Tag: plane

8 Tips to Ensure You Never Miss a Flight Again
Did You Know? I work for an airline, so I see airport drama every day. These are the things that really mess people up and lead to many a missed flight. Don’t fall victim to one of these silly things that can be solved so easily. Follow these simple steps to ensure you never miss a flight again.

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

1. Book Directly

Your first tip to ensure you never miss a flight again is book directly. When you are searching for flight prices online, flight aggregators may seem to have the best options but it can come at a cost later down the line. Websites like GoToGate and Kiwi sometimes put together itineraries with connection times that are too short, and combine different airlines that have no agreements with each other. This means you aren’t actually in transit. You will have to clear passport control, pick up your bags and possibly change terminals before checking in again for the next leg of your journey. With these separate tickets (which might look linked on your itinerary), if your first flight is late, the airlines have no responsibility to get you rebooked. In the case of disruption, it can be SO hard to get an online travel agent on the phone. The airline usually can’t help as they cannot see the original fare and then you’re stuck. If you book directly, it is the airline’s responsibility to get you where you are going.

2. Use “Manage My Booking”

Don’t stand in a queue just for a request. So much can be done ahead of time online, allowing you to zoom past the check in queues.

If you have a special meal request, for example, hop on the website of your airline and go to “Manage My Booking”. As long as you do this more than 48 hours before your flight, you can put the request in. If it doesn’t work, give the airline a call.

For access requirements, you should be able to add this in when you book. Some airlines have a separate department and it is good to contact them to ensure all the notes are in the booking before you travel. British Airways in particular, only allows you add special service requests after booking, over the phone. This is a little annoying but gives those who need it free seat reservations and early boarding.

Excess baggage? This can often be prearranged online so you can use the bag drop quickly like everyone else. It is sometimes cheaper to book this online in advance too, so it is definitely a win win to get on it as early as possible.

3. Check your Documents

Once you are booked, it is time to check that your passport and documents are in order. This doesn’t just mean that it looks in date. Some countries have minimum time left requirements (you must have six months left when you enter the country), some have blank page requirements (you must have two passport pages with no stamps on) and some don’t accept the small extension allowed on the British passport (that extra few months if you renew early).

Then you need to check visa requirements. Travelling to most countries requires either a visa (paper or online) or a visa waiver. The USA has the ESTA and both the EU and UK will have similar schemes too.

When you are ready to check in, have your passport, your visa and the full address of where you are staying when you get there all to hand. Keep it all with you on the plane just in case you are presented with a landing card mid-flight.

4. Check the Airport Info

Double check the airport you are flying from so you never miss a flight again. This probably sounds obvious but many big cities have several airports and you would be surprised how many people go to JFK when they are flying form La Guardia in New York, or head for London Heathrow when they are actually meant to be at London Stansted. Then, make sure you know the terminal you are going from. Not all airports have their terminals right next to each other, so getting dropped off in the wrong place can cost you lots of time and possibly money.

5. Contingency Time

I know that there are people who love to stroll into an airport, through security and right to the gate as boarding is imminent. Sure there are days when it all goes perfectly to plan and it is smooth as silk, but next time you might get a hessian sack of a day! It is SO risky! You never know what might happen along the way. So leave plenty of time and arrive at the airport 3 hours before international flights or 2 hours for domestic and never miss a flight again. The way I see it, it is better to be through security and a little bored than stressed out getting to airport or paying for a new flight.

6. Don’t Over Pack

Overpacking is almost always a bad idea. As we all know, I am a hand luggage only kind of girl. Arriving at the airport with an abundance of luggage is going to extend your time at check in. (Well, dropping any kind of luggage off takes time so maybe try to travel carry on only).

Here are 20 Top Tips for Travelling Light!

If you don’t want to pay for your excess luggage and you have packed over and above the weight limit, you will have to waste some time trying to repack. Juggling items, stuffing your arms through yet another jacket you’ll have to wear and shoving things into your hand luggage bag is time-consuming and can be a little embarrassing. If you are happy to pay, you may waste time queueing to pay at a different counter. Do your research to check the airline’s luggage restrictions and stay well under if you want to never miss a flight again.

7. Prepare For Security

Laptops, liquids and clothing are all things you can prepare in advance. Knowing the rules and planning ahead allows you to sail through with no dramas.
- Liquids – Although changes are coming, most of the world still adheres to the liquids restrictions that have been in place for several years. Each passenger is entitled to carry liquids no larger than 100ml (3.4fl oz), in containers no larger that 100ml. You can bring a maximum of one litre and they all need to fit in one re-sealable clear plastic bag 20cm x 20cm. You are allowed to leave these in your bag in much of the world, but the UK wants them out separately.
- Electricals -Laptops, kindles and tablets need to be taken out and scanned separately in much of world. Some places also want power banks out too. Some are really extreme and want absolutely everything electrical out (cameras, speakers, hair dryers and straighteners). Keep an eye out for signs as you enter security.
- Clothing – Are you planning to wear anything with extra metal bits? Skip it! Do you have a jacket or hoody that needs to be removed for the scanner? Whip it off. Avoid anything that needs lacing, unbuttoning or is in any way fiddly. Finally, consider wearing undies without underwires.
- Shoes – All of the above, goes for shoes too. Wear footwear that you can slip on and off easily. It will be easier for you and less annoying for those around you.
Check out Top Ten Tips to Pack Your Liquids Bag for Carry On Luggage Like a Pro!

8. Get Travel Insurance

If all else fails, make sure you have travel insurance. It can help cover the costs of new flights, alternative transport, accommodation and more. Of course, weather and an “Act of God” are not covered by anyone, the airlines or insurance but most other things are good.

Check out Why Getting Travel Insurance is Vital!

Final Thoughts on These Tips to Ensure You Never Miss a Flight Again

Look, we know that some things are out of your control. Trains break down, there are accidents on the roads and weather is completely out of our hands. That aside, following our advice will give you the best shot at making sure you never miss a flight again.

Rosie xx
13/07/2024
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

12/06/2024
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

14/05/2024
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

31/03/2024
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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17/03/2024
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
23/02/2024
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
30/12/2023
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

04/12/2023
A Review of Fastjet Embraer 145 VFA – JNB
Our second trip to the incredible Victoria Falls was an unexpected treat. We were thrilled to join Rovos Rail for a press trip and the route available was between Pretoria and Victoria Falls. Sadly, they wouldn’t just let us ride the train back again (that would have been too crazy), so we booked a couple of flights. We had tickets with reasonably new airline Fastjet, based out of Johannesburg, South Africa. So how was it taking this flight on one of Fastjet’s little Embraers, rather than the bigger jets of their rivals on the same route? Read on for our review of Fastjet.

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

Airport Experience

Check In

It’s not too often that we check in luggage but our abundance of formalwear for the Rovos Rail train meant we had an awful lot more luggage than normal. We decided to check in both bags and joined the queue to do so. The check in agent was polite and friendly, remembering to ask all the relevant questions about dangerous goods and hand luggage restrictions too. As a check in agent myself, I appreciated her work! We mentioned that our smaller bag had a bottle of wine in and she popped a couple of fragile stickers on it for us. The bag arrived without the stickers but with the wine in tact.

Baggage

Speaking of luggage. Every fare includes two pieces of hand luggage:
- 1 piece up to 7kg with dimensions of 55x35x20cm
- 1 personal item (a handbag, man bag, laptop bag) with dimensions of 40x30x15cm
Every fare includes at least one piece of check in luggage up to 23kg.

Departures

We were through security quickly with some strategic queue picking (that older couple who are still wearing their belts, shoes and sunglasses on their heads are NOT the ones to follow). Just past passport control (one guy behind a desk) was something called the Wilderness. It was a little area of rainforest with some nice hanging chairs in it. We couldn’t figure out how to get through there at all though.

With about 40 minutes, we had just enough time for a wander, a pee and to buy some water. We walked the length of the departures concourse, nosing casually into the souvenir shops. There was a lot of gin on offer. You can tell it is the G&T crowd that comes here!

Victoria Falls Airport has three main gate areas. Each is a round section that seems quite 2001: A Space Odyssey when you’re inside. Taking off, I realised they are based on rondavels, the round houses common in Southern Africa. It looks pretty cool.

From our gate (gate 5) we were invited to walk across the tarmac in a surprisingly casual manner. It was nice to soak up one last bit of heat and it was all very relaxed. It was really nice not to feel like cattle, herded across in tight groups and to get up close with our little Embraer.

The Seats

The seats are set up in a 1 by 2 configuration and Mr Fluskey and I were across the aisle from each other. I hopped in the single seat to snag the window but the plane’s small size meant that we both had a good view.

The seats themselves are a combo of navy leather, and a taupe and grey plastic frame. The headrest covers with the Fastjet parrot are a nice touch but in general, they are a little dull. In terms of pitch (leg room) there are 50 seats, all with a 30 inch pitch. this is only an inch shorter than Virgin Atlantic’s economy so really pretty good. However, there aren’t any bells and whistles here, just lights and call bells above.

Storage

The under seat storage is meant to be used for everyone’s personal item. There isn’t any room for anything bigger. Here is a my small rucksack tucked in as far as it will go.

Of course, as with every flight, people stashed their personal items in the overhead lockers. This left people trying to cram their larger hand luggage under the seats and they just don’t fit. The overhead bins were also pretty small for the full flight. Anyone with a larger cqarry on was asked to check it in at the pane side. This is something to bear in mind if you are taking carry on only. Make sure anything you actually need for the flight is in your personal item.

Entertainment

If you can catch a view of the Victoria Falls as you ascend from the airport, you are on to a winner. I tried to look out both windows but couldn’t spot it. Other than that, bring a magazine, a podcast or a blogging app to keep yourself entertained. Oh, and don’t forget your charger, there are no plugs. In the seatback pocket, you will find a sick bag and the safety card. It doesn’t take long to read both of these.

I think we were looking the wrong way

The Bathroom

At the back of the plane was a little bathroom. I had heard someone tell their friend at the gate that there wouldn’t be a toilet and how glad I was that they were wrong. It was surprisingly roomy. I mean, not huge, but bigger than some on larger planes. The soap was industrial so bring hand cream if you have sensitive skin. The crew kept the bathroom nice and clean, what more can you ask?

Food and Drink

Being such a short flight, and such a teeny plane, I wasn’t expecting anything to eat. We were surprised and delighted by the cart coming down the aisle. Everyone was handed a snack pack with a cheerful, “Good Afternoon”.

It was a great little snack pack with:
- A Bottle of Water – A nice surprise and we felt a bit silly fr buying one in the terminal.
- Apple Juice – Yummy and sweet, a lovely way to stay hydrated.
- Sour Cream Pringles – Who doesn’t love sour cream Pringles?
- A Tex Bar – This Nestle chocolate bar is popular in South Africa. It has an “aero centre” bubbly chocolate and wafer. It was pretty good.
- Something called “Stokkies” – This is a biltong/jerky stye met snack which took some serious chewing. Tasty though. We had to throw Mr Fluskey’s away in the arrivals hall at the airport to make sure we weren’t fined for bringing meat products into the UK….doh!
- A Refreshing Wipe – To get all that snack off our fingers. Great stuff.
Final Thoughts for our Review of Fastjet

This is third time we have flown this route and I definitely enjoyed this flight more. We didn’t feel crammed in like you can do on the 3 by 3 airbuses and it felt so nice to be in the smaller chassis with light pouring in compared to the large planes. Plus, it was so fun to stroll up to the plane. The crew were all really friendly and even the announcements from the flight deck were nice and cheerful. Mind you, we would have struggled with the lack of entertainment if we hadn’t been prepared with our phones and chargers.

If we return to this amazing part of the world, we would definitely consider flying with Fastjet again. For a lower cost airline they really do provide a lot: food, drinks, check in luggage and a reasonable hand luggage allowance too!

Rosie xx
05/10/2023
A Review of Wizz Air A320-300 LTN – CLJ – LTN

After a failed attempt to fly to Vienna with Wizz Air in 2020 (oh COVID-19) and a failed attempt to fly to Greece with Wizz Air in 2021 (ooooh, COVID-19), it was with some trepidation that we approached Luton for our flight to Romania…with Wizz Air. Would 2022 be kinder to our travel plans? Find out about our journey in this review of Wizz Air.

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10/07/2021
The New Normal in Air Travel – Flying British Airways from London Heathrow to Rome Fiumicino

For travel bloggers and travel addicts alike, the day the UK government announced its list of Covid-19 quarantine exempt countries was like a starting gun. Vague travel plans were immediately fixed and flights hurriedly booked. Just five days later, Mr Fluskey and I donned our face masks and backpacks ready for an Italian escape. Of course, as with pretty much everything else at the moment, flying was likely to be very different. We readied ourselves the new normal in air travel.

PPE at the ready folks
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23/07/2020
Top Ten Tips to Pack Your Liquids Bag for Carry On Luggage Like a Pro!

Travelling without checking a bag is a great way to travel. It saves you time, money and stress. If you are a hand luggage traveller, you have probably mastered rolling your clothes to save space, you can probably nail the art of the capsule wardrobe and you have whittled your travel gear to smallest, lightest version you can cope with, but when it comes time to pack your liquids bag it can be a real pain! You have to contend with airline liquid restrictions, the scary security in the UK or the terrifying face of TSA. Don’t panic, come with us into the liquids bag of a travel blogger and learn our top ten tips to pack your liquids bag like a pro.

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18/02/2020