Airlines

Since I flew yesterday I thought it might be an idea to begin my blog with my honest opinions of the various airlines I have travelled. I am always flying on a budget so I do not often go with the same airline every time. In fact, I have flown completely different airlines/routes on every journey I have made to/from Europe. 

I will start by mentioning the website I book majority of my international flights with. I use http://www.cheaptickets.com. To give you an example of how cheap it is, I can usually get return flights to Europe from New Zealand for around $1200USD give or take. The longest waiting time I have had between flights is 8 hours in Hong Kong, but I usually have 2-4 hours between flights. 

So, onto the airlines. I figure the easiest way to do this is in list format. I will mention the flight details as best as I can remember them and give my review of service, food, entertainment and comfort. Please remember everyone has different expectations of an airline and services vary between long haul and short haul flights.

Air New Zealand

I have not flown internationally (besides Australia) with Air New Zealand since doing the AKL-LAX flight as a kid before personal entertainment systems were installed in planes! I always enjoy flying with Air NZ, from their cheesy safety videos to friendly staff, every time I'm on a flight I really do feel at home. Usually when I'm returning from overseas trips my last flight is with Air NZ, so maybe I'm biased! 

Aeroflot

When I first told people I was flying with Aeroflot most of them were shocked and worried for my safety. Completely unknown to me the airline apparently had a bad reputation, so I boarded the flights with little expectation. I flew Hong Kong-Moscow and Moscow-Geneva with Aeroflot in late 2013. The staff were friendly, their uniforms a bit comedic as I'm sure they haven't been changed since before the Cold War! The flights were pleasant, food wasn't amazing but definitely wasn't terrible either. The seats and entertainment were above average. Their were some interesting passengers on both flights, I distinctly recall a man having an open (and half empty) bottle of duty free vodka confiscated from him before take off, when in Russia I guess? 

Thai Airways

Without a doubt the best international flight it have ever experienced. I flew from Auckland to Bangkok in December 2013. As soon as I got on the plane and saw the colourful seats (mine was pink!) I knew I would enjoy the flight. There is ambient coloured lighting throughout the cabin, felt more like being at a spa than on a plane! The staff were great, free alcohol provided throughout the flight, yummy food. There is not much to complain about and I would definitely fly with them again.

Tyrolean Airways

I flew with Tyrolean Airways from Bangkok to Vienna in December 2013. I was unfortunately assigned a middle seat between two large men so my flight was destined to be poor from the start. There was nothing especially terrible about the flight apart from the seat selection, however there was nothing stand out about it either. The entertainment system did not have a great selection of English movies, The only thing I could find to watch was this classic:  

Lufthansa 

I flew Lufthansa from Geneva to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to Shanghai in January 2014. I was pretty impressed with the service and staff of this airline. On my leaving day there was a bomb scare at the airport in Geneva, half of the airport check in desks were shut down for several hours and I ended up checking in 25 minutes before my flight departed. The staff were friendly and helpful and ensured I made my flight and my connection without hassle.

Etihad

Etihad is without a doubt one of the best airlines in the world. Amazing food, amazing service, great entertainment. My mum is lucky enough to have flown Etihad in business class, jealous! I flew with Etihad from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi in April 2014. Because of problems with the runway in Melbourne my flight from New Zealand landed 5 minutes before my Etihad flight was due to depart. The Air NZ staff let passengers on my flight off the plane first, asking all others to remain seated until we were off the aircraft. We ran through the security screening and on to our Etihad flight with minutes to spare, only to be told they were getting our bags from Air New Zealand so we'd be delayed anyway. Unfortunately my bag did not make the connection and Air New Zealand booked it on a nonexistent flight when organising its return to me in Geneva. Etihad took all the blame despite this and paid out well for some essentials to tide me over. It eventually took 5 days for my bag to be returned because of the nonexistent flight. 

United Airways

I flew with United yesterday from Geneva to Newark, then United Express from Newark to Ottawa. Unknown to me before the flight, United doesn'thave personal flight entertainment systems for this particular flight. Good thing I can sleep on planes! I was assigned a window seat for both flights, for longer haul (10 hours +) I generally prefer the aisle but window was perfect for this 8 hour flight. There were 2 rows of seats on the outside of the first plane, again great as I hate having to ask multiple strangers to move for me every time I have to go to the bathroom! The food was slightly below average on this flight, but I was really hungry so it didn't matter to me. The service was good, but I got the impression others didn't think the same. I was asleep when the snack was served and woke up shortly afterwards, without being asked the steward brought me a snack box and offered me a drink. 

Qantas

I have flown with Qantas quite a lot when going to visit my father. It is a great airline, never had a bad flight with them! 

Easyjet

Everytime I fly with Easyjet I get a headache. I think it's all the orange in the cabin. I am also not a fan of their quick ascent and descent, it hurts my ears a lot. I am told they do this because it saves fuel? However for the price of flights I can't really complain. Their in flight magazine is one of my favourites, I can spend the whole flight perusing through it and often take it home. Lots of interesting articles and great travel inspiration.

Singapore Airlines

I last flew with Singapore in 2010 I think. I would fly with them every time if I could afford it. The best service of any airline, the best food and great entertainment. The first time I flew with them in 2008 was in the early days of personal entertainment systems and I was so impressed! 

That is all the airlines I can think of off the top of my head. I am flying with Air Canada next week and Air Lingus in October so there will be more reviews to come! 

Happy wandering ✈️