When you consider airlines that provide a premium travel experience, names like Qatar Airways or Singapore Airlines may pop into your head. It’s quite uncommon for a smaller airline to truly excel in delivering a distinctly unique experience.
Luxair’s intriguing route from Luxembourg to Dubai
Luxair is Luxembourg’s petite national carrier, mainly conducting regional flights throughout Europe. Additionally, the airline offers a seasonal service from Luxembourg (LUX) to Dubai World Central (DWC).
This flight is operated using a Boeing 737 MAX, specifically one that features “proper” recliner seats. To clarify, while Luxair doesn’t provide flat beds, at least it’s not servicing this route with an aircraft that just has the basic intra-Europe business class.
A few months back, I highlighted how Luxair was showcasing its business class soft product on this route, including a collaboration with a celebrity chef, caviar service, and more. This piqued my interest in trying this path, although I haven’t had the opportunity yet.
Is it genuinely as good as it seems? After all, numerous airlines announce collaborations with celebrity chefs and can capture impressive professional images of what airline meals theoretically look like.
Well, OMAAT reader Nico generously shared his experience aboard this flight, which I’ll include in full below (I won’t use quotation marks or indentation, but the entire section below is from Nico). Wait until you hear this!
What’s business class like from Luxembourg to Dubai?
We traveled on LG 9009 from LUX to DWC on December 6th.
It’s notable that after over 20 flights with Luxair, this flight was perhaps the first in which priority boarding was actually implemented. Boarding commenced just over 30 minutes prior to departure – and it was fortunately one of the rare instances of boarding via a jet bridge at LUX.
Regarding the hard product, there’s little to comment on: acceptable recliner seats with plenty of legroom and recline.
While an exceptionally soft and plush blanket and an amenity kit containing all the necessities (far superior to what LH provides these days in long-haul business class) awaited us on our seats, just a very flimsy pillow, akin to those normally offered in long-haul economy class of legacy carriers, was provided.
After settling in, we were presented with a choice of water, orange juice, or Rosé sparkling wine (I appreciated that the FA highlighted the fact they had Alice Hartmann Brut Rosé available that day while serving the welcome drink, instead of just saying “sparkling wine”).
We took off pretty much as scheduled and enjoyed a stunning sunrise over the Alps.
Approximately an hour post-departure, the crew distributed the first menu of the flight, featuring just the initial service of the flight, a continental breakfast, which was served shortly thereafter.
They also provided an adapted beverage menu for the breakfast offering, including espresso and (instant) cappuccino (which I opted for).
Minutes following the breakfast service, we were given crackers. The crew consistently refreshed the drinks throughout the whole flight.
Just under two hours after the breakfast service, we were given the second menu (main lunch service) along with the wine list.
I loved that they had some local wines available, and particularly some choices that felt more upscale than what legacy carriers provide in business class these days. The only selection regarding the meal was the main course (beef or vegetarian option), which still included the caviar and seafood starter even if you chose the “vegetarian alternative” – so it’s advisable to request a special meal if a completely vegetarian meal is desired.
Afterwards, another aperitif was served, along with some nuts.
Then the highlight was presented, with starters and the main served on a single tray.
The initial starter featured the advertised generous portion of caviar.
While the truffle was quite pronounced in flavor, the beef and jus of the main course were excellent. Below is what the vegetarian option appeared like.
Lastly, dessert was served – and of course, more drinks followed.
Before preparing the cabin for arrival, the purser circulated to genuinely ask for and record feedback from the business class passengers regarding the service on our flight. Speaking of the crew, the purser alongside one additional flight attendant were exclusively serving in business class. The service was professional, cordial, and reasonably personal, with a good crew-to-passenger ratio.
Arrival procedures were straightforward, with Smart Gates available for eligible passports. Luxair truly aims to stand out with a distinctive soft product on the DWC flights. The quality and quantity of food offered on this 6.5-hour flight was incomparable to what competitors provide on similar routes. I’d actually prefer them over a standard lie-flat seat of another airline on routes like that.
Bottom line
In a realm where numerous airlines settle for “good enough”