THE FLIGHT: Air Astana flight KC902 in Economy, departing Heathrow 21.05 for Almaty, Kazakhstan. B757-200; 20 seats in Business Class and 150 in Economy.
THE CHECK-IN: The check-in desk is at the far end of Terminal 2 and was passenger-free, so quicky checked in by the friendly counter staff. There was no queue whatsoever at security.
THE LOUNGE: Business Class passengers have access to the Air France lounge by gates 18 and 19. It's fairly compact, with comfortable seating for around 100, self-service drinks and snacks, two computer terminals and internet points. No toilet facilities so it's a short walk to the nearest public facilities.
THE BOARDING PROCESS: Air Astana flights typically depart from gates close to the Air France lounge, and ours followed suit. There was no queue at the gate and, while the Business Class cabin was full, Economy was much less so. We were therefore asked to take our designated seats for take-off and ascent but were encouraged to move seats if desired once the seatbelt light had been turned off.
THE SEAT: Seats (32-inch pitch) are arranged in 3x3 formation in the Economy cabin and, due to the low passenger load, I was able to secure a row of three for myself. The armrests lifted up (unlike on some aircraft) so I was able to stretch out for a good long sleep.
THE SERVICE: Back-to-back films and docu-mentaries were shown on overhead screens with the audio available in several languages. Headphones, blankets and amenity kits – with socks, eye mask, comb, toothbrush and paste – were handed out after take-off, while there was a drinks service before dinner was served. My vegetable lasagne option was probably the best onboard meal I've ever tasted. Muffins and fruit juice were offered to those that were awake around an hour before arrival.
THE arrival: Off the plane quite quickly after touching down. A queue at immigration was quickly eased with the opening of extra booths, then it was just a five minute wait for luggage.
THE VERDICT: Overall, a very smooth and comfortable service that – because it was an overnight flight with plenty of room to stretch out – passed exceptionally quickly. It's a convenient arrival time too (9.15am) for those keen to get down to business right away.
NB: seats on the right-hand side of the aircraft offer superb views of Almaty and the mountains as you come in to land.
THE DETAILS: Air Astana flies direct, non-stop from London Heathrow to Almaty on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Return Economy fares start from £446.90 including taxes and return Business fares are from £1787.90 including taxes.
See: www.airastana.com Andy Hoskins
