Having had my Virgin flight canceled as a result of Hurricane Irene, I sought to get the next available flight from New York to London. When Virgin didn’t have a flight for me for another 12 days, I started looking for alternatives. I was surprised to find a one-way business class flight from New York to London on Kuwait Airlines for a little over $1,000. Given that due to the post-hurricane cancellations, most major airlines were charging something similar for an economy ticket, I decided I’d give it a try. I figured that in the worst case I’d at least get an extra wide seat and some extra leg room. Which is more or less what I got.
Overall I think the flight was worth it and I would fly Kuwait Airliness Business Class again.
Lets start with the rant. The airplane is old. I’d say it could have been cleaned better too, but it might just be the age showing. Entertainment systems were the handheld type they give out not the in seat ones. That being said, they were not just portable DVD players I’ve seen some airlines use. The systems were harddrive based and had a wide selection. The system response time was annoyingly slow though. Given the age of the plane, the seats left a lot to be desired. The legroom and seat width were fine. But the leg rest was way to short for me and the recline angle was pretty meager for a business class seat. More than fine for working or reading a book but not great for a nights sleep. The airline was strictly Halal and did not serve alcahol on the flight. I can’t say it bothered me on this particular flight but I can see this being an issue and I feel like fair warning should have been given. For me the biggest annoyance was the lack of a goody bag. I don’t fly with my own slippers/socks or eye mask and expect the airline to provide these. They weren’t even available when I asked for them explicitly. This is really an expected colon denominator for business class flying and the airline needs to step up and spend the extra $5 per seat.
On the bright side: The service was very cordial and genuinely friendly. The food was fresh and quite good as far as airline food goes. My business class ticket included an invitation for London Hethrow’s customs and immigration Fast Track line. This is a huge timesaver given that the line at Heathrow can easily take an hour or more. Disapointingly Virgin does not provide Fast Track for their Premium Economy passangers for comparable, if not higher, prices.
Overall the airline could use some improvement, but at a certain price level its definately worth it.