Air Mauritius business class isn’t something we see reviewed often, so I was happy to hear from reader Doug Hess after his recent trip.

I can count on one hand the number of contributors I’ve featured on this blog. I write every post myself, but over the course of 20 years have had three people share trip reports with experiences very different than my own that seemed really interesting. Doug is one of those, sharing his experience flying African low cost carrier Fly540 and Flying Air Tanzania’s Airbus A220 from Lusaka to Dar es Salaam.

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Why You Want To Know Air Mauritius

Although better known to Europeans than Americans, Mauritius is a remarkable destination. Beautiful beaches, incredible mountain hiking, great scuba diving, and all the adventure sports one could wish for (sky diving, wind surfing, and more). Mauritius also boasts some great points hotels, including my stay at the Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Wellness Resort (Hyatt Small Luxury Hotels).

There are a number of options to get to Mauritius, including twice daily A380 service on Emirates, and a number of European airlines such as Edelweiss (SWISS), British Airways and Eurowings (Lufthansa). One option that recently became more attractive is that of Air Mauritius, who flies their A350 aircraft to Paris and London Heathrow. Their recent addition as a partner airline of Aeroplan makes booking flights on Air Mauritius accessible to most points and miles enthusiasts.

Booking Air Mauritius

As this was a work trip, this trip was paid as a cash fare through Air France who codeshares this flight. The itinerary was MRU-CDG-BOS with the onward flight being on Delta metal. The one-way fare was $3,360. This specific flight would be bookable with Aeroplan for 60k points in business class, while adding connecting flights onward to North America would raise the cost to 100k.

Check-in

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is located on the Southeast corner of the island, roughly 45 minutes from the capital city and anywhere from 1-2 hours from most resort locations around the island. Upon arrival, business-class passengers are invited to check in at the large priority check in counter.

Check in was quick and easy, however they were unable to issue our onward boarding passes since they do not have a relationship with Delta. This would prove somewhat problematic upon arrival in CDG. Business class was almost full, but the airline was offering the last two seats as buy-ups from economy for 41,000 Mauritian Rupees (about $1,000).

From the check in desk, it is a short walk to the immigration and security checkpoints, both of which have priority lines for business-class passengers. We were through both in less than 10 minutes.

Lounge

Given that MRU is their hub, Air Mauritius operates their own lounge at the airport. It sits at the end of a short line of departure gates and is a short walk from pretty much anywhere in the small departure area. Those without lounge access will need to settle for a Burger King, a Duty Free store, or a couple of souvenir/snack shops.

The lounge has two floors, however when I visited only the upper floor was open. It included two large sitting areas, neither of which were crowded, and a food/bar area.

Food included a fairly wide selection of salads, soups, fruits, noodles, and other cold dishes, with two hot dishes available as well. Everything was self-serve with the exception of alcoholic beverages at the bar.

Restrooms were available inside the lounge, and both the men’s and women’s restroom had a single shower available inside.

First Impressions

Boarding for the flight began on time and seemed to flow smoothly. In business class we were offered water or juice prior to boarding, and orders were taken for dinner.

At each seat was an amenity kit from Porsche Design. The bag was of higher quality than most airlines’ amenity kits, while the contents were pretty standard.

Air Mauritius Business Class Seat

Air Mauritius has 28 Stelia Solstys III seats in their business-class cabin, set in a 1-2-1 configuration. As with many similar seat styles, the solo seats along the wall (even numbered rows) are ideal if traveling alone, while the “honeymoon” seats in the middle (odd numbered rows) are ideal if traveling with a partner. The seats have 44” of pitch and are completely lie-flat. They have 17” IFE screens, universal power outlets, and USB-A plugs.

The bed was very comfortable, however this was set back slightly by poor quality bedding. Sadly, the aircraft is not equipped with individual air vents (WHY?!?).

Inflight Meal

Dinner was served shortly after takeoff. I chose the chicken, which was quite tasty. The flight crew was very kind and attentive. Dessert was offered, however I declined.

Breakfast was served about 90 minutes prior to landing. I had the Spanish omelet which was pretty much on par for an airline omelet.

An Early Flight And Good Service

The flight pushed back right on time, and after a short taxi we were airborne. Flight time was 10 hours and 35 minutes, which put us into Paris about 20 minutes early. Unfortunately, this extra time would be negated by the fact that we parked off stand.

WIFI is available on Air Mauritius A330 and A350 aircraft, and is charged by data, rather than by time. Business-class passengers receive a complementary 75mb via a code which was e-mailed a day or two prior to the flight. Rates for additional data are shown below. I found it to be fast enough to be useful, although depending on what you are working on the data could get quite expensive.

The flight was smooth, and as soon as dinner was over the lights were dimmed for the duration of the night. The crew was attentive without being overbearing, and were particularly accommodating to a handicapped passenger who needed extra help.

Air Mauritius Overall

Air Mauritius exceeded expectations. Mauritius is an amazing destination, which I would encourage people to consider visiting. Given the options to get there, I would choose Air Mauritius over any of the European carriers.