Review of MIAT Mongolian Airlines’ Business Class on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (Guest Post)

A guest post by René

Founded in 1956, the Mongolian flag carrier MIAT is still largely unknown in Europe. Besides domestic routes within Mongolia, it operates many flights to Asia, especially Japan and South Korea. In Europe, only Frankfurt and Istanbul are currently served. Until recently, MIAT relied on Boeing 737s and, for long-haul flights, on an ageing 767 with a very unusual layout. Since 2023, MIAT has taken over two Dreamliners from Suparna Airlines, both registered in Ireland. The 787-9s were adopted with their original configuration and offer a competitive hard product. One important note: MIAT flies over Russian airspace, something to keep in mind when booking.

First, the facts:

• Flight: OM 138 Frankfurt FRA – Ulaanbaatar UBN
• Seats: 12A, 12D & 12G
• Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner EI-MGL (5 years old)
• Scheduled Departure: 14:20 (actual 14:46)
• Scheduled Arrival: 05:10 +1 (actual 04:06)
• Block Time: 8h 50m
• Travel Period: October 2025

Booking

I booked directly with MIAT. Our routing was FRA – UBN – ICN – UBN – FRA. The website is simple, fairly clear, and the menu is in English and self-explanatory.

Stopovers of up to 72 hours in Ulaanbaatar are officially allowed, but cannot be booked directly on the website. Two options: book the flight via an OTA, or book the flight normally with MIAT and then request the stopover by email. That worked very well for me; my return flight to Frankfurt was rescheduled for the next day, allowing me a 40-hour stopover. No extra charge. Whether this always works that smoothly, I don’t know.

There were two business-class fares available: a flex fare about €100 more expensive, or the regular fare, which allows cancellations for a €100 fee. Basically, a bit of a gimmick. I chose the regular fare. I booked approximately 10 months in advance during a Travel-Dealz deal for this routing: €1,432.97 per person in business class, including a stopover in Ulaanbaatar on the return, with a 14-hour layover already scheduled.

All four segments were originally scheduled to be operated by the Dreamliner. About a month before departure, one segment (ICN – UBN) was swapped to a 737-800 with recliner seats only. For a 3-hour daytime flight, that was fine. Included were the usual 2×32 kg checked bags and 1×12 kg carry-on.

Check-in

Using MIAT’s clean, well-designed BAGTAG app, I always had access to all information and changes, and later also to boarding passes. However, I checked in online via the website.

Check-in is at Terminal 2 at Frankfurt Airport. It opens exactly 3 hours before departure. There are three economy counters and one for business passengers. Bags are checked through to the final destination, and all boarding passes are issued.

Lounge(s)

The boarding pass includes access to the Primeclass Lounge. It’s located in the E-area and is rather small and compact, but at our time it was nearly empty. It offers a well-stocked self-service bar and a surprisingly decent selection of hot and cold food. We were positively surprised. Showers exist, but we didn’t use them.

In Ulaanbaatar, there is MIAT’s own Blue Sky Lounge. Space is limited, and during the morning rush, it’s always packed. The food selection is heavily tailored to Asian passengers (lots of instant noodles) and overall quite disappointing, except for the large vodka selection. There are no restrooms inside; you must use the crowded public airport toilets.

For completeness: in Seoul, you may use the excellent and almost empty Korean Air Lounge near Gate 28 in Terminal 1.

Boarding

Boarding begins about 50 minutes before departure. First, there is a boarding pass check to enter the gate’s holding area, which has no toilets. After that, business-class passengers board, followed by wheelchair users and families with children.

Boarding is through a single door located behind the business cabin. This is nice, as economy passengers don’t walk through the business cabin, making the arrival much calmer. Four flight attendants welcome passengers in the cabin.

Cabin & Seat

MIAT’s Dreamliners have 292 seats in three classes. Economy class has 226 seats in a 3-3-3 layout with 81 cm pitch. Premium Economy has 4 rows for 36 passengers, also 3-3-3 with 91 cm pitch, but no difference in width or features.

The business class is arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone layout with 30 seats over 8 rows (the last row has only two centre seats). Installed are Cirrus III seats (formerly Zodiac, now Safran), the same type used by Air France or Thai on the 787-9, SriLankan on the A330, and Cathay Pacific on the A350-1000.

The seat turns into a fully flat 1.98 m bed, with 106 cm pitch and 56 cm width. The belt includes an airbag, so no three-point belt is needed.

The cabin occupies the entire forward section and feels open and tidy, but lacks any colour accents, making it visually a bit dull.

Centre seats offer strong privacy, good for solo travellers, but inconvenient for couples or families. Because of the reverse-herringbone layout, you sit next to but not facing each other, and have to lean forward to communicate. There’s no divider between the two centre seats.

At the windows, looking out or taking photos is also slightly challenging because you sit fairly far from the window. Still, these are the more private seats.

There’s a small storage compartment with a mirror, IFE remote, and reading light. At the window seats, the compartment is open and has no mirror. Next to the aisle, each seat has a small storage area. Under the armrest, there’s space for a water bottle (already provided). Under the foot well, there’s enough room for shoes or a small backpack. A USB-A port and universal socket are also available.

Amenities at the seat include a very thick blanket and a mattress pad, which significantly improve sleep quality. The footwell is wide and comfortable, suitable for both back and side sleepers. Only the pillow was somewhat small.

There are three toilets. Two in the forward galley are small with only spray and soap. The third, in the aft galley, is larger and shared with Premium Economy. A staff member strictly enforces access. Economy passengers are sent to the rear. This toilet also has a “loo with a view,” offering a great engine view.

Amenity Kit

The amenity kit, shaped like a toiletry bag, was simple and unspectacular: good earplugs, a tight sleep mask, a comb, a toothbrush with Colgate toothpaste, slippers, lip balm, and a hand cream with a surprisingly interesting scent. I missed a pair of socks. MIAT does not provide pyjamas or sleepwear.

Service

Shortly after settling in, a welcome drink is served. Besides champagne and orange juice, you can order any other beverage, and it will be brought immediately. Before each of the two meals, a hot towel is offered; a large, thick, high-quality cotton towel.

The flight attendants are always very courteous and polite. However, their English is limited to memorised, rehearsed phrases. More complex questions are therefore not well understood, and small talk is almost impossible. Service is also very slow. Not ideal if you’re trying to maximise sleep. The first meal service lasted almost two hours. Still, they proactively checked several times whether you wanted anything else to eat.

I also noticed that there were no announcements from the cockpit during any of the four segments. This may be normal for Asian carriers, but as a European, I do like hearing at least something from the pilots.

Food & Drinks

After the hot towel came the first drink round, served with very tasty pine nuts.

Then there was a small amuse-bouche (tomato and mozzarella), and afterwards the main courses were taken. There was no printed menu, but the crew were able to list and explain everything very well. The options were:

• Tender beef with potato gratin, vegetables, and caramelised onions
• Lamb with tagliatelle and stewed vegetables
• Salmon with mashed potatoes, mushrooms, and vegetables

All three dishes were delicious, though the lamb was a bit tough. The meal came with bread (garlic bread was also available) and a cheese plate, plus salt and pepper. A small cake was served as dessert.

The second meal service began exactly two hours before landing. The lights were turned on, and everyone was inevitably woken up. Breakfast consisted of a filled omelette with fairly crispy bacon, porridge, and some fruit.

The quality of the food was excellent in all four segments. Consistently very tasty.

Entertainment & (No) Wi-Fi

Good noise-cancelling headphones were provided at the seat. The touchscreen monitor could also be operated via the remote control. Contrary to many older reports, about 40 English-language films are available. Not the very newest, but at least from the past year. As always, I stuck to the flight map.

Wi-Fi is not offered on MIAT flights.

Conclusion

Translated by Ditmar