Round The World and other travels

Flight Log: AB7248

Berlin Tegel (TXL) - New York Kennedy (JFK)

ABOVE: About to board an Air Berlin A330, bound for New York

Having spent some time relaxing in the familiar territory of the British Airways lounge, which like the rest of Tegel was meant to have closed several years ago, I was looking forward to my first experience of Air Berlin. Passengers were taken to the aircraft in a bus, and we then boarded the Airbus A330 via the stairs at Door 2L, setting me up nicely for the celebrated left turn once safely inside. Air Berlin (IATA code 'AB') is a member of the One World Alliance and its flights are therefore available on an award basis to collectors of British Airways avios frequent-flyer miles. In fact, AB is well known among frequent-flyer cognoscenti as a low-tax redemption option. In this instance, in addition to the required number of avios, my transatlantic journey in business class had set me back a mere £60 or so - a fraction of the monetary cost involved in flying directly from the UK under an equivalent redemption.

Although I had looked at pictures of the AB business-class cabin before, I was still keen to see it 'in the flesh'. As I settled into aisle seat 4H - and incidentally, I could have sworn that I had allocated 5K shortly after booking - I had time to have a good look at my surroundings and gain an understanding of the overall design. It's not a particularly easy one to describe. At first glance, the layout appears to be 1+2+1 with all seats facing forward, but the first part of that impression is an illusion created by the staggered positioning of the seats. Each seat is alongside the footwell of another seat and, in a manner similar to BA Club World, recognition is given to the fact that feet require less width than shoulders. And indeed, the AB seats are every bit as narrow (and the aisle seats are just as exposed) as in BA Club World. In summary, the first two key differences from the BA product are that (a) all seats are forward-facing, and (b) the layout is staggered, so that the only seat pairs are 1E/F, 3E/F and 5E/F along the centre of the cabin.

But there's more: while the configuration is just as dense as Club World across the width of the cabin, it is considerably less tightly packed along the length of the aircraft. All aisle seats (apart from the one at the front) have a gap in front of them, to allow access to the nearby window or centre seat, so that the third key difference is: (c) all seats, whether placed adjacent to the aisle or not, have direct aisle access, without ever having to step over anyone's legs. More of a surprise, yet entirely logical, is the converse. In order to preserve the overall pattern, window seats (and centre seats) are similarly separated from the one in front, so that the final key difference is: (d) all 'C' and 'H' aisle seats provide direct access to a window, even if you need to perch on the edge of your seat in order to see the outside world.

Once I'd got all that sorted out in my head, I noticed that water, headphones and today's menu were all already in place, together with a Wunderkind amenity kit by Wolfgang Joop. A choice of orange juice or champagne was offered, and I couldn't think of a single reason not to have the latter. A pre-departure hot towel was delivered on a china plate, which seemed a rather classy touch for business class. Orders for post-departure drinks were also taken at this point. A minor irritation arose from the fact that passengers served from the other aisle were offered top-ups, while glasses on my side of the plane were cleared after one round.

We left our stand 18 minutes late, for reasons that were never explained. After a quick run-through of the safety video, which featured creepy CGI characters with wide, staring eyes, a burst of sunshine appeared to mark my departure from Berlin at 1333 local time.

		FAR LEFT: My aisle seat, 4H. Access to window seat 5K (also shown) is via the gap behind my seat. LEFT: Forward view when seated in 4H.
		RIGHT: Just as there was a gap between 2H and 4H to permit access to 3K, so there was a gap between 3K and 5K to preserve the overall pattern. Partly obscured by the water bottle is my aisle-seat window! FAR RIGHT: Pre-departure champagne

Once we had become established in the cruise phase of the flight, drinks were served individually on small trays; I felt that it gave a better impression than a trolley run through the cabin. Food orders were taken and slippers were handed out. As none of the movie choices piqued my interest, I looked at the TV options - something I normally do much later in a flight, when the remaining time is limited. They had 24 episodes of 'Big Bang'. I started at number 1 ...

LUNCH		WINES
Appetizer		Champagne
Fresh seasonal salad with balsamic dressing		Louis d'Or Brut, Cuvee Louis le Grand, Vincelles, France
plus your choice of
Smoked chicken breast with a spicy avocado salad and		White wine
orange mustard confit		Dr Köhler Weißburgunder 2014, Rhine-Hesse, Germany
or		San Simone Pinot Grigio 2014, Borgo Santo, Italy
Smoked salmon (smoked in hot paprika) and orzo salad		Kaapzicht Anna White 2015, Stellenbosch, South Africa
with tomato and mozzarella, paprika-flavoured mayonnaise
and tomato caviar		Rosé wine
		Frank Massard Gamba Rosa 2014, Catalunya, Spain
Hot Dishes
Roasted chicken breast with piri-piri dressing, plantain,		Red wine
green beans and Indian mashed potatoes		Olvena Selección 2013, Somantono, Spain
		Nerostrella Primitivo Puglia 2013, Apulia, Italy
Slow-cooked beef with a delicate Chanterelle jus, roasted
potato noodles, creamed Savoy cabbage and carrot slices		Port wine
		Graham's Port
Tilapia, salmon and scallop on pea risotto, with saffron
sauce and cherry tomatoes		COCKTAILS
		Airman on the Rocks
Ravioli stuffed with beetroot, in a delicate horseradish		Sparkling Airman
sauce		Berlin Breeze
On selected flights we may offer you an additional hot dish		SNACK SERVICE (available throughout the flight)
of the day		Selection of chocolate bars
		Cookies
Dessert		Salted pretzels
Grassland chilli cheese and Camembert		Peanuts in different flavours
		Crispy potato chips seasoned with selected spices
Plum nutcake

Lunch proceeded in line with the photos (see column on right). I had the chicken starter, slow-cooked beef and cheese; all were perfectly edible, but not especially memorable. A cappuccino and a couple of Lindt chocolates rounded the meal off nicely. I decided to try a change of scene when my Big Bang fest got to episode 12. I could have kept going, but somehow it seemed wrong.   Another trawl through the movies turned up the 2015 comedy Spy, which actually proved to be quite funny.

LIGHT MEAL served prior to arrival

Roasted pork fillet 'Baharat' on couscous salad with peppers

Red fruit jelly with vanilla sauce

Camembert with pear-mustard confit

With 1hr 45mins left to run, the second meal was served. All the menu items were presented together on a tray, and I was able to supplement these with a beer, a bread roll and another cappuccino. I was given another Lindt chocolate, this time heart-shaped and thanking me for flying Air Berlin - a nice enough touch. I managed to squeeze in another Big Bang Theory, making a (lucky?) total of 13 out of the available 24.

We touched down at JFK at 1616 local time, but a long wait to cross an active runway meant that our arrival on-stand was delayed until 1637. Overall, I thought this was a fairly competent performance from Air Berlin, but I don't think it necessarily turned me into an ambassador for the airline. The seats were just as narrow as BA's, but benefitted from direct aisle access. I would have been happier with the increased privacy offered by an 'A' or 'K' window seat - and I'm still convinced that I allocated one of these immediately after booking. Would I do it again? Yes, if I felt that it made sense to do so. But the bottom line is that the new American Airlines business-class seat on the Boeing 777-300ER offers a better One World transatlantic experience.

Date: Thu 12 Nov 2015

Aircraft: Airbus A330-200

Scheduled dep: 1300

Actual departure: 1318

Scheduled arrival: 1600

Actual arrival: 1637

Cabin: Business Class

Seat: 4H

Main meal:

Second, light meal:

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