

a boy and girl pulling luggage in a parking lot

a group of people standing in a line

a screen with different brands on it

Boarding pass in hand, we headed to the Aspire Lounge, which is not the business class lounge for Air Malta (that is the Marhaba Lounge), but is a Priority Pass lounge (so we all got in).

people walking in a building

a group of people in an airport

a hand holding a white ticket

Augustine and I walked over to the boarding gate at about 4:45 pm to position us to be first onboard at 5:00 pm, but when I checked the flight status at 4:50 pm, I saw our aircraft was not even on the ground yet.

We hung out in the gate area for a bit, with Augustine demonstrating that he will likely be a valuable part of this blog in the years to come.

a child looking out a window at an airport

a boy taking a picture of a person in an airport

a group of people sitting in chairs in an airport

people at a counter in an airport

people standing at a check-in counter

a sign with a white screen

By 5:10 pm the aircraft had arrived and by 5:30 pm, boarding began.

a plane parked at an airport

a plane at an airport

Air Malta 491
Zurich (ZRH) – Malta (MLA)
Saturday, August 5
Depart: 5:40 PM
Arrive: 7:55 PM
Duration: 2hr, 25min
Distance: 857 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A320neo
Seat: 4A (Business Class)

Onboard, Augustine and I were greeted by an all-male crew. The cabin was bright and clean.

Business Class Seat

The entire plane has the same slim-line seats (180 total). The difference between business class and economy class is that in business class the middle seat is blocked. I did not bring my measuring tape, but seat pitch felt about 31 inches (sufficient with a slimline seat) and the width felt like the standard 18 inches.

a row of red seats on an airplane

a man standing in an airplane

a row of red seats on an airplane

a seat in an airplane

the inside of an airplane with red seats

a red seats in an airplane

a red leather bag with a logo on it

Each seat has a coat hook, tray table, mesh storage pocket, and upper literature pocket. There’s also a clip that can lock in your tablet for seatback viewing.

a seat with a magazine in it

a seat belt lock on a plane a safety instructions in a basket a seat with a metal frame and a mesh on the back

While there are no standard power outlets, there are USB-A chargers located at the base of each seat.

a close up of a device

Each has a reading light and air nozzle.

a ceiling with lights and a speaker

A movable partition and curtain divides business class and economy class.

the inside of an airplane with red seats

Augustine settled comfortably into his economy class seat.

a boy sitting in a chair on an airplane

IFE + Wi-Fi

While wireless internet is not offered onboard, an in-flight intranet system offers a number of features, including:

  • games
  • destination guides
  • in-flight magazine
  • safety card (a virtual copy)

 

Paper copies of the in-flight magazine and duty-free catalog were also available.

a couple of magazines on a plane

Great views out the window also provided complimentary IFE.

an aerial view of a city
Air Malta A320neo takeoff over Zurich
an airplane wing in the air
ZRH in the background

aerial view of a city and a river

an aerial view of a city and a body of water

an airplane wing and engine of an airplane

aerial view of a mountain range and clouds

aerial view of a mountain range with clouds

a mountain range with clouds

aerial view of a landscape from the sky

an airplane wing with the ocean in the background
Approach into Luqa, Malta
a aerial view of a city by the ocean
Final approach into Malta

a sunset over a field

Food + Drink

Admittedly, the number one reason I upgraded was because my friend Dennis Lennox sent a picture of his business class lunch from London to Malta, noting how delicious it was.

food on a tray on a plane
Yum…

Unfortunately, only a cold meal was served on my route, but it was still a nice meal on very nice tableware.

After takeoff, menus were offered:

a paper on a table

a hand holding a menu

There was no choice of main course: everyone received antipasto, but it was still nice to have a menu.

Service began with a choice of beverage and I tried a glass of orange juice (since it was from innocent, a juice brand I like), then some Maltese red wine along with sparkling water. The wine was quite nice…and it is always nice when a flag carrier showcases local wine.

a bottle and glass of wine

a hand holding a bottle of wine

a wine bottle and glasses on a tray

Dinner sounded quite appetizing:

Antipasto
Cured beef bresaola with roulade of aubergine with mozzarella and basil Parmesan spread, stuffed Portobello mushroom with pancetta and blue cheese, grilled artichoke, hummus paste

Bakery
Trio of oven-baked fresh Maltese bread

Cheese Platter
Cheddar cheese, Maltese pepper cheeselets, Brie cheese, seedless grapes, dried apricot, cherry tomato

Dessert
Chocolate tart with chocolate mousse

The antipasto itself looked quite dull and frankly not appetizing at all, but it tasted great. The fresh bread and Maltese pepper cheese were especially nice.

food on a plate with a glass of wine

a plate of food on a tray

a row of rolls on a table

a bowl of food on a tray

a dessert in a glass container

But what I liked most about the meal was the presentation. I love the colorful underlay, which was inspired by local tiles.

After dinner, the coffee was also served on a colorful dish (which almost fell into my bag, but I decided against it…)

a tray with a cup of coffee and a small cake on it

a white mug and spoon on a plate

a cup of coffee on a plate

Sure, a hot dish with lamb and chicken would have been wonderful, but this was still a solid meal and literally made the flight fly by.

Lavatory

Before landing, I rose up to use the lavatory, which was clean but had no extra amenities.

a sink and toilet in a bathroom

a sink in a bathroom

Service

The all-male crew was quite attentive and friendly. Passengers in business class were offered frequent refills on drinks.

a group of people sitting in an airplane

CONCLUSION

We landed just a tad late in Malta (having made up about 15 minutes) and pulled up next to an Atlantic Airways A320 bound for the Faroe Islands.

a plane parked on a runway

There are no jet bridges in Malta. Instead, we aligned by stairs and walked over to the terminal. It was a windy evening, but the temperature was pleasant.

a plane with stairs on the side

a boy and girl standing in front of an airplane

a child walking on a runway

a plane parked on a tarmac

a plane on the tarmac

I had an enjoyable flight on Air Malta and hope that whatever happens to the carrier, it will keep running in some form. Perhaps its current business class product is not sustainable, but I thought it was excellent for the short journey and would try again, especially on a longer flight with hot meal.

Next: a very pleasant surprise upon arrival in Malta


This is part of my summer to Europe trip report.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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6 Comments

  1. Alvin Reply
    September 16, 2023 at 7:18 am

    So unoccupied business class seats get adjustable headrests but economy doesn’t?

  2. Galoot Reply
    September 16, 2023 at 9:58 am

    If I went , I would ask if they have Malta’d-milkshakes ,

  3. T- Reply
    September 17, 2023 at 12:53 pm

    Hi Matthew. I noticed that the a320 pictured does not appear to be of the neo but a320 with no mask around the cockpit windows. Do they make the a320neo without the mask as well?

  4. VT-CIE Reply
    September 18, 2023 at 9:32 am

    It’s lovely of you to have offered your wife that business-class seat first, and equally gracious that she declined. Few miles-and-points blogs make as much of a point of raising good humans as yours does, and I see that commitment with your interactions with your family.

    We hung out in the gate area for a bit, with Augustine demonstrating that he will likely be a valuable part of this blog in the years to come.

    On a different note. Little Augustine has ensured that the future of your blog is in good hands, and he may well become your chief photographer, with Claire Marie perhaps the styling assistant — not that I as a reader want to dictate your lovely children’s future professions, but this is how I pictured them!

  5. Andres Reply
    September 25, 2023 at 5:08 am

    I’ve never seen business class tickets for airmalta going at less than 300 dollars. Did you buy directly from the website? I’m quite surprised that that ..

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      September 25, 2023 at 10:15 am

      Bought it direct. Check one-way ZRH-MLA. Seems to be standard pricing.

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