AIRLINE REVIEWS
My first experience with Aegean Airlines was to Cairo and to Athens and to be honest I didn't really know what to expect. I saw that Aegean Airlines had won a fair few awards and they are actually one of the last airlines to serve food on short haul flights. Anyway I went onboard with an open mind and I was blown away with the service: in all of the flights food is served (chicken and potatoes, bread, spinach pies, biscuits, Turkish delights, rice pudding, for example) as well as drinks (including alcohol). The food, the friendliness of the staff and the views over the Mediterranean really made it a pleasant and enjoyable flight. Aegean Airlines is the main Greek carrier and is now another potential airline for me to apply to. I would definitely recommend flying with Aegean Airlines and hope I fly with them again in the future...
It may have been a fair few years since I flew with Air Canada, but I can still remember my experience. It was a flight from London Heathrow to Toronto in Canada onboard a Boeing 767 I recall. I was very young at the time, and travelling with my parents also, and on this 8 hour flight there was no TV or anything. Ever since then, my parents have not been on a flight since (although I plan to change that!) I would like to travel with Air Canada again and hope to have a better experience with them; now I know their fleets are very modern, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and a new livery...
Air Europa was the second Spanish airline I flew with. I flown with them between Palma de Mallorca and Madrid, to Zurich in Switzerland, as well as to Lima onboard their Boeing 787-9. The aircraft was generally new with blue interior mood lighting. The crew gave out hand sanitisers upon welcoming us onboard and there was even WIFI via a free streaming platform. The aircraft had TV's which displayed the route of the flight including altitude, speed and time remaining to the destination, as well as travel tips when passing over some renown cities. Flying with Air Europa was a rather pleasurable experience...
I flew from the capital of the Incas, Cuzco in Peru, across the Amazon Rainforest to touchdown in Bogota, Colombia. The views along the way were incredible, watching the Amazon River flow all the way along our route. The service onboard was excellent also. Onboard our A320 we were given a sandwich, crisps and a drink all for free; whether it was included or not I'm not sure but I certainly am not one to complain for free food! I also ended up flying from Bogota to Madrid as a rescue flight, onboard their B787-8 which also was a great experience...
Flying from Bucharest, Romania to Milan, Italy I tried out Romania's low cost airline, Blue Air, and in actual fact this was my first time on a Boeing 737 Max and as you can tell I survived to tell the tale! Generally the experience was really good: the seats had adjustable head rests so that was more comfortable, there were USB ports to charge your phone and the lights adapt to the lighting conditions outside to provide a much calmer atmosphere. As this was an airline I hadn't really heard of before I didn't know what to expect but unfortunately they are now bankrupt...
Have you ever gone to an airport and see a plane with a little bee on it and on the side it says Buzz? Well that is one of Ryanair's subsidiaries. I've flown on Buzz a couple of times actually: Sofia-Liverpool, Madrid-Birmingham, East Midlands-Palma de Mallorca. Buzz is actually a Polish subsidiary airline of the Ryanair Group, offering scheduled flights as well as charter flights within Europe, and also to parts of Egypt and North Africa. Buzz was rebranded from what used to be called Ryanair Sun. Not really different from the main carrier, just cool to fly an airline with a bee on the side I guess...
On occasion I use EasyJet; I cannot fault the staff and crew of EasyJet, they are always very friendly; as a pilot and general love for aviation, I'll always ask if I can visit the Flight Deck and talk with the pilots, there came one occasion when I was returning to my seat at the back of the cabin and the Flight Attendants offered me one of the front row seats as some of them were available, I politely declined since I love sitting at the window...
Up to a point I had been living in Spain for almost 3 years so I was really pleased when I finally got to fly with Iberia – the national carrier for Spain. It was a business trip from Dublin, Ireland back to Madrid, Spain onboard an A320. The staff were super friendly, I got to spend quite some time up in the flight deck with the pilots so it was a great experience for me. For dinner I had a delicious lasagne, in actual fact I wanted just a sandwich but they had run out, it was free so I couldn’t complain! During departure and arrival Iberia actually play music which I hadn’t experienced before; normally there’s music for boarding but not when the aircraft is flying. All in all, I really enjoyed my time onboard Iberia and would happily fly with them again...
My experience with LATAM was fairly short, it was just a 1 hour or so flight from Lima, Peru to Cuzco. We were even given food during this short flight, albeit a cereal bar and a drink. The aircrafts are well looked after, and even come with USB charging ports which I love in an aircraft! The approach into Cuzco was beautiful, passing relatively close by huge peaks, and the landing looked very difficult, and I assume for Captains only...
My first flight with Lauda happened to actually be my first flight Post-Covid in August 2020, so initially I didn't really know what to expect. We had booked the flight from Madrid, Spain to Vienna, Austria, through Ryanair and were greeted with an Airbus A320 from its counterpart Lauda which was a nice surprise, a new airline added to the list! If I'm honest everything seemed pretty normal; obviously everyone was wearing masks onboard, and the flight was maybe 75% full. It was a 2 and a half hour flight and it was a breeze, completely like normal. I would happily fly with Lauda again...
I finally managed to fly with Malta Air, a subsidiary of Ryanair, and the last one to complete the collection for me! Ryanair operates Ryanair UK (RUK), Lauda, Buzz and Malta Air alongside its mainstream airline; all of which you can read the reviews on this page. Malta Air replaces the blue and yellow interior with grey and red. The majority of these aircraft are based in Malta (hence the name), but every now and then you'll be lucky to find them across one of our many bases in the network...
Flying from London Stansted to Keflavik in Iceland, I flew with Play: a fairly new upcoming airline based in Iceland. Play is Iceland's low cost airline and an alternative to Icelandair. Play has already been awarded as the best low-cost carrier in Northern Europe. In a bright red shiny Airbus A321, the seats were very comfortable, allowing you to shape the head pillow around your neck, perfect to help you fall asleep as you head over to Iceland. The only bad thing I have to say is that the seats recline so some people are inconsiderate and do so, causing you not to have much room...
I've travelled a lot with Ryanair, probably more than any other airline, especially when I commute to and from England and Spain. For me, I find that Ryanair is not only the only option when looking for flights, but I would choose to fly with them nevertheless. I have never had a problem with them; I see them as a prospective company which plans to grow, maybe in the way in which some other airlines have done so, and perhaps even taking on intercontinental flights in the future. With Ryanair, by paying a little more for the baggage, you can gain extra benefits for example priority boarding, extra baggage, seat allocation, etc, which I think is worth it and I use it all the time. And as an employee of the company, I don't get paid to say this!
A return trip from Madrid Barajas, Spain to Istanbul's newest airport in Turkiye, the largest airport in the world, I travelled for the first time with Turkish Airlines. It was also my first time flying onboard the Airbus A330. Turkish Airlines has been awarded many times one of the world's best airline by Skytrax and it is clear why. You don't just fly with an airline, they provide you with the entire experience. With a huge variety of up to date films to watch, detailed information of the flight route as well as views from the onboard cameras (an incredible thing to see for avgeeks like me!). And not only that but you also receive a two course meal with a complimentary drink - alcohol included! I could definitely fly with Turkish Airlines again...
United Airlines has been the only American airline that I've used when travelling to and from the States. I've travelled from London to both Newark Airport in New York, and Washington Dulles Airport. Since I have family that live in Vermont I travel from London Heathrow, and join a connecting flight to Burlington; it got to a stage where I travelled frequently with United and I was a member of the MileagePlus Program. Post-9/11 the aviation changed the rules regarding giving access to non-personnel, but United Airlines have never refused me entry when I asked to take a visit to the Flight Deck. With United I have flown on the Boeing 757, 767 and 777, and it is safe to say that the Boeing 777 is my favourite aircraft. If it wasn't for the fact that all 747's will be retiring soon and the introduction of todays next generation aircraft including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing 737 Max and the Airbus A350 (my personal favourites), the Boeing 777 would be the aircraft that I would want to fly...
On a short domestic flight from Barcelona to Madrid, I flew with Vueling for the first time. This flight makes the third Spanish company that I have flown with and completes the big 3. Onboard an A320, the experience was quite pleasant: during the taxi, take off and landing there was music which created a nice atmosphere. The only thing I didn't really like were the seats being quite smaller than I am used to, and how the disembark the aircraft 5 rows at a time only using the forward door (not what you want when you are at the back and in a rush like I was!)
With Wizz Air it was a business trip from Madrid, Spain to Vienna, Austria onboard an A321 with 7 of my fellow colleagues. Some of us were sat together and others a little separated; I was fortunate enough to be with my colleagues and I was sat by the window which was great. Actually, I was sat on an emergency exit so I had the window just behind me but also the small window that the cabin crew sit at. The flight was over 3 hours long and was my first trip across central Europe - I’ve travelled to a lot of places but never directly across Europe. It was a late morning flight and I don’t really sleep on planes so I just sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the flight...