Flight reviews

Flight Review: easyJet Airbus A319- London Gatwick to Salzburg Airport

Published

6 months ago

16/03/2023

Route	London Gatwick North Terminal- W.A Mozart Salzburg Airport
Flight Number	EZY 8557
Seat Number	24A
Flight Time	1 Hour 55 Minutes
Baggage Allowance	23KG Hold luggage (Paid for) + 15KG Under Seat Cabin Bag
Price	£430/€487.69 (Return Ticket)
Honest Rating	4/5

Above- Basic flight info (N.B Prices for this flight review will be in GBP and EUR)

Introduction

Above: easyJet and TUI aircraft parked near the North Terminal

After booking my flight only 2 days before the travel date, I made my way to London Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal, the larger of the two. I was excited to fly easyJet, although it is a low-cost airline, as I had not flown with them in almost 5 years! If you travel by car and plan to park at the airport in the North Terminal, you have the option of taking a very long walk well over 30 minutes or taking the Airport Shuttle Bus that arrives every 12 minutes.

Keep in mind that the transfer bus gets very, very crowded even at 4 AM. As I booked only 2 days before travelling, I was faced with high prices, up to 4 times the usual price. The return ticket cost £430/€487.69. Then I was ambushed by the hold luggage price of £110/€124.76 per person for 23KG which I had to pay too.

Advice for flying with easyJet

easyJet has an online app that can be downloaded on the App Store (iOS) and the Google Play Store (Android). The app makes travelling with them a lot easier as you can download boarding passes in addition to saving time with online check-in.

As easyJet is a low-cost airline, complimentary food and beverages are not offered unless you purchase a voucher online. I would recommend you buy outside food and beverages from an airport supermarket or bring some from home just to simply save money.
If you’re feeling thirsty on board, then you are allowed a cup of water if you ask the cabin crew. It should be free of charge (as of Feb 2023).

easyJet policy states that the gate will close 30 minutes before departure time, as a few passengers learnt, exceptions would not be made.

Check-in & Airport Experience

After arriving at the North Terminal via the packed airport shuttle bus, I headed over towards the easyJet check-in counters to find that they were, like the airport shuttle bus, spilling with people. As I was late for my flight, easyJet ground staff were able to usher some other people and myself who were on the same flight to the front check-in desks and bag drop machines. I had checked in the day before online and therefore I was able to use the bag drop machines, they are simple to use but if you are travelling on a passport that requires a pre-paid visa at your destination, a staff member will have to manually approve it which can take a long time. Dropping off the bags was a relief, as I could now move over to airport security.

Above: The security area at Gatwick’s North Terminal.

Gatwick Airport’s security in the North terminal is a large space and has many members of security staff, making the process smoother than its competitors, such as Luton and Stansted. There isn’t much to say about the security area at the North terminal apart from that really.

Gatwick North Terminal Airside

The duty-free area in the North terminal is probably the worst smelling out of all the airports that I’ve been to. The thousands of perfumes that you walk past mix with each other and block your nose with their overly sweet stench making you want to get out of that area as fast as possible. Although part of the duty-free area may smell bad, apart from that, there is a good range of restaurants and other retail stores. A notification from easyJet’s mobile application on my phone popped up saying that my flight would be departing from gate 45A, so I headed over to it with just 10 minutes to spare before they closed the gate.

Boarding

The gate attendant scanned my passport and online boarding pass. 5 minutes after I had found myself a seat at the gate area a bus pulled up outside and 100 or so passengers clambered in. Unfortunately, as the bus was too full to take on any more passengers, I had to wait for the second bus. Just as the bus doors shut, I spotted a group of 3 people who had turned up just after the gate had closed. Sadly for them, they were denied entry. The bus ride to our Airbus A319, registered G-EZAY took about 10 minutes which gave me an opportunity to snap some photos of the TUI planes which were parked on the apron. I was one of the last to leave the airport bus so I spent some time taking photos of the glistening fuselage whilst I walked towards the stairs by the rear of the airplane.

The cabin crew greeted the passengers as we entered and we were pointed towards our seats. My seat was 24A. Row 24 is the second-last row of the aircraft. My first impressions of the cabin were that it was clean, the seatbelts were presented nicely (not common on low-cost airlines) and the seats seemed to be narrower than I remembered.

Seat Review

Seat 24A is a window seat with a limited view of the wing, but most of it is still visible. The seat itself was decked out in the slightly outdated and scratchy grey padding, which was dotted with a square, orange pattern. Although the seat was rather worn-down it still proved to be relatively comfortable and worked well for the 2 hour flight. As for the legroom, it was adequate with decent space for my knees. Unfortunately, one thing that I noticed that had gone from the seats was the function to recline, these were installed previously but were probably removed in order to fit more seats in. The tray table was clean and sturdy and the seat pocket contained a safety card and an inflight duty-free magazine but no air sickness bag was provided. Above each seat are a reading light, a flight attendant call button and individual air conditioning vents. I also noticed there was a large crack in the panel above my head, the cabin was showing signs of wear and tear elsewhere too, such as the overhead lockers being quite scratched on the outside and some information stickers were collecting dirt and peeling.

Flight Delayed & Take-Off

Just as the flight attendants were about to close the door, the captain made an announcement saying that due to low visibility and bad weather in Salzburg, the safest bet to avoid landing in Munich or Vienna would be to delay the flight by 1 hour. Upon hearing this, groans were heard and after a 40 minute wait, another announcement was made. This time we were informed that a warning light in the cockpit had gone off and that there was reportedly a problem with one of our engines.

The captain then said we would taxi to a remote stand so that the engineers could fix the problem after the crew had done the safety demonstration. After the brief safety demonstration, another announcement came from the pilots. Because our flight had been delayed, the ground crew who were supposed to remove our detachable boarding stairs had moved onto service another flight, meaning we would have to wait for a new set of crew. Approximately 20 minutes later the boarding stairs were removed and our A319-100 was pushed back. I noticed that after pushing back our flight just taxied towards the runway and not towards a remote stand, hence the aircraft that followed us and the A321 NEO in front of us waiting for the runway to be vacated so it could take off.

Approx. time of take-off: 8:30AM

After a while, we turned onto the runway and before I knew it, flight EZY 8557 stormed down the runway and lifted up into the azure blue, leaving London behind.

Catering Service

Around 20 to 30 minutes after departure, the cabin crew rolled out the trolleys and went around the cabin to start the catering service. I had purchased an online meal voucher with the easyJet website when I had checked in with them online. I had bought it for just £8/€9.04 and it was worth £10/€11.31. When the cabin crew had reached my seat, I showed them my boarding pass which indicated that I had a meal voucher and ordered from their “Meal Deal” section for £8.50/€9.61.

easyJet serves a wide variety of hot and cold meals including wraps, pastries, pizza, sandwiches, instant porridge and even a tapas box. Cold, hot and alcoholic beverages are also up for purchase. Of course, they are highly priced. I ordered a can of Diet Coke, a Kit Kat and a Ham & Cheese toastie. To my surprise, the toastie was flavourful and tasted great. I also noticed that around 40% of the passengers had purchased food items on board, usually you’d expect a lot less people to do this due to the unappealing nature of airplane food and the expensive prices. Nonetheless, the catering on this flight was of a high standard.

Cabin Cleanliness & Lavatory Review

As aforementioned, the cabin was clean and so was the tray table. It was evident that the cabin had been well kept over the years. I went to check out the rear lavatory just after the meal service had ended and found it to be very clean and well stocked. Of course, this being an A319, the lavatory was a little cramped.

Photo Gallery & Flight In General

The flight after take-off was relatively uneventful, on the way down we did hit some occasional spots of mild turbulence though. As it was the holiday season, the airspace was very busy, there were planes flying beside and underneath us all the time. A little while after the meal service, the cabin crew made an announcement that they were coming around to collect donations for UNICEF that was helping victims of the Turkey-Syria earthquake. As of March 2023, easyJet reported that over £300,000 had been raised to help the earthquake survivors!

Descent & Landing

A little while after the catering service had finished, the seatbelt light re-appeared and an announcement was made, informing us that we were starting our descent towards Salzburg WA Mozart Airport. Just before we dropped below the sea of clouds I spotted a few mountains that were piercing the cloud carpet. Within seconds, we were below the clouds, and my view of Salzburg was obscured by thick fog . The final approach was bumpy and after a short while, we touched down at Salzburg Airport. After a while we tax-ied to a parking stand and we disembarked via stairs.

Salzburg Airport Terminal 1

As soon as I disembarked the aircraft, ramp crew directed me to walk towards the terminal. After entering the airport I went through passport control relatively quickly. Note that anybody wearing head coverings will have to remove them at passport control, this includes religious coverings. After passport control, you pass onto the landside of the terminal and enter the baggage claim area which is modern and clean.

However, one thing I will complain about is the rip-off ATM cash machines in the airport, particularly the BARGELD ones, which take quite a high commission rate. Upon entering the landside part of Salzburg Airport Terminal 1, I headed towards the tourist information desk located on the other side of the airport. There are many duty free options as you go through the landside; including a supermarket, bakery, coffee shop and more. The staff at the information desk were very friendly and helpful. One thing that I noticed was that the airport was very very empty, and there were hardly any passengers However, I discovered that this was clearly not the case when I returned a week later.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it was a decent flight. Sure some parts could have been better, but after all easyJet is a budget airline. The staff were polite and professional; the seats were comfortable and had good legroom despite the fact that they could no longer recline; the catering service was quite expensive but had a good range of meals and tasted great; and the airplane was clean. I will definitely be flying easyJet again in the future.

Service	4/5
Catering	4/5
Cleanliness	4/5
Check-in	4/5
Seat Comfort	3/5
Recommended?	Yes- despite the delay it was a great flight!

Related Topics:a319 airbus austria easyjet flight review Gatwick London salzburg

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Flight reviews

Flight Review: Avianca Long-Haul Boeing 787-8 from Bogota El Dorado to London Heathrow

Published

1 month ago

18/08/2023

Sam Jakobi

Having previously flown Avianca in Short-Haul on their Airbus A320 on a domestic flight to Bogota, whilst it was slightly overpriced for the product, My expectations for their long-haul product were not too low. A lack of in-flight entertainment on the previous flight, despite the fact that the aircraft had been used for flights of up to 5 and a half hours, had made me wonder whether the same would apply to the Dreamliner. In this review, I take you through the on-ground experience, seat, entertainment, and food options for Avianca’s Intercontinental Long-Haul product.

On the Ground

Like my previous flight, check-in was easy, with the main difference being that passport details had to be entered because it was an international flight. Seat selection was not free, and I was unfortunate enough not to be assigned the emergency exit row again. It seemed the luck from the previous two flights had worn off. The major difficulty I had with Avianca on the ground was their poor planning regarding aircraft Boarding. A lack of coordination between the ground crew and aircraft-crew had led to passengers stuck standing for nearly half an hour on the jet bridge, something which could have been made better by letting us stay at the gate where seats and charging points were available.

The seat

Once we had finally boarded the aircraft, it was time to take a look at the seat. Perhaps the major annoyance was the fact that the sides of the headrest didn’t fold inwards but instead folded down. I felt this was a cheeky tactic to make you want to pay more for business class or premium economy. Legroom was fairly limited, however, the seat did come with a footrest, although it seemed primarily designed for shorter people. The seats did recline, although there seemed to be no adjustment to the IFE panel or tray table for when the passenger in front of you reclined, something which was difficult for an overnight flight when most passengers wanted to recline for sleeping purposes.

Food and Entertainment

The gift of a screaming baby a few rows ahead of me had led to a lack of sleep, and so the IFE system was the best option for reducing irritation. The selection was rather limited, with no categories of films, and so movies were all in a long list. TV shows were also available. However no selection of music, something which often appears on other airlines like Virgin Atlantic or Qatar Airways. Food was rather mediocre, with a midnight meal consisting of pasta with Ham and Cheese and breakfast an omelet.

Overall, with Avianca, it’s probably worth it if you fly on their Business Class product, which seemed cheaper than most when I looked at prices. However, if Economy is your game, then I suggest paying less to go through Lufthansa’s Frankfurt hub, as they run a flight to Bogota using their recently reintroduced Airbus A340s.

Flight reviews

Average Avianca: Avianca Airlines A320-200 review from San Andres Island to Bogota

Published

1 month ago

17/08/2023

Sam Jakobi

The National Airline of Colombia, Avianca, has long been servicing the Americas since 1919, making it the second oldest airline, just a few months younger than KLM, to remain in service. Although there have been problems along the way, as well as having to help repair Colombia’s somewhat previously broken tourism industry, Avianca still manages to maintain a short-haul fleet product that can be compared to the likes of most other traditional airlines. Join me as I walk through the On Ground experience, Seat, Food, and entertainment.

On the ground

Check-in was extremely easy, as well as the fact that this was a domestic flight and so passport details weren’t required. However, the one thing that I would pick up was that seat selection was not free, costing roughly 120,000 Colombian Pesos ($29 USD) depending on the seat. However, I was lucky enough to be randomly allocated the emergency exit row, technically giving me a free upgrade to the airline’s “Plus” seat. Boarding passes were automatically sent to me, and so all I had to do was go through security and get on the flight.

The Seat

Given the fact that I had been given the upgrade, the seat was really nice. However, this seat felt like what you could normally get as the basic economy seat on an airline like British Airways, and so if I’d sat in the basic seat on Avianca, I would have felt like I was paying for a traditional airline and yet was receiving something you might find on EasyJet. It came with Folding Headrests, something I wished I would have received on my Long-Haul flight to Heathrow that I flew a day later. Because this was the emergency exit row, there was plenty of legroom to stretch out in, but this also meant that nothing was allowed to be stowed on the floor, and everything had to be in the overhead lockers instead.

Food and Entertainment

Food was purchase-only, whereas I would expect at least a light snack to be provided on my flight if I am flying with a legacy carrier, especially due to the fact that some low-cost airlines like JetBlue are offering free snacks nowadays. Despite the fact that some of Avianca’s Airbus A320s are flying flights with routes up to 6 hours in length, there was no seatback entertainment on the flight. Although, it is useful in pointing out that my seat came with charging ports and a phone holder for me to watch my own downloaded entertainment. Avianca also has a feature that allows you to watch some of their films on your own phone, known as “Avianca on Air.”

Avianca Plus seats also come with a place to hold your phone for streaming (Image credit: Avianca)

Overall, I’m not entirely sure that this is a flight that stands out to me, unlike that I had experienced earlier on my trip with JetBlue. Whilst the seat was good and comfortable, I don’t particularly feel that it was worth the extra money to be paid for it, as well as the fact that If I weren’t upgraded, I would be missing lots of the features which came with it. I would recommend Avianca for its short-haul flights. However, If you are on a route within South America which could be up to 5 and a half hours on an A320, I would probably recommend going on LATAM for a chance of a larger plane.

Flight reviews

Flight Review: SAS A320neo London Heathrow to Stockholm Arlanda

Published

1 month ago

16/08/2023

Tantawat H

On July 19th, I flew on Scandinavian Airlines System for the first time. My expectations had been set quite low, having flown with only European budget airlines since the start of this year. As expected, my expectations were completely exceeded when I flew with SAS, a brilliant first experience to say the least.

Introduction

Route	London Heathrow Terminal 2- Stockholm Arlanda Terminal 5
Flight Number	SK1530
Seat Number	20A
Flight Time	2 hours 25 minutes 06:40- 10:05
Baggage Allowance	20KG Loaded Bag+ 7kg Cabin Bag
Price	£908 (return)- NB: This flight was the first part of a connecting flight to Bangkok
Honest Rating	4/5

Basic flight info (N.B Prices for this flight review will be in GBP and EUR)

Airport Experience

Due to Scandinavian Airlines being part of Star Alliance, it departs from Heathrow Terminal 2 (as of August 2023). In order to save time, I checked in online via the SAS app which was simple to use and displayed helpful notifications updating the status of your checked baggage. So I made my way over to the rather long bag drop line in the departures hall of T2 and after a good half hour, dropped my bags off and headed over to security. As my travel partner holds a Thai Airways ROP Gold Card, I was able to reap the rewards and use Terminal 2’s fast-lane security. From taking a quick look at the regular security lane, there wasn’t a big difference at all in terms of waiting times. This could’ve been due to my early flight time of 6:40 AM.

Heathrow Terminal 2’s airside is spacious and well equipped with duty-free stores, restaurants and airline lounges. I didn’t get to use any of the lounges as I was slightly pushed for time, so I headed straight over to my gate, B47. The B gates are quite a long walk away from security, so spare at least 15 minutes.

Boarding

I arrived at the gate right on time, as I took a seat in the waiting area, boarding was called. Starting with SAS Plus passengers, EuroBonus Gold and Diamond members and any Star Alliance Gold Card members. Then, different boarding groups were called. SAS made the boarding very efficient, with the cabin crew calling “boarding complete” just 20 minutes after it had started.

My first impressions of the cabin were that it had a nice, relaxing colour scheme. The bulkheads had been given a light birch wood pattern that went well with the grey seats. The cabin crew welcomed passengers and showed them to their seats upon boarding and were very friendly. Unfortunately, the cabin wasn’t the cleanest, some discarded tissues were found in my seat pocket.

Seat Review

Now, for the seat review. This was one of the best things about SAS, their seats on the A320neo were surprisingly comfortable. Even though they look as if they lack padding and have thin cushioning, this is just an illusion. The seats were very comfortable, had great legroom and knee-room, were quite wide and had good recline as well.

In the seat pocket was an inflight menu, WiFi info card and a safety card. No airsickness bag or magazine was present. Fortunately, there was in-seat power via a USB outlet and the tray table could slide in and out, both of these were very helpful. Overall, a great seat for a short 2-hour flight.

Take-Off

We pushed back a few minutes ahead of schedule and as the cabin crew carried out the safety demonstration the A320neo taxiied towards the runway. The cabin lights were then dimmed as we reached the runway where the airbus accelerated down the runway and lifted into the skies of London. The take-off felt extremely powerful, so powerful that a few children started screaming.

Inflight Service

10 short minutes after taking off from London Heathrow, the cabin crew started the inflight service. At first, I wasn’t going to bother ordering anything, but I took a look at the menu which said that water, tea and coffee are always free & complimentary on SAS flights so I asked for a cup of hot tea. There isn’t much more I can say about tea is there?

Cabin Cleanliness & Loo Review

Although the cabin was brightly lit and had a great choice of design, it wasn’t the cleanest but also not the worst I’ve seen. As mentioned earlier, there were used tissues in my seat pocket and there were specks of grime on my tray table before I scrubbed it off with a wet wipe. SAS’s A320neo is equipped with 3 lavatories, 1 in the front, and 2 in the rear. The toilets were clean and well stocked, in addition to this, they had foot-level mood lighting which was an extra bonus. Apart from the charcoal black toilet, it was pretty standard for an aircraft of this type.

Tip: When flying on SAS’s A320neo, avoid sitting in the last row; row 31. Not only is this row near the toilet, but there is no window and the recline function is also absent.

Descent & Landing

With 20 minutes to go, the captain announced our descent into Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. The cabin crew went around and collected any remaining rubbish and in a few minutes, we were a few thousand feet above Stockholm. From this particular approach path, I found there to be many turns before landing which caused much excitement among younger travellers. After a rather bumpy landing at Arlanda Airport, we taxiied to Terminal 5, where the A320neo parked right next to my next ride. A Thai Airways A350-900 that would take me to Bangkok! We disembarked the aircraft and entered the terminal. Now, for a confusing transfer experience and 3 hours of waiting!

Conclusion

Overall, SAS provided a great flight from London Heathrow to Stockholm Arlanda. The online check-in was simple, the boarding was efficient and the cabin had a nice design. In addition to this, the comfort of the seat and the high standard of service provided by the cabin crew also made the flight more enjoyable. Although my seat pocket wasn’t clean, the rest of the cabin and lavatories were. I would definitely fly with SAS again.