On Thursday October 1st, Vietnam Airlines inaugurated its Paris-Hanoi flight using an A350.
The Indochinese airline invited an audience of journalists, travel agents and partners to discover their newly delivered aircraft, which, alongside the Boeing 787-9, form the two pillars of their long-haul fleet renewal.
An aircraft of excellent quality, but with perfectible interior fittings
Vietnam Airlines’ Airbus A350 currently carries 305 passengers in three classes of travel: Business, Premium Economy and Economy.
Like all the aircraft of the series, the A350 of Vietnam Airlines has ultra modern equipment: LCD screens “no smoking” to display more elaborate information, mood lighting in all classes, modern toilet blocks, equipment of galleys latest and especially less heavy.
The A350 fleet of Vietnam Airlines will be available in two versions: 4 aircraft will be equipped with this configuration (leased aircraft) and 14 will be equipped with a different configuration more adapted to the international competition.
A business that does not benefit from the latest market improvements
Apart from the WOW effect due to the fact that the plane is new, the second impression is a bit disappointing.
In addition to the inauspicious colors, the seat model chosen is a bit dated, and corresponds to the best standards a decade ago.
True, there are 29 seat-beds that recline 180 degrees, but the pitch between the seats is insufficient for tall people (>1m80) who will have to contort themselves to find an acceptable sleeping position.
Nevertheless, it is worth noting the progress made by the company, which sometimes lines up 777s with aging recliners on this same route.
A Premium Economy class like KLM or Delta
The Premium Economy class also disappoints. Proof of this is that I had to ask my guide if it was indeed this mini-cabin of 45 seats that was concerned, so much the difference with the Economy class is not very obvious.
The cabin resembles the Economy cabin and for good reason, the seats are strictly the same. The only difference is the increased pitch of 3 inches compared to the traditional Economy class.
But all seasoned travelers like us know that those 10 centimeters can make a difference (no ladies, not those…). In terms of gastronomy, the company promises us something in between Business and Economy class. Experience will show which way the balance is tipped between Business as on Turkish Airlines or Economy as on Air France or British Airways.
An Economy cabin that gives the impression of space
If the 231 seats in Economy Class all placed in the same cabin can give the impression of a cattle truck, this is where the A350’s Extra Wide Body feature comes into its own, replacing mass with space.
The budget traveler is therefore in heaven, with a very comfortable cabin.
The IFE seems to be of good size and latest generation, let’s see if the contents will follow.
The seat is quite comfortable, much softer than the breadboards usually served in the new configurations.
In summary, a good progression
In the end, if the impression on the front classes remains mixed, the progress is good for Vietnam Airlines, after only 5 years within SkyTeam, the alliance dominated by the duo Delta – Air France-KLM.
We are therefore looking forward to the A350s that Vietnam Airlines will own and that will be delivered in the coming months. On the agenda: Cirrus seats, Premium Economy seats in BA or LH style. So we will see if VN has taken the turn of the future on this occasion!
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