Fly fairly regularly with Air NZ and Singapore and both are fantastic.
Would happily fly with Air New Zealand yet never wanted to because they seem to fly out that way via. the United States rather than Asia and feel that my jet lag would be messed around with going in that direction
No but have another go: Germania, Joop or Norwegian (albeit none are British)
Joop are a subsidiary of Air France, who, it appears, will be shutting them down (and replacing their services with AF flights), rather than them going into administration.
I don’t know whether it’s pure luck but I have flown about thirty times with easyjet and fourteen times with Wizzair. Not had a single delay with either airline. All of these flights have been within Europe so the flight has ended before having an real issues with seat comfort.
I’m going to Dublin in Feb and got £54 return with easyJet which I was more than pleased with, not a budget airline but I flew return Heathrow to Chicago for £320 with united and it was a pretty nice plane tbf
Neither the cost of the flight, nor the popular reputation of the carrier has correlated with the incidence of delays or disappointment in 40+ years of air travel. A £100 Easyjet flight was delayed leaving Scandinavia cos it needed de-icing. A £600 transatlantic Virgin flight was delayed leaving London because of the delay in receiving a part that needed replacing. Had to sit in a plane for 75 minutes after landing at Gatwick cos the airport couldn't organise exit stairs and baggage collection for a scheduled flight that arrived at the same time every weekday. A Ryanair flight to Greece was delayed 4 hours cos of a wildcat Greek airtraffic control strike. Nothing the airlines could reasonably do about any of them. Mostly one gets what one pays for. One exception: BA - routinely crap service, poor comfort and lousy vfm - long haul is terribly cramped on cheaply flimsily furnished aircraft, 'Club Europe' or whatever misleading brand bollocks they apply to so called business class is just as cramped in grubby shabby old craft, they just plied us with barely comestible plonk to distract us with inebriation from the ghastly environment - you'd need at least 3 hours concerted gluttony and dipsomania in the pre flight lounge for any of it to start to make sense.
Well, it'll be in the press in the next few days but one of the UK airlines is going into administration shortly.
(Cant give you no more info that that, sorry chaps)
@JohnBoyUK , announced this morning that Flybe is to be rescued by a new company, Connect Airways (Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Group and Cyrus Capital). Assume that was the UK airline you referred to. Positive news all round in a very challenging industry. I have to admit I'm surprised they made it through, but in terms of UK domestic flying, a decent operator...
Yes, good news.
Last minute.com as far as getting the deal done though. The administration was already being worked on.
Fly fairly regularly with Air NZ and Singapore and both are fantastic.
Would happily fly with Air New Zealand yet never wanted to because they seem to fly out that way via. the United States rather than Asia and feel that my jet lag would be messed around with going in that direction
You can fly via China, HK and Singapore through their partners, Virgin Atlantic or Singapore Airlines. All very good
Fly fairly regularly with Air NZ and Singapore and both are fantastic.
Would happily fly with Air New Zealand yet never wanted to because they seem to fly out that way via. the United States rather than Asia and feel that my jet lag would be messed around with going in that direction
You can fly via China, HK and Singapore through their partners, Virgin Atlantic or Singapore Airlines. All very good
Yeah love Singapore Airlines... Will nearly always use them
Was on flight in Australia some years back and the Captain was doing his usual welcome on board preamble. After having gone through it all he finished off with the following. “Thanks for flying with us today.......our in flight service will be starting shortly and our hostesses will be coming amongst you.....but don’t worry it comes off with a stiff brush!”
Never had any real problems with Ryan Air but it always feels that something might happen and I avoid if I can. Easyjet has an all round better experience and feeling of competency. Iberia is probably the top three worst experiences and Monarch went from good to crap overnight.
Flybe is just too expensive to be a successful business model, I live in Devon and people go to Bristol rather than than pay their Exeter prices.
Never had any real problems with Ryan Air but it always feels that something might happen and I avoid if I can. Easyjet has an all round better experience and feeling of competency. Iberia is probably the top three worst experiences and Monarch went from good to crap overnight.
Flybe is just too expensive to be a successful business model, I live in Devon and people go to Bristol rather than than pay their Exeter prices.
Interesting that Flybe was more expensive in the southwest. For London airports, Flybe was always the cheapest option (where Ryanair/EasyJet was not involved).
Fly fairly regularly with Air NZ and Singapore and both are fantastic.
Would happily fly with Air New Zealand yet never wanted to because they seem to fly out that way via. the United States rather than Asia and feel that my jet lag would be messed around with going in that direction
You can fly via China, HK and Singapore through their partners, Virgin Atlantic or Singapore Airlines. All very good
We flew Air NZ to HK and then Cathay the rest of the way.
The worst thing about Jet2 is that bloody music they cant stop playing. We have booked a Jet2 holiday to Rhodes this summer so am going to have to endure it.
Only ever had one delay with EasyJet and that was due to electrical storms all over Europe that weekend. Only 2 hours in the end and we were in a lounge, so not exactly a hardship.
Must admit that I don’t even check RyanAir, but have started using Norwegian when I can. Great experiences so far and better planes than most of the “big boys”.
I have used Norwegian a fair bit and find them okay, particularly with booking as their website is user friendly. They have a low fare calender so if you are flexible with dates you can EASILY check out the best prices.
I'm off to Brasil for Christmas, you can travel to Rio for £280 return which is way under half the price you normally pay. The downside is that you can only take the 10kg cabin bag, this is fine as I can pack ample t-shirts, shorts and flip flops for 4 weeks.
You can pay another £100 return to check in a bag and get food and drink. I'm taking a chance they offer the normal service of food and drink which you can pay for on board.
Perhaps @RedPanda may like to join me on a South American groundhop in the future.
@ElfsborgAddick £280 return to Brazil is great, but is also a massive problem - those prices aren't sustainable. O'Leary at Ryanair has been stating for a long time that Norwegian will collapse soon as they will continue to lack cash (a quick google of "Norwegian Cash Crisis" will give you a fair balance of claim and counterclaim).
Without wishing to dampen your enthusiasm, if you are travelling with them at Christmas, have a plan B and / or make sure you have travel insurance that includes Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI) - about 50% of insurance polices exclude this so worth checking that yours doesn't...
Me and Jnr flew Norwegian to Austin last year and treated ourselves to premium for approx £600 each (£1000 each return). The fight was delayed 5 hours due to a technical fault so on return we claimed the money back. No fuss.
Nice for us but I don't see how airlines can honestly afford to do this.
Me and Jnr flew Norwegian to Austin last year and treated ourselves to premium for approx £600 each (£1000 each return). The fight was delayed 5 hours due to a technical fault so on return we claimed the money back. No fuss.
Nice for us but I don't see how airlines can honestly afford to do this.
@ElfsborgAddick £280 return to Brazil is great, but is also a massive problem - those prices aren't sustainable. O'Leary at Ryanair has been stating for a long time that Norwegian will collapse soon as they will continue to lack cash (a quick google of "Norwegian Cash Crisis" will give you a fair balance of claim and counterclaim).
Without wishing to dampen your enthusiasm, if you are travelling with them at Christmas, have a plan B and / or make sure you have travel insurance that includes Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI) - about 50% of insurance polices exclude this so worth checking that yours doesn't...
I've never flown Norweigan but they are by far the cheapest to fly to NYC with, irrespective of time of year. I know what SA is saying here, and they are moving a lot of their business to more primary airports with the intention of generating revenue, but that seems a double-edged move as that will cost them more to (possibly) make more.
Flown easyjet. They're okay, it is what it is. Problem for us was we flew to Paphos which is a) their longest scheduled flight from Bristol and b) not cheap as Cyprus is currently the most expensive destination to fly to for the majority of Western European tourists (FK why, guess it shows the standard of what most Brit/French/German tourists want from a holiday as it's alright but Crete is considerably better as Greek Islands go). So our 'budget airline flight' ended up becoming a mid-tier airline flight in price by the time we'd added our baggage, but all that being said I'd imagine shorter destinations, it's very reasonable, but for us it was uncomfortable and very boring by the end. Flight was delayed coming back by about two hours as a passenger had had a seizure whilst they were landing, so a flight that was already leaving at 10pm meant we got back to Bristol about 4am, but that's hardly easyjet's fault. Sounds terrible, but as I pointed out to a few waiting to board who were complaining non-stop that we're lucky it happened as they were landing because if it happened over Italy then we probably wouldn't be boarding any flight currently.
I've never been Ryanair, nor would I. O'Leary is a nasty piece of work and the stories of their bullying culture and the number of whistleblowers puts me off.
Regarding flybe today, it wouldn't surprise me if this is the start of the proper end for them. They've been bailed out three times now and with BMI finished off, I can see them going the same way. It's a shame because they are very reasonable to fly to London too from Exeter, actually cheaper than the train, which says a lot more about GWR and the state of national rail in this country than it does what budget airlines are/aren't doing right.
I prefer to use mid-tier airlines like Thomas Cook. They are good, fairly cheap if you book in advance, easy to get luggage-included deals regardless of whether it's a package, they fly pretty much anywhere in Europe from Bristol or Birmingham and further afield and the entertainment/service is always decent. I find their fleet remarkably clean, comfortable and the staff are always lovely. TUI are about the same price wise but considerably poorer in terms of customer service (watched them move people seats too many times), KLM were always good for the States and BA are overpriced imo and only really interested in Business Class customers.
@ElfsborgAddick £280 return to Brazil is great, but is also a massive problem - those prices aren't sustainable. O'Leary at Ryanair has been stating for a long time that Norwegian will collapse soon as they will continue to lack cash (a quick google of "Norwegian Cash Crisis" will give you a fair balance of claim and counterclaim).
Without wishing to dampen your enthusiasm, if you are travelling with them at Christmas, have a plan B and / or make sure you have travel insurance that includes Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI) - about 50% of insurance polices exclude this so worth checking that yours doesn't...
I've never flown Norweigan but they are by far the cheapest to fly to NYC with, irrespective of time of year. I know what SA is saying here, and they are moving a lot of their business to more primary airports with the intention of generating revenue, but that seems a double-edged move as that will cost them more to (possibly) make more.
Flown easyjet. They're okay, it is what it is. Problem for us was we flew to Paphos which is a) their longest scheduled flight from Bristol and b) not cheap as Cyprus is currently the most expensive destination to fly to for the majority of Western European tourists (FK why, guess it shows the standard of what most Brit/French/German tourists want from a holiday as it's alright but Crete is considerably better as Greek Islands go). So our 'budget airline flight' ended up becoming a mid-tier airline flight in price by the time we'd added our baggage, but all that being said I'd imagine shorter destinations, it's very reasonable, but for us it was uncomfortable and very boring by the end. Flight was delayed coming back by about two hours as a passenger had had a seizure whilst they were landing, so a flight that was already leaving at 10pm meant we got back to Bristol about 4am, but that's hardly easyjet's fault. Sounds terrible, but as I pointed out to a few waiting to board who were complaining non-stop that we're lucky it happened as they were landing because if it happened over Italy then we probably wouldn't be boarding any flight currently.
I've never been Ryanair, nor would I. O'Leary is a nasty piece of work and the stories of their bullying culture and the number of whistleblowers puts me off.
Regarding flybe today, it wouldn't surprise me if this is the start of the proper end for them. They've been bailed out three times now and with BMI finished off, I can see them going the same way. It's a shame because they are very reasonable to fly to London too from Exeter, actually cheaper than the train, which says a lot more about GWR and the state of national rail in this country than it does what budget airlines are/aren't doing right.
I prefer to use mid-tier airlines like Thomas Cook. They are good, fairly cheap if you book in advance, easy to get luggage-included deals regardless of whether it's a package, they fly pretty much anywhere in Europe from Bristol or Birmingham and further afield and the entertainment/service is always decent. I find their fleet remarkably clean, comfortable and the staff are always lovely. TUI are about the same price wise but considerably poorer in terms of customer service (watched them move people seats too many times), KLM were always good for the States and BA are overpriced imo and only really interested in Business Class customers.
The price of the flight is ultimately dependant on a combination of demand and capacity. Cyprus is popular for holidays but will also have decent "VFR" demand (Visiting Friends and Relatives). Combine that the capacity that is scheduled o go there and you a premium price.
I read that earlier. But if they were bought out in December shouldnt they be safe? Just wondering whether i need to start making alternative plans for my Easter.
Comments
I can get a return from Helsinki to Gatwick for £65 which is good value considering Finnair + Ba charge £110+ return
Norwigan often do £50 return to Sweden and Norway from here, which again isn't bad.
And SAS is good for anyone under the age of 26 flying to Scandinavia, you can get tickets from £59 return.
Easyjet and Wizz air are pretty good, Euro wings too
One exception: BA - routinely crap service, poor comfort and lousy vfm - long haul is terribly cramped on cheaply flimsily furnished aircraft, 'Club Europe' or whatever misleading brand bollocks they apply to so called business class is just as cramped in grubby shabby old craft, they just plied us with barely comestible plonk to distract us with inebriation from the ghastly environment - you'd need at least 3 hours concerted gluttony and dipsomania in the pre flight lounge for any of it to start to make sense.
Last minute.com as far as getting the deal done though. The administration was already being worked on.
After having gone through it all he finished off with the following.
“Thanks for flying with us today.......our in flight service will be starting shortly and our hostesses will be coming amongst you.....but don’t worry it comes off with a stiff brush!”
Flybe is just too expensive to be a successful business model, I live in Devon and people go to Bristol rather than than pay their Exeter prices.
Iceland's Wow Air has stopped flights, stranding thousands of passengers.
Its website says Wow Air has ceased operations and cancelled all flights. Wow says passengers needing to travel should book with other airlines.
The carrier, which had been in funding talks with investors, flew from London Stansted and Gatwick in the UK.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47731043
I'm off to Brasil for Christmas, you can travel to Rio for £280 return which is way under half the price you normally pay. The downside is that you can only take the 10kg cabin bag, this is fine as I can pack ample t-shirts, shorts and flip flops for 4 weeks.
You can pay another £100 return to check in a bag and get food and drink. I'm taking a chance they offer the normal service of food and drink which you can pay for on board.
Perhaps @RedPanda may like to join me on a South American groundhop in the future.
£280 return to Brazil is great, but is also a massive problem - those prices aren't sustainable. O'Leary at Ryanair has been stating for a long time that Norwegian will collapse soon as they will continue to lack cash (a quick google of "Norwegian Cash Crisis" will give you a fair balance of claim and counterclaim).
Without wishing to dampen your enthusiasm, if you are travelling with them at Christmas, have a plan B and / or make sure you have travel insurance that includes Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI) - about 50% of insurance polices exclude this so worth checking that yours doesn't...
The fight was delayed 5 hours due to a technical fault so on return we claimed the money back. No fuss.
Nice for us but I don't see how airlines can honestly afford to do this.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47797738
Flown easyjet. They're okay, it is what it is. Problem for us was we flew to Paphos which is a) their longest scheduled flight from Bristol and b) not cheap as Cyprus is currently the most expensive destination to fly to for the majority of Western European tourists (FK why, guess it shows the standard of what most Brit/French/German tourists want from a holiday as it's alright but Crete is considerably better as Greek Islands go). So our 'budget airline flight' ended up becoming a mid-tier airline flight in price by the time we'd added our baggage, but all that being said I'd imagine shorter destinations, it's very reasonable, but for us it was uncomfortable and very boring by the end. Flight was delayed coming back by about two hours as a passenger had had a seizure whilst they were landing, so a flight that was already leaving at 10pm meant we got back to Bristol about 4am, but that's hardly easyjet's fault. Sounds terrible, but as I pointed out to a few waiting to board who were complaining non-stop that we're lucky it happened as they were landing because if it happened over Italy then we probably wouldn't be boarding any flight currently.
I've never been Ryanair, nor would I. O'Leary is a nasty piece of work and the stories of their bullying culture and the number of whistleblowers puts me off.
Regarding flybe today, it wouldn't surprise me if this is the start of the proper end for them. They've been bailed out three times now and with BMI finished off, I can see them going the same way. It's a shame because they are very reasonable to fly to London too from Exeter, actually cheaper than the train, which says a lot more about GWR and the state of national rail in this country than it does what budget airlines are/aren't doing right.
I prefer to use mid-tier airlines like Thomas Cook. They are good, fairly cheap if you book in advance, easy to get luggage-included deals regardless of whether it's a package, they fly pretty much anywhere in Europe from Bristol or Birmingham and further afield and the entertainment/service is always decent. I find their fleet remarkably clean, comfortable and the staff are always lovely. TUI are about the same price wise but considerably poorer in terms of customer service (watched them move people seats too many times), KLM were always good for the States and BA are overpriced imo and only really interested in Business Class customers.