This trip was the return home for me from a holiday in Europe, the final stop of which was Roma. Perhaps the Rome tourist bureau has been working overtime but the city was absolutely packed with visitors. After two very busy days there it was time to head to the airport for the flight back to the States.
My first segment on AZ was two years ago, on an MD80 domestic leg VCE-NAP. At the time I was unimpressed with the crew who were aloof and unsmiling. Later I read that AZ has frequent labor issues.
Two years passed and I decided to give AZ another try. I'd wanted to show my family the VS experience but the connections were long, G fares non-existent and J fares too high. The deal my family and I were offered on AZ for its Magnifica Class was too good to pass up. On the outbound leg from EWR to FCO we were on a B772. AZ has two types of Magnifica seating; in this airplane the seat reclined to about 160 degrees and was not a true lie-flat. I found it uncomfortable (at 6 feet, 4 inches tall the VS bed is the only one so far where I can really sleep). Configuration on the 772 is 2-2-2, that being the only positive of this seat type.
The inbound trip was on a B763. What a difference in the seat on this aircraft! AZ's updated J class offering is more of a pod, with a self-contained seat that collapses into a true lie-flat without affecting the legroom of passengers ahead or behind. Configuration is 2-1-2; if you're in a window seat you must crawl over the person next to you to get to the aisle (VS solved this problem quite ingeniously). I had the aisle seat and my cousin told me later that she'd had quite a time climbing over her sleeping oaf of a seatmate (that would be me?) when trying to use the restroom. Earth to AZ: solve this problem.
One plus on the AZ 763 is the new digital entertainment system. These systems are distributed by the FAs after takeoff and can fit neatly into the seatback in front of you. The power cord is another matter, however; it must be plugged in to your seat, leaving a dangling cord between your seat and the unit. The unit can also be removed from the seatback and held in your hands and there is a good resolution screen of perhaps 6 by 8 inches. Volume controls are adequate but the earphones are nothing more than standard issue, leaving the sound experience only fair. The good news: there are twenty first-run movies on offer and you can pause the movie at will. However, if you leave your movie on pause too long ... the power to the unit turns off and you will be forced to start all over again. Ouch! But the movies are on-demand and if VS perfected this gadget it would be a positive step; I am one who finds the VS swingaway screen a bit unwieldy.
Service on AZ in the transatlantic corridor is not going to win awards anytime soon. On the outbound leg at 530pm we were promptly served dinner which was nothing special and then the lights were out for sleeping. The inbound segment began at 930am so this was an opportunity for AZ service to be on full display. Instead we had been in the air over an hour (annoyingly, the cabin attendants spent this time behind the curtains in the forward galley doing ... what?) before service began -- and then, rather than serving the cocktails and aperitifs promised on the lavishly prepared menu, flight attendants came through with tray setups, carefully placing down flatware packages, salt, pepper, water glass, tiny wine glass, butter, bread/butter plate. The next service was the water -- which would you like? You get the idea.
Next came the aperitifs, finally, nearly an hour and a half after takeoff. That's just unacceptable regardless of class flown. AZ offers only a half dozen premixed cocktails and lower-end spirits. Don't look for Johnny Walker Black here, nor Tanqueray-10. I had the white wine which was very good but, given the unnecessarily small glass (more like a child's glass I'd say) the time between refills was agonizing. Just this one negative caused me to think that service on AZ's transatlantic sector is really out of touch with the standard most premium cabin pax would expect -- or was it just me, expecting more?
For lunch we were offered three choices: veal medallions (why did I choose that?), salmon or pasta with shrimp. The veal was tough, the sauce nearly cold. A very poor choice. I could tell from the look on the faces of my family that none of them were enjoying their meals either. Wine service was sporadic at best.
A far more satisfying service commenced while we flew over Nova Scotia about ninety minutes from touchdown. Fresh fruit, a variety of sliced cheeses and an excellent, hot mozzarella/tomato tart. How ironic that the 'snack' would so outshine the main service. The crew, somewhat wooden delivering the brunch had now come alive; more smiles were seen and perhaps even a spring in their steps.
Throughout our journey in Italy we had encountered nothing but excellent food and service. The Italians are a generous, warm people and their country is an enormously fulfilling place to visit. Sadly the contrast with the Italian's national airline is one to be avoided. The next time I want to fly direct to Italy it will likely be on BA. If I have some extra time or want to stop in England in either direction VS and its wonderful cabin crews, UCS and improving food will once again be my home away from home.
Perhaps my AZ experience was unlike yours. If so, it's only fair to AZ to hear better stories than mine and I welcome our members' input to the Forum.
Regards,
Chuck-
Edited to correct error in inbound aircraft type; thanks to those who caught my mistake.
