Azerbaijan Airlines Business Class Review

As part of our trip to Azerbaijan, Derrick and I got to fly Azerbaijan Airlines from Baku to Istanbul. When planning our flights, we noticed that the Azerbaijani flag carrier operated a 787 Dreamliner on this short three-hour flight. The cash price for the flight we wanted was quite reasonable, so we had to jump at the opportunity. We don't write a lot of flight reviews here at Travel on Point(s), but we had to make an exception here for an airline that we don't hear much about. So let's dive into this Azerbaijan Airlines Business class review!

Booking

Azerbaijan Airlines, also known as AZAL, claims to have codeshare agreements with a number of major airlines, including Air France, Lufthansa, and Turkish. But it doesn't look like any of these airlines offer the opportunity to redeem their miles for flights on AZAL. This meant cash was the way to go. Thankfully, business class tickets were affordable for the date we wanted travel, and we booked about nine months in advance.

AZAL boasts a robust fleet for an airline of its size. Among its widebody aircrafts, AZAL has two Dreamliners, two 767-300ERs, and two A340-500s. AZAL used to offer non-stop service to New York JFK on its Dreamliner aircraft, but that route was discontinued before the pandemic. The airline's two Dreamliner planes fly mostly to London, Paris, and Istanbul now.

Checking In

When approaching the check-in counter at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, I noticed that the business class line was empty, but it looked like it was roped off. I asked the person at the counter about checking in, and he directed us to check in at the AZAL lounge a few feet away. Checking in for a flight from the lounge was a new one for me, so I was excited to try this out.

This lounge is located land side, near the AZAL check-in counters. The first thing you see when stepping in is a metal detector and luggage screening machine, but there was no one there to operate it. I figured someone would show up so I placed my bag on the conveyor belt. A staff member appeared and waved us through without having to screen our bags.

At front desk of the lounge, we presented our passports and received our boarding passes. During this process, another staff member tagged our carry-on bags with an Azerbaijan Airlines tag indicating we were flying business class.

We began to make our way to the rest of the lounge but we were stopped and asked to go to the main lounge located on the airside, past airport security. This all struck me as unusual. We couldn't check in at the counter, but had to do so in a lounge that we're not allowed to use? I suspect that this check-in lounge is suited for folks whose family members come to drop them off at the airport and they want to spend time together before departing. Beyond that, I'm not sure what the point of this lounge would be.

For what it's worth, the rest of the lounge looked quite basic, with a small bar and a modest spread of snacks. Most of the seats faced the tarmac. With the lounge being on the ground level, it was a neat treat to see the planes from that angle.

Azerbaijan Airlines Business Class Lounge

AZAL's actual business class lounge is located airside on the fourth floor of the airport, above the departure gates and directly above the Duty Free shop. Access to the business class lounge is available to AZAL business class passengers only. Next door to the AZAL's lounge is another lounge for business class passengers flying with many other airlines. From the outside, that lounge looked almost identical to AZAL's.

The lounge's predominantly beige and brown aesthetic is a stark contrast to the airport's modern and sleek design. There is ample seating, all with outlet access throughout the lounge.

The temperature in the lounge was unbearably hot. The fact that the lounge faces west and we were there just before sunset did not help. But guests visiting in the afternoon want to make sure they sit with their backs to the sun or wear their sunglasses.

A large bar offers a good variety of liquor, wine, and beer. I did not see a single staff member at the bar during our entire visit.

Two snack stands offered fresh fruit, local sweet and savory pastries, and plenty of soft drink options. A coffee machine and hot water for tea were also available. The pastries and cookies I tried were tasty but did not taste particularly fresh.

The restrooms were spacious, clean, and tidy, tucked away near the snacks.

I would not arrive at the airport any earlier to spend time at the AZAL business class lounge. The lounge's aesthetic and mundaneness was shocking when juxtaposed against such a modern airport.

Azerbaijan Airlines Business Class Review: Boarding

We arrived at gate 5 just two minutes after boarding was scheduled to begin. We thought they would be boarding business class passengers first. Instead, a massive queue had already formed with no distinction between business, premium economy, or economy passengers. The gate also did not have a separate line for business class or any boarding group numbers.

Despite the long line, the boarding process moved steadily. The lone gate agent was impressively efficient considering he was also checking passengers' passports.

We followed a single jet bridge onto the plane, where we boarded through the galley right behind the business class cabin. Much to our surprise, the business class cabin was completely empty. Three other passengers did eventually make their way onboard, but they also got stuck in the long queue.

Azerbaijan Airlines Business Class Seat

The seats each had a branded blanket and a pillow. Amenity kits were nowhere to be seen, nor were they offered. This was not unexpected considering the flight was scheduled for just over three hours. Meanwhile, the flight attendants distributed headphones prior to take off.

AZAL's business class seat closely resembles Turkish's business class seat on the latter's 777, but in a 2-2-2 configuration instead of Turkish's 2-3-2. The main difference between the two is that instead of having the same storage compartment under the foot rest/ottoman like Turkish does, AZAL's ottoman is open in front, making it like a cubby instead. I like the Turkish alternative better since it keeps belongings completely enclosed.

The absence of overhead bins along the center aisle makes the cabin feel larger and brighter than usual.

The seat itself was spacious and comfortable, while the the controls were straightforward to operate. Passengers have a few massage options as well, which is a nice touch.

The in-flight entertainment system was quite good, offering decent variety of movies and shows, including Azerbaijani entertainment options. The screen size was adequate considering this is an older product.

The headset featuring AZAL's gorgeous logo was quite comfortable. I was surprised to see single-pronged headsets instead of the three-pronged ones we are used to seeing in business class cabins. Unfortunately, my headset didn't work, so I just used my personal headphones instead.

The lavatory was the standard restroom in most 787s, with no distinguishing features for AZAL. They offered some hand lotion and face mist, but that was about it. They didn't even include a flower or other decoration in the flower holder next to the mirror, which pretty much every airline does in premium cabins. The lavatory remained clean throughout the short flight, in large part due to the few passengers traveling in business class.

Azerbaijan Airlines Business Class Review: Meal Service

Shortly after settling into our seats, a flight attendant offered the choice of sparking wine, water, or orange juice. The sparkling wine was from an Azerbaijani winery, but unfortunately it was at room temperature bordering on lukewarm, making it undrinkable. I would like to think it would have been much better had it been chilled.

The flight attendants then distributed dinner and beverage menus. As an aside, I must say these menus were very well-designed and aesthetically pleasing.

It's great to see an airline serving local wines, especially when their wines are not well-known beyond their country's borders. AZAL serves wine from Meysari winery, which appears to be the most popular label in the country. We actually visited this winery and I quite enjoyed their red wines. Having had plenty of reds during the trip, I tried the white and rose wines. The white wine on the flight was great, but I did not care for the rose wine.

I was excited to see a shah plov dish on the menu since this was my favorite dish during the trip. Unfortunately, they did not actually have that available onboard. Instead, the flight attendant offered me the choice between a pasta dish or the chicken option shown on the menu. I picked the chicken and was quite happy with my choice.

Overall, the food tasted fresh and flavorful. The quiche from the appetizer and the chicken main course stood out in particular.

For dessert, I ordered the cheesecake with raspberry sauce, which was delicious.

Overall, the meal service was great. It felt neither rushed nor like it dragged. The flight attendants were pleasant, friendly, and generous with drink refills.

The Flight

We pushed back from the gate and taxied to the runway in a few brief minutes, leading to an on-time departure.

Shortly after take off, the flight attendant making the typical announcements left the PA receiver off the hook. This meant all the IFE screens were frozen with the message “PA announcement” on display. I notified the flight attendant of this issue, and instead of having the PA receiver placed back on the hook, she reset my IFE screen. Eventually, another passenger pointed out the same thing. So the flight attendant reset all the IFEs in the cabin. After about 10 minutes, everything seemed to have returned to normal, except for my IFE screen. The flight attendant came by and reset my individual screen again but it stayed frozen on the start screen. Eventually I just moved to the empty seat next to me. Also, after all the IFE systems were reset, the power outlets stopped working.

IFE issues aside, the flight was otherwise uneventful. After the meals service, the flight attendants walked through the cabin a few times to check on passengers without being too obtrusive.

Azerbaijan Airlines Business Class Review: Overall Impressions

Flying AZAL was a real treat. The airline's aesthetic, food, and local wine options are some of the highlights. The seat is quite comfortable and service was friendly and attentive. IFE issues aside, I would fly AZAL again in a heartbeat. I hope the flag carrier will return to offering service to the US, because AZAL's dreamliner would be a lovely way to fly from the US to the Caucasus.

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