Flight test: Air Mauritius economy class

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This was published 12 years ago

Flight test: Air Mauritius economy class

By Lance Richardson
Air Mauritius.

Air Mauritius.

Route Perth-Mauritius Island-Nairobi.

Aircraft Airbus A330-200 Perth-Mauritius Island; A319 Mauritius Island-Nairobi.

Class Economy 26E, Perth-Mauritius Island; economy 7B, Mauritius Island-Nairobi.

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Flight time Perth-Mauritius: 8hr 35min, then 4hr 20min to Nairobi. The leg functions like clockwork. The connection itself is also seamless; I'm on the ground in Mauritius for less than an hour, meaning a total flight time of just under 14hr.

Flight frequency Air Mauritius flies from Melbourne (11hr 25min) on Wednesdays. From Sydney, the flight goes via Melbourne (14hr 40min including down time). Fare is about $1450 low-season return from Melbourne, including tax. Flights from Perth are on Mondays.

Seat width and pitch Width of 18 inches; pitch of 31 inches.

Seat configuration 2-4-2 layout on the A330-200 for 251 seats in economy and a 3-3 layout on the smaller A319 for a total of 108 seats.

Luggage Checked luggage is 23 kilograms in economy; seven kilograms of carry on.

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Comfort The cabin is spacious and fresh, with a soothing tropical palette and fish decals stuck to the walls. I find the seats to be the right side of firm and blankets generously proportioned. It also helps that both planes are only partially full, with passengers encouraged to relocate and stretch out.

Entertainment The A330-200 has touchscreen systems (Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters) though this is missing from the A319, which shows a single movie on shared screens. The first flight concludes with an amusing stretching video that plays like a Zen version of a Jane Fonda workout.

Service On the first leg the stellar crew is quiet and inconspicuous, leaving passengers to sleep. During breakfast the crew is friendly and attentive. A nod to the uniforms, too, which manage to blend French elegance (and a beret) with African-influenced dashes of colour.

Food and beverages Breakfast on the Perth-Mauritius Island leg was a choice of pancake or omelet. I went with the pancake, which turned out to be a savoury crepe served with broccoli and a hash brown. En route to Nairobi, I ate an omelet — hot, wholesome and served with delicious papaya jam. And who in economy doesn't appreciate steel cutlery?

Online airmauritius.com.

Tested by Lance Richardson, who flew courtesy of Air Mauritius.

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