Airline experiences and flight reviews

[jjb1970]

We have a thread for those who like aircraft pictures, but sharing experiences of airlines is something slightly different, so it may be nice to have a thread for that, share experiences.

[jjb1970]

Air India Singapore - London Heathrow

 

Air India this time, Singapore - New Dehli - London. I have a happy confluence of interest with my boss, I get business class air travel but am expected to shop around and not just buy an open ticket with SQ, while as an aviation geek I like trying new airlines and routes so actually like trying the less obvious options. That said, it was noticeable that Air India is the first time my boss has challenged a flight request and suggested paying more for something else, and Mrs JJB wasn't exactly positive about flying Air India. Looking online many reviews are a bit negative (well, more than a bit), so I was especially curious about this one, is their reputation deserved?

 

The flight to New Dehli was an A320, the business class section was a genuine step up, 2+2 seats with loads of leg room. There was a full meal service, however no IFE. Singapore - New Dehli is in that intermediate band of being longer than short haul but not that long (five or so hours) and I do think a flight like that should have some sort of IFE. The flight attendants were excellent, and unusually the check in for business class is a separate business class check in lounge. The interior decor is a bit chintzy, it is a bit 1970's, red patterned carpet with gold-ish seats however the seats themselves were comfortable and spacious.

 

The transfer in New Dehli was interesting, they collect passengers then escort them to a transfer desk where tickets are checked before being directed to a security check. It sounds a bit convoluted but in reality was quick and painless. New Dehli Indira Ghandi airport is very modern, clean and with excellent facilities, nothing at all to apologise for there. The flight to London was a B787, Air India use the 2+2+2 layout rather than pods. This is very much a personal preference thing, if I was flying with the wife and kids I'd prefer this layout, on my own I prefer pods. However, the seat was comfortable with heaps of space and reclined to fully flat. The IFE was very basic, way behind the pace. However, the flight attendants were excellent, friendly, polite and enthusiastic, they really were first class. And the food was superb, not just 'good for airline food' but properly superb. In fact I'll go out on a limb and say it's the best food I've had on an airliner. Although served in ceramic dishes with table linen they serve it on trays rather than serving each dish onto linen which is a bit nicer but I really couldn't criticise the food, completely the opposite. They knocked that out of the park.

 

So what did I think? To me business class gets two things, it makes ground handling less disagreeable, and gives you space onboard. Air India delivered both of these aspects. I should add that I'd rate the business lounges in both Singapore T2 and New Dehli as above average. The cabins did look a little tired and needing a refresh, I'd stress this does not mean they were dirty or in poor shape, but looking at the plastics and some of the fittings it was clear they'd been round a few blocks. The lack of IFE on the first leg is a real criticism and the mediocre IFE on the 787 really doesn't cut it. But, the onboard service and food was superb. I guess the chintzy 70's decor is one of those things you just live with. My impression is of an airline which is playing to its strengths. I think they probably realize their aircraft are not up with the best, and you can't change that in a hurry. So they're offsetting that by trying to deliver a quality onboard service and I have to say I'd give them a thumbs up for delivering that.

 

I always think things have to be judged according to what they are, benchmarking a cheap LCC flight against long haul business class with an airline like SQ is just stupid (I've seen plenty do just that). Air Idia are however a full service carrier, so comparing them with SQ, ANA and such like is fair. And believe it or not, although SQ offer a massively better IFE product and a more polished overall experience and I love the absolute efficiency and professionalism of ANA (and the sake) I also think Air India provided a perfectly good experience. Space, lie flat seats, excellent ground handling and great food and service. In a sense whether they're as good as other airlines is not really the issue, it is whether or not they deliver what is claimed and provide a competitive service. And I think they did that. In fact the food was ahead of other airlines I've flown with. So we come to price. S$3600 return flexible with a generous luggage allowance (2 pieces checked 40Kg) is excellent value (SQ wanted over S$10,000). So at the risk of sounding like a contrarian and maybe slightly to my own surprise I liked Air India. Unlike most airlines it is a mixed story, as there are real negatives (the IFE, and personally I prefer business class pods) and also positives (service, food) rather than a uniform service but for me the positives counted for more than the negatives.

 

Sadly I could only get a very poor pic of the A320 and none of the 787.

 

 

[jjb1970]

I posted this in the airline pics threat but may as well put here.

 

Vietnam Airlines, Singapore - Ho Chi Minh City - London Heathrow.

 

The flight Singapore - Ho Chi Minh is only two hours, so short haul, but they have a genuine business section and not just economy seats with the centre seat out of use and a head rest cover. And a full meal service served on ceramic dishes, on the A320 it was served on a tray but on the 787 each dish was served to linen by the flight attendant which is nicer.

 

Vietnam uses a herringbone configuration for business class pods, personally I prefer fore-aft alignment of seats but it’s not such a big deal to have the seats at an angle. A problem with many pod designs is that the footwells taper in and feel quite restrictive and uncomfortable. These do taper in but footwell space is fine. The IFE selection is OK, not class leading but most people should have no trouble finding stuff to watch. Food was very good, mainly Vietnamese but with western options. The flight attendants were immaculately presented, very friendly and helpful. They do lack a little of that polish of Singapore Airlines and ANA flight attendants but they were very nice, and enthusiastic and that counts for a lot in my opinion. The uniform is elegant, the female attendants wear ao dai, senior staff seem to have a gold ao dai and more junior one turquoise. Male attendants have a pretty standard shirt, tie and waistcoat. 

 

The 787 was spotlessly clean and fitted out to a good standard. No matter how many times I fly on the 787 I still find the electro-chromatic windows a great feature. I may be different to many as I actually find that if I compare aircraft fitted out to an equivalent standard then I don’t notice any difference between the 787 or A350, the only reason I notice a difference with the 777 is it is big. Ditto 737 and A320.

 

I find many review site and magazines for all services and products like to inflate differences to a silly extent. I have flown a lot of airlines, and provided you compare like for like (i.e. compare business with business for a full service long haul carrier, short haul LCC with short haul LCC etc) most are generally equivalent in overall experience. Yes there are differences and some are a bit better, but the differences are more about preference and style in most cases. And personal preference does matter. I love ANA, they’re very good but the main reason I lift them up is I love Japanese food, I like good sake and Japanese cinema and I love their livery. In fairly recent times (recent enough to allow a meaningful comparison) I’ve flown long haul business with quite a few airlines and none of them were bad, all were good and more than acceptable (as they should be given it is a premium service level). My favourites are more about how particular airlines match my own personal preferences. And Vietnam are certainly up there. In fact I’d put them in my upper half largely because the food was good, I like their livery and the cabin crew were nice.

 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by jjb1970

[Damo666]

Thanks for your post. My son is in HCM, so my wife and I are planning to go out to see him later in the air. He flew out on Bamboo Airways, which we never heard about before then.

 

I know what IFE means, but what does LLC mean (Low Cost Carrier?), and what/who is SQ?

 

Thanks

D

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

I think flight experiences are based on expectations, so,,,

Onto the other extreme, Ryanair.

I'm not saying I'm the most frequent flyer, but I make about 6 or so (depending on exhibitions!) return flights a year Spain to the UK, and my family a couple at least the other way, so I have a reasonable amount of knowledge of such things.

I use Alicante here and EMA/BHX primarily in the UK, and as I said, it's down to expectations. I consider the flights to be no more than a glorified bus service, I'm not paying a fortune (by selective travel dates and having family to stay with gives me flexibility) and don't expect anything other than a basic service.

The worst delay I had was 1 hour, and given the slop built into the schedules I wasn't all that late anyway, 10/15 minute delays get absorbed by natural process so aren't a problem.

The staff have never been anything other than courteous and helpful, the planes adequately clean (considering the quick turnaround times and the fact that some passengers like to try and convert the plane into the sh!thole they live in at home) and comfortable enough for my 6' 2" frame.

The online booking and checking in process works perfectly adequately, and the couple of times I've had to use the help facility, despite being generally around 400 in the queue, I've been answered within 20 minutes, again, considerably better than many online companies.

I know there are horror stories about Ryanair out there, aren't there always about any company?, but I have no complaints whatsoever, it does what it says on the tin.

 

Mike.

[Lochgorm]

Very disappointing reviews from jjb1970 as there was no mention whether the champagne was served at the correct temperature.  Important information when travelling business class.  Also the breakfast jam had to be requested as an extra on Vietnam Airways.  FFS as a certain bear would say.

Charlie

[Type 2]

14 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

I think flight experiences are based on expectations, so,,,

Onto the other extreme, Ryanair.

I'm not saying I'm the most frequent flyer, but I make about 6 or so (depending on exhibitions!) return flights a year Spain to the UK, and my family a couple at least the other way, so I have a reasonable amount of knowledge of such things.

I use Alicante here and EMA/BHX primarily in the UK, and as I said, it's down to expectations. I consider the flights to be no more than a glorified bus service, I'm not paying a fortune (by selective travel dates and having family to stay with gives me flexibility) and don't expect anything other than a basic service.

The worst delay I had was 1 hour, and given the slop built into the schedules I wasn't all that late anyway, 10/15 minute delays get absorbed by natural process so aren't a problem.

The staff have never been anything other than courteous and helpful, the planes adequately clean (considering the quick turnaround times and the fact that some passengers like to try and convert the plane into the sh!thole they live in at home) and comfortable enough for my 6' 2" frame.

The online booking and checking in process works perfectly adequately, and the couple of times I've had to use the help facility, despite being generally around 400 in the queue, I've been answered within 20 minutes, again, considerably better than many online companies.

I know there are horror stories about Ryanair out there, aren't there always about any company?, but I have no complaints whatsoever, it does what it says on the tin.

 

Mike.

I've flown Ryanair, 10 times or so and, like you, haven't experienced anything other than a professional service, based on what I've paid.  In fact much better service than more expensive airlines.  I don't expect bells and whistles, so I'm not disappointed when I don't get them, unlike others who just moan and complain at absolutely everything (usually at their own making)

 

I fly Aer Lingus quite often, transatlantic, and have always had fantastic service, they do seem to go above and beyond other airlines.  I took quite ill on a flight once and had to visit the bathroom quite often, they arranged a seat swap to one near the WC, and locked it out of use to other passengers so it would be available when I needed it.  The flight was about half-full mind you but I still think that is amazing service.

 

Worst I have flown with are Virgin, never again, even worse than Air France.  I'd rather swim than use either again, and I can't swim!

[Kris]

Flew Eastern Airways a few weeks ago on a short hop up to London. Great service from a happy crew, comfortable seating. Nothing not to like, possibly with the exception of the turbulence on the way home (It was a little blowy 40+mph winds on the ground in a ATR72-600). 

[J. S. Bach]

The best service and flight was my one trip on this airline and plane into Souda Bay, Crete:

[chris p bacon]

5 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

The best service and flight was my one trip on this airline and plane into Souda Bay, Crete:

Was it a parachute drop 😀

[J. S. Bach]

4 minutes ago, chris p bacon said:

Was it a parachute drop 😀

No, I walked off the back ramp onto the taxiway with the rest of the crew, waited for my seabag and proceeded off to the right to report aboard for duty. Note that the photo was taken by me weeks later; the Herkybird made a weekly circuit of the Med; we (usually) got it on Monday and sent it out on Tuesday after the crews' RON.

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by J. S. Bach
To do a minor edit.

[jjb1970]

10 hours ago, Damo666 said:

Thanks for your post. My son is in HCM, so my wife and I are planning to go out to see him later in the air. He flew out on Bamboo Airways, which we never heard about before then.

 

I know what IFE means, but what does LLC mean (Low Cost Carrier?), and what/who is SQ?

 

Thanks

D

 

Apologies, falling into jargon!

 

LCC is indeed low cost carrier, SQ is Singapore Airlines. 

[jjb1970]

On low cost carriers, I think they have to be judged as what they are. They offer no frills transport, you're not paying for bells and whistles. I fly with some of the Asian LCCs and they seem to do it pretty well in Asia.

 

I have flown Singapore - Jakarta with full service carriers Garuda and Singapore Airlines in economy, and with the LCCs Jetstar Asia and Scoot. Because it's such a busy route Garuda and Singapore sometimes deploy big widebodies , some of which are long haul configured so the cabins are nicer. However, if it's a 737 then the seats and cabin fitment is pretty much the same as Jetstar and Scoot (Scoot is the LCC offshoot of Singapore Airlines). The full service options give you a snack, and that's about it. Both Jetstar and Scoot have been efficient and the aircraft are immaculate and cabin crews are good.

 

Something about LCCs in Asia which is positive is they tend to use the same airports as full service carriers. The big difference is if things go wrong. If there's a technical issue which forces cancellation of the flight then you get more support from full service carriers.

 

The other thing to be careful of is price. If you travel light and don't need any extras then LCCs can be very cheap, but if you need to check bags, want to select a seat to travel together as a family and so on then it can end up costing pretty much the same as just going with Singapore Airlines.

[KeithMacdonald]

6 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

The best service and flight was my one trip on this airline and plane into Souda Bay, Crete:

 

Were you securely strapped to the pallet they pushed out the back?

[KeithMacdonald]

I wish I could offer any reviews of the quality of @jjb1970

 

My only immediately memory worth mentioning is a second-hand one, a report from a friend who had a contract in Sudan back in the 1980's. Which stipulated that they must travel by Sudanese-recognised airlines. Which somehow only listed Sudan Air.  The only perk was First Class, so up front, very near the cockpit. On one memorable trip, my friend witnessed the co-pilot coming out of the cockpit, going back to the galley to get some drinks. There was some turbulence and noise, so when the co-pilot turned back to ask the pilot something, the pilot couldn't hear clearly, and left the plane on auto-pilot while he walked back with the co-pilot towards the galley. That was when they went through more turbulence, enough to bang the cockpit door clear of its latch, and the door to the cockpit slammed shut. With both the pilots on the wrong side of the locked door.

 

The "in-flight entertainment" for the next few minutes consisted of watching the pilot and co-pilot taking turns with a fire axe, smashing their way through the anti-piracy reinforced secure door, to get back into the cockpit.

[jpendle]

I used to fly regularly around Europe on business before I moved to the US. I used SAS and BA the most but some of the more interesting service experiences were with the smaller regional airlines that operated back then.

 

Ronneby to Copenhagen with Golden Air on a Saab 340, if my memory serves me right.

 

Sitting waiting for the flight at Ronneby where there was a LARGE sign over the door to the plane which said "No Foreign Nationals Beyond this Point"

Watching, as everyone in the waiting room boarded a SAS flight to Stockholm leaving just me and one other bloke behind.

A lady in flying officer uniform wandered into the waiting room and told us to follow her with our luggage,

She loaded our bags onto the plane, said "Help yourself to coffee and cake" and went up front to sit next to the Captain!

After takeoff the bloke behind me tapped me on the shoulder and served me the coffee and cake.

 

Geneva to Genoa with Air Dolomiti in an ATR42.

 

Fruit salad served on REAL china. A surprisingly good food offering for such a small airline.

And a final approach to Genoa that felt like we were coming into dive bomb the airport not land there.

The approach is basically fly over the last Alp and then bank and dive to the airport which is out in the harbour.

Flying out is much less fun. Take off and circle a dozen times to get enough altitude to get back over the Alps.

 

And finally:

Manchester to Billund with BA, actually with Sun Air on a Jetstream 31.

 

When I checked in I was told it's a 2.5 hour flight, there's a full meal and drinks service, and there's no toilet!

 

Regards,

 

John P

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by jpendle
Typo

[RichardT]

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/lifestyle/how-to-get-maximum-###### (Boris)-points-from-flying-business-class-20230424234390

[jjb1970]

Something I find about airlines in general is that the bit that differentiates them tends to be less the in-flight and more the ground handling experience. Once you are on-board you sit in a seat and get whatever service is provided and then get off. If comparing like for like (ie. one LCC with another, long haul business with long haul business, full service long haul economy with long haul economy) there are differences but they are differences of degree and which you prefer is often much more about personal preference than being better or worse.

 

The ground handling experience is where it can be shockingly bad, under staffed check in and bag drop leading to crazy queues, over booking, chaos at the gate. Then there is the missing bag issue and the whole rigmarole that can go with it. The ground handling experience can be stressful and make flying a nightmare, whereas even a mediocre flight experience is generally not that bad. And some airlines are much better at it than others and put a lot of effort into getting the ground bits right whereas others are awful.

 

Then there are airports. Some are efficient and keep people moving, others are awful and it is basically just a collection of queues. The reason I like Singapore Changi is that the longest I've ever had to wait at immigration is five minutes and they get the bags off very quickly so it's more normal than unusual to pretty much walk from the aircraft door to the taxi stand.

[Legend]

Well I cant compete with JJB on business class . The few times I've been business class its been because of upgrade or because I knew someone who worked in the airline . It is quite an experience compared with Economy and you do arrive at destination in a better state than having been couped up in economy with 31 inch leg space .  But would I pay for it?  - probably not . It depends on the differential , of course , but on checking I've never seen what I would consider great value in business class .

 

Which puts me in the back of the plane . On long haul I find they are all much the same . The difference maybe IFE but most of them show recent films /Comedies/Music - again much of a muchness . BA, Virgin,Qantas,KLM,United,American ,SAS possibly all much the same . Cathay and Thai are two where i though the cabin crew were superb , but that was now more than 30 years ago !  Regretfully we had to cancel Vietnam Airlines as I was due to fly out on 19/3/20 just at the start of the pandemic , but expensively before Govt advice not to travel !

 

What distinguishes airlines in my experience is how they deal with things when things go wrong  and I have to say in this respect I find BA spectacularly lacking , to the extent I prefer flying on just about anyone else to avoid them . From Glasgow thats not too easy as most long haul is down to Heathrow on Shuttle and connect.

 

Experiences:

Check in at Miami . BA had three flights out of Miami I think with about two hour gaps . B747s or A380 so lots of people . Many like me coming off cruise ships.  One big check in line for economy , the line almost out the terminal  and of course the queue is not organised , so people on later flight might be at the front and earlier flight at the back , but because its one big line its all they can do is queue . Of course sooner or later it dawns on the airline the early flight isnt filling up , so they call people forward . Carnage in the queue!  Easily avoided of course if they had a seperate check in and queue for each flight - but seemed beyond wit of BA Miami (there were spare desks so its not capacity - suspect they cut manpower to the bone)

 

Arrival late at Heathrow . 2 hours late coming in from Miami because of technical issue on A380.  We reach the gate of connecting shuttle to Glasgow in time  but are already bumped from flight because BA assumed we wouldnt make it . Fair enough, the bags probably wouldn't have made it . But they don't book you on the next flight ....oh no , you are booked on the last flight of the day which they use to mop up all people who dont make connections!  Still you get a £10 voucher . See how far that goes in T5 ! Customer care or more like customers we dont care!

 

Arriving from Barcelona (another cruise) all connecting flights Glasgow/Edinburgh cancelled . Why ?  Because in event of bad weather , restricted flying , capacity , the first thing BA pulls is their domestic flights .  Theyll fly you up the next day , but your luggage is put in a warehouse then trucked up days later . Appalling service!

 

I have had a number of good flights with BA but when it goes wrong it tends to go wrong big time . Interaction with cabin crew tends to be limited to "Chicken or Pasta " and at the back of the plane the options usually run out !

 

I have to say Ryanair worked for me on regular Prestwick-Wroclaw flights . Its basic  but you get exactly what you pay for . Where it goes wrong for people is where they are trying to buck the rules , too many bags or over weight . They took time keeping extremely seriously often ushering people on the plane to take off on time - but thats the way I like it . It does exactly what it says on the tin and I was paying considerably less than a colleague who flew Edinburgh- Frankfurt-Wroclaw just because he wouldnt do Ryanair!

Edited April 25, 2023 by Legend

[cctransuk]

We have always previously used Singapore Airlines when travelling to Australasia. This time, the timings would have dictated an extended transfer at Singapore outbound to Brisbane, and Qantas offered a direct flight from Perth to Heathrow inbound to the UK - Qantas duly booked via Trailfinders.

 

On checking-in online for the internal flight from Adelaide (end of Brisbane - Adelaide road-trip) to Perth, we discovered that we had been switched to a Adelaide - Sydney - Singapore - Heathrow route. No prior warning - not even Trailfinders were aware. Presumably, this was a consequence of the direct Dreamliner headwind / fuel issue?

 

Anyway, no response to subsequent complaints and, combined with the atrocious food / in-flight service on all the Qantas flights that we used, we have vowed never to use Qantas again, no matter what the circumstances!

 

John Isherwood.

Edited April 25, 2023 by cctransuk

[Jol Wilkinson]

Recent experience by my wife on a return trip to NZ via Vancouver, NZ Air great as usual, Air Canada consistently poor, miserable flight attendants and appalling food (what there was of it). Over the years the best long haul flights I have enjoyed were with BA, Air NZ and Singapore (most of our long haul flight were to NZ and Canada on family visits).

 

Worst airport, LAX. Best airport experience, the Air NZ lounge at Melbourne.

[Steamport Southport]

Ryanair is fine until something goes wrong. Then they try everything they can to blame it on the passengers...

 

The plane I was on has landed at the wrong airport and even the wrong country more than once!

 

Best airport? Schiphol.  You could live in it. Even has a model shop! Prices wasn't that bad either, I always used to try and buy something.

 

 

 

Jason

[Andy Hayter]

I think the problem with a thread such as this (and no criticism of @jjb1970 for raising it since I am sure that there will be even more interesting posts), the problem is that we are likely to see the extraordinary good or extraordinary bad experiences.

 

Most of my flying - and I ended up doing a lot of it - was short haul- say less than 2.5 hours flying.  Over time the experience has reduced.  Business class at one stage would cover a  4 or 5 course dinner.  [I frequently found myself flying mid to latish evening.]  This gradually  became less and less of an offering and then a combination of companies not allowing Business class travel for such short journeys combined with a removal of business class on many of the routes - a bit chicken and egg perhaps.   To the point where even on a 2 hour flight you might just get offered biscuits (sweet or salty) and a non-alcoholic drink with flag carriers and of course nothing FOC from the LCCs.   Of course over time we were also encouraged to use LCCs for these short hops.

 

So back to the original point I made, I remember an excellent business class flight from Brussels to Frankfurt  as a late night positioning flight with a wide bodied jet.  25minutes in the air meant you spent more time walking to the gate and from the gate to the terminal concourse than the flight itself.  In those 25 minutes ( got a superb 4 course meal plus seemingly endless supplies of Belgian chocolates.  With just 3 passengers, there were significantly more crew than passengers.  

 

I could describe the half dozen or so uneventful flights with Austrian Airlines, but the one that stays in the mind is when the plane depressurised over the Alps and a rapid descent followed by a priority return to Vienna.  Apart from a significant delay in arriving in Lyon, the most annoying thing was the repeated automatic massage demanding that we put on our face masks and remained seated, belted and calm - all in German. 

 

I could likewise describe the countless flights from Teesside to Schiphol with Air UK (aka Air YUK) which were uneventful (apart from 2).  The one had nothing to do with the airline but rather the fact the I was carrying 5 x 1kg samples of white powder- genuine commercial samples - and on arrival at Teesside we were all lined up in front of our luggage while a sniffer dog was allowed to sniff at each person and their luggage.  This was late Friday night and I am thinking, if the dog stops by me I am going to be here all weekend trying to explain.  The dog stopped and barked at the case one person before me.  The person was asked to step forward and open his case and then step back.  The dog dived in and came out with the biggest Toblerone bar you have ever seen in its mouth.  WE were then all politely asked to leave. (phew)

The second being when on the same run but out-bound, we were within sight of Schiphol  runway when the captain came onto the intercom and made an announcement which was largely unintelligible over the noise of the Focker turboprop engines.  I did pick up the word oxygen though.  The plane turned away and we landed at Humberside! to the full might of their emergency resources - 1 tractor and 1 fire engine.   It was explained by the stewardess on the return to the UK that the captain had tried to explain that there was a problem with the emergency steering and nose wheel drop system that had enough oxygen to do one or the other but not both.  I understand that this use of the on board oxygen is a back up to the normal back up system.  

 

So one very positive, two negative - but I walked away from both - and that's what matters.

[jjb1970]

It's true really that any review thread or website tends to be populated by the top and bottom outliers rather than the majority of average experiences (usually weighted towards the worst). People aren't normally motivated to make the effort to write a review saying something was OK. And things (goods or services) we might buy are OK, they do what is claimed well enough without being especially memorable.

 

Often the most memorable flights are not memorable because of the flight but the associated experience, be it good or bad. The worst flight I ever made was Sydney - London with British Airways. Nothing wrong with the flight or with BA, but I was on-board a container ship in Sydney Harbour thinking about the possibility of a run ashore when I was called to the chief engineers office at about 9 in the morning and basically told to pack my bags and a taxi was booked to take me to the airport as my father was terminally ill. Flying home not knowing whether or not I'd get back in time to see him alive wasn't a pleasant experience (but it is a reason I still have a good regard for P&OCL, they were excellent about it). 

 

Or flying to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea and Lagos in Nigeria. In Malabo I remember the immigration guy tapping away at his computer keyboard looking very productive, as I was waved through I looked and the thing wasn't turned on. And having to pay a guy in a dirty white coat with a very dodgy looking syringe not to be vaccinated for something or other. In retrospect it is quite amusing but it wasn't such a laughing matter at the time, in Abidjan I was arrested and thrown in the cells until my employer bought me out. They were nice enough about it and it was just business, but because my visa was sponsored by an oil company it was an opportunity for the airport guys to top up their pay.

 

At the other extreme I remember flying with Cathay Pacific on a flight where the flight purser was the former next door neighbour of my wife, so she moved me from from economy (it was when I was still at sea) to first class and then made sure I was very well looked after, that was a nice surprise. The captain and chief were not so happy that I, a mere underling, was invited up to the best seats, the look they gave me was almost as enjoyable as the upgrade🤣She was a nice lady, we often met her in London when she flew to London.

 

[Legend]

One of my best flights was easyJet Belfast international to Glasgow . With easyJet you have to be at gate 30 mins before flight . The plane was lightly loaded , we all got on quick, captain had his clearance do we took off with 10 minutes . It’s only a 25 min flight to Glasgow so we arrived 5 mins after we were due to take off ! 
 

But what a view  . Up to 12000 ft . Top of Northen Ireland , Mull of Kintyre , Ailsa Craig , Arran and view up the Clyde . Makes you feel very small and you realise how close we all are . Stupendous views 

 

Another good one . In the 80s BA used to fly Glasgow - Benbecula . The flight back on a Saturday morning was always lightly loaded and may even have been sold as a tourist flight . Great view of the Western Isles , Staffa, over the Corryvrekan whirlpool , Crinan Canal over the Clyde and into Glasgow . Plane was an HS748 or “Flying Budgie” as we called them . 
 

Both great experiences . Might need to try the seaplane on Loch Lomond that does similar trips