Topic: Which Airline?

[Buck Pete]

Every Virgin plane I've flown on in the last few years has been like it's hosties - tired and old!!

You know what Kid - your spot on.

Those new Virgin ad's are extremely decieiving when the crowds of delicious babes and hunk pilot mosey on through the airport terminal dressed in red heels and aviators etc.

I counted half a dozen Virgin Trolley Dollies on my recent flight and although I'm no oil painting I wouldn't touch any of them with a stolen dick.

Branson's gone all PC on us and not employing smiling babes anymore.  Sort it out Sir Richard I want my G&T served with a smile (and big tits).

[NatD]

Emirates are on the slide compared to what they were a couple of years ago. Qatar Airways are far better, and Etihad have probably passed them as well.

Have to agree with this.  Emirates have gone downhill so quickly within the past 18 months.  Being based in Qatar we more or less now fly exclusively with them (for the points / rewards / etc.) and they are great.

Really enjoyed flying to Oz with Etihad too so would recommend them.

Wouldn't mind doing a flight with Singapore or Cathay Pacific either to be honest, heard lots of good things about them.

[Livbes]

Not been in this thread since my trip to Saudi (via Doha). Well i can safely say Qatar airways is right up there with the best i have flown with. Great seats, legroom, good food, fit crew and the entertainment was top notch, huge choice of films/tv/music. I was very impressed. On another note Doha airport is a pretty mental place.

Flew to Milan via Zurich the other week with Swiss Air. Great little airline.

[DanFromMars]

My screen on the Emirates was broken... so frustrating sitting for 8 hours with the menu screen on and not being able to do anything with it.  They reset it and it just got stuck on the bootup and they just said sorry... Had to stare at Toy Story 3 with no sound next to me until she turned it off half way through and went to sleep...

[rhylred]

My screen on the Emirates was broken... so frustrating sitting for 8 hours with the menu screen on and not being able to do anything with it.  They reset it and it just got stuck on the bootup and they just said sorry... Had to stare at Toy Story 3 with no sound next to me until she turned it off half way through and went to sleep...

same thing happened with  to my mate on the way to guangzhou last month,they gave him a leather travel bag with loads of stuff in..
also was lucky enough to travel back from galatasaray last month in business class with swiss air,was brilliant...

[PhilV]

To the original question on this thread, it's ALL about Emirates, they are a different level to BA, Virgin were OK, I have not had bad experiences with them and I slept with one of the air hostesses when I flew to Barbados with them (not on the plane, couple days later on the beach though!) so that gives them extra points!

[zero zero]

I'm thinking about Cathay Pacific. Very attentive service I gather

[Ben_JP]

The Irish pub in Dubai is class. It says a lot when a bar in the UAE feels more Irish than half the bars in Dublin

McGettingan's? If so, it's only been open a year and is already one of the best bars here. If not, ignore what I just wrote

Some decent bars dotted about the city, just never go to Rattlesnake.

EDIT: as for airlines, flown Emirates, BA and Virgin to the ME. Emirates has been the best of the three mainly due to newer fleet. BA fine, Virgin were fairly useless.

[DanFromMars]

I had a similar thing with Virgin, but they gave me a shitload of airmiles for the inconvenience.

same thing happened with  to my mate on the way to guangzhou last month,they gave him a leather travel bag with loads of stuff in..
also was lucky enough to travel back from galatasaray last month in business class with swiss air,was brilliant...

fuck.... Didn't think you could kick off whilst airbourne.... I should have gone off on one now... Might have gotten a nice lucky dip

[DanFromMars]

How long ago was it? Write them a letter. Quote your seat number and flight number if you can. No harm in trying

Might send them an email, was only 3 weeks ago and still got my ticket clip

[Roady]

ive never had the privilege of flying anything other than economy.Really looking forward to my 10hr or so flight to the dominican republic in jan!!!

[penfold102]

Flying back to Tokyo in a couple of weeks and decided to give Emirates a go. My trip with Singapore Airlines was wonderful so I hope I'm not disappointed.

[NatD]

Flying back to Tokyo in a couple of weeks and decided to give Emirates a go. My trip with Singapore Airlines was wonderful so I hope I'm not disappointed.

Not a lot of Airlines get close to Singapore!  If you get a new plane with Emirates then you should be OK (especially the A380's) but like someone has mentioned above, the Business Class on the older planes is dated now!

[Carllfc]

I prefer to fly Emirates than Etihad simply because there is more to do in the airport and in my opinion more helpful.

[Roady]

I have used Emirates for the last 4 years (since I've been travelling with work) because they serve most airports in India and South Africa and the price is normally competitive.

I have to pay for my own upgrades if I get them (the rule of thumb being +8 hour journey, upgrade) and so as I am paying for the pleasure I am becoming quite demanding about business.

What I have noticed is that, remarkably, the service in Emirates business isn't as friendly or relaxed as in economy. Which I find weird. The seat I was sitting in last (Dubai - Cape Town, 777) wasn't even clean. There were large red wine spots on the seat and crumbs in the little folds. Urgghh.

Digressing, how do people handle sitting next to very naughty/noisy children on planes?

My last economy flight was London - Dubai and I was sitting in the middle row. I was on the end and sitting next to 3 children. For the whole 7 hours they were practically tearing the plane up.

Kids on planes don't normally bother me, crying is part of travelling with a child, and I know they have to go for little walks during the flight. These kids however were a disaster. Kicking me during the flight, turning off my TV, trying to climb over me, spilling drinks on my trousers and generally making things miserable.

There weren't any spare seats on the flight anywhere, so I couldn't move, and the parents were sitting behind me. In a word, they didn't give a shit. I asked if they could ask the kids to be a little more quiet, but the dad just rolled his eyes and carried on watching TV.

Is something like that worth an email to the airline, or do I just have to accept that's the luck of the draw?

luck of the draw really isnt it.Its always a gamble as to who youll end up next to in economy.Ive only ever travelled economy and been quite lucky.Only really had one bad expereince when i was sat next to a heffer.She needed two seats for herself and im not exaggerating.She stank her rolls of flab went into the aisle and onto the armrest.Horrible it was,thankfully just a three hour trip so could have been a lot worse.Im travelling with thomson to Dominican Republic in Jan and whilst im really looking forward to the holiday and the hotel we are staying in,im dreading the flight.Just hope theres no repeat experience.

I know its a contentious issue but id happily pay extra to be on a plane with no kids too.Most of them seem to fine in all fairness but you only need one acting up massively to have a really uncomfortable journey.

I came back from northern Cyrpus last week with Monarch.Woman in front of me as soon as the seatbelt sign went off reclined her seat as far back as possible.Whilst she had every right to do so i could barely move.It was like that for five hours.she started having a word with her mate about my knees diggin into her back.When i got served my food i had to lean on the back of her seat in order to eat it. She started off to her mate again.After that i couldnt hold my tongue any longer and had a pop back at her.Stupid wench

[Roady]

hope to god it doesnt happen on my flight to the Dominican Republic.Id go mental! It says economy gets 33inch leg room but ive no idea if thats any good or not.Ive a feeling im going to annoyed on this flight! ah well..

[Rusty]

I have flown UK-Oz with Singapore several times and have always found them to be brilliant!

- Good food, each meal has one Western, one Oriental option
- Good entertainment systems, pretty decent range of films/TV/games
- Customer service is excellent
- Stops in Singapore Changi which is great, there is a butterfly garden there as well as free foot massage machines and free mobile phone chargers
- Most of the flights I've been on have USB connections so that you can charge an iPhone/iPod in case you want your own music/games/media
- You can order plenty of drinks etc during the flight and they are very good about bringing out lots of red wine and snacks

As a result I have signed up to their loyalty program and with one more UK-Oz trip I will have enough points to upgrade to business class! Definitely excited about that...

Also I have a couple of friends living in Singapore so I like being able to pop over there and meet them for dinner and crash for a night, which helps to break the journey up, and means I have had the chance to explore a bit of Singapore, which I really enjoyed.

[Effes]

Emirates Business Class on their ......................

Fairly grubby interiors, chairs that only recline 45 degrees or so .

Emirates is over rated if you ask me - if business seats dont go horizontal it's only semi - business really

[Mad Men]

Just flew Air Asia X out of Kuala Lumpur on transit from Perth on a A340 and it was decent. Got a good deal on the air fare for the family so we roughed it out..a long 13 hour flight and seats that are uncomfortable to say the least for a 6'2 bloke like me..food was nothing to shout about (pre book asian or western or vegie)..2 meals served..the onboard entertainment system was crap (small screen..handed out 2-3 hours into the flight..battery lasts all of 5 hours)...

They have a limited number of premium seats available which recline into beds or whatever you call them...might be tempted to give them a go next time if we get a good air fare on them but..I am sticking with Singapore Airlines in future.

Nothing beats the quality of service, the movie choices, the seats, the meals, the drinks and the fact I can re-charge my iphone/ipad during the flight...

[exiledintheUSA]

It shows how dull my life is that I found the following interesting, but there you go:

You're Steve Davis and I claim my £5.

[Livbes]

Has anyone been with TAP Portugal trans Atlantic? Choice between them, United or Continental. Opinions welcome.

[andy in warrington]

Travelling with Emirates from Manchester to Bangkok in December. Travelled with them many times, and I always thought they are excellent. THis time I am travelling with a baby which I am not looking forward too. I think he'll cry a lot.

[Mad Men]

Travelling with Emirates from Manchester to Bangkok in December. Travelled with them many times, and I always thought they are excellent. THis time I am travelling with a baby which I am not looking forward too. I think he'll cry a lot.

Especially on descent...blocked sinuses...

[Kuks]

My grandfather used to be a pilot for AirIndia in the 60s and 70s (before this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_India_Flight_855) so I usually fly AirIndia to get to Uni and every so often as once in a while I would get upgraded (not so much now that they're almost bankrupt).
Usually now fly my Mumbai-London on BA now which I find is a much better Air Line overall.

[Mad Men]

My grandfather used to be a pilot for AirIndia in the 60s and 70s (before this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_India_Flight_855) so I usually fly AirIndia to get to Uni and every so often as once in a while I would get upgraded (not so much now that they're almost bankrupt).
Usually now fly my Mumbai-London on BA now which I find is a much better Air Line overall.

How is the service on Air India and is the fleet modern? Am looking to head to India in May for a 3 week tour with the family and we have been offered a pretty good deal out of singapore on Air India...

[wardides]

I'm flying with Ryanair in a couple of weeks to madrid, and having read the last couple of pages, I have come to the conclusion you are all c*nts.

[Kuks]

How is the service on Air India and is the fleet modern? Am looking to head to India in May for a 3 week tour with the family and we have been offered a pretty good deal out of singapore on Air India...

Many of my friends seem to dislike Air India but whenever I've flown, I've really liked it. I've never flown the Singapore leg but the direct to New York out of Mumbai and the Mumbai-London are both brand new planes so are really good.

[Mad Men]

Many of my friends seem to dislike Air India but whenever I've flown, I've really liked it. I've never flown the Singapore leg but the direct to New York out of Mumbai and the Mumbai-London are both brand new planes so are really good.

Okey..cheers for that..

[Roady]

I'm flying with Ryanair in a couple of weeks to madrid, and having read the last couple of pages, I have come to the conclusion you are all c*nts.

its the way forward! get so much shit but for a short trip like that theres fuck all wrong with them.Ive never once had an issue with them.they get a lot of stick but the fact remains for short trips theres nothing wrong with them at all.if you do your research and organise travel at the other side then your fine.Some destinations they fly into airports quite a way away but on the whole ive never had a problem ,especially for the price

[Livbes]

Never had any trouble with either Continental or United, but haven't flown TAP sorry mate. That said, their prices always seem competitive and one of these days i'm likely to use them to go to Cape Town.

Cheers mate.

[Livbes]

its the way forward! get so much shit but for a short trip like that theres fuck all wrong with them.Ive never once had an issue with them.they get a lot of stick but the fact remains for short trips theres nothing wrong with them at all.if you do your research and organise travel at the other side then your fine.Some destinations they fly into airports quite a way away but on the whole ive never had a problem ,especially for the price

This. I use them quite a lot for work going to Sweden/Norway/Poland. No problem at all with them.

[blurred]

It shows how dull my life is that I found the following interesting, but there you go:

Emirates have a secret fourth level to their Skywards tier program, called "Invitation Only", it's rumoured that you have to accumulate 250,000+ Skywards points in a year (just to put that into context, I have accrued 50,000 points this year and I have been flying every couple of weeks, give or take) and that in order for the offer to be extended to you, you have to be flying First Class about 50 times a year. Which is mental. I guess a lot of people doing LHR - DXB may get there.

But what do you get for it? In-flight hand-job?

[Mad Men]

But what do you get for it? In-flight hand-job?

The latter actually.

[PhilV]

Has anyone been with TAP Portugal trans Atlantic? Choice between them, United or Continental. Opinions welcome.

Flew with TAP a couple times across Europe and 3 times to the Atlantic (Madeira twice, Azores once)

Was a very pleasant experience, their short haul fleet was a wee bit dated but their large planes were all recent Airbus models and very comfortable, staff were nice enough, cannot comment on language as I speak Portuguese so was speaking that but I imagine it is fine just as with anyone else.

[Livbes]

Off to Saudi via Doha on Saturday and back the same way through Wed night. Could of gone straight to Dammam via Heathrow with BMI for £150 cheaper but i really like Qatar Airways and it's on the company 

Anyone ever been longer haul with BMI?

[Jonathan Hall ☆☆☆☆☆☆]

Only done short haul with BMI. Looks like BA are about to buy them.

Anyone done business class on Lufthansa short to medium haul?

[SMD]

Off to Saudi

Commiserations.

[eAyeAddio]

Ref: Air India
I would avoid......

I second that.

Quite some time ago Air India had a deal with Warner Bros. records and any bands signed to Warners were offered free  airline tix to the U.S. from London.   It says much for Air India that in many cases the free tix were not taken up.

Avoid like the plague.  They are equally as bad as Aeroflot were.......... (Also known as Plummet Airways.

Ref:  Continental & United.

Both are top class and highly recommended.  (Although as United have so many flights there are bound to be the odd hiccup now and again........)

[eAyeAddio]

Anyone done business class on Lufthansa ?

Yes, many times.
Recommended if price is not important.

[NatD]

Flew with Etihad last week and was massively disappointed - service was shocking (although I shouldn't really complain seeing though it only cost 500 quid for two of us to fly back to Manchester from Qatar!).

Just booked flights with Qatar Airways to New York at Christmas - 14 hours so that's gonna be a stonker but hopefully a decent plane, and lots of Booze!!