mjz

I'm in the initial phase of planning a trip to Greece. I'll be flying out of MCI into ATH. I plan on using my SkyMiles to book this trip and would like to fly either Delta's Business Elite, Alitalia's Magnifica or Air France's L'Espace Premiere. I've flown Delta's Business Elite many times and have always enjoyed the experience. I prefer Business Elite to Air France's L'Espace Affaires. I've never flown Alitalia and if I choose to do so, I would probably have to add another leg to the trip to fly their metal across the Atlantic. This option might not make sense, but from those that have experienced, how does their business class compare to Delta's? Also, how does Air France's first class compare to Delta's Business Elite? I've checked out both Air France's and Alitalia's websites, but I'm looking for first hand experience.

Thank you in advance!

BTW, I'm aware that Czech Airlines is part of the SkyTeam alliance, but I flew them recently and I'm really not interested in doing so again.

Athena39

I have not heard anything good about Alitalia's Magnifica Class. My friends were just stiuk in Italy becuse of the strikw. Strikes are a fact of life with Alitalia. Plus, they are in deep financial difficulties at the moment, some say on the verge of bankruptcy. I would choose another airline.

mjz

Thanks Athena. I'll probably do the straight shot from JFK to ATH on Delta.

richardsonsnm

Air Frances first class is awesome, nothing but the best, great actual beds. Deltas business elite is just a step up from coach, if your tall like myself you have a very hard time sleeping, the seats don't recline all the way, i find them uncomfortable. if you can swing it, go AF!

RachelG

I would stick with Delta. Alitalia is supposedly on the verge of bankruptcy, and I have not heard anything good about them. I have flown business class on Air France once. Food was excellent, but I try to avoid Air France because of their frequent strikes. Last year, we were coming back from Paris on Delta (Business Elite) on the day of a strike. After much looking and working, the gate agent was able to rebook us on another Delta flight after ours was cancelled. If we had been on Air France, we would have been stuck for at least another day.

europhile

My husband and I just got back from our honeymoon to Greece. We used our delta points to fly first class on Air France, from Florida to Atlanta to Paris to Athens. I can't say enough about the service. There is just one row of first class seats (with six seats total; two on each side and two in the middle), and there are dedicated flight attendants for those six seats. So, it is almost as if they are just waiting for you to ask for something. The food on the way over (Atlanta to Paris) was fantastic- we had lobster and filet mignon (which was actually medium rare!), French wines (of course), a cheese course, and lots of special attention. For us, it was a perfect start to the trip and made us feel very pampered. Then, when it came time for sleep, they gave us pajamas (French designer Christian LaCroix, no less), and made up a 180 degree flat bed, complete with a down comforter and pillow. We slept great, and were so happy we sprung for the first class versus business class seats (business class does not recline flat like first class does on Air France). On the way back (Paris to Boston), the service was just as good, but the food was not. I think it depends on the particular menu you get the day you fly. But we were still well rested and happy when we arrived- it was really just like lounging on the couch for 7 hours, with the amount of space we had and the comforter, watching movies.

I have not flown Delta Business Elite trans-Atlantic, so I can't really compare the two. But we were very pleased with our experience and would definitely use Air France again. As for Alitalia, we had a couple of business class flights within Europe on on trip, and were not at all impressed. The planes were shabby (seats rattled and upholstery stained) and the service was indifferent, but this may be better on a trans-atlantic flight. In our case, we flew Alitalia from Athens to Milan, then Milan to Naples and did not have a very pleasant experience. Between the two, I would pick Air France over Alitalia.