Air Astana Business Class Review: Frankfurt to Almaty & Astana, Lie-Flat vs Recliner
Flight#: KC222
From: Frankfurt (FRA)
To: Almaty (ALA)
Flight time: 6h 50min
Aircraft: Airbus A321LR
Flight#: KC591
From: Almaty (ALA)
To: Astana (NQZ)
Flight time: 1h 45min
Aircraft: Airbus A321ceo
A couple of years ago, I reviewed Air Astana’s business class in detail. Most of what I wrote then still holds, but airlines are constantly refreshing their offering, so it felt like time for an update.
The hard product (the cabin, the seats and the inflight entertainment system) hasn’t changed, so I have focused on what was different this time. I also wanted to give a fuller picture of both business class products Air Astana now operates: the international version on its A321LR fleet and the domestic one on its older A320ceos.
And because the journey starts on the ground, I’ve covered both ends of the trip: Frankfurt Airport (FRA), where Air Astana is among the first tenants of the brand-new Terminal 3, and Astana’s Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ), where I visited the airline’s lounge in the international terminal.
In this flight review:
The new Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport
Flying from Frankfurt to Almaty on Air Astana A321LR
Top thing I liked about the Air Astana experience
Air Astana International and Domestic Business Class compared
Air Astana VIP Lounge at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport
Our Take on Air Astana business class experience
The flights were courtesy of Air Astana. All opinions are my own.
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Flying from Frankfurt’s new Terminal 3
The first leg of this journey to Kazakhstan started at Frankfurt International Airport (FRA), which is Air Astana’s main gateway to Europe, since it has a long-standing partnership with Lufthansa.
However, Air Astana operates from Frankfurt’s new Terminal 3 (which opened in mid-2026) rather than Terminal 1, which is from where Lufthansa operates most of its flights.
This means that if you are connecting to and from a Lufthansa flight, as it was my case, there is a plus and a minus.
On the positive side, you benefit from the fact that Frankfurt’s Terminal 3 is a modern, compact, state-of-the-art facility which offers a significantly better experience than Frankfurt’s ageing Terminal 1.
However, you must factor in some additional time for your connections, since Terminal 3 is on the opposite side of the runways from Terminal 1.
The connection between the two terminals is made through the airport’s own internal light rail connection, with a transit time of around 10 minutes or so (I was carrying only hand luggage so I am not sure how efficient the baggage transfer between terminals is, but I would possibly not risk my check-in luggage to a tight connection).
The Frankfurt to Almaty Air Astana A321LR experience
Air Astana was one of the first airlines to offer a lie-flat business class on the A321LR.
Its A321LR business class cabin, equipped with Thompson Vantage seats in a configuration which alternates 2-2 and 1-1 rows (the single seats cost extra).
However, since two years ago I covered the seat and other aspects of the cabin experience (which includes also the subdued lighting, cozy patterned pillows and blankets), I will not spend much time here.
Some elements have undergone small changes, such as, for example, the amenity kit, which this time was a Moschino branded leather bag rather than a Samsonite hard-shell mini-suitcase. Air Astana’s amenity kit continues to be one of most generously endowed I have seen anywhere, though. And it still comes in two colours, green and yellow (handed out alternately to male and female passengers)
When it comes to inflight entertainment, Air Astana’s seat-back offering is quite good overall. I’d say there aren’t that many movies which can be considered to be latest blockbusters, but its selection of evergreen classics has more than enough to keep you entertained for a good part of the typical Europe to Kazakhstan flight (typically 6 to 8h flight time).
One piece of advice: if you wish to access the press materials, better do so while the aircraft is still on the ground, since it requires an internet download and Air Astana’s fleet is not equipped with inflight wi-fi (in a later conversation Air Astana’s CEO Ibrahim Canliel stated that the airline is closely monitoring developments in this space with a view to adding it at some point in the future).
The one element that, of course, is being refreshed constantly is food and drink.
Two meals are served on the flight between Frankfurt and Almaty (which has a duration of around 7 hours): a main, which is either dinner or lunch (depending on which direction you are flying) shortly after take off, plus another lighter meal about one.
The main meal has three courses, or three and a half to be more exact: a starter (which becomes double if you opt to add a soup), a main and desserts.
Here below you can get a glimpse of how it was like on the Frankfurt to Almaty segment:
Top thing I liked about the Air Astana experience: the local touch
It is worth noting that on the return flight from Kazakhstan (Astana in this case) to Europe, the meals were “branded”, with Kazakh restaurant “Sandyq” being the caterer.
Sandyq is a renowned restaurant chain in Kazakhstan, which specializes in local Kazakh cuisine (you can check on this Places of Charm piece how the Astana branch of Sandyq looks like).
By the way, talking about savouring local specialities mid-flight, do you know of any other airline that offers you a horse meat option (below left) in the menu?
What’s more, Air Astana also offers a “Kazakh tea experience”.
To be fair, the tea itself is not that different from a regular one, but the extra bit of story-telling (as you can see explained in the inflight menu) plus the little visual and sensory treats that are provided alongside (the millet seeds, the camel-shaped cookie, etc) adds nicely to the experience.
Air Astana International and Domestic Business Classes compared
If you travel from Europe to Kazakhstan, it is likely you may connect at some point onto Air Astana’s domestic trunk route between Astana and Almaty or vice versa.
If you do so, you will encounter a different type of business product. I did cover it as well in 2023, you can find that flight review of Air Astana’s domestic business class here.
This trip afforded an additional opportunity to check whether anything had changed and the answer is: not much. Nevertheless, here is a short visual summary to give you an idea.
| International | Domestic | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat | Full lie-flat, cocooned | Recline |
| Food | Two-meal service + snacks and drinks | One service (white-tablecloth) |
| IFE | Inflight Entertainment Platform (KCTV) | Inflight Entertainment Platform (KCTV) + newspapers (FT) |
| Amenities | Amenity kit + pillow + blanket + headphones | Pillow + headphones |
Air Astana VIP Lounge at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport
This review wouldn’t be complete without a review of Air Astana’s lounge at the international terminal of Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, as it is part of the experience when flying back to Europe from the Kazakh capital.
Air Astana has been investing in revamping its lounges at its two hubs. In November 2024, Air Astana opened its new Shanyraq Lounge there and, at the time of this trip, its lounge at the domestic terminal was under refurbishment (so I have been unable to include it in this review).
The lounge that I was able to visit was the one the airline has in Astana, which you can see below.
Air Astana’s lounge in Astana is located one floor up the main boarding gates hall, at one end of the international terminal. The lounge is pretty large, which means there is plenty of space, a very welcome change from the increasingly overcrowded lounges in Europe.
The lounge has a rather airy and modern look throughout and, as you can see below, it has dedicated areas for children, work and relaxation.
The food section is not huge (although, as you may have seen in the previous paragraphs, this is more than made up for by the great food experience onboard). There is also a staffed bar for drinks. Rather uniquely for a lounge, there is also a small souvenir shop!
But the most interesting and unique space at Air Astana’s lounge is the yurt, a traditional Kazakh tent! You can wait for your flight while seated (you must remove your shores first) in the way of the steppe nomads!
Our Take:
Air Astana continues to offer a great product, both on the long-haul and on shorter flights within Kazakhstan.
What’s more, the Kazakh airline appears to be pouring significant investment onto its ground experience too. In fact, while the lounge described here is pretty modern, Air Astana opened new Shanyraq lounges at both Almaty’s international terminal and Astana’s domestic terminal and is currently upgrading the one at the domestic terminal in Almaty, as well.
Take this type of service, add the possibility of doing short sightseeting stopovers in Astana or Almaty, and you get a very credible premium alternative to the Gulf carriers to travel between Europe and Asia.
