Who wouldn't you fly with and why?

[Professor TailSpin]

With the holiday season in full swing, I have begun hearing a familiar converation around the office.

When someone tells someone else where they're going on holiday and says who they're flying with, the most common comment seems to be "Rather you than me, I'd never fly with that airline".

I'd be interested to hear from pilots, ATC, groundcrew, SLF (etc etc etc etc) and find out who they wouldn't fly with and the reasoning behind it. Might also been good to hear who you would fly with. This isn't meant to be a bashing of any airlines, but rather a fact based thread on why some airlines have a bad rep.

[tunneler]

I'll generally fly with anyone however I do dread charter flights, being a rather big guy 5 hours in a 757 to LCA can be VERY uncomfy http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif

Tunny

[pax domina]

Had one of our corporate bankers, when mentioning booking on AirTran (successor) to ValuJet, tell me that he "value(d) his life too much to do that". However, I also rathe suspect that he is a nervous flyer at the best of times.

Started a discussion on this on the Pax & SLF forum a while back

http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/Forum51/HTML/000113.html

Biggles FU's posts to the thread were most interesting, I thought.


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pax d - narcissistic, short-sighted, ill-bred moron

[100LL]

Bloody SABENA I've had two flight with them one delayed, Only to find when I got on A/c the seat back was bust, collapsed at one side and kept reclining kept getting a bo11akin off the trolly dolly on landing. The second was just cancelled full stop no Explanation just a 5Hr delay at Vienna

[This message has been edited by 100LL (edited 26 June 2001).]

[This message has been edited by 100LL (edited 26 June 2001).]

[schoolkid]

For me its gotta be Ryanair.The last two times i have flown from DUB to STN the flight has been cancelled.1st because of technical problems and the 2nd time due to fog.(there 737-200s are category 1)every other airline was flying except them.HATE RYANAIR.THERE FARES ARE NOT THAT CHEAP?

[Smoketoomuch]

No way in a million years I would fly with this bloke:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1407000/1407210.stm

British rocket experts are denouncing as suicidal the latest
plans of controversial rocket engineer Steve Bennett.

He intends to become the first private astronaut to go into
space with his own rocket. Within two years, he hopes to
take two passengers into space with him. Critics are
already calling it the "bye, bye, Bennett mission".

Steve Bennett's latest development is the Nova capsule.
Alongside it at the exhibtion will be a larger capsule called
Thunderbird, which Bennett hopes will take him, and the two passengers,
into space.

But other rocket experts are worried, not least because the Thunderbird
capsule is actually a converted cement mixer, containing sheets of
hardboard and a few computer joysticks.

In the media, Steve Bennett has been called "Britain's answer to Nasa".
Indeed, on his website, Bennett cites Nasa as one of his official
sponsors. Nasa denies this and when this was pointed out, Bennett said:
"Er, that might be an exaggeration, I'll look into that."

Bennett says: "I have the first prototype engine on the desk in front of
me. We plan to test it on a military site later this year."
Rocket experts are somewhat puzzled by this, as Bennett has been banned,
and caused all other rocketeers to be banned from military launch
ranges, after he set fire to one when a rocket failed on launch a few
years ago.

[DownIn3Green]

I hope it's not Air Afrique as I'm scheduled to fly them next week...

[Fast Jet Wannabe]

Sorry Schoolkid,

Ryanair's 732's are not Cat1. And in any case, my last two STN/DUB flights were on 738's.

Not quite sure whether your last (shouted) sentence was a statement or a question, but if it was a statement, I challenge you to post a cheaper rtn fare on the route (any London airport - I doubt you can do it).

As it happens I've just stepped off a DUB flight this evening, very nice too, and very cheap. Well done Ryanair.

[Divin-Davva]

Britannia! 2 years ago I was travelling from Gatwick to St Lucia. Hurricane Lenny was knocking about over there, but they constantly assured us that we would be okay. They first gave us a 4 hour notice and then we were allowed on the aircraft. A hydraulic failure then meant we had to get off the aircraft...and after this the whole communication thing fell apart. About 65% of the passengers were travelling to St Lucia and the rest were going to Antigua. We were told on a number of occasions that St Lucia was clear and wouldn't be a problem but we were held up by the Antigua bound holiday makers.

27 hours later we finally took off, after numerous other "customer service" encounters. About 6.5 hours into the flight, the captain then informed us that we were going straight to St Lucia anyway!

No issue with the delay for the hurricane, I'd rather get there 27 hours late than not at all, just the way they managed the whole drama!! Haven't been with them since and won't go again! Afterwards their customer service dept were rubbish too!

[Professor TailSpin]

I've also flown Britannia from Gatwick to St. Lucia a few years back. Luckily didn't have the same experience as you, however, during the entire descent to St. Lucia there was a 'condensation' leak above one of the SLF. The lady had to hold a plastic container above her head to collect the water, and was not happy at all.

The only other point of note was that St. Lucia's main airport really really needs to invest in air-conditioning. Longest hour of my life waiting for my luggage and to get through immigration in that heat.

Great landing though....coming in low down over the sea getting closer and closer with no sign of an airport (or land) and suddenly the ground appears from nowhere and touchdown. Some anxious faces in the cabin during that one.

[Due to an inability to spell, this message has been edited by Professor TailSpin (edited 28 June 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Professor TailSpin (edited 28 June 2001).]

[Pdub]

Once flew to South Africa with Olympic... never again. They commited the cardinal sin, one hur into a 12 hur long flight (fuel stop in Nairobi) they RAN OUT OF ALCOHOL http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif the only thing left was Metaxa, no one else would drink it , so there was a plentiful supply for me at least.

Between that and the annoying greek pensioners who were sat behind my friend, punctuating their conversation with slaps to the seat back, which the F/A's seemed unconcered about, they have been struck off my list

[Trislander]

Well I would say Caledonian, but since they do not exist anymore, I can't exactly say I wouldn't fly with them again. All flights I have ever flown with them on have been delayed. Up to 4 hours sometimes.

Hopefully the new Cally will be better as BA will be behind it again.

Tri

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http://www.aurigny.com/images.gb%20/trislander.jpg
"Ayline 221 airbourne"

[PAXboy]

I have just read the posts from the previous thread and I agree with a lot. We can all have one bad experience. Any line and any airport can lose a bag or two.

I am very choosy about airlines - when I get a choice! Sometimes, the client will not pay the rate but, generally, it is OK.

Ryan Air changed the departure time on me with no notice. The flight came forward by (fortunately) only 30 mins and the desk had just closed when I got there. The check in agent smugly said, "You're travel agent should have told you." When I pointed out that I had booked on-line with them and they had my e-mail address AND I had logged onto their site the previous evening to check departures ... I was boarded pronto! But, if the flight had already departed??

I have a very simple policy: Avoid 3rd World unless you have no choice. Be cautious about 2nd World.

Those with consistent records, such as Korean will never see me. A one-off is no sweat (e.g. Swiss) as it usually brings the management's attention to bear on the problems they created!!

Oh yes ... and follow the saftey drill! (see other thread)


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A window seat on the sunny side of the aircraft, please!

[This message has been edited by PAXboy (edited 30 June 2001).]

[Final 3 Greens]

Airtours

They continued the coffee and tea service in slight/mod CAT whilst the FO was announcing that an aircraft ahead had experienced severe turbulence.

One flight attendant insisted on kneeling down and going up and down the aisle that way!

[Doctor Cruces]

It would have to be Airtours for me as well. Their aircraft seem to end up all over the place at the whim of the Ops Staff (or depending where the skipper's car is parked!!). They seem to combine smaller flights onto a DC-10 (which I still won't fly in...maybe unreasonable but so is arachnaphobia)for no other reason than to save money and s*d the poor pax. Their efforts (Ops, scheduling etc) were a shambles last week-end during the Spanish problems, and I just would not feel I could depend upon them to end my holiday flight getting off an aeroplane and not have to be bussed somewhere for several hours before getting to the place I left.

Doc C

[CR2]

I flew Aeroflot during +-1985. What an experience. Il86, Tu134, Tu154, Yak42. Still, I survived!! No seat allocation, no safety briefing, no seatbelt signs take-off & landing (sector Leningrad-LGW on the -86).
...I won't mention the catering except to sat the lemonade was green.

[5711N0205W]

For me it would have to be TAAG Angolan Airlines. I flew with them from Luanda to Pointe Noire (lucky me) last year in a 737 Combi, the carpets were not fixed down, the seats were lose and when we taxied past the helicopter gunships (Hind) and the burned out wreckage of some other aircraft it really made me want to do this route again. :mad: