Review: Air Europa Business Class Boeing 787

This review covers my Air Europa business class flight on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Rome Fiumicino (FCO) to Madrid (MAD).

Flying to Spain in Air Europa business class

After a brief stay in Rome, it was time to continue my journey by flying to Spain.

More specifically, I would be travelling from Rome to Barcelona via Madrid with Air Europa in business class.

Although there are plenty of direct flights from Rome to Barcelona that I could have taken, I had my reasons for choosing a connecting flight with Air Europa.

The main reason was that Air Europa often operates widebody aircraft – specifically their Boeing 787s – on shorter routes within Europe, offering a genuine business class product rather than a standard economy seat with the middle one left empty for comfort, as is typical in intra-European business class.

Apart from its intercontinental routes to the Americas, Air Europa also regularly operates its Boeing 787 fleet on shorter intra-European hops, with routes from Madrid to Barcelona, the Canary Islands (Madrid to Las Palmas or Tenerife North) and Amsterdam offering the best chance of getting a Boeing 787, while the aircraft is used less frequently on flights to Milan and Rome.

Although I have flown with Air Europa in economy class on their Boeing 787 before, this would be my first experience with them in business class.

Moreover, the price for my one-way Air Europa business class flight from Rome to Barcelona via Madrid was quite reasonable at €250, and it would also earn me valuable points and miles to help maintain my Air France-KLM Flying Blue Platinum status.

Rome Fiumicino Airport

Before my Air Europa business class flight to Madrid, I had access to the ITA Airways Hangar Lounge at Rome Fiumicino Airport, which I have already covered in a separate review.

It’s a decent business lounge, with its staffed bar – where you can get great coffee and cocktails – being the highlight, although the food offer is decidedly average.

However, do check the link above to read about my business lounge experience in full!

Note that ITA Airways has now left the SkyTeam alliance of which Air Europa is a part, which means that since my flight, Air Europa passengers can no longer access the Hangar Lounge at Rome Fiumicino Airport and must instead use the Plaza Premium Lounge.

Boarding

About 15 minutes before the announced boarding time, I made my way to the gate.

My boarding gate, A74, was as far away as possible from the Rome Fiumicino lounges in the Schengen departures zone of the terminal and required a bit of walking.

Gate A74 turned out to be a bus gate, and although it’s never pleasant to reach your plane in an overcrowded bus, it does at least offer some great planespotting opportunities as you drive along the apron.

That was also the case today at Rome Fiumicino Airport, as we passed a variety of aircraft from ITA Airways, American Airlines, and a few other carriers.

After a five-minute ride, we reached our Air Europa Boeing 787-9, and I boarded through the second door, turning left into the business class cabin.

Air Europa Boeing 787 business class cabin

Air Europa’s Boeing 787s have different configurations, and this is certainly something to be aware of when flying in business class.

All of Air Europa’s Boeing 787-8s and some of its Boeing 787-9s feature Stelia Equinox business class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, while the remaining Boeing 787-9s are equipped with Jamco Venture business class seats in a more spacious 1-2-1 layout.

As always, it’s best to check Aerolopa for detailed seat maps of these aircraft.

My flight from Rome to Madrid was operated by a Boeing 787-9 with a business class cabin with a 2-2-2 seating configuration.

Needless to say, these seats aren’t as great as the much more modern and private Jamco Venture seats on other Air Europa Boeing 787s, particularly when travelling solo.

However, if you are travelling with a partner or a close friend, the more open 2-2-2 seating configuration does offer some benefits.

Air Europa Boeing 787 business class seat

At the time of booking, I had selected seat 2K, a window seat on the starboard side of the aircraft.

It turned out that today’s flight to Madrid was quite full, and nearly every passenger had a seat mate, which in my case was a friendly woman from Central America.

The business class seat itself, which is 20 inches wide and can be converted into a fully flat bed, is perfectly comfortable and, on the plus side, provides plenty of legroom without feeling at all constrained.

However, there are clear disadvantages too to this seat.

There is a lack of enclosed storage space around the seat, although you can use the small open compartment beside the headrest and the shelf above the footrest to store items, or simply place a small bag in the open space in front of you without it affecting your comfort.

The biggest disadvantage is that these seats are slightly angled towards each other, so if you stretch your feet into the footwell, they end up uncomfortably close to those of the person sitting next to you.

Again, if you are travelling with a partner or a good friend, none of this is a major issue – and some may even prefer these seats to the more modern, private ones when travelling as a couple – but when travelling solo, this is far from an ideal long-haul business class product.

However, on a relatively short flight within Europe, this product is, of course, a genuine luxury compared to standard intra-European business class.

Pre-departure beverage service

While boarding was still underway, one of the flight attendants came by with a tray of pre-departure beverages in plastic glasses, offering a choice of water or orange juice.

I chose a glass of orange juice, which was refreshing.

Rome Fiumicino (FCO) to Madrid (MAD)
Air Europa – Flight UX1040 – Boeing 787-9
Plane registration number: EC-NBM
Business class – Seat 2K
Departure: 10:30 – Arrival: 13:05
Flight time: 2h35m – Distance: 829 miles

Departure from Rome Fiumicino

Today’s Air Europa flight from Rome to Madrid appeared to have a healthy passenger load, with around 80% of the business class seats occupied.

We left our remote parking spot on time, and on the way to the runway there were plenty more excellent planespotting opportunities.

Eventually, it was our turn to depart from Rome Fiumicino Airport, and we took off towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, with great views of the coastline.

Meal service

Once we reached cruising altitude, the friendly Air Europa flight attendants serving us today in business class began the meal service

First, they distributed packaged refreshing towels, followed by the meal itself, which was served on a single tray.

On the tray was a glass jar with what I think was burrata and tomatoes – which was completely tasteless – as well as some small plastic cups with vegetable sticks and olive tapenade, plus another unidentified tapenade, both of which were actually quite tasty.

There was also a plastic cup with a small banana Oreo crumble dessert, which was tasty too.

A small paper bag containing two types of bread was handed out as well together with the meal tray, which was a nice touch.

Overall, it was a perfectly acceptable meal for a short intra-European business class flight, although it was rather unmemorable and the presentation could certainly be improved by Air Europa.

To drink, I had a mini bottle of Freixenet – Spanish cava – which added a touch of festive spirit to what was my second breakfast of the day.

After the meal, I had some coffee, which was of surprisingly decent quality, although it was oddly served in a paper cup, which felt rather cheap for business class.

In-flight entertainment

In business class on Air Europa’s Boeing 787, there is an 18.5-inch HD touchscreen for the in-flight entertainment, which can also be operated using a controller located above the armrest.

The in-flight entertainment screen has a decent resolution, although the actual content is subpar, with a rather limited selection of films and series to watch.

I was also surprised that business class passengers were given only the cheap headphones typically found on long-haul economy flights.

From what I’ve gathered reading other Air Europa reviews, these cheaper headphones are only handed out on intra-European business class flights, while proper, larger headphones are provided on long-haul flights (although some complain they are not great either).

It puzzles me a little why Air Europa makes this distinction, as many other airlines that also operate widebody aircraft on intra-European flights, such as Turkish Airlines, make no such distinction and provide proper headphones.

Again, it felt like a rather cheap move, as providing proper headphones would cost the airline very little extra, yet it would greatly enhance the overall presentation of their business class product.

Wi-Fi internet

Air Europa’s Boeing 787 fleet is equipped with Wi-Fi, and business class passengers are provided with a free voucher.

However, I had major problems connecting to the network, so I wasn’t even able to use it and test internet connectivity during my flight.

Window views

Fortunately, the window views on my Air Europa flight from Rome to Madrid were absolutely superb, as it was a lovely day with mostly clear visibility over the Mediterranean.

Our flight path took us over the islands of Sardinia and Majorca, offering excellent views of Olbia and its harbour, as well as the Cap de Formentor peninsula.

Later in the flight, when the flight attendant came down the aisle to check on the business class passengers, I asked for another mini bottle of Freixenet, as plane views are always better enjoyed with a glass of sparkling wine.

Lavatories

The lavatory on this Air Europa Boeing 787 was fairly standard and lacked amenities or high-end soap and eau de toilette, as can be found on many other airlines in business class.

On the plus side, it was spotlessly clean.

Landing in Madrid

Soon after I finished my bottle of cava, we were already flying over the barren landscapes of the Iberian Peninsula.

I always enjoy the views over the mostly empty Spanish interior when flying to Madrid, as there is something inherently fascinating about it.

After a while, we began our descent to Madrid Barajas Airport, where we landed right on time.

Air Europa operates from the adjoining Terminals 1 and 2 at Madrid Barajas Airport, and it usually takes a while to taxi there after landing on one of the outermost runways.

On our way, we passed Terminal 4, which is primarily used by rival Iberia and its oneworld alliance partners, and certainly is more modern than the ageing Terminals 1, 2, and 3, which have a distinctly retro appearance.

Madrid Barajas Airport arrival

Although it appeared that our Air Europa Boeing 787 had access to a proper jetbridge, it was at the non-Schengen part of the terminal, which made sense, as this widebody aircraft was likely scheduled for an intercontinental flight next.

This meant we couldn’t disembark via the jetbridge and instead had to walk down the stairs and take a bus to the Schengen side of the terminal.

Fortunately, disembarkation was quick, and we were dropped off airside in the main terminal.

I was connecting onto a domestic Air Europa flight to Barcelona, which I will review in a separate article.

Conclusion

I have mixed feelings about my Air Europa business class flight on the Boeing 787, as in some ways it was excellent, yet in others it was a rather subpar experience.

Let’s start with the positive: whenever you can get a widebody plane with proper lie-flat seats in business class on a short-haul route, rather than the usual intra-European business class – a standard economy seat with the middle one left empty – it’s always a massive win and provides comparatively great comfort.

Service was friendly throughout the flight, and the meal was quite decent, although its presentation could certainly be improved.

There is plenty of room for improvement, as some aspects of the business class service felt rather cheap, such as the use of paper cups instead of proper mugs for hot drinks, and the provision of cheap economy-style headphones rather than the larger ones normally offered on long-haul business class flights.

The non-functioning Wi-Fi and the underwhelming in-flight entertainment selection were additional drawbacks.

Looking at the hard product on this Air Europa Boeing 787, the 2-2-2 seat configuration and the business class seat itself can hardly be described as state-of-the-art, as far better options are available on nearly any other airline these days.

When travelling alone, these seats offer little to no privacy, although some may see this as an advantage when travelling with a partner.

However, note that not all of Air Europa’s Boeing 787s have this 2-2-2 seat configuration, as some Boeing 787-9s are fitted with the superior Jamco Venture seats in a more spacious 1-2-1 layout.

It may not be the best product available, but when you get to fly on an Air Europa Boeing 787 in business class on an intra-European route, as I did, there is little reason to complain.