Aviation Discussion

[Butts]

Agreed. forgive me if I am wrong but Airline first class lounges have massage parlours, as much booze as you can drink and waiters getting you whatever food you ask for. Virgins first class lounge at Lime Street has free water.

With high class hookers ?

Mind you no 1st Class Air Tickets for tenner - a different world

 

[atillathehunn]

Agreed. forgive me if I am wrong but Airline first class lounges have massage parlours, as much booze as you can drink and waiters getting you whatever food you ask for. Virgins first class lounge at Lime Street has free water.

Totally depends on the airport! Doha, Dubai.... another world.

Personal fan of Istanbul lounge.

Some are completely oppulent affairs. Others nice, but average. Others similar to a railway first class lounge.

 

[fowler9]

With high class hookers ?

Mind you no 1st Class Air Tickets for tenner - a different world

Ha ha. No high class hookers guaranteed. To be fair first class on a long haul flight generally means first class. On a train it means you will be more likely to get a seat with a phone charger nearby.

 

[Butts]

Totally depends on the airport! Doha, Dubai.... another world.

Personal fan of Istanbul lounge.

Some are completely oppulent affairs. Others nice, but average. Others similar to a railway first class lounge.

Have you been in the Concorde Lounge at Heathrow T5 ?

 

[fowler9]

Totally depends on the airport! Doha, Dubai.... another world.

Personal fan of Istanbul lounge.

Some are completely oppulent affairs. Others nice, but average. Others similar to a railway first class lounge.

I would imagine if Rome Ciampino has a first class lounge it is similar to a railway one. Certainly the regular departure lounge was similar to a porta cabin last time I was there.

 

[atillathehunn]

Have you been in the Concorde Lounge at Heathrow T5 ?

Nope

 

[Butts]

Nope

I was just wondering if it as good as the Virgin 1st Class Lounge at Berwick Upon Tweed

 

[freetoview33]

I do wondering if this BA change is a sign or will lead to Vueling taking over short haul opps at Gatwick (finally).

Does the BA brand have enough loyalty on short haul flights out of Gatwick?

Same goes for Aer Lingus opps at Cork I think they would work well with Vueling.

 

[WestCoast]

To call it a Ryanair style service is, however, not accurate. Having travelled BA economy I would argue that even without the complimentary food and drink the service is above that on FR.

Personally I find Ryanair's new Sky Interior 737s very pleasant and the staff are very hard-working and accommodating. I don't see a huge difference in quality when compared to the BA A320 fleet, in fact I prefer the efficiency of Ryanair.

I'm sure some people will still prefer the gravitas of flying with British Airways, just they'll be paying for their G&T.

 

[fowler9]

Personally I find Ryanair's new Sky Interior 737s very pleasant and the staff are very hard-working and accommodating. I don't see a huge difference in quality when compared to the BA A320 fleet, in fact I prefer the efficiency of Ryanair.

I'm sure some people will still prefer the gravitas of flying with British Airways, just they'll be paying for their G&T.

I personally find the interior of Ryanair aircraft a bit garish. That isn't the fault of the cabin crew though who have always been professional. To be honest the 2 times I flew short haul with BA the planes were down right tatty. The headrests on the two long haul flights were falling off to and the 747's toilets looked like people had made a dirty protest whilst smoking ciggies in them.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Personally I find Ryanair's new Sky Interior 737s very pleasant

I've not used one yet but have seen pictures, and am highly disappointed that they haven't removed the in-your-face yellow from the seat backs. Still makes it look horribly cheap. And 737s are basic, rough, noisy aircraft compared with A320s.

I do however quite like easyJet's new interior, provided I can have the exit row as the seat pitch is a little tight.

 

[atillathehunn]

I've not used one yet but have seen pictures, and am highly disappointed that they haven't removed the in-your-face yellow from the seat backs. Still makes it look horribly cheap. And 737s are basic, rough, noisy aircraft compared with A320s.

I do however quite like easyJet's new interior, provided I can have the exit row as the seat pitch is a little tight.

Agree on the yellow as a whole, but somehow it seems slightly more muted in the new interior. Doesn't give me quite as much of a headache.

The new thinner seats on Easyjet are a life saver.

As an aside, a new Bombardier CS100 performing the 0835 MAN-ZRH this morning.
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I do wondering if this BA change is a sign or will lead to Vueling taking over short haul opps at Gatwick (finally).

Does the BA brand have enough loyalty on short haul flights out of Gatwick?

Same goes for Aer Lingus opps at Cork I think they would work well with Vueling.

I doubt it. Vueling are, I believe, in trouble with a massively overstretched fleet for a growing network. Certainly over the summer there was chaos at BCN on a couple of occasions, and mass cancellations the norm.

I wouldn't expect a change to Vueling, but a rebrand of their new joke short haul operations out of LGW might be in order, similar to Eurowings and LH.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The new thinner seats on Easyjet are a life saver.

...if you sit forward of the exit row in the A320 (or anywhere in the A319) - the rear section of the A320 has an extra row squeezed in.

 

[atillathehunn]

...if you sit forward of the exit row in the A320 (or anywhere in the A319) - the rear section of the A320 has an extra row squeezed in.

My boss is a considerate human being and allows us to book exit rows and expense the charge. If they're not available there's usually a good seat upfront somewhere.

Though the captain never adheres to the rules of Shotgun, which I always find most disappointing.

 

[freetoview33]

Agree on the yellow as a whole, but somehow it seems slightly more muted in the new interior. Doesn't give me quite as much of a headache.

The new thinner seats on Easyjet are a life saver.

As an aside, a new Bombardier CS100 performing the 0835 MAN-ZRH this morning.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


I doubt it. Vueling are, I believe, in trouble with a massively overstretched fleet for a growing network. Certainly over the summer there was chaos at BCN on a couple of occasions, and mass cancellations the norm.

I wouldn't expect a change to Vueling, but a rebrand of their new joke short haul operations out of LGW might be in order, similar to Eurowings and LH.

Yes a rebrand to Vueling according to wiki (The most reliable source ha) They have 35 aircraft on order. And from what I gather IAG still have options for 45 A320neo's. Which I guess will be used to replace the Aer Lingus Short Haul fleet. But I'm sure 15/20 could be transferred to Vueling/BA Gatwick.
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Although saying that BA and Gatwick are a confusing one! They invest heavily, then let it go to waste. Then invest again, invested in new North terminal area and now being moved to the South Terminal.

Almost like Lufthansa and Dusseldorf, short haul opps became part of Germanwings, Long Haul stayed with Lufthansa. Until they axed them too! I expect we will some some announcement after Airport expansion is decided.

 

[AlterEgo]

So how does an Airline 1st Class Lounge compare to an East Coast One ? - a bit more than a Coffee Machine and some biscuits ?

Have you been in the Concorde Lounge at Heathrow T5 or JFK ?

Depends which airline.

The Concorde Room at LHR is very pleasant, I've been in it a good dozen times or so.

The CCR has full meal service, free alcohol, cocktails, a spa adjacent to it, cabanas to sleep in for a few hours, a terrace, luggage room, concierge (pointless), showers, and some rather uncomfortable seating.
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Agreed. forgive me if I am wrong but Airline first class lounges have massage parlours, as much booze as you can drink and waiters getting you whatever food you ask for. Virgins first class lounge at Lime Street has free water.

Only a small minority have waiters and a massage parlour. The BA First lounge at O'Hare has neither. It's all about location, service frequency and yield. Flying out of Bangkok with Emirates next year in First so we'll see how that is.
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Personally I find Ryanair's new Sky Interior 737s very pleasant and the staff are very hard-working and accommodating. I don't see a huge difference in quality when compared to the BA A320 fleet, in fact I prefer the efficiency of Ryanair.

I'm sure some people will still prefer the gravitas of flying with British Airways, just they'll be paying for their G&T.

Quite true. I stay with BA mainly because they have a decent Frequent Flyer programme. Still, off to LDY with Ryanair next week....and it'll be just fine.

 

[atillathehunn]

Yes a rebrand to Vueling according to wiki (The most reliable source ha) They have 35 aircraft on order. And from what I gather IAG still have options for 45 A320neo's. Which I guess will be used to replace the Aer Lingus Short Haul fleet. But I'm sure 15/20 could be transferred to Vueling/BA Gatwick.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Although saying that BA and Gatwick are a confusing one! They invest heavily, then let it go to waste. Then invest again, invested in new North terminal area and now being moved to the South Terminal.

Almost like Lufthansa and Dusseldorf, short haul opps became part of Germanwings, Long Haul stayed with Lufthansa. Until they axed them too! I expect we will some some announcement after Airport expansion is decided.

Rebrand rather in terms of the old BA Connect. I doubt they're willing to shred their last remaining tiny fragment of brand loyalty when considering their long haul connections out of LGW (CPT, New York, Caribbean).

They're trying to maintain this loyalty, hence why this partnership with two 'British' institutions BA and M&S. I wouldn't have thought they would take this gamble, and then call themself Vueling. Doesn't make sense .

 

[WestCoast]

I've not used one yet but have seen pictures, and am highly disappointed that they haven't removed the in-your-face yellow from the seat backs. Still makes it look horribly cheap. And 737s are basic, rough, noisy aircraft compared with A320s.

I do however quite like easyJet's new interior, provided I can have the exit row as the seat pitch is a little tight.

Looks very garish on the pictures, surprisingly nice when you're onboard with the mood lighting.

Favourite low cost airline interior would be Norwegian, with the Wi-Fi and screens.

 

[atillathehunn]

Looks very garish on the pictures, surprisingly nice when you're onboard with the mood lighting.

Favourite low cost airline interior would be Norwegian, with the Wi-Fi and screens.

It's a huge improvement on the old design for sure.

LCCs can be done right, there are a number of good ones out there. Even Ryanair is not as bad as it used to be.

AirAsia is pretty decent, and there are a couple around the Middle East which aren't bad for the money. FastJet is good fun, as is Fly540 in Kenya.

 

[Bletchleyite]

TBH our very own easyJet is pretty good these days. I tend to default to them and only look elsewhere if they are unduly expensive or don't offer the flight I need. They are well-run and reasonably priced in my experience, and the culture is of a company that genuinely cares about their service offering - led very much from Carolyn McCall at the top (who I've spoken to and was very impressed with).

 

[Butts]

TBH our very own easyJet is pretty good these days. I tend to default to them and only look elsewhere if they are unduly expensive or don't offer the flight I need. They are well-run and reasonably priced in my experience, and the culture is of a company that genuinely cares about their service offering - led very much from Carolyn McCall at the top (who I've spoken to and was very impressed with).

Their Airbus configuration leaves a lot to be desired compared to BA's - especially if you are "piggy in the middle"

 

[Bletchleyite]

Their Airbus configuration leaves a lot to be desired compared to BA's - especially if you are "piggy in the middle"

They did opt for the narrower seats, but the wider aisle does make things a lot easier and quicker on boarding.

If it bothers you, it only costs a couple of quid to avoid a middle seat. I haven't sat in the middle on a flight for years.

 

[Butts]

They did opt for the narrower seats, but the wider aisle does make things a lot easier and quicker on boarding.

If it bothers you, it only costs a couple of quid to avoid a middle seat. I haven't sat in the middle on a flight for years.

I'd rather have more room in the seat and less in the isle - after all you spend a lot more time in your seat !!

You are correct about paying for a seat, I think all the freeloaders like me are stuck in the middle. With Flybe it does not matter as they are only two a breast.

 

[atillathehunn]

I'd rather have more room in the seat and less in the isle - after all you spend a lot more time in your seat !!

You are correct about paying for a seat, I think all the freeloaders like me are stuck in the middle. With Flybe it does not matter as they are only two a breast.

Thankfully the randomly allocated seats don't work like that, as there are load and balance considerations to take into account. They might want you to think free=middle to encourage spending, but it doesn't work like that. I've just had a flurry of EIN-MAN flights on Ryanair and always did free random seat as it was out of my own pocket, and I ended up with exit row, row 1A and row 1D.

easyJet, you are right, are consistent now.

Ryanair, 8 times out of 10 is fine, but there are some terrible crews out there. Often on the CRL-MAN flight, sadly.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Daughter is now booked - but she had to agree to a compromise of an up and back charter with 40 minutes in the air on an A319; it's a discounted flight only deal with one of the fear of flying courses. Window seat and adjacent seat guaranteed with no wing obstruction.

While it won't get her London by night, she seems happy enough with it.

 

[Techniquest]

I dread to think how much that cost!

Not seen this new Ryanair interior yet, I never had a problem with the old yellow and blue interior. Always prefer it to that in-your-face orange on easyJet!

To the guy who likes Norwegian, try their long-haul flights and see how much you still like them. Never ever have I been so cramped on a plane as I was coming back from JFK to LGW in March, and the service was so disgracefully poor it made Ryanair in the early days look amazing! You also don't get WiFi on those flights, despite their own website suggesting you can get it subject to availability. Only offered on European flights we were told on the flight. I think I covered my experience with this airline some months back on this thread, if I didn't it should be in my trip report thread. Bottom line is that me and my mate refuse to use them again, regardless of flight destination.

LGW-VIE and back next month, 5 weeks tomorrow until we go. First time on BA (and possibly last with the service levels being dropped significantly) so looking forward to seeing how it goes. Of course, I'll be discussing it after the event in the trip report and in this thread.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I dread to think how much that cost!

£99 each actually.

Couldn't find anything domestic in advance with BA for anything near that for the rest of this year on Saturdays or in half term - so she accepted my "suggestion" that we take up that offer that was made to us.

 

[Techniquest]

£99 each actually.

Couldn't find anything domestic in advance with BA for anything near that for the rest of this year on Saturdays or in half term - so she accepted my "suggestion" that we take up that offer that was made to us.

That's actually quite a reasonable offer in that case. I wonder, as it's for a fear of flying course, if rhey use particular A319s with modifications, or if it's just a standard fleet member used.

As for flying over London, flights from Cork to Stansted tend to fly over the city (for just one example that comes to mind) so might be worth investigating such a thing.

 

[fowler9]

That's actually quite a reasonable offer in that case. I wonder, as it's for a fear of flying course, if rhey use particular A319s with modifications, or if it's just a standard fleet member used.

As for flying over London, flights from Cork to Stansted tend to fly over the city (for just one example that comes to mind) so might be worth investigating such a thing.

They use what ever is going, my sister is cabin crew with them. As for Ryanair, I have to be honest here, that blue and yellow is hideous to me. I am flying to Warsaw with them in November and really wish my mate had booked Wizzair. It would have cost a bit more but been worth it. That said, I can't moan.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Wizz is no better than Ryanair, it just has a more tasteful colour scheme.


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