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, from Madrid, Spain to Zurich in Switzerland. 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...
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 I would have no problems flying with them in the future...
On occasion I use EasyJet but primarily for work. 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 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...
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.