It’s not my first review of the business class on Air Astana

I love Air Astana. I have flown with them several times in recent years. I tried their business class before and reviewed it in a previous blog post here two years ago. In my opinion, It’s one of the most underrated airlines in the world and a true gem in the world of aviation. This time, I wanted to try and review another level of their business class on a different plane and a seat that is way superior to the seat I reviewed in a previous post. I was so excited about this flight, which I had booked about 2 months in advance.

This is a flight from Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, to Aktau, a beautiful city in Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea. The flight duration was 2 hours and 40 minutes. I was looking forward to this flight and, luckily, everything about this flight met and even exceeded my high expectations.

In this blog, I will share with you my review of the throne seat of Air Astana’s business class on the A321new LR aircraft, so join me!

The Airport in Astana

After spending two nice days in Astana, it was time to fly to a new city in Kazakhstan. I’ve never been to the Western part of Kazakhstan and I had to choose between two cities there: Atyrau and Aktau. I did my research and I asked many friends and I realized that Aktau would be a better destination to fly to since it has a direct beach on the Caspian Sea. I was looking forward to seeing the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan’s side. I saw it just once before from Baku, Azerbaijan.

I arrived at Astana airport, and checked in very easily but I came to know that the lounge in the domestic terminal wasn’t open. I was a bit disappointed but it wasn’t an issue since I had to board the plane in 30 minutes anyway. I boarded my plane and immediately spotted my beautiful seat, 4B. It’s a very special seat and you will know why when you read further.

The Seat

As I said above, it’s a special seat because it’s a throne seat that occupies a huge space. Air Astana’s A321 neo LR aircraft was the first in the industry to feature ‘throne seats’: single seats in a 1-1 configuration. There are 4 throne seats on this plane, and the rest of the business class seats come in a 2-2 configuration.

After making myself comfortable in my seat, I started exploring the seat and learning about its features. It’s an amazing fully flatbed seat with huge storage space. I remember trying the business class seat on Air Canada (you can view my review about them here), but I don’t remember the storage space in Air Canada’s seat matching the storage space in this Air Astana flight.

There’s an elegant reading light, noise-cancelling headphones, a universal power socket, an amazingly bright and crisp screen with inflight entertainment, and plenty of storage space. I took some photos, and then I was waiting for the pre-flight service to start.

The Service

The service started with serving welcome drinks. I opted for cherry juice. I love cherry juice on Air Astana flights and I even had another one. Shortly after, the cabin crew began handing out the menus. There are three options for the main course: a Spanish omelette with baked salmon and escolar on skewers, mushroom quiche, and creamy millet porridge. I chose a Spanish omelette. Later, the cabin crew handed out blankets and the safety videos started to play for take-off.

After reaching the cruising altitude, the real world-class service of Air Astana started. The food was served along with drinks. As I stated above, I opted for the Spanish omelette and I’m so glad I did, as the taste was amazing. The salmon was perfect too. There were fresh fruits served, freshly baked bread, and yogurt with oat granola. Everything tasted to perfection and it was an incredibly satisfying meal. Remember, this was only breakfast, so imagine how good their lunch or dinner meals would be.

Shortly after the meal, the tasty cappuccino arrived, I enjoyed sipping it slowly while admiring everything about this flight and also while having some deep thoughts in my head about being grateful for having such experiences. I don’t want to be too philosophical here but I think that the key to happiness is to always be grateful. Being grateful improves my mental well-being and provides me with inner peace and happiness. This recipe works for me so I thought why not share it!

Later, after finishing my delicious breakfast and consuming so many liquids, I wanted to take a rest and try the flatbed. I tried to take a nap for half an hour or so. I probably fell asleep for only a few minutes. Maybe the caffeine in the cappuccino prevented me from falling asleep. Nevertheless, the flatbed on this seat is very comfortable. I was able to stretch my legs easily and it was possible to sleep either on one side or on the back. The blanket was fluffy and comfortable, and I wish this flight was a bit longer to get some good sleep.

A short time later, we started to descend in preparation for landing in Aktau, which was right on schedule. Before the landing, I went to the washroom to check it out for this review. As expected from Air Astana business class, the lavatory was not just clean but it was even in a state of pristine magnificence. There were even real flowers in there. Who knew the airplane bathroom could be a botanical oasis. Alright, I’m exaggerating here a little bit maybe but seriously, everything about this flight was just perfect.

Summary

The first time I flew Air Astana business class was two years ago, and this is the second time I have tried it. I am so happy to say that everything has gotten even better. Despite having had an amazing business class flight with them two years ago, this one is even better. This is a domestic flight from Astana to Aktau, a not-so-busy route. Imagine how good their service on international routes would be!

If there’s only one single thing that could be slightly negative about this experience, it would be the slight disappointment I had when I found out that the lounge at Astana airport was closed. But I guess it wasn’t an issue as I didn’t have a long wait before boarding the flight. Also, I don’t remember using the Wi-Fi during the flight. I’m not sure if it was available or not as I personally didn’t try to connect. It’s a shame that I didn’t, as I would have loved to find out whether there was Wi-Fi or not for the sake of this review, at least.

The flight service was attentive and professional, with the cabin crew being busy serving passengers with top-notch service while being kind and polite. They were serious about safety procedures, especially during takeoff and landing. I believe Air Astana’s service could easily match leading airlines like Qatar Airways and Emirates. Most importantly, I felt comfortable due to the personal touch in the communication with the cabin crew. The variety of in-flight entertainment options also contributed to the overall positive experience, catering to different preferences and ensuring that passengers had a pleasant and enjoyable journey. The spacious seat and the huge space was the highlight of this flight in addition to the good food and the cleanliness of the aircraft. All these aspects combined made it a remarkable flight experience for me. I would love to try it again whenever I get the chance.

You must be wondering how much I paid for this flight. Well, this was a one-way ticket from Astana to Aktau, a 2-hour 40-minute flight in business class. I paid $200 USD for the ticket in addition to $23 USD extra for the throne seat. If you buy a business class ticket on this aircraft (A320 neo LR), there’s an additional charge for the throne seat and honestly, I think that it’s absolutely worth it. I bought my ticket in advance so that I could enjoy this special rate.

I landed in Aktau on time. It’s such a small airport. It was so hot when I landed, around 37 degrees. There was a woman standing next to a taxi stand and shouting “taxi to the city” (in Russian language) for 3,000 tenge (about $6 USD). The distance to the city is 28 kilometres, and it’s about a 30-minute drive. I checked the price on my Yandex taxi app and I realized that the price of the taxi stand is much better. I went to her and, with my broken Russian, I  paid to book a taxi to the city. A minute later, the taxi driver showed up, but he asked me if he could smoke a cigarette before we started our trip, and I said “конечно” which means “of course” in Russian. I arrived at my hotel in Aktau, and I will make sure to write you an interesting story about the time I spent there in Aktau, which is, by the way, so different from any other city I visited in Kazakhstan.

This is all I can say about my wonderful experience with Air Astana. In this next blog, I will take you with me on a journey to discover Aktau, a beautiful Kazakh city on the Caspian Sea so stay tuned.