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[Broomies Mate]

Flew with Ryanair 2 summers ago was dreadful from start to finish would never use them again even for free, cheap & nasty is the only way to describe it, you get what you pay for and I would gladly pay more if I ever choose to fly again, unfortunately the flights were booked by friends we were holidaying with who thought that cheap flights would be okay with us , personally I would never have entertained it, luckily for them the villa & pool they had found were top notch so I didn't stay grumpy for long.

I get it from your POV.  Difference being, I take several holidays abroad a year.  Most of them are to the Canary Islands.  easyJet, RyanAir, Jet2 are the only airlines which cater for the Canaries.  It's only a 4hr flight, so I don't really mind 'budget'.  I do however really rate Jet2 and easyJet..... RyanAir have been noticeably lacking in quality.

[Marks DTM Calib]

This morning two colleagues of mine took a BA flight (against my advice) out of LHR to CDG.

They were originally booked on the 0720 but received an email about 10 days ago saying they had been bumped onto the 0935 as their flight was cancelled. However when they got to the airport they saw on the board that the 0720 had departed - on time  , BA's website confirms this. I can't imagine that BA had managed to overbook that flight as there were all of 17 passengers on the 0935 - anyone seen this before?

As an aside, the 0935 actually left 2hrs late due to a last minute aircraft switch resulting from a botched repair. So rather than an 0930 arrival they got in at 1344. 


All in all an episode that's done nothing to reverse my opinion that BA are an overpriced sh!tehouse that you'd have to be mad to offer your money to.

Not used BA that often, and no real complaints when I have.  The thing that winds me up about BA is Terminal 5, which is enough to drive anyone to violence. But thats not BA's fault.


If I had to find fault, I'd have to go into full on Opti mode, and suggest the trolley dollys aren't what you'd call Wank Bank material. Much like Sleazy Jet.

Try Air FrChance, utter dogs the lot of them

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

What do you expect ? They are French. 

[TheBoy]

Fortunately, as I try to avoid the USA at all costs I haven't been stung, but one of my bro's who half lives out there has had a 0% success rate with Delta getting him and his luggage to any destination on the same day.

But I guess the price is right, as tolerating a cock up once is acceptable, but to keep tolerating cock ups removes your right to grumble about it IMHO

[Broomies Mate]

Fortunately, as I try to avoid the USA at all costs I haven't been stung, but one of my bro's who half lives out there has had a 0% success rate with Delta getting him and his luggage to any destination on the same day.

But I guess the price is right, as tolerating a cock up once is acceptable, but to keep tolerating cock ups removes your right to grumble about it IMHO

Now that surprises me as Delta are a fantastic airline.  I've flown with them on perhaps 30 occasions, and never had an issue.  American Airlines and United on the other hand! 

When State-side, I always try to use Delta.

[TheBoy]

Fortunately, as I try to avoid the USA at all costs I haven't been stung, but one of my bro's who half lives out there has had a 0% success rate with Delta getting him and his luggage to any destination on the same day.

But I guess the price is right, as tolerating a cock up once is acceptable, but to keep tolerating cock ups removes your right to grumble about it IMHO

Now that surprises me as Delta are a fantastic airline.  I've flown with them on perhaps 30 occasions, and never had an issue.  American Airlines and United on the other hand! 

When State-side, I always try to use Delta.

I shall tell him your experiences, just to wind him up.  He reckons Delta stands for Don't Expect your Luggage To Arrive.

[Nick W]

Fortunately, as I try to avoid the USA at all costs I haven't been stung, but one of my bro's who half lives out there has had a 0% success rate with Delta getting him and his luggage to any destination on the same day.

But I guess the price is right, as tolerating a cock up once is acceptable, but to keep tolerating cock ups removes your right to grumble about it IMHO

Perhaps you should get him to order your Ebay stuff, and you sort his flights?

[ronnyd]

What do you expect ? They are French. 

Yeah, nearly as bad as buying a Renault. 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I hold my hands up. 

[Viral_Jim]

What do you expect ? They are French. 

My last company used to have sites in various rural bits of France, so air chance were the only option. My last flight they took my cabin bag off me after I had already boarded, then managed to lose it (on a direct flight). Never to be seen again. 

[Kevin Wood]

I used to fly with BA quite a lot and they always gave decent service. On the few times I got stuck due to a cancellation they sorted out a nice hotel and got me back asap the next day.

The last few times I've flown with them I've got Ryanair service for former BA prices, however, with trolley dollies waking you up to sell you chavvy tat throughout the flight and a shrug of the shoulders when anything went wrong.

Before batflu, flying had become an only-just-bearable necessity that I avoided whenever possible. I suspect it will no longer be a necessity for many people who have found other ways of doing business, so things will only get worse.

[Kevin Wood]

Oh, and if there's any doubt in your mind over Air Chance's operating practices, read the real story about the Concorde crash, including all the bits the BEA's investigation neglected to consider relevant.

Aircraft overweight (beyond airframe structural limits let alone operational limits for the conditions!) and loaded with a dangerously nose-light CofG.
Then they overfilled the fuel tanks, defeating the cut-off mechanisms that prevent over-filling.
They stripped down the undercarriage but had bits left over after they'd finished reassembling it. Their response to this was "oh, well".
The flight crew shut down an engine that was producing useful thrust while the aircraft was struggling to maintain a climb and well below the minimum height at which the operating procedures allow them to do so.
After the aircraft returned to service they nearly lost another one by flying across the atlantic with fuel pouring through a windmilling failed engine and only noticed when the red lights started coming on.

None of this made any difference to the outcome* so that's OK, then. but, if you operate aircraft like this it will bite you in the @rse eventually, and I 'ain't going to be onboard when it does.

* except that if the aircraft's takeoff performance had't been hobbled by the extra weight and faulty undercarriage it would have lifted off before the bit of debris on the runway that did for it.

[JamesV6CDX]

Just as a contrast. I've flown Ryanair probably 75 times (37 approx return trips) in the last 5 to 8 years. As far as budget airlines go, I like them. They have one of the most modern fleets of next-gen 737s, the new seat configuration is comfy and roomy, and we always book an extra seat, so we have a row of three to ourselves.

I find as long as you pay for the reserved seats, and bags if you want them, Ryanair are fine

My worst flight was with KLM, when it yawed right on the runway at schiphol, and the takeoff was aborted.

I've flown BA Club Europe a lot. The lounges are great, and the treatment on the aircraft is great, as is the instant check in.... but you basically just get a normal row, with the seat in between you both being a table. So the seats are no better.

And, the only separation from the riffraf is a curtain. And it seems that entitled people who have paid a tenth of the ticket price we have, think it's ok to come through the curtain and queue in the aisle next to our seats for a piss, because they're too lazy to walk to the back. I think the crew should be hotter on that

[JamesV6CDX]

Most memorable was a long weekend to Alghero, Sardina, last year. Flights £15 or so each.... just a no brainer. Have spent the last few years taking advantage of offers like that, and flying around europe, in the same way I'd take a train up to Birmingham

[Sir Tigger KC]

Most memorable was a long weekend to Alghero, Sardina, last year. Flights £15 or so each.... just a no brainer. Have spent the last few years taking advantage of offers like that, and flying around europe, in the same way I'd take a train up to Birmingham

I've never understood why people expect some sort of special treatment just because they are getting on an aeroplane, especially short haul trips that mostly are the same duration as a longish bus or train ride.