abrelosojos From Venezuela, joined May 2005, 4918 posts, RR: 55 Posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 7459 times:
Feedback always appreciated.
I > Background:
The life of a consultant involves being away from home quite a lot - however, one of the perks is to be able to go to "random" places during weekends near "engagement" sites. In April 2011, I was working in Frankfurt on a Star Alliance project and since Frankfurt was suffering through some depressing weather, I decided to do a weekend trip to the island nation of Malta.
There has been several reports on Air Malta, but I believe this may be the first one on MLA-FRA? Perhaps our resident KM expert, > can clarify?
II > Pre-Flight:
a) Before Airport:
Air Malta is the national airline of Malta, headquartered in Luqa. It operates services to around 36 destinations in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. A traditional destination carrier, Air Malta has struggled recently with the influx of no-frill competition from its main tourist-sending markets of Europe (particularly, U.K.), and the presence of large Mid-East carriers such as Emirates who have choked off any access to the emerging markets.
Air Malta's website at http://www.airmalta.com was my first stop and it left me pretty happy. It has a clean design and was a breeze to use. Within a few minutes, I had my FRA-MLA-FRA ticket - after some well placed upselling attempts and a fee-based seat selection mechanism - though, a little amusing that the fee for exit row and regular seats were both 10 Euros. Finally, as any website should have, full access to viewing the reservation, but no ability to modify the same. This is fine with me as the later happens at a much later date in any airline's life.
b) At Airport:
I have to be honest - I was a little apprehensive about visiting Malta. Several colleagues in Caracas had told me of horror stories about racism, and my simple Google search on "racism Malta" returned several tales of horror. Moreover, my copy of the Lonely Planet for Malta had a whole page on racism in the country. This is rare, and I was a little uneasy paying money in a country with such a track record. As a white man, I wasn't nervous about myself - but had no desire to support such a country. In the end, I was swayed by a crazy Indian friend who decided to join me from Delhi for a quick 3 day weekend.
Anyways, I must report I was pleasantly impressed and glad I went. Everyone was superbly nice and I really enjoyed Malta's unique combination of sun and culture. It was very different than Cyprus which was not my liking - obnoxious locals coupled with really tacky tourists. My extremely well traveled Indian friend also noted that he did not feel any weird looks like he consistently got in Cyprus and was also pleasantly surprised. Maybe, if I was black, I would feel differently?
So all good quick vacations must come to an end, and I soon arrived at Malta's airport. After giving up the rental car, I entered the very 1980's style terminal and walked to one of the several KM check-in desks. Like in the 1980's, there are dedicated desks for each destination, and I went to the one for Frankfurt. The lady at the desk was not having a good day and was yelling at the passenger in front of me that his hang baggage was overweight and it was not her fault that he did not fly often! Seriously?! Can someone remind her that it is attitude like hers that prevent airline loyalty? Anyways, after a good 10 minute of that drama, and aforementioned man having to check his luggage, I was summoned. During the entire check-in process, the lady did not look at me once ... except when I said, "no luggage". Then she looked up, and asked me to show my hang-bag. I think she was taken aback at how lightly I travel, and went back to her computer and issued me a boarding pass.
In the meantime, my Indian friend (who was returning on LH: MLA-FRA-MUC-DEL in JCL) had already checked-in and was wondering what was up. Since our flights were together, we decided to have lunch where my Indian friend was super amused seeing one of the food chains. See picture below. Quick security later, we explored the basic terminal prior to going to the boarding gate. Boarding through the tarmac is always fun and I was greeted at the door by a smiling KM FA. J load was around 60%, and Y load was 90%.
Airport - External:
(Malta Airport)
*
Check-in:
Airport - Internal:
*
(What got my Indian friend all amused)
(FIDS)
*
(Post Security @ MLA)
*
Scenes of the tarmac:
NONE
Lounge
NONE
Boarding:
(Gate Area)
III> In-Flight:
a) Service Schedule + Impressions:
This is Economy class on a type of route that mostly competes with LCC's ... so my hopes were not too high. In the end, surprisingly, service delivery involved a drink and lunch service after take-off, and sweets prior to landing.
b) Aircraft + Seats:
Air Malta uses the Airbus A-320 for its Frankfurt rotation, though I am told that the smaller 319 often replaces it. This particular aircraft was well kept and I thought KM's simple cheat lines looked smart. I am not a huge fan of Euro-white, so anything that spruces it up is welcome. Inside the KM 320, we find relatively comfortable leather seats. With a lot of padding, they are significantly more comfortable than the slim-line Recaro seats that Lufthansa has on this route. Recline was generous as well ... though, I will never understand the point of the coat hook this YCL seats have. Does anyone actually use it? The only drawback of the seats were the extremely tight pitch. I reckon it was around 30". Does anyone have the right statistic?
The bathroom was spotless ... without any amenities however.
(One of the rare pictures on A.Net with me in it - let's see if you can spot? Hehe.)
*
(Blanket ++)
NONE
(Bathroom)
NONE
c) Meal + Beverage:
This is where the first surprise of the flight occurred. Given the pseudo LCC nature of KM, I did not really expect there to be significant catering ... especially given the relatively short stage length of the flight. Imagine my surprise when service consisted of a full beverage service with a glass of wine. Choice of meals included either the pasta or a burger along with some incredibly fresh fruit, a nice piece of pre-packaged cake, and a rather indifferent cake. I am almost always surprised by these type of offerings on intra-Europe legs, and so this was a treat. Accompanying the meal was a nice cup of tea. Entire service served with a smile.
Prior to landing, the crew member came by with some sweets.
(Lunch)
*
(Lunch - other option)
*
(Tea)
d) Inflight Entertainment:
As with many airlines plying such routes, Air Malta's IFE consisted of the drop-down screens that played some "random" cartoon. Throughout the entire flight, I could not figure out if it was a movie or a set of TV shows. Besides the video entertainment, KM also had a rather informative in-flight magazine called "SkyLife".
(IFE Screen)
*
(Controls)
(“In-flight magazines”, Boarding Passes, etc.: I found some old KM timetables ... and the random AH jacket given to me by the KM airport office in MLA. Didn't even know AH flew there!)
e) Crew:
This was the other big pleasant surprise of my flight. The crew on the Air Malta flight were really nice and generous people. Upon boarding, they welcomed us with a genuine smile and were helping several of the older passengers with their bags. During the meal service, they were nice and served with a smile. I asked for a sweetner for my tea and the crew did not have any. He asked me to wait and searched the entire aircraft for the same. Then, he said: "let me get you another cup of tea as I am sure the one I served you is cold by now". . COOL!
After meal service, I went to use the bathroom - and had a funny exchange with another crew member. The Indian friend came out of the bathroom and I snapped a picture of him. The crew member without missing a heartbeat said, "Isn't it better to snap the picture inside?". I said, "aah ... you have a lot of experience" ... she said, "oh, the stories I could tell." Haha. All in good humor and speaking of members who clearly seem to enjoy their job.
At landing, they wished me good-bye and requested that we stay out of trouble. Not bad!
IV> Post-Flight:
Landing in FRA was flawless, but I am getting a little tired of these bus-gates. It took a good 30 minutes to reach landside - what really happened to German efficiency when FRA was created is beyond me.
V> Impressions + Scores:
I was positively surprised by Air Malta. What was a mundane 2,45 hour flight intra-Europe turned out much better than I anticipated. While a lot of things were rather average (seats, IFE, etc.), the meal service was generous for an European airline and most importantly offered by a tremendously generous set of crew. It even made me forget the hostile airline worker at MLA.
I truly hope Air Malta survives the current state of crisis it is in. It has served as in important link for Malta and would be a tremendous blow to the national economy. KM would never have registered on my radar to check out - but from now on, I will go and check their website to see prices. I would definitely fly them again. Overall, a thumps up.
(Note on Codes: Y – Economy, J – Business, F – First :: I/D – International/Domestic :: SR/MR/LR – Short/Medium/Long Haul)
(Note on Date: Dates are modified to be +/- 3 days from actual flight date to not reveal actual flight pattern)
LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Reply 3, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 7102 times:
Hi Alex, nice report!
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): after some well placed upselling attempts and a fee-based seat selection mechanism
Interesting. So you weren't able to buy yourself a cash-up to Business? I think they sell them for €50 which is really a good deal.
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): Moreover, my copy of the Lonely Planet for Malta had a whole page on racism in the country.
Ouch, that doesn't sound good at all. Perhaps they have some nasty preconceived notions about the arabs? Was thinking of going there, but maybe I'll let it pass. Such a shame though since the LH fares were really cheap, and so were the hotels
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): Like in the 1980's, there are dedicated desks for each destination, and I went to the one for Frankfurt.
Oh please, Alex you make this SSCI OLCI Baggage drop outsourcing sound like it's been going on for ages. To me it's still a new thing, but I always prefer to have the check-in done manually, just for fun
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): I think she was taken aback at how lightly I travel, and went back to her computer and issued me a boarding pass.
Well there's nothing wrong about traveling light. I only fly with my camera backpack. Although if I was told to check it in, I would go drama for sure! On to the question: I really think they should look over the attitude of their check-in staff, but then again for Economy = if you pay nothing you get nothing.
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): In the meantime, my Indian friend (who was returning on LH: MLA-FRA-MUC-DEL in JCL)
I was pretty sure that you would write some pitiful comment about that. It's funny how you no longer mention AF as the benchmark
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): (One of the rare pictures on A.Net with me in it - let's see if you can spot? Hehe.)
Hmm, remember the last one being back in -08 or -09 on that B717 in some Caribbean island. So I'm guessing you're the man with the Beats in-ear headphones?
Catering does indeed look generous. But then again don't LH also serve a similar hot meal on that route, so maybe it's a way to compete with them.
All in all, seems like you had a great experience on Air Malta. Really nice to see those proper full-service carriers still out there. Somehow the airline seems to have a slight retro feel to it, at least judging the things you described in the report *cough*check-in*cough*.
Thanks for sharing!
//Jonas
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
reifel From Germany, joined Feb 2005, 1135 posts, RR: 1 Reply 4, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 7088 times:
Thanks Alex for this nice report!
While I found Malta pleasant, I didn't really liked it. The whole place seems not well kept, especially roads... I don't want to offend anyone, I'm sure people there a nice, but I was shocked by the amount of garbage around...
Nevertheless it's for sure a nice break from cold Frankfurt in the winter.
abrelosojos From Venezuela, joined May 2005, 4918 posts, RR: 55 Reply 5, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 7041 times:
Quoting SR4ever (Reply 1): Nice report as usual Abrelosojos, and yes, KM offers a pretty good service in Y by European standards.
= Most definitely. I wonder if they will be able to continue providing this kind of service.
Quoting SR4ever (Reply 1): I had an Autumn break myself in Malta in early-November, and LH in J was somehow disappointing.
= Where did you go? Why was J disappointing in LH?
Quoting Avianca (Reply 2): great report as usual my friend!
= Thanks friend.
Quoting Avianca (Reply 2): my parents went to Malta and they really liked it, also they travelled a lot around the world they said that Malta is a very special and nice place!
= Where did they go in Malta?
Quoting Avianca (Reply 2):
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter):
(What got my Indian friend all amused)
a good one!
= You got it .
Quoting Avianca (Reply 2): you have to give us a hint! maybe the unshaved guy in the front left?
= You will have to wait for a few minutes until our meeting .
Quoting Avianca (Reply 2): cheers and thanks for a great report as usual, really looking forward for travel togehter within this year a exotic routing!
avianca
= Absolutely. I have you email to catch up on - this weather in my one weekend in Caracas is getting on my nerves.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 3):
Interesting. So you weren't able to buy yourself a cash-up to Business? I think they sell them for €50 which is really a good deal.
= Jonas! What?! Seriously? I was not offered it.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 3):
Ouch, that doesn't sound good at all. Perhaps they have some nasty preconceived notions about the arabs? Was thinking of going there, but maybe I'll let it pass. Such a shame though since the LH fares were really cheap, and so were the hotels
= You should go and form your own judgements.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 3): Oh please, Alex you make this SSCI OLCI Baggage drop outsourcing sound like it's been going on for ages. To me it's still a new thing, but I always prefer to have the check-in done manually, just for fun
= Fair enough ... but hey, the way you use fish-eye lenses, it is like they have been there forever ... besides, I was more referring to having different counters for each flight and not one for all.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 3): Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter):
In the meantime, my Indian friend (who was returning on LH: MLA-FRA-MUC-DEL in JCL)
I was pretty sure that you would write some pitiful comment about that. It's funny how you no longer mention AF as the benchmark
= Haha. I should stop busting LH ... to be fair to them, they get you from place to place (mostly) efficiently and on-time. Their YCL product has improved tremendously, and some of their lounges in FRA actually look inviting. I have a TON of friend in LH upper management and they are always amused by my tirade after each flight in JCL though. I do think their JCL product is uncompetitive and meals miserly.
I no longer mention AF because it is a basket-case of an airline that should not even be considered one ... LH is a good airline, a great company, and my complaints are meant to make it better! Happy?
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 3): Hmm, remember the last one being back in -08 or -09 on that B717 in some Caribbean island. So I'm guessing you're the man with the Beats in-ear headphones?
= Hmmm ...
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 3):
Catering does indeed look generous. But then again don't LH also serve a similar hot meal on that route, so maybe it's a way to compete with them.
= Does it?
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 3): All in all, seems like you had a great experience on Air Malta. Really nice to see those proper full-service carriers still out there. Somehow the airline seems to have a slight retro feel to it, at least judging the things you described in the report *cough*check-in*cough*.
Thanks for sharing!
//Jonas
= Absolutely. I thought it was great . Besides, were you even born during these retro years ?
Quoting reifel (Reply 4): Thanks Alex for this nice report!
While I found Malta pleasant, I didn't really liked it. The whole place seems not well kept, especially roads... I don't want to offend anyone, I'm sure people there a nice, but I was shocked by the amount of garbage around...
Nevertheless it's for sure a nice break from cold Frankfurt in the winter.
= . I can understand that - it definitely had a garbage problem. BUT, I LOVE grungy cities and so I guess it never bothered me. BTW, I am in FRA soon. We should meet.
stipica From Croatia, joined Feb 2011, 398 posts, RR: 8 Reply 6, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 6972 times:
Hi A !
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): One of the rare pictures on A.Net with me in it - let's see if you can spot? Hehe.
you are joking with us ...hehehhe... a lot of distracting situations ...
photo of the last row leads to the man in azzurro shirt - D seat ...
or legroom photos shows that you are sitting on the A side so tall fellow next to the window
or standing guy at the end of the aisle waiting for toilet
Avianca suggestion is too obvious and indicates that it can be anyone when we take everything into account
Hmmmm I didn't know that you already have a pictures on A.Net hmmm
gentleman in a Hawaiian shirt from BG flight ... hmmm ... or gentlemen with mustaches from 8U hmm but they are too old ... or tall snoring guy in C seat with visible knee ...hmmm but Avianca probably knows you ... hmmm
I vote for snoring guy
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): I was swayed by a crazy Indian friend who decided to join me from Delhi for a quick 3 day weekend.
wow this is called the weekend ...
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): I will never understand the point of the coat hook this YCL seats have. Does anyone actually use it?
yes I do ... only a light jacket or sweater... but I agree , not very practical
ok mystical man ...as always nice read ...stipica
LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Reply 7, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 6964 times:
Quoting abrelosojos (Reply 5): = Jonas! What?! Seriously? I was not offered it.
Yeah, they offered it some time ago I'm sure they still have them. Must likely be a result of the airline's poor financial state. Maybe it had to be done over the phone. There's a report on it as well, can't seem to find it but the service looked great.
Quoting abrelosojos (Reply 5): . LH is a good airline, a great company, and my complaints are meant to make it better! Happy?
Fully agree. I think criticism should always be constructive, it's what propels man to make better efforts in the future.
Quoting abrelosojos (Reply 5): = Absolutely. I thought it was great . Besides, were you even born during these retro years ?
Oh yes. Flew a lot as a kid with my parents back in the 90s, every summer to Casablanca to visit family. We always flew KLM, Air France or Lufthansa. It's funny back in those days when the tickets were issued on paper and sent to the mailbox literally, we even had a ticket guy do our bookings. And the cheapest Y fares always had one free re-booking included in the price, took advantage of that a LOT. Saying goodbye wasn't always the easiest thing.
Check-in was done over a proper counter, and the BP's had to go through those funny machines at boarding. Service was always fantastic, full hot meals even on the 2-hr EU sectors. Got a shock the first time I was served a trattoria on KLM 10 years ago, around the same time we stopped flying them since they pulled the CMN route.
Of course back then CDG was even a bigger mess then it is today. That place was really hell before 2F was built, oh the pigeons and the dodgy busses! Frankfurt however was a serenade of flawless efficiency, much like the rest of Germany is today. It's funny how I remember those things like they were yesterday, maybe it's how I often wish things could go back like they used to be.
//Jonas
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
burj From United States of America, joined Nov 2007, 839 posts, RR: 4 Reply 8, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 6860 times:
Wow! As always a very cool trip report!
I LOVE the photo for "Indian Food" showing the Pakistani flag! I guess that is just karma for all the times people have assumed Pakistani people are Indian...
You are totally going to have to tell which one you are...from the various pictures it is hard to figure where exactly you are sitting on the plane....but if I had to guess I would go with the guy with the short brown hair in the window seat....who is on the far right side of the photo....
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 9, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 6613 times:
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): Choice of meals included either the pasta or a burger along with some incredibly fresh fruit, a nice piece of pre-packaged cake, and a rather indifferent cake
A choice of hot meals in Y shorthual in Europe! Wow, very impressive!
PlaneHunter From Germany, joined Mar 2006, 6191 posts, RR: 79 Reply 10, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 6516 times:
Hi Alex,
nice report as usual! I'm surprised you travelled in Y Class this time. KM's product looks good, I really should try that carrier soon.
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): One of the rare pictures on A.Net with me in it - let's see if you can spot? Hehe.
So who took the picture? Your friend? Or do you refer to the reflection in one passenger's glasses?
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): This is where the first surprise of the flight occurred. Given the pseudo LCC nature of KM, I did not really expect there to be significant catering ... especially given the relatively short stage length of the flight. Imagine my surprise when service consisted of a full beverage service with a glass of wine. Choice of meals included either the pasta or a burger along with some incredibly fresh fruit, a nice piece of pre-packaged cake, and a rather indifferent cake. I am almost always surprised by these type of offerings on intra-Europe legs, and so this was a treat. Accompanying the meal was a nice cup of tea. Entire service served with a smile.
SR4ever From Luxembourg, joined Mar 2010, 766 posts, RR: 1 Reply 11, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 6496 times:
Quoting abrelosojos (Reply 5): Where did you go? Why was J disappointing in LH?
I focused on Valetta and the 3 Cities, as this was a 3-day break.
LH was disappointing as to:
- Lounges (Schengen) in MUC and even more in FRA
- on-board food: small servings, and service on MLA-FRA exactely the same as MUC-MLA, even though the former falls in a higher time bracket...
ba319-131 From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 8267 posts, RR: 56 Reply 12, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 6354 times:
Hi Alex,
Good read as usual, thanks.
I have to say this is the best KM TR I think I can recall reading, most of them in the past seem to have shed light on a carrier with poor service and crummy staff, what a difference you saw!
Malta is on my list of places to visit for a long weekend, I'll keep an eye on fares and look forward to experiencing KM for myself!
Knightsofmalta From Malta, joined Nov 2005, 1419 posts, RR: 17 Reply 13, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 6165 times:
Hi A.
So you did visit Malta after all. I've been wondering if or when you'd post your report. Good to see Air Malta gave you a good experience. On flights from Zurich they only serve a cold meal but even then there are usually two options.
As for trying to identify you, I think I must agree with PlaneHunter in that you're probably visible in the glasses of the guy with the moustaches. If I'm not mistaken you were seated on the A seat of the row in front. Correct?
EL-AL From Israel, joined Oct 2001, 1123 posts, RR: 5 Reply 14, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 6034 times:
Hey Alex,
Thank you for (another) interesting and well written report.
Regarding KM, I got the feeling that something isn't working right there. Yes the plane is new and they serve nice meals, but the package all together wasn't working well for me, at least when I flew them in sep 2010.
globalflyer From United States of America, joined Dec 2005, 807 posts, RR: 2 Reply 15, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 6015 times:
Hi Alex...as always a great report! MLA looks like a great city with views. Yes the KM offering does look nice. I noticed that the KM timetable is dated 1999??? Were those really at the airport or just from your collection? Cool that you were on a project with Star Alliance. I have been doing that as well! Cheers, Will
Landing on every Continent almost on an annual basis!
eastafspot From France, joined Jan 2008, 473 posts, RR: 4 Reply 16, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 5858 times:
With no surprise, this report was definitely enjoyable. Overall KM looks fine
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): (One of the rare pictures on A.Net with me in it - let's see if you can spot? Hehe.)
What a funny game... will you tell us some day?
As you cleverly show pictures from ramdom seating, my bet goes for the guy with the glasses and a Ralph Lauren stripped jumper... but that looks too easy though
Fly with Air Burundi, Air Tanzania, Air Uganda, Kenya Airways and Rwandair...Jumuiya ya Afrika mashariki
debonair From Germany, joined Jan 2004, 2098 posts, RR: 4 Reply 17, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 5803 times:
Nice TR...
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): a little amusing that the fee for exit row and regular seats were both 10 Euros.
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): The only drawback of the seats were the extremely tight pitch. I reckon it was around 30". Does anyone have the right statistic?
As I am working for KM I had a look at their GOM-Ground Operation manual...
EXIT-row seat and ClubClass (BusinessClass) seats (Economy service only) will be now sold for 25€ ow, exception full load (FOC).
Seat pitch, depends on a/c registration, in general 30'':
A319 with ClubClass: row 10 35'', ClubClass 33''
A320 Y168 or with Club Class: row 11 35'', ClubClass and row 12 33''
A320 Y180: row 12 34'', row 13 33''
The777Man From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 6088 posts, RR: 56 Reply 18, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 5634 times:
Hi Alex !
Very nice report on not so much covered airline here.
I agree that KM looks very good especially the meal service looks very good for a European flight. Nice with such friendly flight attendants as well. I need to go to Malta soon.....
Looking forward to your next report!
The777Man
Need a Boeing 777 Firing Order....Further to fly....GA, T5, CI and LX 777s
abrelosojos From Venezuela, joined May 2005, 4918 posts, RR: 55 Reply 19, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 5470 times:
Quoting stipica (Reply 6): you are joking with us ...hehehhe... a lot of distracting situations ...
photo of the last row leads to the man in azzurro shirt - D seat ...
or legroom photos shows that you are sitting on the A side so tall fellow next to the window
or standing guy at the end of the aisle waiting for toilet
Avianca suggestion is too obvious and indicates that it can be anyone when we take everything into account
Hmmmm I didn't know that you already have a pictures on A.Net hmmm
gentleman in a Hawaiian shirt from BG flight ... hmmm ... or gentlemen with mustaches from 8U hmm but they are too old ... or tall snoring guy in C seat with visible knee ...hmmm but Avianca probably knows you ... hmmm
I vote for snoring guy
= I had to really look to see who the guy at the very end was ... and nope . I am disappointed at the other options you have offered ... maybe, you should stick to being a seat expert ...
Quoting stipica (Reply 6):
wow this is called the weekend ...
= This Indian friend is crazy. He went round the world once for 4 days.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 7): Yeah, they offered it some time ago I'm sure they still have them. Must likely be a result of the airline's poor financial state. Maybe it had to be done over the phone. There's a report on it as well, can't seem to find it but the service looked great.
= Now I am curious. Do you recall what sector the report was on?
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 7): Oh yes. Flew a lot as a kid with my parents back in the 90s,
= Thanks for making me feel old!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 7): Of course back then CDG was even a bigger mess then it is today. That place was really hell before 2F was built, oh the pigeons and the dodgy busses! Frankfurt however was a serenade of flawless efficiency, much like the rest of Germany is today. It's funny how I remember those things like they were yesterday, maybe it's how I often wish things could go back like they used to be.
//Jonas
= Jonas, FRA by NO means is a "serenade of flawless efficiency" ... btw, you should become a writer with language like that.
Quoting burj (Reply 8): You are totally going to have to tell which one you are...from the various pictures it is hard to figure where exactly you are sitting on the plane....but if I had to guess I would go with the guy with the short brown hair in the window seat....who is on the far right side of the photo....
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 10): nice report as usual! I'm surprised you travelled in Y Class this time. KM's product looks good, I really should try that carrier soon.
= Haha. Why are you surprised? To be honest, I am surprised you have not tried them.
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 10): So who took the picture? Your friend? Or do you refer to the reflection in one passenger's glasses?
= Ok. Some clues ... friend took the picture. And OMG, only a photographer would think something like "reflection in one passenger's glasses"!!! .
- Lounges (Schengen) in MUC and even more in FRA
- on-board food: small servings, and service on MLA-FRA exactely the same as MUC-MLA, even though the former falls in a higher time bracket...
= LH lounges are consistently bad ... you should go to the one in BOS! Wow. I am surprised the catering in LH JCL was that bad ... was it worse than the pictured meal in YCL?
Quoting ba319-131 (Reply 12): I have to say this is the best KM TR I think I can recall reading, most of them in the past seem to have shed light on a carrier with poor service and crummy staff, what a difference you saw!
= I was also rather apprehensive about buying a flight on them.
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 13): So you did visit Malta after all. I've been wondering if or when you'd post your report. Good to see Air Malta gave you a good experience. On flights from Zurich they only serve a cold meal but even then there are usually two options.
= Sorry it took so long to write it up.
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 13): As for trying to identify you, I think I must agree with PlaneHunter in that you're probably visible in the glasses of the guy with the moustaches. If I'm not mistaken you were seated on the A seat of the row in front. Correct?
= William, you sound like PH. See above comment!
Quoting EL-AL (Reply 14): Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter):
What got my Indian friend all amused
= LOL. Ya -
Quoting globalflyer (Reply 15): Hi Alex...as always a great report! MLA looks like a great city with views. Yes the KM offering does look nice. I noticed that the KM timetable is dated 1999??? Were those really at the airport or just from your collection? Cool that you were on a project with Star Alliance. I have been doing that as well! Cheers, Will
= Nope. It is from a collection. BTW, what do you do for Star? Maybe, we know each other ...
Quoting eastafspot (Reply 16): Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter):
(One of the rare pictures on A.Net with me in it - let's see if you can spot? Hehe.)
What a funny game... will you tell us some day?
As you cleverly show pictures from ramdom seating, my bet goes for the guy with the glasses and a Ralph Lauren stripped jumper... but that looks too easy though
= Of course will tell ... are you serious?! Nope ... am younger.
Quoting debonair (Reply 17): As I am working for KM I had a look at their GOM-Ground Operation manual...
= I did not know you worked for KM ... thought totally diffferent.
The777Man From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 6088 posts, RR: 56 Reply 20, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 5403 times:
sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 1188 posts, RR: 29 Reply 21, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 5398 times:
Hello Alex,
Nice to see another KM report popping up here! I'm pretty pleased with their standards and so are you: an enthusiastic crew and a good enough meal. That's gladly accepted on an intra-Euro route nowadays.
Btw that EK bird on the apron reminds me of that 5th freedom thingy MLA-LCA, if it still operates.
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): (One of the rare pictures on A.Net with me in it - let's see if you can spot? Hehe.)
Got you
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): Choice of meals included either the pasta or a burger along with some incredibly fresh fruit, a nice piece of pre-packaged cake, and a rather indifferent cake.
Excellent although I'm no fan of all these platic wrapped things: environmental unfriendly and cheap looks. But hey: it does the job!
Quoting abrelosojos (Thread starter): Then, he said: "let me get you another cup of tea as I am sure the one I served you is cold by now". . COOL!
That's a different and nice way to interact with pax.
burj From United States of America, joined Nov 2007, 839 posts, RR: 4 Reply 24, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 4970 times:
Along the RIGHT edge of the photo, 2/3 up from the bottom is a guy sitting in a window seat, looks like the shade is drawn.... You can see he has short dark hair...
25 MSS658: Hi Alex another interesting piece of writing you have got there. I must say I was quite surprised about the meal service as well! KM seems to be a goo
26 stipica: hehheh yeah right ... obvious situations snoring man the hidden smile does not help ... go clubbing heheheh stipica
27 MHTripple7: Great TR, Alex! Interesting about this racism in Malta, I never knew it was an issue there. Glad to know you had a good experience nonetheless. Regard
28 TurkishWings: The old guy with the glasses normally sits behind you so there is no way that your seat is actually in this picture. I say you are one of the guys st
29 signol: Hi Abrelosojos, Nice report of a good airline. I've only done one return trip on them (there's a report somewhere on here) but I was suitably impresse
30 abrelosojos: = What? I thought you were flying BG ex-LHR? = Agreed. Do you think they will survive the latest round of European collapses? = I am with you 100%. I
31 sultanils: To be honest: no clue... http://serve.mysmiley.net/characters/character0091.gif
32 PlaneHunter: I have been busy with trying many others...but I finally booked a KM flight yesterday: CTA-MUC in June, one day after the BER meeting. Would be nice
33 abrelosojos: = You know what's funny ... I had initially booked the flight because KM routed MLA to FRA via CTA. There was no notification, but I thought it was f
35 PlaneHunter: Sunday, 3 June. There's a thread on the non-aviation board: BER: The Grand Opening Meeting (by FLIEGER67 Jan 27 2012 in Non Aviation) That should be
36 717Flyer: Hi Alex, Another really interesting review (well, you're uploading these at such a rate I have a hard time keeping track of them!), most of all as it
37 abrelosojos: = Oh cool. What is the complete itinerary then? = PH - thanks for this. I have a meeting scheduled in Wien, so maybe something can be worked out. = H
38 717Flyer: Hi again, Basically our task was to choose pretty much any country within the EU and do some deeper research related to it. This also involved some in
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