Tag: Flight review

  • A Review of Global Airlines A380 Economy Inaugural Flight GLA – JFK

    A Review of Global Airlines A380 Economy Inaugural Flight GLA – JFK

    When I first came across James Asquith on social media, he was necking a champagne slammer and sticking it to the man. Well, as the years have passed, his disruptive spirit has shifted into the business side of travel, and now he is the owner of both Holiday Swap and new British airline, Global Airlines. Their first commercial flight took off from Glasgow on 15th May 2025, and we were lucky enough to join this inaugural flight to JFK. Read on for our full review of Global Airlines A380 economy service.

    Alternatively, check out our YouTube video about the trip here.

    This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.

    A Little Bit About Global Airlines

    If you haven’t heard of Global Airlines, you are not alone. Global is an airline, founded in 2021, which has currently run just two return flights to JFK, one from Glasgow and one from Manchester. The plan of CEO James Asquith is to purchase a whole load of Airbus A380 aircraft and use them to recreate the golden age of air travel, I’m not entirely convinced a high capacity plane is capable of feeling swish (in economy at least) but they are going to give it a darn good go!

    Currently, in May 2025, Global owns two planes and is still in process of attaining (we think) an Air Operator’s Certificate and UK Foreign Carrier Permit. To run these tester flights(?), they have enlisted the Maltese arm of Hi Fly, a Portuguese charter airline. The livery and crew uniforms are Global but the staff are all Hi Fly. I believe they called this “a damp lease”.

    Read all our flight reviews including British Airways, EasyJet and Turkish Airlines

    Airport Experience

    Check In

    We were greeted with a lovely bit of hype upon arrival at Glasgow International Airport. A balloon arch, signs for Global Airlines and a photo wall adorned the check-in area. There were cupcakes on offer and friendly staff from Glasgow Airport tagging hand luggage with lots of excited chit chat.

    Check-in seemed to go quite slowly, and we queued for about thirty minutes, but when we reached the desk we saw that the staff were dealing with an admin nightmare. They had a printed spreadsheet that they had to cross-reference with every check in. Half of the economy passengers were being upgraded, whilst all of the others had new seats. The couple next to us were popped into business class. Sadly, we were not. However, it turned out that we had all been moved to the upper deck, presumably for either weight and balance or ease of service.

    Airside

    Glasgow Airport is a little on the wee side. It reminds me strongly of London Stansted, but they have lovely modern security systems, making getting screened a breeze. Once through the main duty-free shop, there is a surprisingly large selection of eateries, but we stuck with old faithful and grabbed something from Pret. Filling our water bottles, we head down in the direction of the Emirates lounge, gambling on the premise that this was where they park their A380, so it may well be the location of ours. Well, there it was, waiting for us.

    Glasgow Airport is pretty ill-equipped for such large planes, and the corridor by the boarding doors got pretty busy, even with just the hundred or so passengers waiting to board. I have no idea how they cope with a full A380. A domestic flight had also arrived, and the incoming passengers all squeezed past us, so for about five minutes, it was carnage.

    Boarding went reasonably smoothly. Interestingly, business was boarded first, followed by First Class and then Economy. Again, I don’t know how they would cope with just one jetty if the flight was full. I suppose other arrangements would be made.

    We’ve flown on the giant Airbus A380 twice before this; once on Singapore Airlines, and we wrote a full reivew of when we flew with Emirates from London to Dubai.

    Onboard Global Airlines A380

    The Seats

    The seats, upholstered in a light biscuit colour and highlighted in red, reminded me a little of Emirates’ uniform colours. They look great, but I do wonder how the lighter fabric will fare over time. The economy seats have a decent pitch at 32 inches and a width of 17.2 inches which is plenty. You will also get a recline which works to both tip the chair back a little (not enough to enrage the person behind you) and to slide the seat forward a little. At least, most do. My particular seat wouldn’t stay reclined. Luckily, the seat next to me was free, so I could move over.

    The seat in front has a wide but thin tray table which extends towards you for meal times. Each has a handy little drinks holder too.

    The Headrests

    The headrests are a menace! They have nice adjustable flaps on either side, and in theory, can be slid up and down for height. However, there are no catches on the attaching bracket, so anyone trying to push them up pops them clean off! I did it, along with five or six other people in the cabin. I was mortified. They might need to look at this for the future.

    Our Seats

    We had seats upstairs in the small section of economy at the back of the plane. Originally on 37 H and K (a window and aisle with a seat between us), we ended up in 79 F and G (an aisle and middle seat on the back row). This was a real shame as I was excited for the view and there was no tail cam to watch. Not good for boredom alleviation or for content creation. I asked the cabin crew if I could go downstairs to take a few photos out of the window and of the seats, but it was off limits.

    Honestly, our seats were rather unfortunate. Not only were we in the middle, but the bathroom right behind us was broken somehow. There was a rushing air sound, as if it was flushing permanently. It was so loud! I would have killed someone if I were trying to sleep.

    Storage

    The Airbus A380 has tons of room for bags in its delightfully sizable lockers. Upstairs, the window seats also have a handy locker to your side, between the seat and the window. This is absolutely perfect for shorties like me. It also gives you a handy shelf to sleep on.

    The seatback pockets were the width of the seat, so you could stash loads in there if required. Do remember that they can end up quite dirty, as it is nearly impossible to clean them properly and don’t stick anything in there that is going in your mouth.

    Entertainment

    This is where things went a bit wonky for me. I had seen a cabin walkthrough before we departed and noticed that the in-flight entertainment systems hadn’t been changed from the old China Southern units. Obviously, screen technology has come on somewhat in the last twelve years, but as long as the offering of entertainment options is decent, I can handle a clunky system. However, the night before we departed, we received an email to let us know that:

    • A – The original entertainment system was not going to be operational.
    • B – There would be no in-seat power in economy, so we should make sure we have a full charge and power banks.
    • C – The WiFi wouldn’t be up and running.
    • D – They have installed an entertainment offering that can be streamed to our own devices.

    Now, in normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be mad at it. However, lots of people (including us) were already in Glasgow or en route, so it was a bit late to prepare. I only had my small phone to watch the films or TV shows on, and being visually impaired, this is less than ideal. I also happened to have a power bank with me as I am paranoid, but I bet there were plenty of people who didn’t. An earlier heads-up would have been good. As you might expect, there were lots of people with laptops in tow, hoping to get their reviews done on board, and this clearly had them concerned.

    The actual selection of films, TV shows, music and games was pretty good, with films from a few months ago like Conclave and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. I decided not to watch anything to ensure I didn’t give myself eye strain. Mr Fluskey was happy to see that there was a Skymap but it was very, very basic.

    Amenities

    In the Seat

    When we boarded, we found some bits and bobs waiting for us. First was a nice, soft fleece blanket and a small pillow. These were both good quality for an economy offering. We also had a nice commemorative note or certificate to celebrate the flight. Finally, there was a rather fancy amenity kit.

    The Global Airlines Amenity Kit

    In a world where it is rare to get any kind of amenity kit in economy, Global Airlines has gone all out!

    • Eye mask
    • Ear plugs
    • Socks
    • Shoe horn
    • Mirror
    • Comb
    • Refreshing wipe
    • Body lotion
    • Pulse point oil
    • Eau de toilette
    • Lip balm
    • Dental kit
    • Pen

    I’m 80% sure this wasn’t meant to be for economy passengers as it was giving major business class vibes but I forgot to ask Mr Asquith.

    The Bathrooms

    The bathrooms by us were small, but I think this is due to them being the upstairs ones and not the main ones in economy. Interestingly, only one of the two had the nice Margaret Dabb hand cream. Mr Fluskey made the right choice when it was time to pop to the loo, while I picked the more basic of the two and left without moisturised hands.

    Check out Plane Etiquette – 10 Ways to Avoid Being “THAT Passenger“

    Food and Beverage

    The Drinks

    One of the big promises made about Global Airlines is that every passenger, regardless of cabin, would get a glass of champagne. No doubt, those in Business and First class would have more than one, but it was still a very welcome treat for us plebs. We were served Laurent Perrier champagne. There was no champagne, prosecco or cava on the official wine list, but I asked and they poured me another glass of champagne to enjoy with lunch too. There is a pretty full bar offering, so I would imagine that too many people would miss it.

    Speaking of drinks, somewhere is the world’s first Skypub, but as it resides between Business and First class, it was not for the likes of us.

    We got two full meal services, which was unexpected. The drinks were served at the same time. As mentioned, we had a second round of champagne with lunch. Mr Fluskey also asked for a rum and Coke. They poured the Coke but said that to add the rum would make it “a cocktail” and they would have to ask at the front to get it. This seemed a little odd to me, considering it was all listed in the menu. What will they do if the whole cabin asks for different drinks? I think they either need to reduce what is offered in the menu or do a full bar cart service before the food is brought out.

    The Food
    Meal One

    Everyone in economy had a three course meal tray provided, with the choice of three different main courses. Wine was offered at the same time.

    The starter was a neat little caprese salad with fresh tomato, mini mozzarella balls and a fresh basil leaf. It was really good but could have done with a little touch of salt. I don’t know if you can pre-salt a salad but I feel like probably not…?

    I opted for the chicken with spring vegetables and potatoes. The chicken was lukewarm and hugely dry so I didn’t have much of it at all. A chicken ballotine has zero fat so keeping it moist is tricky even when it’s freshly cooked in small quantities. Cooked en masse, they didn’t stand a chance. The potatoes were fab and the veggies cooked well so overall, not a bad dish.

    Mr Fluskey chose the sea bass. We were both very impressed with the cooking of the fish, which was excellent. The additions of dill-scented potatoes, fennel, along with charred onion were definitely a cut above your standard plane food. This all felt much more like premium economy than economy. There wasn’t as much veloute as he would have liked but I think any more might have made the whole thing feel sloppy. I think the general consensus was that his dish was best.

    For dessert, there was a mini lemon tart with lavender meringue and lemon curd. This was by far the most delicate and delightful dessert I’ve ever had in economy.

    Snacks

    A tray of full size snacks was offered and Mr Fluskey availed himself of a bag of popcorn and a big packet of pretzels. Obviously he couldn’t actually eat then and there so we had the, on the road to Maryland a couple of days later.

    Meal Two

    I was still too full to indulge in the second meal service, let alone the snacks. Mr Fluskey, however, bravely stepped up to ensure we had a full and comprehensive review.

    This time, the starter salad was a superfood salad which had all kinds of fun vegetables in including edamame beans which he adores. it was all crisp and very interesting to eat.

    He originally requested the butternut squash pasta as his main dish that was accidentally given beef. The crew said they could swap it but unfortunately they had actually run out of the past so he ended up with beef after all. He isn’t much of a fan of beef usually but said that it was actually very tender and well seasoned which, from him, is high praise for red meat.

    The dessert was once again, far and away the most deluxe economy dessert we have had. It consisted of delicate chocolate shards, surrounding a chocolate cremeux and it was all jazzed up by a little pot of honeycomb pieces. I wonder if they’ll have the choice just to eat dessert in the future because they were both absolutely brilliant. 

    Info

    If you are planning on flying economy on Global Airlines, here are some things you might like to know.

    • Buying Tickets – At the moment, you can’t! After the return from Glasgow to New York and the return from Manchester to New York, Global Airlines have no more flights scheduled. Presumably this will change, but the best thing to do is to keep an eye on their social media for more info in the future.
    • Luggage Allowance – Economy passengers are entitled to one case at 23kg. You can also bring on international size carry on and a personal item with you.
    • Check In – There is no facility to check in online at present, so passengers must check in at a desk. This is fine if you have luggage, but always a touch frustrating for the hand luggage only crowd.

    Final Thoughts on Our Review of Global Airlines A380 Economy Inaugural to JFK

    This is a tricky one. I left the flight feeling a little hard done by. I hated losing our window seats to be relegated to a middle row at the back, especially knowing that there was an entire floor of economy window seats that we weren’t allowed to use during the flight. It left me in a mood for the rest of the flight. The crew were lovely and I thought the service was fantastic.

    I see the potential in what Global Airlines has to offer. Any competition is good for consumers, and the busy transatlantic market always has space for another player.

    Rosie xx

  • A Review of Bulgaria Air A220-300 Economy

    A Review of Bulgaria Air A220-300 Economy

    What do you do when you have two holidays back to back? Hop on Kayak and check out who flies between the two spots of course. With a trip to Spain and then Bulgaria planned, we decided that this was the ideal time to try Bulgaria Air. Bulgaria Air has been the flag carrier for Bulgaria since 2002. Join us on our adventure from Malaga to Sunny Beach and back to London, taking four flights with Bulgaria Air (oh, & BA too). Read on for our full review of Bulgaria Air economy.

    This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.

    Airport Experience

    Malaga

    The first of our four check ins didn’t go too well. The check in desks didn’t open u til 2.5 hours before take off. By that time, there was a little crowd waiting. When the screens finally flashed on for Sofia, half of the crowd stormed down the exit. They were ushered into the main queue but then they started to change the way the queue went. We went from second in the queue to seventh. It was a bit messy. That being said, all of the staff are ground handlers that work for Malaga Airport and not Bulgaria Air directly.

    Varna

    Check in at Varna Airport was really easy and quick. We popped our bags on the belt and walked away with boarding cards within two minutes. It is a very small airport so security was also super speedy. We grabbed a couple of seats right next to the gate and waited for the plane to arrive.

    We were both on our phones and I glanced up to see a little queue start to form. Looking up again just two minutes later, the queue stretched around 20 metres! It seemed a little mad considering it is a small plane and everyone has a seat. There were no boarding calls so everyone just joined the queue and scanned through when the plane was ready. We waited for the queue to die down and then got on at leisure.

    Sofia

    We did leave the airport on both occasions but didn’t have to check in again as our luggage went straight through. On our first stopover we went into the city and did some sightseeing. This was really easy thanks to the metro line that runs into the centre of town in about 20 minutes. On the second, we hopped in a taxi and went to Infinity Spa. It has natural mineral hot spring water and was divine.

    Sofia airport doesn’t have much in the way of food and drink options. There was a Relay shop, a bar with pizza and sandwiches and then a set of cafes and stands all called Eddy’s. We opted for one of their pizzas on one day and some borek style cheese pastry on the other. They were both pretty good.

    For both of our flights, our plane was on a remote stand at Sofia Airport which meant scanning through onto an airport bus.. The queues were not organised at all, more of a scrum with no barriers. There seemed to be no provision made for priority passengers which would have been annoying if we had business tickets (there was one guy who was clearly fuming). I understand that there are only 8 business class seats so having a whole extra queue may be mad, but a priority boarding announcement would have helped. They also didn’t announce pre-boarding for disabled passengers which is a shame as not all disabilities are visible and there may well have been people that needed it.

    Bulgaria Air’s A220 Interior

    Considering the size of the plane, the interior felt so spacious. It was bright and airy with a surprisngly wide aisle. (Getting to the bathroom was no issue despite one lady randomly deciding to read her magazine in the centre of the walkway). The colour scheme was light grey with a navy carpet. It was neat and inoffensive but not super exciting. As we boarded they started to play some calming music which again, was inoffensive (a little like spa music), not the pop options on Virgin Atlantic or popular classical on British Airways.

    The Seats

    Layout

    The seats on Bulgaria Air’s A220s are set in an asymmetric 2 3 configuration. It was really nice to have 4A and 4C for all of our flights. It meant we had the two on the side and it felt pleasantly cosy. This set up means most people are happy with their aisle or window seats, and gives everyone a bit more room.

    Comfort

    Bulgaria Air’s A220 economy cabin has a seat pitch of 30 inches and a width of 18.5 inches. This is bigger than other airlines that operate between the UK and Bulgaria. The seats felt plenty spacious thanks to the extra width (most budget airlines like Wizz Air and Ryanair are only 17 inches).

    The seats recline 3 inches which might not sound like much, but when combined with the headrests, you can get a comfortable map. The headrests were fully adjustable with a few inches of stretch upwards (and they came low enough even for this shorty) and with flaps on either side.

    In business class, tantalisingly close, the 2×2 seats have a 38 inch pitch, 20 inch width and 6 inch recline. Plus, they are even more padded. Currently, it only costs €70 domestically or €130 to upgrade…I was so tempted.

    I would also like to commend Bulgaria Air on the comfort of their padding. In a world of seats that get thinner an harder, causing lower back and bum pain to many travellers, Bulgaria Air still keeps our bottoms happy.

    One last point is the cabin temperature. I was perfectly comfortable, not too cold or hot. It was such a relief to know we didn’t have to carry layers and scarves on board with us.

    Practicalities

    In the seat back in front there was an open bottomed literature holder containing the safety card. Then, a great little innovation, the phone shelf. (I mean I guess a phone or tablet could fit here so it’s the entertainment shelf). Next to it were two charging ports, one a 60w USB-C fast charger and one a normal USB-A. It’s a great set up allowing you to watch videos handsfree. If you are a cleverer content creator than me, this would be a great spot to set up your phone without needing a tripod. Instead, i just watched films and TV shows that I had downloaded.

    A quick note, we were sat in row 4, the second row back in economy. The row in front had extra leg room, which is nice, but they didn’t have the phone shelf and if that is important to you, it is something to bear in mind.

    Below the entertainment shelf was an adjustable tray table and a wide but shallow seat back pocket.

    The Storage

    Considering the size of the plane, there was a fair amount of overhead locker space. I think easily enough for everyone to have a wheelie hand luggage. You are allowed one piece weighting up to 10 kg, 55х40х23cm. Plus, you can have a handbag/personal item too.

    The Entertainment

    We didn’t really get anything in the way of entertainment. There wasn’t any seatback entertainment systems or WiFi. We did have a magazine but it was a bit of a business dirge rather than a fun travel magazine. It is not the kind of thing you can mindlessly flick through. If you are flying Bulgaria Air, make sure you have a phone full of distractions. Given that the seat design is great for independent viewing, you’ll be much happier.

    Amenities

    The Bathroom

    The bathrooms on the A220 are quite tight but manageable. There was a bathroom at the front but this was reserved for business class only. That’s one bathroom for 8 people, whilst the economy cabin shared 2 between 135 people.

    For most of the time, the bathrooms were very clean. The hand soap was very generic and didn’t smell of much. I wonder if the business class loo had fancy cream? On our Spanish to Bulgaria leg one of the toilets was a bit of mess but overall, I thought they were kept well. That being said, every single time I used the bathroom, the toilet had not been flushed. This was definitely user error. However, I think the flush button might be the problem. I had to look around for it and it was not my first rodeo. I’m not I have seen a flush button like it, tucked on the side. Maybe a sticker, with words on, or an arrow directing people to it might help.

    Food & Drink

    We didn’t know there would be anything provided for food and so we had grabbed some snacks at Malaga Airport. We each munched a bag of crisps, some raspberry & vanilla Oreo’s and a drink.

    Drinks

    Well, turns out, we got a little bottle of water as we boarded and then, a food service. There was a drink selection that included water, juices, fizzy drinks (soda) and even wine. I opted for a glass of Bulgarian white wine. I didn’t catch what it was but it was a medium, zingy, fruity wine that I quite enjoyed. (I’m no sommelier so don’t judge me if you don’t like it). Mr Fluskey opted for a Fanta.

    Food

    We were handed a sandwich and I was surprised that it was warm. The cheese and (smoked?) ham roll was chewy, floury and just right. I even got a mini cheese pull! We wiped the flour from our fingers with the napkin and lemony wipe, stuffed and happy. It was the same sandwich given on both of our international legs. There was a vegetarian option too but the ham was tasty so we stuck o the same ones.

    Apparently, you can preorder and pay for other meal options too including a charcuterie spread or crudités and dips. It would have been good to try these but I have only just found it…which is a little too late.

    Dessert

    We settled back and a while later a tea and coffee service was started. This was served with a mini chocolate bar with more Bulgaria Air branding. The chocolate was a lovely (if incredibly sweet) finish to the service. It reminded me of Easter egg chocolate..in the best way.

    Then, would you believe it? Another drink service came through. This time it was only soft drinks but I was thankful for soft drink.

    On our shorter journeys, we were given one soft drink service, a tea and coffee as well and that little chocolate bar again. I think I’m going to miss having a little chocolatey treat on every flight from now on.

    Final Thoughts on Our Review of Bulgaria Air Economy

    Surprising and delightful, we had a lovely time flying with Bulgaria Air. It was a shame not to have provided entertainment but knowing that ahead of time, you can prop your phone up on the shelf and enjoy whatever you are currently bingeing. I have read that the chocolate was too sweet for some people but I am now fully addicted, and think it goes marvellouslly with black coffee. Maybe we will get the chance to fly with them again so I can satisfy my craving. Business class next time I reckon, as long as they keep those impressive upgrade costs!

    Rosie xx

  • A Review of Vueling A320-200 Economy LGW – LPA

    A Review of Vueling A320-200 Economy LGW – LPA

    En route to join our Windstar Cruise, we needed to fly to Gran Canaria. I thought a one way to Spain would cost an arm and a leg, but was surprised to find an excellent fare with Vueling. Vueling is a budget partner of British Airways, part of the Oneworld alliance, and is based out of Barcelona. So what is Vueling like? Join us as we travel from London Gatwick to Las Palmas in this review of Vueling A320.

    This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.

    Our Vueling and London Gatwick Airport Experience

    Check In

    Let’s start our review of Vueling with baggage. I decided to book one big bag between us as taking a large hand luggage each was more expensive. We were both surprised to see that outside the Schengen region, Vueling’s check in only opens 2 hours and 20 minutes beforehand. That throws my “three hours before the flight” schedule right out. Well, we arrive at London Victoria in time for an earlier train so we decided to go straight to Gatwick airport already.

    Vueling’s Self Service Bag Drop

    Happily, when we arrived at London Gatwick Airport, we found a self service check in and bag drop area that was already open. I had checked in online so getting our bag tag was really quick. I tagged the bag with expert flair (of course) and we popped it on the belt. The light turned green (thanks for the naughty 300 grams extra that we packed) and it trundled away. So easy!

    With more time than expected, we zipped through security and found a lounge to hang out in before the gate was announced.

    The Gate

    Gatwick has cramped closed gates with no bathrooms so I was very glad that we had popped to the loo before walking down. British Airways staff were manning the gate. I guess they are the handlers at Gatwick. They referred to the airline as “vewling” which probably adds to everyone’s chronic mispronunciation of it.

    We were there before most people and grabbed a seat next to the crew. People wandered up to the bank of vending machines with nothing else to do and the time ticked by.

    There was an announcement to apologise for delayed boarding. It was due to a slow disembarkation of the inbound from Malaga. We eventually started boarding about ten minutes before we were due to take off. They called groups one and two, which had about thirty people in total. Then group three, which consisted of the rest of the plane. It was slow boarding. There was no call for people with small children and not using seat row numbers seemed a bit mad considering 80% of the plane was in group three.

    Why not check out our other flight reviews

    Vueling A320 Interior

    The inside of the Vueling Airbus A320 plane was bright, but not super clean. The panels above our heads were mucky, as was the tray table and the exit door.

    Our Seats

    A few days before the flight, we got an email from Vueling advertising a bidding system for extra leg room seats. I popped in a relatively low bid (£13 each) and it was accepted. I hadn’t realised it was for the exit row. In my commuting brain, I was opting for the front rows (1-6 or so) which are called Space Plus. It was a little annoying but it was my misunderstanding and still very nice to have the extra room on a 4.5 hour flight.

    The seats themselves were standard budget seats with not quite enough padding and lacking any recline. The colour scheme was odd. The seats were a dark taupe which I find distinctly unappealing with yellow head rest covers which were also leather.

    There was small, adjustable tray and a mesh seat back pocket. This didn’t have sides so be careful when putting anything small in here. I think we all know by now that I don’t like to use these as they are hard to clean and can harbour nasty surprises left by previous flyers, but at least this one isn’t all enclosed.

    The Storage

    The overhead lockers were meant to be reserved for large cabin bags only. In fact, they had stickers that said as much. Most people adhered to the rule but of course, there was the odd handbag or coat in there too. There seemed to be a lot less hand luggage in general and I think that means everybody did as we did and opted for the cheaper check in option. It was nice to see that the crew weren’t struggling to fit everything in as they do on many other cheaper airlines. This does indicate that their boarding strategy is less than ideal though, as the hand luggage is usually what causes delays on the jet bridge.

    The Entertainment

    This part of our review of Vueling is easy; there is no entertainment but there is a USB A plug each between the seats so best to fill your phone with things before you leave. Saying that, our plugs didn’t work so make sure you’ve got a power bank too, just in case.

    Amenities

    No inflight kit was provided.

    The bathroom at the front was small but clean enough. It was odd that they had tiny hand soaps instead of hand wash. The amount of plastic waste this generates doesn’t feel great and the idea of touching someone else’s used soap can put a lot of people off. I think anything that makes hand washing harder should be discouraged, especially in the germs world of the aircraft bathroom. At least they had plenty of hand towels.

    Vueling’s Inflight Food and Drink

    I took a quick look through the on board menu (all chargeable) and was delighted to see the prices. Whilst not cheap by regular standards, when compared to other budget airlines, the prices were pretty good.

    Two 20cl bottles of Cava for €11.95 was better than a London pub and a tea or coffee with free refills at €3.50 is a bargain! (I wonder how hard it is to get refills).

    This was clear when the cart came down the aisle. Everyone bought something, and not just one thing, people were buying full meals. I decided it would be fun to try an “Codorníu Orange Spritz”. However, the crew got to our row, asked one side what they wanted and then disappeared! I thought they were just letting people through to the bathroom but no, they didn’t come back. A guy in the row behind pointed this out and another crew member went after them. They came down collecting empties and we both jumped at them to buy something. I got the spritz and it probably wasn’t worth the wait. It was nice-ish; a one and done.

    Final Thoughts on this Review of Vueling

    We hope you found this review of Vueling useful. If you can book early and get a cheap ticket, then it is a good shout. They go from major London airports and I did like the affordable food and drink options. However, if the tickets are a similar price as carriers like BA, I’d opt for the “full service” carrier. That said, I would definitely fly Vueling again.

    Rosie xx

  • A Review of Vistara 787-900 Economy BOM – LHR

    A Review of Vistara 787-900 Economy BOM – LHR

    At the end of their on board safety video, Vistara announces itself as “India’s Beat Airline”. Having flown with Indigo a few times, Spice Jet and Air India, we were really intrigued to see how they would live up to that moniker. Is Vistara really India’s best airline? Read on for our review of Vistara 787-900 economy as we travel from Mumbai to London.

    This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.

    Why Vistara?

    We were meant to fly home from Mumbai with Virgin Atlantic, but we’re enjoying our time at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel so very much, that we decided to change our flight and go later with Vistara. I guess you can say we just wanted our fill of Tata (that own both the hotel and Vistara). Vistara has the latest flight from Mumbai to London (around 14:55 on the day we flew), arriving back in the UK around 20:00.

    The Airport Experience

    Our check in was quick and easy. We dropped our bags as we had wine to bring back to the UK. We wouldn’t normally check in bags but with Vistara’s 7kg hand luggage allowance, plus the boozy souvenir, we decided it would be best. Vistara had about 10 desks at Mumbai which is pretty good to say they only have one flight.

    We made our way through security and passport control before making our way to McDonalds. Yes, we just had to grab a Maharaja Mac to see if it was as good as we remember from 2009…turns out, it was.

    The boarding gates at BOM are big, open seating areas with some lovely lamps and big sections of green plants which make it quite a pleasant space. They also have huge windows out onto the ramp and runway so we found a nice spot for trying to plane spot as we waited for the plane to board.

    Economy was split into two queues, one for the back section and one for the front. It worked reasonably well but as the queues were formed outside of the tensa barriers, the usual slight scrum occurred.

    Vistara’s 787 Interior

    Let’s do a review of Vistara inside. I love the Boeing 787 and I love that Vistara uses the unique features offered on this plane to full effect. (Almost, the sliding recline on the ANA 787 still wins).

    The lighting on the 787 is nicely adjustable. On boarding, they were a pinky purple (not as purple as Virgin’s lighting but very reminiscent.

    The windows on the 787 are lovely and large with dimmer switches on the bottom. This is fun but it was a little annoying that they were all dimmed quite early in the flight. The lights were brought down and the message was clear, its sleepy time. When the lights were bought up for the second meal service, they left the windows dark so it still felt like it was nighttime. I tried to brighten mine but I guess they had master control. It would have been to see the sun to help adjust to U.K. time.

    After meal two the windows remained dim and the lights were shut off again for another post dinner nap. It felt so odd to wake up the plane for that snack and then try to get them back to sleep.

    Our Economy Seats

    Seats are in a 3-3-3 configuration in economy, decreasing to 2-3-2 in premium. The seat covers are navy and made of a thick woven material, topped with a head cover with the Vistara logo.

    In economy, the seats have a … inch pitch and … inch recline. It feels fine when you are sat but getting in and out is a real squeeze. Luckily, we managed to snag three seats between us so I wasn’t clambering over a stranger but it would be…intimate.

    The headrest was very adjustable and was almost low enough at its lowest point for me to use the flippy bits. This is unheard of!

    Under the TV, in the seat back is the reading material shelf. This contained the inflight magazine, the safety card and a sick bag.

    Below this was the tray table. This had a very neat clip rather than the more common spinning lock. It felt quite snazzy. The tray folded down and then out, sliding towards the seat (but with no room to do so after dinner).

    The Storage

    Technically, Vistara only allows 7kg in hand luggage but there were clearly a fair few people flouting those rules. Several large bags were slotted into the overhead lockers around us, which the bins took well.

    Vistara’s Entertainment

    Being an Indian carrier, the entertainment system, Vistara World, was a mix of Indian and American options. There was an abundance of HBO programming and several films starring the same actors. (A few Cate Blanchett, several Ryan Goslings and a couple Leo DiCaprios). They also had music and games but I never got around to those.

    I started the flight enjoying the Bernie Madoff film, “The Wizard of Lies”, and then settled in for a rewatch of “White Lotus”. An excellent show as it is, the heightened viewing experience of planes really sucked me in.

    Mr Fluskey managed to finish “Crazy, Stupid Love” which he started on the Virgin Atlantic flight on the way over. Don’t you love it when things work out. He moved onto Bullet Train, featuring the new James Bond.

    He also found the live channels which were all showing the news. What a happy bunny he could have been with nine hours of BBC World News on one screen and the world map on the other.

    The best thing about having three seats is having that middle seat set to the map the whole way. I especially loved spotting some cool mountains from the window and checking out where we were flying over.

    Vistara offers paid internet access. Personally, I didn’t need to be online so I didn’t use it but it was good to see the options. Combined with the plugs offered in economy, you could definitely be doing some work on a laptop or just scrolling on your phone if you like to stay connected.

    The Amenities

    For our review of Vistara amenities, lets start with what is on the seat. There is a pillow, blanket and headphones and all were surprisingly good for economy. I liked the blankets smooth feel but it wasn’t super warm.

    The plugs in the TV (a USB and a sound connection) was actually a dual prong. I was worried that this would result in the horrible twiddling that you have to do to use a normal 3.5mm jack but it worked perfectly with just one. Happy days.

    The bathrooms were fine. By midway through the flight, they ended up pretty messy and didn’t seem to improve. I would definitely say this was user misuse rather than bad cleaning by the airline. I don’t know if the cabin crew are meant to spot clean them.

    Each toilet had the normal foamy hand wash in, some antibacterial gel and curiously, some mouth wash. This was an interesting addition as it requires the user to squirt it right into their mouth and it doesn’t seem like many people would use it?

    Vistara’s Economy Food & Drink Service

    Round One

    Our first meal was served about an hour and a half into the flight. There was an option of chicken or veg and we both opted for chicken. The trolley had a decent selection of drinks including spirits, wine and beer. It is worth noting that although there was Diet Coke, the sugary version was Pepsi. This doesn’t bother me but I am aware there are people that might consider this a deal breaker.

    For the review of Vistara’s main meal I had a chicken curry with cumin rice. The curry suffered from being a little two salty but the chicken was really tender and wasn’t dry, a serious accomplishment for an economy meal. The cumin rice was full of flavour and quite fluffy, I was impressed. The bread roll was pretty dry however, but a liberal slather of the good, salted butter solved that.

    The little salad on the side had cucumber, tomato and cumin. With the squeeze of lemon it was very refreshing and still crunchy. I would say it’s the best airline side salad I’ve had.

    For afters we had a gooey chocolate cake dessert which was yummy scrummy and it was demolished at speed! Finslly, there was a packet which at I first I thought was sugar. Turns out it was a sachet of the minty, herby nibbly stuff often seen at the end of Indian meals.

    There was only one drink offered with dinner, with tea and coffee afterwards.

    Round Two

    At around 2.5 hours to landing, the lights were brought up and the trolley rolled through a second time. Again we were offered the choice of chicken or veg and we both chose chicken. It was another almost full tray with a hot chicken wrap. The wrap was whole meal and slightly chapati-esque and the filling was soft pulled chicken packed with spice. The potatoes were spicy but not really flavourful.

    The dessert was a soaked sponge with a crumble topping and sweetened creamy custard. It was another total winner.

    On the tray we got another tiny water and a masala lemon water which was fun. It’s nice to have so much water but one bigger bottle would probably be better as they must produce an awful lot of plastic waste with all these cute little ones. They have paper cups and bamboo cutlery so they are obviously making strides in the right direction.

    For some reason, our crew member didn’t offer drinks from the trolley whilst the others were pouring away. We caught her on the way back and grabbed a couple of Cokes. We were offered tea or coffee after the meal again but we both declined.

    Honestly, I think this is one of the best economy services we have had in terms of food. The quality and quantity were both better than expected. We have often had one good meal followed by a terrible snack, but both meals were tasty. The only things I would change are the cutlery (we had to use the same spork for our savoury food as our dessert) and the plastic bottles.

    The Views

    Final Thoughts of our Review of Vistara 787-900 Economy

    I was pleasantly surprised with Vistara and their service. The food was genuinely tasty, the entertainment selection pretty decent and the seats comfortable enough for a long haul flight. The crew were super friendly and very professional. I didn’t enjoy the lighting settings being dark for so long on a day flight.

    Rosie xx

  • A Review of Tunisair A320neo Economy LGW – TUN

    A Review of Tunisair A320neo Economy LGW – TUN

    Tunisia is a year-round sunny destination that is just 2.5 hours from the UK. It feels like another world with North African food, culture and sunshine. For many, Gatwick is the gateway to this jewel on the southern edge of the Mediterranean. We flew Tunisair from London Gatwick to Tunis for our 2024 trip on one of their newest planes. Here is our review of Tunisair A320neo Economy LGW – TUN.

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  • A Review of PLAY Airlines A320neo STN – KEF

    A Review of PLAY Airlines A320neo STN – KEF

    Iceland has had its fair share of budget airlines. It makes total sense. Iceland is close to Europe and the USA, making it a great stopover between the two. Plus, Iceland one of the most popular destinations for nature lovers in its own right. However. somehow, they don’t seem to last. Well, here comes PLAY Airlines, the latest competitor from the land of fire and ice. A fun, young brand with a name to match, it aims to secure the route that so many others have lost. Read on for our full review of PLAY Airlines, travelling on their A320neo from London Stansted to Keflavik in Iceland.

    This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.

    Airport Experience – London Stansted

    There were just two check in desks at Stansted, tucked away in Zone A (counterintuitivly, this is to the right when you enter the terminal). PLAY Airlines doesn’t charge for online check in so you can just turn up but of course we still checked in online and picked the seats we wanted. The staff were friendly and told us how to get the transit to the gate. They even knew the gate number ahead of time which is always a nice feeling.

    Reminder: Always check the screens as gates can change!

    We popped to the Escape Lounge (not a bad one if you have a Priority Pass or similar) for a little breakfast. Iceland is expensive and we wanted to fill our boots before we were in the land of pricy, imported food.

    About ten minutes before the gate was due to be announced, we grabbed our bags and made our way to the transit train. Well, it was temporarily broken so they had set up a way to walk out the gates. This was much nicer than last time when we had to queue for coaches. I was very glad that we had ditched our big bags at check in for once as it meant we didn’t have to lug them all the way across the airport.

    The gate staff were a little on the snappy side but they were agency staff, so you can expect the same service for plenty of airlines out of Stansted. However, as we boarded, we were welcomed by the cheerful crew standing cozy in their red puffer coats. These must be so comfortable to wear in the Stansted chilly morning, let alone the wintry conditions in Reykjavík.

    Luggage

    We are usually hand luggage only people but PLAY very kindly included a check in bag each so we took advtantage. Check in bags are provided at different weight allowances for different fares:

    • PLAY Basic means hand luggage only.
    • PLAY Value passengers can take 20kg which should be more than enough for a week of travel in a chilly place.
    • PLAY Flex can pack up to 23kg
    • Any passenger can pay excess for a bag weighing up 32kg, which is the legal limit for bags in Europe.

    In terms of hand luggage, everyone is entitled to one small 10kg underseat hand luggage (42cm x 32 x 25 cm). If you opt for a PLAY Value or Flex ticket, you can also pack a large 12kg hand luggage (55 x 45 x 25 cm). This would have been absolutely fine for our normal way of travelling but when the bags are included, why not treat ourselves?

    On Board

    The Seats

    The seats are all a light grey colour which is clean but a little dull. It would have been nice to see some pops of red in here as so much of their branding is red and white.(No, I don’t count the safety cards as decor). There was a 3 inch recline function which I wasn’t expecting at all. You don’t get that on the other low cost carriers on this route.. or in general really.

    On the back of the seats was a standard tray table and a literature slot. Don’t put anything in here as it may well slide out. At the bottom of the seatbsack is a small net. I prefer these to the deep seatback pockets that never get a proper clean, and I am happier to use them for the bits and bobs I need to keep handy.

    The standard leg room on PLAY Airlines’ A320neo is pretty good at 29 inches. This is one inch less than Ryanair and one more than Wizz. Strangely, Ryanair has always felt tighter than that? Mind you, with the little recline offered on PLAY, it feels bigger. Their extra lleg room comes up to 34 inches, the same as extra leg room on long haul carriers.

    Entertainment

    There isn’t any to speak of. There is no seat-back TV, or streaming service so make sure you bring a book or download some music, podcasts or videos. Thank goodness for that USB charger. Mind you, you cannot always rely on these power outlets so maybe pack your trusty powerbank too! Of course you can browse the inflight magazine but honestly, it was a five minute thumb-through job without much substance.

    Food & Drink

    There is no food or drink included on any fare with PLAY Airlines. This is absolutely fine on a short stretch but I think this would be hardgoing on the full trans-Atlantic journey. The stopover in Keflavik is not a cheap place to pick up food or drink either so you will be splashing out a fair bit on eating either way.

    The only thing that surprised me, was the price of the alcohol. It didn’t seem that bad. Alcohol in Iceland is wildly expensive so €10 for a mini bottle of wine (a large glass) isn’t crazy.

    Amenities

    Coming straight from a flight with Tunisair, who use the same planes, I was shocked at the difference. This bathroom was spotless, stocked with plenty of toilet roll, hand towels and it was almost pleasant. The space is quite tight but large mirrors made it feel big enough. We were on quite an empty flight so maybe it wouldn’t have stayed as neat if it were being used more, but I believe I saw the crew giving it a quick tidy so maybe they just take more care.

    The Flight

    I adored the announcements from the flight deck. They were so informative, polite and funny. For example “Dear passengers, It has been an absolute pleasure. It is a lovely day in Iceland….so put on your warm clothes”. It seems to reflect the fun, youthful energy PLAY Airlines is trying to convey. What other airline has their crew in cool, white trainers in the air!?

    We had a pretty smooth ride, loving the moment we burst through the clouds and left grey London behind. Well, we landed back in a grey, snowy Iceland…but that is not the point.

    Check out 4 Days in Iceland – A Long Weekend in the Land of Fire and Ice

    The Return – Keflavik to Stansted

    As soon as we entered Keflavik’s departure hall, we spotted the PLAY signs by the self-check in machines. Having checked in online, we had barcodes on our phones. Popping these under the scanner, we were expecting to have to fill out a few screens but instead, a bag tag printed straight out! It was so fast, so efficient, things my airline’s self-service bag drop can only dream of. I expertly attached them to our backpacks (that is ten years of practice not gone to waste) and as I did so, a nice member of staff came over to point us to the out of gauge section. Having strappy backpacks, it was best to send them through the fragile section. The smiling security officer accepted the gas and we made our way through security.

    The departure lounge was buzzing and I was having a sad moment, not ready to leave Iceland and super sad that we missed out on experiencing a big northern light display…first world problems, I know. We had some slightly overpriced sandwiches and walked to the gates. Turns out our gate was basically a corridor. It was dark and had no seats. People leaned on every wall, many sat on the floor. It was really weird. Most of KEF is well-designed. At least, once the door opened and we all walked up the stairs, they did a good job of separating the passengers with priority boarding and it was a nice, quick process getting on board.

    Final Thoughts on This Review of PLAY Airlines

    PLAY has all the ingredients of a decent low-cost carrier, and that is fine for a quick three-hour hop from London to Reykjavík. However, I think I would want a few more included extras if I were a transiting passenger, carrying on across the Atlantic.. A snack would be nice and at least a bottle of water would be good as a minimum. The stopovers are nice and quick (unless you opt for a stopover overnight) so it seems like a very cost-effective way of hopping the pond. Maybe we will get a chance to review the full journey one day soon.

    Rosie xx

  • A Review of Delta 330-200 Premium Select LHR – BOS

    A Review of Delta 330-200 Premium Select LHR – BOS

    Back in 2017, Delta introduced a new cabin on their international routes called Premium Select. This product slots in between their Delta One and Comfort Plus cabins, offering an elevated service but no flat beds. On our trip to Boston, we were lucky enough to enjoy Premium Select and wanted to share our experience. Read on for our full review of Delta Premium Select.

    This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.

    Airport Experience

    Delta and Virgin both check in at Terminal 3, Zone A at London Heathrow. Look for the big Virgin Atlantic sign on your left as you look at the terminal. It would be tough for me to rate this part of the trip as I work for Virgin Atlantic and they handle Delta at London Heathrow so obviously, I am exceedingly biased.

    …but it was all amazing, 10/10. The staff are the best in the business!!

    Check out our 7 Super Heathrow Hacks – Top tips to make travelling a breeze

    The Premium Select Interior

    Though the Delta 330-200s are quite old, the cabin refresh has done wonders.

    Delta Premium Select Seats

    The seats were really modern with some clever little additions. They were covered in Delta’s signature blue leather and full of memory foam. In Premium Select you are going to get:

    • Width – 19in / 48cm
    • Pitch – 38in / 96cm
    • Recline – 7in / 17cm

    This is almost identical to Virgin Atlantic’s Premium offering and is 1 inch wider, 7 inches more pitch and 3 inches more recline than the seats in economy.

    Every seat had a USB plug in the back of the armrest of the seat in front, which is always appreciated. In one of our armrests was the table. It took me a minute to work out how to get it out, but once I got it (embarrassing) it popped out really smoothly. It was slightly magnetic so felt very secure both when it was folded for drinks, or open for dinner.

    On the other armrest were three buttons for adjusting the seat. You could recline and bring up a lovely leg rest (this makes such a difference to us shorties that can’t rest our feet comfortably on the floor).

    I tend to use the recline in a rather unusual fashion when I am lucky enough to be seated next to an empty spot. I recline my chair as far as it will go whilst wedging my pillow up against the unreclined seat next to me. As a real featal sleeper, this is the only way I can curl up effectively without a lie-flat seat. This is tricky when the seat next to me isn’t free but it worked perfectly on this flight. I think all the people who can use the headrest in its intended manner would be fine but my short 5 foot stature means I can never quite reach the flappy bits on the side.

    The Storage

    As the cabin was designed for four seats in the central area, the storage space under my middle seat was vastly different from that of my neighbour in the aisle. Luckily, there was plenty of room in the overhead lockers. Although they were not the biggest, the reduced number of people in the cabin made it perfectly fine.

    The seatback had two sections for storage. The top was a solid plastic sleeve where our safety card and magazine sat. Below was a small seatback pocket. I am not a fan of using these material pockets as they are very hard to clean and I have seen and heard about some nasty things left behind here.

    Our Amenities

    On every seat was a fleecy blanket and a lovely memory foam pillow. While the blanket was nothing special, the travel pillow was the best we have had for a long while.

    In the armrest was a bottle holder. We each had a bottle of water in here as we boarded. This was a very nice touch, highly practical and it was nice to have that drink waiting for us. Then, further back in the armrest were headphones. I emptied mine quickly, popping the headphones in the overhead locker, and kept my essential bits and bobs in here in a pouch.

    In our ‘Someone Somewhere’ amenity kit were all the favourites. The pouches are all from Mexican artisanal producers and very high quality. We got:

    • Socks – Trainer socks which were too big for me but fit Mr Fluskey. (I think this is the exception to the artisan rule).
    • An Eyemask – Needed for a good night’s (or day’s) sleep.
    • Bamboo Toothbrush and Toothpaste – I didn’t look at this at all…
    • Lip Balm – …as we had our own toothbrush and toothpaste. I am visually impaired and throught that the black tube was toothpaste. I nearly used it as such but decided to use my own product instead and keep this unopened for the future. It was only later in the trip, when I opened the toothbrush provided that I realised my near miss.

    The pouch was really pretty and we gifted them to Mother Fluskey when we got back. Inside was everything we needed apart from moisturiser, so don’t forget to bring some.

    For more tips on surviving long haul flights, check out our guide here.

    Delta’s Entertainment

    Delta has an excellent inflight entertainment system called Delta Studio. This is true across their international and domestic flights so we always know we are in for a good flight’s entertainment. We could pick from loads of films and whole box sets too. There were new releases, the year’s biggest blockbusters and some old classics. I enjoyed Theatre Camp (2023) and Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) before deciding to have a nap.

    My only gripe with Delta’s set up is the old fashioned, two pronged headphone socket. I know they provide headphones but I always prefer to use my in-ear ones for a more comfortable fit. It involved popping the 3.5mm jack into one of the receptors and wiggling it until the sound came from both ears. If it was knocked, the loose connection was lost. In a world where everyone has headphones (and even the wireless adaptor things only have one 3.5mm jack plug), surely they shouldn’t still be building seats with this antiquated connection!?

    Delta Premium Select’s Food & Drinks

    Bubbles and Bites

    Delta doesn’t offer a welcome drink on boarding for its Premium Select passengers. We were expecting one as Virgin provides one and I think we thought they would match it. However, as soon as we were in the air and the crew could move around freely, there was the first service known as “bubbles and bites”. We were gasping by now and eargerly watched the trolley making its way down the aisle. We both opted for the bubbles and it was a rather nice sparkling wine. Very fruity, medium sweet I reckon. We also grabbed a couple of the fancy snacks and stashed them for later. (Flashpackers all the way).

    Main Service

    Our flight left at 9:20 in the morning, which was about 15 minutes before the change over to the lunch menu. This meant we had two options of main dish for breakfast. There was an omelette or apple filled pancakes which we both opted for. The pancakes were very delicious, served with a creamy sauce. They weren’t too sweet and with recognisable pieces of cooked apple. (I was very worried it would be the kind of super-sweet sludge you get in fast food pies but this was much, much better).

    The entree came as part of a rather large breakfast. It also included fruit, a slightly oblierated criossant and a pot of ice cream. I was tempted to put the ice cream on the pancakes. However, they were so nice and warm that I thought better of it. Oh, and it was all washed down with a can of Une Femme sparkling wine. It was not half as nice as the previous variety from the bottle.

    Once the trays were cleared, we were offered another drink. I opted for the Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream which I had never tried. It was similar to Amarula and rum cream, nowhere near as harsh as Baileys. It slipped down a treat. Mr Fluskey went for rum and ginger ale, one of his favourites.

    There was meant to be another drink and light snack service later on but we hit rough air and the seatbeelt signs were on for over two hours. It wasn’t possible and I thanked goodness I skipped drinking my bottle of water. Yes, it is terrible to dehydrate on a flight but on the other hand, I avoided peeing my pants on descent.

    Final Thoughts for Our Review of Delta Premium Select

    Comparing the Delta Premium Select product to Virgin’s Premium Economy, I think Delta may have the edge. Not getting a boarding drink was a noticeable difference, but not the end of the world, especially if you aren’t accustomed in the way we are. If you can afford it, perhaps consider Delta One. Check out our review of Delta One / Delta Business Class from London Heathrow. As ever with Delta, I couldn’t fault the service which was extremely friendly, and the entire crew made us feel totally relaxed and taken care of. If you are thinking about whther it is worth paying the extra from Delta Comfort Plus, go ahead and do it. You will feel the difference for sure.

    Rosie xx

  • A Review of Jet2 737-800 STN – ATN – STN

    A Review of Jet2 737-800 STN – ATN – STN

    Jet2 has been going gangbusters in the U.K. with plenty of flights from the north of the country, (in fact I travelled with Jet2 to Prague before they made it down south and had a lovely flight). Now Jet2 is conquering the south with an increasing presence at London Stansted. With very reasonable prices and more passenger offerings than your average Stansted departure, the orange and blue carriers must be a little bit worried. Join us for our review of Jet2 flights from London Stansted to Athens and back again.

    Boeing 737 aircraft

    This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.

    Airport Experience

    Stansted

    With a brutal 03:15 alarm, we surfaced bleary-eyed and a bit stroppy into the London cold. It took us two night tubes and the first Stansted Express of the morning but we made it bang on time for our expected 06:32 arrival. Two hours before a flight is an hour less than I really like but it was the only way to ensure a little sleep.

    We found our check in desks and there was no queue. There was a very clear Jet2 check in area at London Stansted with some fun Instagram additions (giant teddy bear). We decided to check in our bags as they were included in the fare and the chap who checked us in was very perky. It was impressive for such an early morning. He let us know that the Stansted transit train wasn’t working and that staff would point us in the right direction. We were very happy to see that there were four staff stood by the train entrance and they were all Jet2. No other carrier was represented here. We all went down to waiting coaches over to the remote terminal. I was very glad we’d checked in our bigger bags as it was a lot of standing and stairs which would have been annoying with the suitcases.

    The terminal is very scrappy but that is not Jet2’s responsibility. There were lots of seats and nice big windows where you could see our plane and a few other Jet2 planes too. They had nice, shiny signage and nice, shiny staff. Everyone was wished a good holiday as they passed through the gate which was a very nice touch and it was really good that they maintained that line for everyone.

    Athens

    We arrived at Athens airport three hours before our flight took off but the check-in wasn’t open yet. There wasn’t anywhere to sit nearby and it was very buy and tight so we went and sat out of the way for a while. When we returned, there was a huge queue…rookie mistake! It took around 20 minutes to get to the front and then the agent wasn’t too friendly. We checked in our bags and headed for security. Jet2 is in the satellite building and there is quite a long way to walk along travelators before you go through security (plenty of time to buy any drinks you have bought).

    Once through security, there was a departure lounge that was very busy where we picked up a sandwich and crisps for the flight. Then we passed through passport control (another long queue) and found our gate. Remember to leave plenty of time to get through the airport because it takes a while. We entered the gate which was very busy and didn’t have many seats left. The staff were checking in hand luggage. they were not asking but instructing passengers and making sure they went over to the tagging desk. It didn’t feel very Jet2.

    The Plane

    The Seats

    We paid to book our seats ahead of time both to ensure we could sit together and to guarantee a window seat. Honestly, we sit separately alot due to traveling on standby but when I am reviewing a flight, I like a window. Poor Mr Fluskey likes a window too, but he married a window lover so he doesn’t get it all that often.

    The seats were pretty standard for a European short haul airline with 31 inches pitch and 17 inches width. This is slightly wider than both Ryanair and Easyjet and has at least two inches of extra leg room, This really does make a difference when the flight is more than two hours, especially when squeezing out to pop to the bathroom. There is no back to the seat in front where your legs are which, if you are tall, will give you those precious extra centimetres….I wonder if that is included in the legroom?

    Instead of a traditional seatback pocket, there is a magazine stand. This means you cannot store your belongings in there. This is much cleaner (those pockets can be real germ-fests) and presumably prevents lots of lost property. There is a small tray table and the addition of a simple metal cup holder which I really like. It’s designed for the hot drinks they sell onboard so doesn’t really fit a water bottle.

    The Windows

    There was something very strange about the windows and I only realised about half an hour into our flight. I went to pull down the shade for an easier sleep but it wasn’t there. None of the windows have shades so the sun streams in undisturbed. It’s great for the views but it was tough to nap with the full force of the sun seeping through my eyelids.

    I wanted to share some of the views we got.

    The Way Out

    Leaving a grey morning at Stansted is always satisfying. Bursting through the final layer of cloud and into the blue sky above really makes it feel like a holiday! Plus, trying to spot the Acropolis on our descent was lots of fun.

    Coming Back

    On the way back we were treated to a fabulous hour long sunset. I couldn’t stop snapping but here are just a few little photos.

    Storage

    The baggage bins have stretchy bands across the front so things don’t fall out when the bins are reopened. It also means people can shove their coats and other soft items in and they stay put. This is a very smart addition which I am surprised I have never seen on any other carriers.

    Everyone is entitled to one underbag seat and one overhead spot. Of course, if everyone takes advantage then it gets overfull so they were checking in baggage at the boarding gate in Athens. I was surprised that they faced this issue seeing as everyone gets free chek in luggage. This surely reduces the number of large rolling hand luggage bags that end up at the gate. Well, it encouraged us to check our bags in, something we rarely do.

    Entertainment

    There are two magazines in the seat back but no TVs onboard. There aren’t any plugs so my advice is to bring a phone or tablet, a portable charger and some headphones. Mr Fluskey used both his Bluetooth headphones until they ran out of battery and was forced to read the magazines. (What a rookie, use one at a time!). There were a few interesting articles but not enough for a three hour flight.

    The Tannoy

    We really enjoyed the tunes as we boarded. They were all upbeat and put us in a good mood with our mini singalong. Of course, they played Jess Glynne’s banger Hold My Hand which is on the Jet2 adverts.

    Now, about the announcements. They were all prerecorded and very cheery. We loved the fun tone and the two voices giving it some pep. However, they were SO loud! Every time one was played, the whole plane (who were trying sleep due to the early starts we had all had) was shocked awake. You could visibly see people jump out of slumber. It seemed unnecessarily loud when the boarding music had been considerably quieter so there must be a volume choice. I would hate to take this as a commuter without a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. In general, the announcements were too loud and too frequent.

    That being said, we loved the flight deck announcements which were thorough, describing the exact route we would be taking and what we could expect to see along the way. They also kept everyone informed when we had a delay on the way home. Top marks to the flight deck!

    Amenities

    The bathroom was kept clean on both legs of our journey which is impressive on 3.5 hour flight. I liked the big pictures on the door which cheered up the small space….and they were small. You would struggle to change clothes in here or anything like that so don’t plan to use them as a space for anything other than using the toilet. There was some simple soap but no hand cream or anything so if you need that stuff, make sure it’s in your liquids bag.

    Food & Drink

    There was plenty on offer to purchase during the trolley service. I was expecting shocking prices but actually, compared to airports and other carriers, it was all quite reasonable. We stupidly paid more for food in Athens airport to eat on board which saw us standing in long queues. We should have just waited and chosen things from the menu!

    There was a second round of trolley service on both flights where sandwiches were offered at half price. This is a nice way of ensuring less food waste but I would be pretty annoyed if I had paid full price just one hour prior. Good to know for future travel though!

    Final Thoughts for our Review of Jet2

    For holiday travel Jet2 is a brilliant choice. Free luggage, check-in desks and super cheery announcements at the gate and onboard all get you in a good mood. Whether you prefer a longer fly and flop or want a fun Jet2 city break, they will get you there safe, sound and smiling. Overall, Jet2 are a fantastic choice with genuinely friendly staff, an expanding network and an attitude we love!

    Rosie xx

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    Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is just a couple of hours flight away from the UK, but stroll through its fairytale streets in the snow, and you will feel a million miles away from home. I was given the opportunity, with Jet2, to take in the architecture, sip on a few cups of gluhwein and experience a new city – I was there with bells on! Read all about our trip in 6 Reasons Prague is the Perfect Christmas City Break

    “Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, welcome to Jet2”.

    (Yes their announcements said that, and yes, it made me happy).

    Airport Experience

    Mixing things up a little, I flew out of Manchester airport for this trip. Jet2 operate out of two terminals at Manchester airport. The majority of their flights depart from T1 but a few destinations are from T2. These were well signposted from the train station. I then got myself in a small tizz. Half of the airline’s check-in from another floor, and it was here that I got confused. I followed people into a lift, without paying any attention and had to find my way back down to the ground floor for the Jet2 desks.

    The gentleman who checked us in was incredibly cheery and made the experience very enjoyable. It was nice to have a chatty check-in agent, rather than the minimal interactions we are often greeted with. Was it because we were “up North” or is it just the normal way Jet2’s agents are?

    I had originally packed into hand luggage, partly out of habit and partly because I was thinking of Jet2 as a budget airline. Happily, we were given a 22kg checked bag along with a 10kg hand luggage, and a personal item. I could have packed my whole wardrobe…almost. This was my first pleasant surprise and my first indication that Jet2 is a value airline, not a budget one.

    I checked my hand luggage bag in, and went handsfree for the journey, just carrying my little rucksack and my coat in a carrier bag. So far, so easy.

    Interior

    Again, I was pleasantly surprised by the interior of the plane. There wasn’t any mood lighting or anything, but they had Christmas pop songs playing, and the crew gave us a wonderfully warm welcome. I didn’t know it was possible to feel festive on a flight, but this felt jolly.

    The Boeing 757-200 is a very long, thin plane. There are over 40 rows and only one aisle. Luckily, there were two boarding doors so it didn’t take too long to board or disembark. We flew on a Delta Boeing 757 just a few days prior to this, and it took almost 20 minutes to clear the plane.

    Seats

    The seats are leatherette, with an alternating pattern of grey and red. I quite liked the effect.

    The seats

    There was a pretty standard amount of leg room for a short-haul flight. The exit seats had quite a bit, so if you need it, I would advise you to book one of those. There is no recline, and that is also worth bearking in mind if you need a lot of room.

    Looking at the seat back, it took me a second to realise that it was without a back panel. Instead, you just see the shape of the seat bucket in front of you. I’ve seen a few seats like this and I suppose they save weight? Looking at the picture, I can see that they have done the same with the armrests. I noticed that they were a little thin at the time, but I hadn’t realised that they were hollow.

    There is a magazine rack but don’t store anything in it, as it will fall out again. It is just the kind that is designed to house A4 papers but has no bottom.

    Unfortunately, there isn’t a seat back pocket lower down so you will need to keep your bag under the seat in front of you for your bits and bobs.

    The cup holder is a metal hoop that hangs from the chair back. I have mixed feelings about it. I like that it doesn’t wobble, or tip your drink forward like some plastic models, but it feels a bit like an afterthought.

    The tray table itself was simple to use and very sturdy with the standard locking arm.

    Storage

    There is always a struggle for overhead locker space on a flight to a cold destination. People tend to have large coats and stuff the lockers full. Thank goodness I could check my bag in. The locker themselves were standard size but our fellow passengers just didn’t use them properly.

    Despite the free luggage allowance, lots of people still had full size carry on bags and towards the end of boarding, there were some reshuffles to do so everyone could fit their things in the overhead bins. I did like that they had elastic stretched across the front of each locker, preventing things from falling out when the lockers were opened.

    Windows

    OK, there isn’t loads to say about these, they are standard windows but I thought this would be worth mentioning.

    On our outbound flight, we were in row 19, and this was the window view:

    That’s fine if you are in the window seat itself, but I was in the middle seat and couldn’t see out at all. When the person next to me leaned against it for a nap, it was totally blocked.

    On the way back, I was in the middle seat again, but this time in row 21, and the view was considerably better. Something to consider if a view is important to you.

    1.5 windows

    Entertainment

    Beyond the in-flight magazine and duty-free shopping, there was no entertainment available. Bring your phone/book/iPad to keep yourself entertained.

    Food and Drinks

    Jet2 sell a variety of snacks on board. You can also preorder hot meals but as it was an afternoon flight, I’d already eaten lunch.

    Looking for food when you land in Prague? Check out 6 Best Restaurants to Try Great Czech Food in Prague!

    I just stuck to what I know best, the bar.

    They serve a range of drinks, and happily, among them is my favourite brand of prosecco – I heart wines! I was very overexcited when I clocked it in the menu. It tasted different at altitude, but was still rather tasty and very appreciated!

    Not quite as classy as I like to think but that metal ring came in helpful when we hit mild turbulence.

    Final Thoughts

    I believe that it is worth mentioning; Jet2 should be immensely proud of its staff who were kind, friendly and unfailingly enthusiastic. It was a very refreshing change and they got us all the way to Prague with a smile.

    If you are thinking of travelling with Jet2, here is some information that you might like to know.

    When I consider it against the UK’s biggest airline, and their short haul offering, I would pick Jet2 every…single…time. (You can read all about our most recent flight with British Airways here).

    Jet2 definitely exceeded my expectations. The plane was bigger than I thought, the luggage allowance was bigger than I thought, and the choices for food and beverages were bigger than I thought as well!

    We were guests of Jet2 on this flight but all opinions are entirely my own.

    Rosie xx

    A full review of our flight from Manchest to Prague with Jet2.com. We travelled on a 757-200 aircraft, and it was all surprisingly pleasant. #jet2 #jet2.com #flightreview
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