We’ve reached the final flight segment of my classic Balkans trip report. After a wonderful summer in Europe, it was time to head back to the United States. Once again, we used US Airways and enjoyed a great flight aboard the A330 in “Envoy” business class. Here’s a brief US Airways A330 review.
Again, this is a vintage report and as such, is not nearly to the detailed standard of my current reports. Instead, this report is a chance to reminisce about an airline that no longer exists. You can still find the seat onboard the A330-200s on American Airlines, though all aircraft are currently parked due to the pandemic.
I have vague memories of a boarding area that was in a huge room with white walls…does that ring a bell for everyone? It wasn’t in Terminal 2, but it was a part of Terminal 1 I had never been to and have not been back to since.
US Airways 703
Frankfurt (FRA) – Philadelphia (PHL)
Wednesday, August 15
Depart: 1:10 PM
Arrive: 4:10 PM
Duration: 09hr, 00min
Distance: 3,950 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A330
Seat: 2A (Business Class)
Onboard, we were welcomed cheerfully by an all-female team of Philadelphia-based flight attendants. They were lovely and I once again enjoyed superb service onboard throughout the flight.
Although a daytime flight, I ate lunch after takeoff, slept the entire flight, and woke up just before landing to enjoy another meal. That limits my commentary onboard, but I will note that the seats are quite comfortable in lie-flat mode.
We enjoyed great views of Frankfurt just after takeoff:
Lunch began with mixed nuts and a mojito (not bad…).
The appetizer included warmed cheese bread, a salad with tomato dressing, and chicken with olives in a sweet sauce.
I chose fish for my main course, which was included polenta, sliced carrots, and broccoli. The “white” fish was trout in a herb butter sauce and quite delicious.
Ice cream sundaes and Cannoli for dessert!
After my nap, flight attendants presented a pre-arrival snack of pizza with salad.
The pizza was soggy and lukewarm so I asked a flight attendant if there was any pasta left from the first meal service. She gladly obliged:
This ravioli, even though it had been sitting in the oven for eight hours, proved to be a much more satisfying pre-arrival snack.
How I Booked My Ticket
Like the outbound, I used bmi miles to book this trip. US Airways flights carried no fuel surcharges and I was able to book a one-way business class ticket for 18,750 miles plus £250 in fees, including taxes and the cash+points supplement. Those were the days!
CONCLUSION
Writing up this report makes me miss US Airways. The decision to eliminate complimentary beverages during the Kirby years and its LCC stock symbol (“low cost carrier”) made it a laughingstock, but the Envoy premium cabin product was very highly competitive at the time and would still be highly competitive today.
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Read more of my classic trip report through the Balkans
Introduction: Road Trip Through The Balkans
Review: US Airways A330-300 Business Class Philadelphia To Munich
Balkans Day 1: Sick In Belgrade
Balkans Day 2: Belgrade – Sarajevo
Balkans Day 3: Sarajevo – Dubrovnik
Balkans Day 4: Beauitful Dubrovnik
Balkans Day 5: Accused Of Espionage In Montenegro
Balkans Day 6: The Diverse Architecture Of Tirana, Albania
Balkans Day 7: Refreshment In Kosovo
Balkans Day 8: Racism In Skopje + A Pirated Hollywood Premiere
Balkans Day 9: Timeless Thessaloniki
Review: Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki
Review: Aegean Business Lounge Thessaloniki (SKG)
“The pizza was soggy and lukewarm”
What do you expect from microwavable pizza?
Thank you for this trip report Matthew!
18,000 Miles for business class? WOW. The best that would do now is get you a magazine subscription to Dog Fancier.
Not old enough to remember US Airways beyond their horrendous economy offering in the tail end of their pre-merger history, so I’ve loved these reviews on them.
I’d always assumed AA was the more premium carrier of the two pre-merger, would you say that’s not the case at least in business class?
Even the juice from the black olives on that pizza would have kept me on the toilet for 3 days.
Its not US Airways I miss when reading this, its Diamond club, the best FFP ever
Can’t wait to see what Kirby does to United. It’s gonna be great … NOT.
That faux wood panelling made me shudder.