Take part in study on PFAS 'forever chemicals' in eggs

[percy049]

I thought I would start a topic about different airline companies, and their pro's and con's, so we can help eachother to know who to fly with and who not to.

 

Virgin Atlantic: We stopped flying with them as almost all of their flights were delayed (plane problems mainly, not to do with weather etc.), we've had a couple reaching 3 hours or more. Also, we have to travel all the way down to Heathrow and back to fly with them (almost a 4 hour drive for us). Although, from what I can remember, the planes were clean, resonably priced (we used to do a fly-drive), have a special goodie bag for kids, the best in-flight games I've ever seen. It was only the delays and travelling to london that put us of, the rest was excellent!

 

KLM: with KLM, we can fly out of Norwich, to Amsterdam, and then onto America (where we always go for our summer hols). Always have friendly staff, and as part of the Skyteam Alliance, can easily travel the world with onward connections. Their meals arent usually too bad, and I always enjoy the orange juice and biscuits on the 50 minute hop across the North Sea! The best in-flight entertainment system, and a very clean interior. The website is clear and informative, and gives you all the infomation and help you need. The only delays we've had were due to weather or ATC probs. They did give us free bottles of water when our flight was delayed by 45 minutes.

 

Delta: On the flight out, we had an A330-200. There were only about 5 films, and no TV programmes, and about 5 games. Coming back, there was a delay of 30 minutes (and they didnt tell us about the delay for ages, they just changed the departure time without saying anything, or even why there was a delay). When we could finally board, we were more or less told to hurry up and get on. On board, I was horrified to find that we didnt have any seat back screens! They showed 2 1/2 films on an 8 1/2 hour flight on the overheard screens, and you could hardly hear what was being said as the earphones were so bad. The staff were unfriendly, and they have about 5 different uniforms, that dont stand out, so they are hard to see. My tray table was covered in pen and brown sticky stuff, and there was all rubbish down the side of the plane. The toilets smelt when we first got on! Our seats we had pre-booked had been changed, there was chewing gum on the window, and you had to pay for snacks, and the price suggested it definitely NOT a budget airline. We booked the flights through KLM, but as Delta are part of the same company, we got one of their planes. We are going to sent a complaint letter to KLM, as it says that 'our partner airlines are up to the same high quality as us...'

 

You only have to look at what people have said about then on their facebook pages to see a difference.

[Redwing]

I've flown with goodness knows how many airlines but the ones I can remember are:

 

Thompsons - excellent service and comfortable plane

 

Ryanair - not a bad choice but very budget, we've done a few 4 hour flights with them and thats probably a bit too long to be on their aircrafts. Whatever journey we've done they have never had any hot food despite having a menu

 

American Airlines - lovely, great staff, clean plane, good entertainment

 

BMI - another budget choice but really very good especially business class

 

Finnair - (great name) these are probably the best we have flown with, flawless from booking to landing

[sadietoo]

Worst experience I've ever had flying was with British Airways. ...

 

My daughter and I went to New York for a few days and they cancelled our return flight...but didn't rebook us on the next flight out..that apparently was our responsibility....many phone calls to OH still in UK and we managed to get a flight out of Newark airport on the same day...all they did was to send a text message to my mobile phone to tell me the flight had been cancelled, (it's lucky I even picked the message up before getting to the airport since my phone had been taken abroad for emergencies only and I only switched it back on that morning to confirm with OH our flight times etc...)we received no compensation and no apology... absolutely zero points for customer service...

 

The next time I flew with BA the plane was grounded due to a mechanical problem...ok I know this could happen with any airline, and I'd much rather be grounded than fly in an unsafe airplane... but nevertheless...it has put me off BA

[pips_pekins]

For European city breaks we have never had any problems with Easyjet. Cheap and cheerful budget airline. Ok extras are expensive but as the flights are usually fairly short, we don't tend to bother with buying their food etc and I have never opted for speedy boarding! Only drawback is that they tend to be based at the furthest points away from where you need to be for arrivals/departure so involve quite a walk! Also, we have experienced some delays when we have booked the last flight of the day but nothing bad enough to put us off using them.

 

We have flown with Flybe and Aurigny a few times to Channel Islands. Both offer comfortable little planes although they can be a bit noisy! Very short flight, by the time you are seated, you are almost there, so not a lot of time to judge them but both seem very professional. Very straightforward online booking. Never experienced any problems in terms of delays/cancellations. The earlier you book, the cheaper the price as with most airlines.

 

It is a while since we did long haul but great experiences with SAS and Quantas. Certainly prefer them to BA but not for any particular reason other than I recall the planes and food being better.

 

Admittedly, it was a long time ago but I had a bad experience using Thomson and have avoided them ever since. At the time, I remember trying to contact them by telephone to discuss the matter and being told by a receptionist that Customer Services did not have a 'phone This seemed to me to sum up their attitude to their customers at that time! Eventually received the usual 'not remotely interested' email from them. Things hopefully have changed since then but once bitten and all that...

 

Most recently, we have used Eurostar a few times and love it!

[The Dogmother]

I've also flown with numerous in my travelling days.

 

Found Ryan air to be rubbish. Singapore Airlines surprised me (after all the good press about them) by being complete twits when dealing with a trashed Delsey suitcase; I spent most of my holiday on the phone wrangling with them to get a replacement so that I could fly onwards.

[sage]

Worst I've been on is Monarch .

Went to Sri Lanka a few years ago. First leg of the trip was. Manchester airport to Hethrow.At Hethrow we had a technical problem sat on runway for 3 hours. Then we stopped at Bahrain to refuel. Had 1 hour in airport then again technical fault so we sat in the plain for another 3 hours. Took off from Bahrain to Sri Lanka and not long after take off the loos over flowed so for the last 4 hours of the flight we had no loos on the plane.

Never again.

 

Sage

[Margalot]

We have flown with numerous,

 

Found Thomas Cook shorthaul planes a bit cramped but not much choice really

 

We flew with BMI Baby from Cardiff to Menorca earlier in the year and had read really awful reviews regarding service etc before we went, but we found them really good, on time, nice flight attendants, and althought the planes were the same size as Thomas cook they felt a bit more spacious because the head rests were shorter and you didnt get so much of a closed in feeling. My OH was a bit shocked when he saw we had 2 female pilots on the way home though ,

 

We fly BWIA to St Lucia about 18 years ago and that was quite an experience! the whole of the inside cabin shook whne we took off and things fell out of the overhead lockers, then on the way home we were sat on the Tarmac for about 2 hours while they dealt with a techical problem, (I do wish they wouldn't tell you that when you are about to take off as my mind runs riot on what could be wrong!)

 

Flew with Monarch to Kenya also and really small plane for such a long journey

 

This year am going to be a Virgin virgin as off to Florida in December and cant wait to Fly Virgin! Hope they are good!

 

I must admit I have started to ignore a lot of reviews on holiday websites etc as most of the posts are negative ones and although there are good reviews it seems a lot of people only write a review if something has gone wrong! I am so much of a worrier about everything that I panic.

[LolaLayla]

I have found Ryanair fine as long as you know the rules and stick to them. You get what you pay for. I know people say you cannot get a truly cheap fight with them but my DD did get a £4 return to Beauvais! She had to book with the right card and not take a suitcase or pre board but she was happy. When flying with Ryanair I always have my sandwiches with me when I board

 

We had a terrible time with Continental last year. On our return to the UK we had to go via New York and because of problems landing due to storms we knew we were going to miss our connecting flight (also with Continental). The cabin crew were lovely and said not to worry as it would be known that we were delayed and that another flight would have been arranged for us and to go to customer service on arrival. Well that was not the case. Everyone had problems due to the weather and the queue at customer service was huge. A rep came up to us and said she didn't know why anyone was waiting in the queue as it would take 3 hours to get to the front and it would close before then at 11pm (It did close then and I saw people sleeping in the queue later...the lady at the front of the queue had a baby...how could they close the desk on her ) She told us to use the customer phones. We did that and were told waiting time was 25 mins til we spoke to someone. When we did they offered us a flight the next evening for 2 of us (we were party of 3)or nothing for several days Thankfully my OH know about routes and was able to suggest to them different ways of us getting home. Left to them we would have been stuck in New York for days but by taking a different route we left the next day. Pity help anyone who was relying on their ability to show initiative.

Oh dear sorry for the rant...but it was terrible.

[AnnieP]

I love flying! Never understand why people get so uptight about airports etc. My attitude is the moment I turn the key in my door and pick up my case, I'm on holiday, so just relax and smile!

 

Just returned from Paris, where the outward journey was Air France, (fab) and return was Flybe. (Basic). Can't complain at the service, taking the price into account though.

 

I flew Laker airlines (remember them??) years ago to the States, on a "skytrain" which was wonderful.

 

I use skyscanner to find the cheapest flights and really do think you get what you pay for. Last year on another trip to France (Limoges) I flew Ryanair and had the indignity of having to buy an extra bag at the airport and unpack all my stuff in the check in area (along with a few other people I hasten to add), as my hand luggage was 0.3 of a kilo over the limit. It cost me an extra £35! Still, at least it meant I could bring back loads of booze on my return as I had a hold bag and not just hand baggage! Couldn't quite believe they were charging £6.50 for a really nasty looking hot dog on the flight though. Needless to say, I resisted!

 

From the sublime to the ridiculous: My ex used to travel abroad a lot for his job, mainly the Caribbean, and always used to fly business, or first class, with BA or Virgin, depending on the day and destination etc. Its a different world!

Virgin used to come and pick him up from the house with a chauffeur driven car, then it was checking in (no queues), relaxing in the first class lounge, where head massages and buffet etc are all part of the service. The food on flights is sublime: canapes, cocktails and champagne abound, along with linen napkins and three course meals chosen from a menu and the leg room!

A couple of times, when his trips coincided with my summer hols he would downgrade his ticket and get two "cattle class" and I would be able to accompany him. Often we would arrive at the airport and because he was a frequent flyer, they would automatically upgrade us back to business class anyway!

I LOVED the bags of toiletries they gave out: Virgin have trendy black bags full of Virgin Vie products, and BA used to hand out gorgeous Molton Brown products in their bags. Oh happy days (and thanks to Christian I used to get a few extras slipped my way too)....

 

Can't really justify the prices though: Flying first class to Barbados on BA had a price tag of £6,000! Completely obscene really.

 

Changing the subject slightly, I am a great fan of flying from local airports these days: No queues, no need to get there hours early and hardly ever any delays/cancellations: I have flown from Birmingham, Southampton, Cardiff, Bristol and Bournemouth. Last Christmas we were just about the only people who managed to get out of the country because of the snow: Cardiff airport, has only a couple of runways, so they managed to clear them, and all flights were operating: I spent Christmas in Tenerife whilst other friends who had booked to fly from the large airports were stranded in Blighty.

[Olly]

I loathe flying - not scared of it, but I hate all the queueing up beforehand, and being squeezed into a tiny space for hours. However, I must put in a vote for EasyJet, we used them several times when my parents were alive, and the help and assistance we got with two elderly travellers, one of whom was in a wheelchair, was excellent. They may be a budget airline but they still provide a good service.

 

I wouldn't fly Ryanair if they were giving the flights away, on the other hand (although even if they did, you'd still be charged extra for baggage ).

[percy049]

KLM and Air France are the same comapny now, so they should be the same really now.

 

Oh yeah I remember those bags with Virgin now! We're frequent fliers with Virgin and we got 10 % of flights I think

 

I forgot to mention something about Delta - even though they arent a budget airline, you still have to pay for snacks on board...

[Cinnamon]

I loathe flying - not scared of it, but I hate all the queueing up beforehand, and being squeezed into a tiny space for hours. However, I must put in a vote for EasyJet

 

Me too,although they did mess up our Speedy Boarding on the trip we made this year

 

I like it on the plane & once I have a G&T inside me I actually really enjoy it (Yes,even at 6am!)

But I LOATHE the anticipation of it...the drive there,the dumping of the car,the getting from the car park to the Airport,the checking in.

I have had full blown panic attacks before,but am getting much better,& this years trip was the best yet.

 

I must say that having the daughters old enough to pack & tend for themselves has helped a lot....that much less pressure on me to remember everything

[LolaLayla]

Last year on another trip to France (Limoges) I flew Ryanair and had the indignity of having to buy an extra bag at the airport and unpack all my stuff in the check in area (along with a few other people I hasten to add), as my hand luggage was 0.3 of a kilo over the limit. It cost me an extra £35!

My OH used to travel a couple of times a week with them and got it down to a fine art. He bought a waistcoat made for anglers etc that has lots of pockets and I adapted one to make it take is iPad easily. So if there was a problem he just loaded the waistcoat with books, iPad etc. I usually check the weight of my bag at a spare checkin desk and put things in pockets or wear some extra clothes

I do not particularly like flying but it helps a bit knowing that the planes Ryanair fly are very new. I think they also are one of the best for arriving on time. In all the years my OH used them I could count on one hand the times he was late. However I do hate how you are bombarded with announcements during the flight and the rush to queue

[Lavenders_Blue]

I don't exactly loathe flying, but having had some great holidays in the UK over last few years (and off to Cornwall next weekend ) I'm starting to think the whole palaver of getting up at stupid o'clock, driving to an airport, being bussed in the freezing cold to the terminal, waiting for hours, being propelled through the air in a metal tube with hideous food and stinking toilets, being bussed to the terminal at the other end then picking up car/taxi/transfer just to be able to start your holiday to be less and less worth the bother.

 

I went on Eurostar a few years ago which I was REALLY impressed with, very easy and quick and no hanging about for hours between check in and departure (20 minutes I seem to remember) however I only got to try it one way. Anyone remember the fire in the channel tunnel a few years back? I was in Bruges at the time with my Mum and due to come home the next day! Goodness only knows how we made it back, somehow we got a train from Bruges to Lille, Lille to Calais, fought our way onto the ferry at Calais and then made OH come and pick us up from Dover - he had been sitting exams in Reading that day and was exhausted, poor chap, but he valliantly drove to the rescue! I would definitely use Eurostar again, but would keep fingers, toes and eyes crossed that no more fires broke out!

[jackie45]

Over the past few years we have been flying to US, either Washington DC or Denver. We use BA both to fly down to Heathrow and then on further. We have always had reasonable service but some of the planes need refusbishment, especially the domestic ones. We have flown internally in the US and found that United were good but you had to buy lunch etc. My daughter and I flew to DC a couple of years ago by United and it was good. The best thing about it was the flight back was in the daytime. All the BA ones are "red eyes" and you feel like rubbish when you get back to UK. We always have a long wait at Heathrow which doesn't help.

Jackie

[AnnieP]

My OH used to travel a couple of times a week with them and got it down to a fine art. He bought a waistcoat made for anglers etc that has lots of pockets and I adapted one to make it take is iPad easily.

 

What a great idea!

 

Regardng the size limits for cabin baggage, I don't mind at all, otherwise it would get ridiculous with people trying to cram too much into an already overcrowded cabin, but I do think it is quite ironic how there is a limit/fine on weight of luggage, whereas there are no weight penalties for passengers! I once sat next to a man who was so large, he totally encroached on my space and I was hemmed in by him for the whole, unpleasant journey.

Having said that, someone I knew used to have to book business class as she wouldn't fit in the normal seats.

I am, nevertheless, glad they don't weigh us at check in too...

[percy049]

Following from Annie, in our 80 seater plane across the sea, there were two people sitting next to eachother. They were so large, they had to move to each side of the plane to balance it!

[Yorkshire Pudding]

We just returned from a USA trip & flew US Airways from Manchester to Philadelphia. Ideal for us as it got us to within a few hours drive of Washington DC and only an hour or so from home to airport on the UK leg.

 

The plane was clean & tidy, staff pleasant & professional even when dealing with crying children on the redeye return trip, food edible & the choice of films etc wide enough to keep everyone happy for an eight hour flight. There was a short delay on the runway on return due to heavy rain (hurricane Irene was looming & it was slating it down) but nothing serious and we were kept informed.

 

OH flies once or twice a year with work and had a bag lost on a quick turnaround at Schipol flying with KLM. He got on the Amsterdam to Leeds leg of the trip but his bag didn't. They delivered it to the door 24 hours later though.

[percy049]

When KLM lost our bags (as we had to cancel and come home at Schiphol), they delivered the bags by courier to our house (3 days later though). The bags had been to Chicargo, and that wasnt even where we were supposed to be flying!