Why an old US Airways Envoy Class review? As we remain in lockdown, read this introduction to my current Balkans trip report.
To begin my journey to the Balkans, I had to get to Europe…and I flew on US Airways on its then recently-introduced A330-300 “Envoy” business class seat. Spoiler alert: the journey was incredibly pleasant.
This walk down memory lane is actually not all that irrelevant in 2020. The business class cabin and seats remain unchanged if you catch the A330-200 (the A333 is now retired). In fact, even the dishes haven’t changed beyond the logos. So even now, expect the same seat if you choose an A330-200 with American Airlines.
Before the flight, I spent some time in US Airways’ Envoy Lounge in Philadelphia (PHL), a special lounge reserved for departing business class passengers. It was spacious and had additional food offerings over standard US Airways clubs. I had a bowl of soup and some salty snacks. The tarmac views were also excellent. I miss the beautiful US Airways A330 livery.
Boarding begin 45 minutes before departure, but I was one of the last to board. This trip was before I became anal (for lack of a better word) about boarding first and taking unobstructed cabin pictures, so my number of photos are quite limited.
US Airways 708
Philadelphia (PHL) – Munich (MUC)
Tuesday, June 26
Depart: 6:30 PM
Arrive: 8:50 AM+1
Duration: 08hr, 20min
Distance: 3,950 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Seat: 4F (Business Class)
A few observations about this flight:
The seat was very comfortable…it was my first time flying on a reverse-herringbone business class seat and even though I somehow wound up with a seat in the center section instead of a window seat, I still thought there was sufficient privacy and I slept very well.
Service was outstanding. The flight attendant who took care of my side of the cabin was professional and friendly, welcoming each passenger onboard with a smile and carefully monitoring beverage levels during the flight. It’s one thing to be attentive; it’s another to smile. I appreciated the smile.
Food was surprisingly tasty. The jumbo shrimp appetizer and Caesar salad was delicious, as was the bread. I no longer order steak on airplanes unless I am feeling particularly adventurous, but back then would order it every time it was on the menu. This time, it was the right choice. The meat was cooked medium and the Béarnaise sauce, potatoes, and asparagus were perfect accompaniments. Notice the crockery looks familiar…it’s still in use today, just with new logos. Ice cream sundae with cappuccino for dessert. I wasn’t expecting much for breakfast, but breakfast included a delicious warm quiche, cinnamon croissant, and fruit…a prefect breakfast.
Here are some pictures from the flight:
How I Booked My Ticket
To further date this trip, I used bmi miles to book this trip. US Airways flight carried no fuel surcharges and I was able to book a one-way business class ticket for 18,750 miles plus £127.50. Those were the days!
CONCLUSION
The outbound flight was in June…my Balkans trip did not begin until August. Yes, it was the summer of love. Before my Balkans trip began, I spent two months courting my future wife. But as for US Airways, it was a very pleasant first experience in Envoy class.
I like this “classic” review. Interesting to see an airline brand that no longer exists and what the experience was like from eight years ago. Wouldn’t mind reading some more of these.
thanks for posting.
too bad the A330-200s are parked until 2022
Chances of AA flying the A330 again are almost zero, sadly. Solid plane from a passenger perspective, especially with 8 across in economy.
Flew in this business class seat twice, in 2015 and 2017 on flights to the British Isles from CLT and PHL, had a great experience and slept great both times. One nice treat was the espresso machine which Matthew utilized as well- I don’t think any other AA/US Airways plane had one.
The A321Ts also have espresso machines. Not sure about the 77Ws.
Thanks for the review! More please
Although I will note that it’s terribly unpleasant right now to post positive interesting reviews about non -trivial things tsk tsk
Matthew, love the memory reviews. Brings a smile as I fondly recall US 741 I believe which was PHL to MAD. I flew that many times and remember that US Airways lounge so well. They did not have a large international network, but what they had I agree was very good.
Thanks for the memories!
Thanks Mike!
Memories of simpler times. God, we are getting so melancholy! When the old US Airways looks good from Philadelphia we have hit a new low. Now we will just be grateful for a sanitizing wipe and a bottle or water. And to fly without getting sick and quarantined for weeks at the Novotel Sydney airport.
Thanks for the very nice pictures. I recalled United used to have warm mixed nuts, a piece of Belgium chocolate, and shrimp cocktail served in business class long time ago. Those are long gone. United will never have them again.
So that lounge you were in, the old Envoy lounge, is set to become the new AA Flagship lounge at PHL later in the year. For a while it was an Admirals Club and the best one at PHL in my opinion because of how spacious it was! I miss that Admirals Club and now have to settle for the one between Terminals B/C…
It probably won’t happen now with most capital expenditures put on hold. 🙁
Minor correction, that’s an A333 your flight was on not an A332. All of US/AA A332’s have the new Airbus interior that was introduced in the mid-2000s. The A333s were delivered earlier, starting in 2000. Trivia for those that don’t know, but US at one time had a First Class service (above Envoy) on their A333s that was discontinued after 9/11.
Shame about the A330s though. Echoing what someone else said, the A330s were the only plane you could get an espresso beverage in J. I think such beverages are reserved for F on the A32T/77W.
Matt, thanks. I’m curious, how can you tell the difference between an A332 and A333? Just the woodgrain interior?
The A333s that US/AA had were delivered between 2000 and 2001 and had the original Airbus wide body interior (note the dual PSUs over the mid-section of the cabin with with centerline lighting fixture, old style sidewalls, and overhead bins). The A332s that they had were delivered in a span between 2009 and 2014 and had the new Airbus A380-style interior (LED lighting, new sculpted sidewalls, larger overhead bins, a single PSU for the mid-section of the cabin, and new window trim).
All US A330s had the faux-woodgrain interior added to the bulkhead when the Envoy Suites were installed. I always thought it was tacky.
How would you compare the catering back then to what AA serves now?
Honestly, about the same.
Thanks for this helpful review. I think US service is not bad.
Great review, it brought back memories from my PHL-MUC flight in (I believe) February 2013. The DM program had “Super Saver” Envoy tickets to Europe for 60k miles round-trip, and if you had the US Airways credit card it was only 55k miles. I booked tickets for me and my wife even though we lived in NYC at the time (considered booking LGA-PHL-MUC but it was a blessing we decided to drive to PHL that day, since it snowed 6″ and all the LGA-PHL flights were cancelled). I had the same positive experience with the seat and food, but our service was quite uneven. The FAs were practically doting on me, but basically ignored my wife. I think I had 4 Glenfiddichs (all doubles) on that flight, but my wife was never asked for a refill. When I pointed out she wanted a drink too the FA was very curt with her. Never experienced anything like that before. All the FAs were 65+ in age, which also seemed unusual. I also remember we had a German pilot on the outbound flight (is this unusual for a US airline?). He came by to introduce himself to every passenger in Envoy, which was a nice touch. It left an impression because I still remember his name (Capt. Maus).
Captain Maus? Lol. That’s funny. Odd that you had bad service, though maybe the old school FAs didn’t like women in their premium cabins?
I really miss the flight reviews. Can’t wait to see you and read about you flying again, Matthew.