BrusselsSouth From Belgium, joined Aug 2001, 355 posts, RR: 0 Posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 10752 times:
Hi all,
Background
As I'll probably explain in a future trip report, thanks to a very special offer from Ryanair, I grabbed quite a lot (5) of completely free flights (including taxes) on Europe's main low cost airline. All of the free flights had to be completed by the end of February 2008, and work constraints left me with very few destinations options. At some point I even considered giving up those free flights, but I finally made up my mind and opted for 3 day trips from Charleroi (Belgium) to Bergamo (Italy). My plan was to find something different to visit on each of those trips, and I was not disappointed : during the first trip I went by train to the city of Como and visited some villages around the lake using the boat as my primary mean of transportation. For the second trip, I rented a small car at Bergamo airport and quickly visited the city of Bergamo, before exploring the region, including Clusone (small mountain resort), the lake of Iseo and the lake of Garda. And finally, for my last trip, I took a train to downtown Milan and spent the day there.
As I still had one free flight to "spend", but was quite bored of all the Ryanair flying, I decided to take a one-way only from Charleroi to Bergamo (again), and to search the web for (very) cheap options from there, using airlines I had never flown before as much and possible. And how many flights can you take in just one day using all different airlines. Answer : 5 ! Call me crazy if you wish, but only money can stop my aviation thirst (it's actually quite good at that...).
So, here's what I finally booked myself on (the fares include all taxes and charges) :
1. CRL - BGY, Ryanair, Boeing 737-8AS, total paid : 0,01 EUR.
2. BGY - PMI, Air Berlin, Boeing 737-86J, total paid : 93,00 EUR.
3. PMI - BCN, Spanair, McDonnell Douglas MD-82, total paid : 26,15 EUR.
4. BCN - GVA, EasyJet (Switzerland), Airbus A319-111, total paid : 37,49 EUR.
5. GVA - BRU, Brussels Airlines, Avro RJ-85, total paid : 21,56 EUR.
All this on February 25th...
Except for the Air Berlin segment, all very low fares. For the Brussels Airlines flight, I was about to book using 7.500 miles, when I realized the ridiculously low fare on their website, so I decided to keep my miles for another occasion.
As the day approached, a small but still perceptible doubt began to invade my mind : would I be able to take all those flights in one day ? What if one of them is late ? Obviously, as those are mainly LCC's they wouldn't reallocate me on another flight for free. When I went to bed on the night of February 24th, I had finally decided that the "risk" was part of the fun... With 2 credit cards and 2 days off from work, I should be able to arrange an alternative return home, should things get out of control...
EI-DPZ (I took the photo from this site and resized/clipped, all credits go to Andreas Fietz)
Departures for the morning at CRL, as shown on their website. Guess who's the dominant operator ?
What to say ? Your usual Ryanair flight, on-time, packed, people rushing to queue at the gate one hour before departure, overhead bins (over)filled with hand luggage of those trying to avoid the checked baggage fees...
As Ryanair were migrating their reservation system to a supposedly upgraded version, a 3-day scheduled downtime prevented me from checking in online like I'm used to. When I arrived at the airport (which still had this nice smell of brand new places), the queues for manual check-in were huge, while some of the self check-in machines were out of order. I however decided to queue behind one of the working machines, because the queue for manual check-in was really too huge, and guess what ? When my turn finally came, my flight to Bergamo had just become unavailable for self check-in, because we were now less than 40 minutes before scheduled departure. Fortunately, I heard an airport staff voice, coming from the front of the manual checkin line, screaming "Any passengers to Bergamo or Rome left ?". Rushing under the labyrinth of tape barrier containing the queue, I proceeded to the front and told the agent I was bound to Bergamo. She immediately directed me to a check-in counter to get my boarding pass... Nice way to skip the queue... Security check was equally crowded, but fortunately the queue was progressing very fast, and I finally arrived at gate 5 where a queue had already built up.
Early morning at CRL. The new terminal, streetside.
Frankly, I've become really bored of the rush and uncivilized queues resulting from the Ryanair unassigned seating policy, so I decided not to join the queue, even if it meant being one of the last to board. Upon reaching the aircraft, I realized that most passengers were boarding using the front door (a lot of them didn't seem to know they can walk around the plane and get on board via the rear stairs), so in a not-so-civilized way I ran to the rear and finally managed to get one of the last remaining window seats (28F). The flight was quite full and I had two people sitting next to me, I also recognized one of the F/A from a previous flight.
Wow, I knew FR insisted that passengers arrive at gate early, but a boarding time of 5.00 for a 6.30 departure ?
The captain was friendly, explaining some details of our routing today (the usual routing for CRL-BGY is CRL, Stuttgart, Zurich, Lake of Como, eastbound downwind to Brescia, then final for runway 28 at BGY which is used most of the time). Some passengers laughed when he said, shortly before take-off : "Cabin crew, please take your seats for landing... errr... departure". During the short flight, I browsed the Ryanair inflight mag (which must be returned to the crew prior to arrival...) and took some photos of the scenery, although it has become a familiar route for me. We landed at BGY 15 minutes ahead of schedule and were bused to the terminal, first leg successfully completed...
Sunrise over the Alps, with the moon visible.
Disembarking at sunny BGY.
Arrivals monitor showing my flight FR4522 arriving early. Brussels Airlines flight from BRU is also ahead of schedule.
Leg 2 : BGY-PMI on Air Berlin
Aircraft : Boeing 737-86J (WL) Registration : D-ABAD (CN 30876 / LN 759), delivered new to AB on 03-FEB-2001 Departure (sched. / actual) : 11.20 / 11.12 Arrival (sched. / actual) : 13.05 / 12.55 Seat : 2F, changed from 1F / Load factor (estimated) : 65 %
D-ABAD (I took the photo from this site and resized/clipped, all credits go to Mick Bajcar)
The street in front of BGY terminal.
Again in Italy...
As I had already checked in online for all my remaining flights of the day, I considered taking the bus to downtown Bergamo to spend my waiting time, but on second thought, I decided to stay at the airport instead. At first, I went to explorer the public part of the terminal, which is not very big but does the job. The building is divided in 4 zones : one is dedicated to arrivals, while the three others are used for check-in counters, if I remember well, there are 2 zones of check-in for FR flights, and 1 zone for other airlines. There are some bars, some shops, a library, a ticketing counter, airlines offices, an info desk, and also a restaurant on the upper level (but it's only open during "normal" meal times). The check-in areas were crowded because of the unavailability of FR online check-in, but I found a seat in a quiet palce and spent the time reading a magazine.
I entered the gates area after a quick security check. Gates are spread over two levels (for a total of something like 14 gates), the lower level gates having a separate area with passport control for non-Schengen flights. There are some stores but the food / drink possibilites are limited : only one small shop selling drinks and simple food like sandwiches and snacks. Viewing parked aircraft is possible (but not those parked at remote stands though) but the views are obstructed by the gates structure. In a very quiet area near gate 12, where I sat alone most of the time, I got some good views (and photographic opportunities) of the end of runway 28 with aircraft taking off or vacating the runway.
Lots of advertisement for Brussels Airlines in the gates area.
Infamous Ryanair sign at gates...
Kind of traffic : majority of Ryanair 738s, MyAir.com seems to be the second largest operator (A320s and CRJs), some Air Berlin (A320, 738 and F100) and SkyEurope (737), Jet2 (737) and occasionnal charter operators (saw a KoralBlue A320 departing to Egypt). Also, some business jets and cargo operations (Maersk Air 767 and DHL A300 and 757). I spotted a Carpatair Saab 2000 arriving. A free paper timetable is available at various places in the terminal.
Strangely, the airport received this morning some diversions from other Milan airports. I don't know why : was it due to some fog at LIN or MXP ? Whatever, those brought unusual aircraft at BGY, for example : Alitalia Express ERJ, Air One B737, several Alitalia MD-80s (those can be seen on the twice daily BGY-FCO run, but there isn't normally more than one on the ground at a time).
Alitalia Express diversion from MXP.
My flight to Palma is on time. Notice the diverted XM flight finally departing to MXP.
The two Air Berlin flights this morning (from DUS and NUE) both arrived ahead of schedule, meaning (to my relief) that my flight to PMI would depart on time. When boarding was called, I realized how much of a difference it makes when you have an assigned seat and are in no hurry to board. We had to walk on the tarmac to reach D-ABAD (I very much prefer to board via the stairs than via an airbridge), and I noticed (because of a passport check at gate) that I was one of the only non-Italian pax, as well as one of the only (if not the only) one having checked-in online. And a strange thing I had never experienced before : the vast majority of the passengers were female... don't know why...
Walking to our ride to PMI. Where are the men ?...
Flight deck preparations before departure.
Upon entering the aircraft, everybody was offered a sweet from a huge basket. I took my assigned seat 1F, but when boarding was completed, I went back one row to 2F, as I found the original seat to be uncomfortable because of the fuselage curvature (it had, however, more legroom, being a bulhead seat). The load was quite light and I had 3 seats for myself. The cabin looked worn out : the grey fabric seats and the white headrest covers had seen better days, and the overhead bins and fuselage panels were showing signs of age, however the whole cabin looked reasonably clean. I noticed the difference in configuration between AB and FR : on FR, there is one more row of 3 seats on the left side, immediately after door L1 (no bulkhead), while on AB, this space is occupied by storage racks, with a curtain separating the galley area from the rest of the cabin. The seats pockets (something that does not exist on FR...) contained the inflight magazine (which can be taken away, contrary to FR), a safety card, the inflight menu, and another magazine in German.
D-ABAD cabin as seen from my seat during boarding.
MyAir A320 and CRJ seen from our AB 738.
The cargo ramp, with a FR 738 winglet, an Air Italy 737 and two DHL aircraft.
The all german flight attendants were average, professional but not overly friendly. A safety demo was played on drop-down LCD screens, but without sound. Instead, a F/A explained the safety instructions on the P/A, at first in German then in English. A few minutes after take-off, a complimentary drink was offered, followed by a sandwich to be chosen between cheese and turkey. I took the turkey option, and while small and not very tasty, I found the complimentary sandwich to be a nice touch from an airline positioning itself in the low cost segment. Our routing first took us south, probably towards Genoa, then the skies below became overcast while we were heading towards the French Riviera.
Left turn after take off from runway 28...
...followed by a right turn above some northern italian town.
Compimentary turkey sandwich... Not really tasty, but better than nothing.
Above the Alps again.
Our routing on the flight map. Sorry for the blurry picture.
Mediterranean sea visible below the clouds.
The ground (or the sea, for that matter...) became visible again as we were about to reach the northwestern tip of Mallorca island, beginning a very scenic (and slightly bumpy) approach over Formentor, Pollença, the bay of Alcudia and the small towns of Mallorca, including Inca.
Northwestern tip of Mallorca : Cap de Catalunya, Cala Figuera and Cala Murta.
Formentara island, and the port of Pollença.
Northwestern tip of Mallorca : Piedra and the Formentara island.
Alcudia and the Bay of Pollença
Lining up with PMI runway 26R.
The interior of Mallorca island.
Small town shortly before landing.
A long taxi, which seemed like a visit of the airport, followed a perfect landing on runway 26R. We passed past a lone EasyJet A319, and some Air Berlin and Iberia Regional aircraft, on what looked like a very quiet tarmac. We docked on one of the C-gates, near a company A320, and disembarked through an airbridge (some kids were offered a small gift by the F/As while disembarking). I know I could simply have had a look at the numerous monitors inside the jetway to find the gate for my next flight, and proceed to it, but I deliberately wanted to exit the airport and re-enter it, in order to visit every public part of it, and so I took a VERY long walk (helped by mechanical walkways) through the terminal towards the street.
Welcome to Palma ! Air Berlin billboards and a lone EasyJet 737.
Air Berlin A320 and Air Nostrum ATR bound for Menorca.
About to park on an empty C-gates area.
Leg 3 : PMI-BCN on Spanair
Aircraft : Mc Donnell Douglas MD-82 Registration : EC-HOV (CN 49416 / LN 1271), first delivered on 14-MAY-1986, named Sunspeed Departure (sched. / actual) : 15.20 / 15.18 Arrival (sched. / actual) : 16.05 / 16.05 Seat : 28A / Load factor (estimated) : 90 % in Y, don't know for J
EC-HOV (I took the photo from this site and resized/clipped, all credits go to Aeroview Zurich)
While walking through Palma de Mallorca airport, I got the strange feeling of being in a huge deserted building. The terminal is designed to cope with the hordes of tourists partying in Mallorca during the summer, but in the middle of the winter, it is clearly underutilized, even if Air Berlin has set up a year-round hub here. AB is everywhere in this airport, from the billboards on the airbridges to the huge 737 model hanging in the check-in hall. After exploring the check-in area and its numerous closed shops and airline offices, I went to the upper level to pass the security check. Ample room is available in front of the X-Ray machines, and it's not difficult to imagine the queues forming there in the summer, but for me there was no queue at all. I just had to remove my shoes since they were triggering the metal detector for some obscure reason.
Nice model in the check-in hall.
Aldeasa shopping centre immediately after security.
Very long walk through the C concourse.
After security, there are various shops and restaurants, but a good number of them were closed. I went to the C-Zone to eat at Pizza Hut (with birds flying between the tables... !?!), then had a look at the monitors to find the gate for my Spanair flight to Barcelona. Even during winter, there are very frequent flights to the spanish mainland, mainly Madrid and Barcelona, but also other less important cities. Competing on these routes are Spanair, Air Europa, Iberia, Vueling, Air Berlin, and Click Air. As I sat at an empty gate watching aircraft on the apron, I noticed how the airport suddenly became much more busy : Air Berlin seems to schedule its flights in waves to improve the efficiency of its hub, and I seemingly witnessed the beginning of a wave. In just a few minutes, a load of Air Berlin 737s and A320s began to invade the parking stands, while calls were made for the respective departing flights.
Iberia Mad Dog about to depart.
An A320 in full Vueling livery, with "Short lease to Niki" titles.
The MD-82 for my flight to Barcelona, just arrived at gate D80.
I then proceeded to the gate for my flight, where a shiny Spanair MD-82 (EC-HOV) soon docked, arriving from some spanish city. I suddenly became excited at the prospect of a flight in the Mad Dog after almost 14 years of Boeings, Airbuses, ATRs and Cessnas. Frankly, I think those aircraft are among the best looking around, a shame they become more and more rare these days. From the outside, the Spanair machine looked very clean under the Mallorca sun, and when boarding was called, I was among the first in the line ! Just like in Bergamo this morning, I was probably the only one with an A4 printed, web check-in boarding pass, and also the only non-spanish passenger.
In the airbridge, boarding for flight JK5717 to Barcelona.
Once on board, I was shocked by how worn out the cabin looked : old cloth seats, stained old-style overhead bins, (very) scratched windows... Headrests were covered with a Spanair logo and a "Member of Star Alliance writing", and I couldn't help thinking that the *A standards were quite low in this particular aircraft, but what else to expect from a 22 years old aircraft ? The worst part was the legroom ! Okay, I had chosen seat 28A, a non-reclining seat in front of a bulkhead, but still, I had NEVER experienced such a poor legroom in an aircraft before. Fortunately, the seat next to me remained empty, allowing me to stretch my legs. Anyway, I was happy to be on a Mad Dog and enjoyed every minute of it.
The poor legroom of seat 28A.
MD-style overhead bins and panel.
Our neighbour, going to some mainland Spain destination.
Another neighbour, an Air Europa 737 in special livery.
The cabin crew, all spanish and a mix of male and female, were professional but certainly not friendly. They did not seem very motivated and did not give any smile at all during the whole flight. They made a manual safety demo in Spanish then in English, with a strong accent, but still easily understandable. Comfort and service-wise, my first experience of the Star Alliance was not very good, but I will refrain from judging an entire network of airlines on just one flight.
When you compare the MD with the likes of 737NG's or A320s, you'll notice obvious differences such as the 2-3 seating arrangement (instead of 3-3), or the old-fashioned overhead bins, air vents, or cabin ceiling panels. But what was in my opinion the biggest difference was the sound of the engines. What a beautiful sound ! As soon as we began taxiing, I noticed the high pitch of the noise. We soon reached the holding point of runway 26R, among 3 Air Berlin and one Niki aircraft (in Vueling livery with a "short term lease to Niki" sticker). Once on the runway, a good amount of power was applied with the brakes still set, producing a superb high-pitched sound, then the brakes were released and we rocketed down the runway. We enjoyed nice views over the resorts east of Palma, then made a right turn leading us over Santa Ponça (where I stayed in... 1986 !) and disappeared in the clouds almost until the final approach.
Holding point of runway 26R. The Vueling/Niki A320 is about to take-off, and we're about to overtake this Air Berlin 737...
Overtaking the AB, ready for take-off.
Airborne ! Nice view on PMI terminal and runway 26L... And the Mad Dog engine !
The resort of Can Pastilla, immediately after take-off.
Not much legroom on this Spanair Mad Dog.
The resort of Santa Ponça. I stayed there in... 1986 !
Cabin of our Mad Dog during the short hop to Barcelona.
The MD wing.
Service on board was non-existent, no complimentary drinks (but that's what we expect in european domestic flights nowadays...), no cabin crew if we wished to order anything... The flight was very short and we soon began our final approach to Barcelona's runway 07L, along the mediterranean coastline. Although it wasn't raining, the weather was grey to say the least, when we touched down and applied reverse thrust to slow down the Mad Dog. We parked on stand 31 (module M3), near another Spanair Mad Dog in full Star Alliance c/s. I found it odd that we entered the terminal on the departures level, mixing with passengers waiting to depart.
Just arrived in Barcelona. A company MD (in Star Alliance livery) is parked next to us.
HB-JZI (I took the photo from this site and resized/clipped it, all credits go to Stefan Welsch)
EC-HOV, the Mad Dog that brought me from Palma.
I found Barcelona airport to be very nice : spatious with LOTS of shops and bars (I did not pass through the check-in area or the security control, so I can't comment on them). It's probably lacking some gate space, but a new terminal is in construction. While I was there, I was asked customer satisfaction questions by some airport staff, meaning the airport is seeking ways to further improve itself. I went to a bar to drink a beer, then to another bar to have a coffee, then I tried to find some place to spot aircraft. I discovered that it is possible to get good views on aircraft at various places, but not to get an entire apron view.
Airside in the nice Barcelona airport.
TAP Portugal A319 departing to Lisbon.
KLM 734 to Amsterdam.
A Spanair A320 with Vodafone advertising.
Empty gate 56 in the dedicated non-Schengen area.
When boarding time came, I went to gate 50, located in module M5, a dedicated non-Schengen part of the terminal with passport control. Boarding was a bit messy, because two queues had to be made, one for each boarding group (A and B). This seems to be the standard procedure with EasyJet, but the problem is that not everybody knew in which group to stand. As I had checked in online, I was part of group A, but the gate agent did not make clear where to stand. After a lot of confusion, I was finally among the last ones to board (through an airbridge), but I fortunately could secure a window seat just behind the second exit row (seat 13F). As many of you on this forum know, EasyJet's Airbus A319's are specially configured with two pairs of overwing exits in order to increase the legal limit of passengers on board.
View from seat 13F of HB-JZI, towards a Speedbird 757.
Although the aircraft was delivered almost four years ago, the cabin was in prime condition, actually one of the best I've seen for a long time, and I thought it was much more classy than the yellowish tones of Ryanair. I sometimes hear (or read) people complaining about the seat pitch on EasyJet, but I found the legroom to be the standard LCC size, nothing worse. The whole crew was very friendly : flight deck crew made several detailed announcements, while the flight attendants (one man and three good-looking swiss girls) were smiling and attentive. But of course, EasyJet is a low cost airline, so nothing is complimentary, but at least passengers are not constantly harassed with the "scratch cards anyone ? Bus tickets ? Perfumes ? Gifts ?" that are routine on Ryanair.
The taxi to runway 07R was very long (17 minutes) : we crossed the active landing runway (07L) much behind the threshold (meaning landing traffic was not interrupted, which gives impressive views on landing aircraft), then passed along the new terminal in construction, to finally reach our departure runway. We made a powerful take-off and the ground quickly disappeared in the overcast skies below us. Our routing for this flight would be BCN - Toulon - the Mont Blanc - GVA. The flight went on uneventful, we landed on Geneva's runway 23 one hour and 11 minutes after taking off, and parked at gate A11, beside a Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-700.
Just arrived at gate 11, beside a RAM 737.
For me, EasyJet was the good surprise of the day ! Again, it's difficult to judge an airline on one single flight, but having an ontime flight, on board an aircraft with a well-maintained cabin and a friendly crew for less than 40 euros is excellent value for money.
Leg 4 : GVA-BRU on Brussels Airlines
Aircraft : Avro RJ-85 Registration : OO-DJK (CN 2271), first delivered to Delta Air Transport on 06-DEC-1995 Departure (sched. / actual) : 21.30 / 21.22 (early !) Arrival (sched. / actual) : 22.50 / 22.40 Seat : 3A / Load factor (estimated) : 10 % in b.flex, 55 % in b.light
OO-DJK (I took the photo from this site and resized/clipped it, all credits go to APS)
As I arrived inside the terminal, I began to feel a bit tired, so I decided to limit the exploration of the airport, and remained airside where I had a look at the various shops : with all the watches and chocolates on sale, it was quite clear I was in Switzerland ! Looking at the monitors, I noticed that the previous Brussels Airlines flight to Brussels had just departed, but as I wanted to find a seat in a quiet place, I went to the A-gates area (after passing a security check). Just as I had found some tranquility near an empty gate, a group of drunk englishmen joined me and began to make a lot of noise, so I went to the monitors which were now showing the assigned gate for my flight to Brussels : A5. I went there and found a quieter atmosphere (passengers waiting for the flight were mainly tired businessmen at the end of their workday).
Boarding began at 21.00, just 10 minutes after arrival of the inbound flight ! Contrary to my other flights earlier that day, I was not the only one who had made use of the online check-in facility. The cabin of the small Avro was a nice surprise : it seemed to have been refurbished (compared to my other SN Avro flights) and was in excellent condition. In particular, the seats (fake-leather) were very comfortable and the legroom was MUCH above the average economy legroom. I thought so much legroom in economy was odd : maybe someone here knows if the cabin was really refurbished, or the exact seat pitch on this particular aircraft ? As always on Brussels Airlines, the flights attendants were attentive, and offered complimentary belgian chocolates to everyone.
The boarding pass I printed at home.
The two rows (10 seats) in front of me were dedicated to b.flex (economy plus) passengers, but only one gentleman was seated there (i.e. a load factor of only 10 %...). Although we left the gate early, a very long taxi to runway 23 meant a slightly late take-off. Flying on the Avro, especially in a 2-3 config instead of 3-3, is always a pleasure, just see this thread :
The remaining of the flight went uneventful, we landed softly on Brussels runway 25L and parked at an airbridge gate on Pier B (non-Schengen flights), 10 minutes ahead of schedule. As I had left my car at CRL in the morning, I ran to the train station on the lowest level of the terminal and found that quite a few trains were still scheduled to depart that night. I didn't have to wait at all and hopped on a train to downtown Brussels. I got off the train at Brussels-Nord station and there the bad part began : I don't remember having seen such a shabby station elsewhere. Okay, I know the station is very animated and reasonably safe during the day, but at night it's a very different matter : tramps, prostitutes and groups of young men kicking on the trash bins, among others. Unfortunately, I had just missed a train to Charleroi and had to wait there for one hour. After sitting on a urine smelling bench in the middle of sleeping drunk tramps for half an hour, I decided that the place did not feel safe at all, and took a train to Brussels-Midi (Zuid) station to spend the remaining half hour. Things there were just slightly better, but at least I was not the only one waiting for the train. Brussels stations at night put the capital of Europe (and of my country, for that matter) at shame...
Here is a pic of the exacty kind of train that took me back home.
Inside the train to Charleroi, I was alone in my car with an evident drug addict who insisted to talk with me for the last half of the journey, fortunately without being aggressive, although he talked incoherently. When the inspector came to control the tickets, he was escorted by several cops, because the last Brussels-Charleroi train is well-known in Belgium for being dangerous to inspectors (this was the very reason for some recent strikes...). In Charleroi, I made my best to get rid of the drug addict and took a taxi for the short ride back home.
Conclusions
Ryanair
Price : always the cheapest if booked well in advance. In my case, a ridiculously low fare (1 cent !), but it was a special offer. On-time performance : excellent, it was my 25th flight with them, and I remember only 2 small delays (oh, and a diversion due to fog at CRL once). Aircraft : reasonably comfortable fake-leather seats. Standard 32 inches pitch. No seat reclining, no seat pocket, fixed safety card in front of your eyes. Completely tasteless yellowish decoration of the cabin (overhead bins, bulkheads and seat tops) and avertisement on the bins. Cabin crew : nothing really bad, just (except a few individuals) a total lack of class (and as I wrote, that's based on 25 flights), but the job of selling lottery cards and bus tickets doesn't sound too glamorous either... Service : buy on board (and also before boarding... After all, you did not pay much for the flight, did you ?). Need I say more ? Airports : secondary airports. But when you want to visit the italian lakes area, Bergamo is more convenient than Linate. And when you live 5 minutes from the terminal (like me...), CRL is more convenient than BRU.
Air Berlin
Price : the most expensive of all my flights today. At almost 100 euros one-way, you're not exactly low fares anymore. Still not too bad. On-time performance : when you depart and arrive ahead of schedule, you're more than on-time. Aircraft : worn-out cabin but still comfortable (I was not on their newest machine). Drop-down LCD screens with a very nice airshow showing maps, satellite views and virtual views (cockpit, lateral, ...). Cabin crew : professionnal, but lacking some warmth. Service : the airline that calls itself a low cost airline, while offering complementary drinks and sandwiches, and a frequent flyer programme. Add to that a huge basket of sweets at the door and a free Focus magazine (in German only) and I think you've got something different. Airports : hubs in NUE and PMI, and a mix of mainly primary and some secondary destinations.
Spanair
Price : very cheap in my case, but the flight was short. On-time performance : perfect ! Aircraft : I broke my personal record for lack of legroom. Shabby cabin in this 22 years old machine. Cabin crew : do they teach their cabin crew to smile at JK ? Service : what service ? Hopefully the Star Alliance has more than this to offer ? Airports : main airports only. Well established on the spanish market.
EasyJet (Switzerland)
Price : very cheap. On-time performance : right on time at the end of the day. Aircraft : seat comfort was standard. Cabin state was above standard for a 4 years old plane. Cabin crew : never seen such a friendly crew on a LCC. Service : nothing is for free, but you're not constantly harassed to buy something. Airports : the LCC that lands at main airports.
Brussels Airlines
Price : surprisingly cheap. Very cheap... The very same price as a return ticket Charleroi-Antwerp by train. On-time performance : departed early, arrived early. Aircraft : was the cabin refurbished ? It was better Cabin crew : friendly, like always on Brussels Airlines. Service : I usually travel in b.flex (economy plus) where the service is excellent. The b.light service is that of a LCC, with a complimentary belgian chocolate and flight attendants that don't treat you like sh*t. Brussels Airlines... Flying your way (as they say). Airports : main european airports with a hub at BRU (as you could tell with their name...), and a handful of long-haul destinations.
Thank you for taking the time to read this report. Feel free to comment or correct anything.
MarioSPlane From Brazil, joined Mar 2007, 113 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 10654 times:
First class report, congratulations. I wish I could find a nice routing with this kind of fares and reliability here in Brazil. I would definitaly try this kind of fun in a day off.
UK_Dispatcher From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2001, 2228 posts, RR: 32 Reply 2, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 10609 times:
Nice report which I very much enjoyed reading. Sounded like a great day.
Sketty222 From United Kingdom (England), joined Mar 2006, 1496 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 10153 times:
This is a fantastic TR that you should be proud of!
Its well written with some brilliant photos and you managed to do the thing that most people on here want to do.
Fly 5 flights on 5 different airlines in 1 day
StarAlliance38 From United States, joined Jan 2008, 1160 posts, RR: 2 Reply 5, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 10136 times:
Cool TR! I would love to live in Europe because there are so many airlines!
I have a contact at Spanair in Palma and I've always wondered since Spanair is headquartered in Palma, how come Air Berlin is the largest carrier lol
BrusselsSouth From Belgium, joined Aug 2001, 355 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 9946 times:
Thanks for all your comments so far. As English is not my primary language, I'm never too sure whether my writing does not contain too much errors, but I'm glad you appreciate it.
I guess I mixed things up a bit when adding the photos to the report. Following are the missing photos :
This should have been the very long walk through the C concourse at PMI :
And this is my ride to Barcelona arriving at gate at PMI :
Here we are overtaking an AB 737 waiting to take-off at PMI :
And finally, this looks more like my ride from GVA to BRU than the EasyJet A319. Again, all due credit to APS as I took his/her picture from this site and clipped/resized it :
Glad that you enjoy my report as much as I enjoyed writing it (but not as much as I enjoyed flying...)
FLIEGER67 From Turkey, joined Sep 2003, 2119 posts, RR: 49 Reply 7, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 9614 times:
Hello, Francois,
for sure, I´ve enjoyed your story, thanx for posting.
I like these days, flying around, experience something new in terms of countries, airports, aircrafts, airlines, routings
or else.
And five in one day is for sure not a bad result.
Greetings,
Markus (FLIEGER67)
Next: 22.-23.11.2009 Three legs around AYT and SAW
Airbuseric From Netherlands, joined Jan 2005, 1902 posts, RR: 19 Reply 8, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 9570 times:
Hi
nice idea, I do it quite often myself, to fly around a bit for the day Nice routing, and you're lucky to live close to either CRL and BRU, so you can opt for both airports to start and finish your day!
Quoting BrusselsSouth (Thread starter): Price : always the cheapest if booked well in advance. In my case, a ridiculously low fare (1 cent !), but it was a special offer.
Plus the usual creditcard fee for each flight I guess
Price : the most expensive of all my flights today. At almost 100 euros one-way, you're not exactly low fares anymore.
I think BGY-PMI isn't flown by many carriers, so AB doesn't face many competition here, which might let them decide to reduce the number of 'cheap' seats.
Price : very cheap in my case, but the flight was short.
Cabin crew : do they teach their cabin crew to smile at JK ?
Service : what service ? Hopefully the Star Alliance has more than this to offer ?
Hmm,... had one very friendly experience on a longer flight (BIO-BCN), MD83, one with a standard - non smiling - crew (BCN-PMI). But, with about 20 minutes airborne time, you won't see the crew that much.
Service? On this short flight for this fare? I think you got handout of sweets (I got them both times when I flew JK). Anyway, service on JK's domestic economy class is always not included, and if you want something you've to pay for it.
Quoting BrusselsSouth (Thread starter): In particular, the seats (fake-leather) were very comfortable and the legroom was MUCH above the average economy legroom.
Probably because you're seated in row 3, which might be used for their b.flex/alias Business Class as well, hence the more legroom. Seating further in the back might result in reduced pitch, from my personal experience and knowledge
btw, legroom on many European carriers (KL, AF, LH, EI etc.) in Y isn't that much different then e.g. on FR or U2.
Thanks for the good pics!
Eric
October no flights... Next: Nov'09 AMS-ZRH-IST v.v. on SWISS Business
BrusselsSouth From Belgium, joined Aug 2001, 355 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 9473 times:
Quoting Airbuseric (Reply 8):
Quoting BrusselsSouth (Thread starter):
Price : always the cheapest if booked well in advance. In my case, a ridiculously low fare (1 cent !), but it was a special offer.
Plus the usual creditcard fee for each flight I guess
That's what I thought also, but to my surprise, no ! I paid 1 cent, all inclusive !
Quoting Airbuseric (Reply 8): Hmm,... had one very friendly experience on a longer flight (BIO-BCN), MD83, one with a standard - non smiling - crew (BCN-PMI). But, with about 20 minutes airborne time, you won't see the crew that much.
Service? On this short flight for this fare? I think you got handout of sweets (I got them both times when I flew JK). Anyway, service on JK's domestic economy class is always not included, and if you want something you've to pay for it.
I understand there's nothing to expect on such a short flight (a domestic one for that matter) and I'm fine with that. It's just that the crew gave me a general impression of demotivation. Again, as I wrote, it's not possible to judge the whole company on one flight, but I've been on a very short inter-island flight in the Canary Islands (with Binter) where the crew seemed to enjoy the job (and they offered sweets and chocolates during the flight).
Quoting Airbuseric (Reply 8): Quoting BrusselsSouth (Thread starter):
In particular, the seats (fake-leather) were very comfortable and the legroom was MUCH above the average economy legroom.
Probably because you're seated in row 3, which might be used for their b.flex/alias Business Class as well, hence the more legroom. Seating further in the back might result in reduced pitch, from my personal experience and knowledge
btw, legroom on many European carriers (KL, AF, LH, EI etc.) in Y isn't that much different then e.g. on FR or U2.
I hear you. However, I'm used to flying in b.flex (on the Avros, 737s and A319s) and have never enjoyed such a generous legroom. The seats were definitely different from other SN Avros I've been on, also width-wise. B.flex seats are supposed to be the same as b.light ones, only the level of service is different.
SandroZRH From Switzerland, joined Feb 2007, 3028 posts, RR: 50 Reply 10, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 9406 times:
Superb TR, very well written and nice pics to accompany the text.
Indeed a most interesting trip and a great way to spend a day off. I did a similiar trip in summer doing eight flights within three days, four of them on the second day. I flew on Spanair in summer (well AeBal actually) on the 717 and found them to be a lot better than what you experienced, and believe me, this is certainly not Star Alliance standard
Mexicana757 From United States, joined Apr 2001, 2309 posts, RR: 17 Reply 11, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 9405 times:
Excellent trip report. Very detailed and enjoyed reading it. The pictures of BCN brought back memories when was there three years ago. Great pictures too!
PlaneHunter From Germany, joined Mar 2006, 3144 posts, RR: 71 Reply 12, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 9381 times:
Very interesting trip report, I really enjoyed reading.
Quoting BrusselsSouth (Thread starter): As the day approached, a small but still perceptible doubt began to invade my mind : would I be able to take all those flights in one day ? What if one of them is late ? Obviously, as those are mainly LCC's they wouldn't reallocate me on another flight for free. When I went to bed on the night of February 24th, I had finally decided that the "risk" was part of the fun... With 2 credit cards and 2 days off from work, I should be able to arrange an alternative return home, should things get out of control...
Five flights on five airlines on one day is definitely an achievement - I once had four flights on four carriers on one day (LH, X3, 4U, DI). Of course it's risky - if anything goes wrong, you're screwed. But no risk no fun...
Quoting BrusselsSouth (Thread starter): The cabin looked worn out : the grey fabric seats and the white headrest covers had seen better days, and the overhead bins and fuselage panels were showing signs of age,
The new interiors with slimline seats are quite comfortable.
Quoting BrusselsSouth (Thread starter): Once on board, I was shocked by how worn out the cabin looked : old cloth seats, stained old-style overhead bins, (very) scratched windows... Headrests were covered with a Spanair logo and a "Member of Star Alliance writing", and I couldn't help thinking that the *A standards were quite low in this particular aircraft, but what else to expect from a 22 years old aircraft ? The worst part was the legroom ! Okay, I had chosen seat 28A, a non-reclining seat in front of a bulkhead, but still, I had NEVER experienced such a poor legroom in an aircraft before. Fortunately, the seat next to me remained empty, allowing me to stretch my legs. Anyway, I was happy to be on a Mad Dog and enjoyed every minute of it.
Quoting BrusselsSouth (Thread starter): Service on board was non-existent, no complimentary drinks (but that's what we expect in european domestic flights nowadays...), no cabin crew if we wished to order anything...
No surprise - flying Spanair was absolutely disappointing last year. While I had an exit row on the MD-83, seat pitch was ridiculous on the A320 and A321. I had similar crews and non-existant service on the longer domestic legs to/from Arrecife. The international flight was much better than the others. But JK isn't a good embassador for the Star Alliance. If you're interested in the reports:
Quoting BrusselsSouth (Thread starter): In particular, the seats (fake-leather) were very comfortable and the legroom was MUCH above the average economy legroom. I thought so much legroom in economy was odd : maybe someone here knows if the cabin was really refurbished, or the exact seat pitch on this particular aircraft ?
Interestingly, I flew on OO-DJK in 2006 and seating comfort was disappointing - very narrow seats and fixed armrests.
DALCE From Netherlands, joined Feb 2007, 1220 posts, RR: 16 Reply 16, posted (1 year 8 months 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 8588 times:
Hi Francois!
What a nice read! You really must have had a tremendous day out in the clouds!
It took a bit of time to read, but it was worth every minute! I loved your report, also due to the high quality pictures you've added!
Amazing to get a FR ticket at just 0,01 euro, crazy! But that is a price we enthousiasts can live with!
Thanks for sharing your trip experiences!
Keep up the good work!
Cheers,
Joost ( D-ALCE )
flown on : F50,F70,CR1,CR2,CR9,E75,143,AR8,733,735,736,73G,738,753,744,319,320,321,AB6. Next flights AMS-CFU-AMS with OR
Reifel From Germany, joined Feb 2005, 224 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (1 year 8 months 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 8427 times:
Great Report! I really enjoyed reading it. It's strange that AB makes announcements in German on a BGY-PMI-leg, which would hardly never carry any German speaking pax But indeed, PMI is AB-Land... When all German flights are coming in and they're all continuing to several Spanish and Portguese cities, PMI gets really crowded for max. 90 Minutes, as everyone is connecing. But it seems to work fine...
It does not surprise me that there is no service on PMI-BCN. On AB - they always serve food - they litteraly throw a paper bag with a small Vittel bottle and a sandwich at you, at least to get the service done in time
You're SN experience sounds great. I need to give them a try. Preferably to Tempelhof before it closes...
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Nice routing, and you're lucky to live close to either CRL and BRU, so you can opt for both airports to start and finish your day!
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