Trip Report: AZAL Airlines, Lahore to Baku (May 2024)

  Trip Report: AZAL Airlines, Lahore to Baku

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was in Pakistan and looking for a place to travel so was looking at direct flights from Lahore.  Recently, AZAL Airlines started direct flights from Lahore to Baku and Azerbaijan has been on my list so decided to check out the airline, the city and the country.  I booked my ticket online through the AZAL website directly and since AZAL is a full-service airline, each ticket came with a free seat selection, complimentary meals as well as complimentary 23-kg checked baggage.  You could add additional baggage online if needed (I did need it and it was convenient to have this process done online prior to the airport so that airport check-in is easier).  During the booking process, I was able to select my seat - there were regular seat selection as well as priority seat selection; later on I figured out these were exit row as well as in the front of the plane seats that required costs to select them. 

The flight was scheduled to depart at 2am and arrive into Baku at 5:40am and was to be operated by an Airbus A319 for a flight time of 4 hours.  The flight only 2-3 times a week so its essential to make the flight.  I got to the airport 3-hours in advance, quickly checked in and received my boarding pass, and went to the gate.  Boarding was to commence at 1:15am but it started late and was a bit chaotic but we ended being boarded for an on-time pushback.  The plane is an Airbus A319 with a small business class upfront in a 2-2 configuration and economy in the back in a 3-3 configuration.  The first 3 rows of economy as well as the exit row were designated as premium - so even though some of them sat empty they would not allow people to move there unless they paid an upgrade.  There was a family separated and instead of rearranging seats to get the family to sit together as well as accommodate other passengers, the airline insisted everyone take their assigned seats and kept the family separate throughout the entire flight!

The seat itself was basic as it had an adjustable headrest, a tray table, as well as a storage pocket but that was it.  There was no USB nor charging ports and no additional amenities.  The legroom was decent, not great but not terrible, and the seat comfort was ok for the first 2 hours but then it got uncomfortable afterwards for the remaining two hours.  Service onboard was average as they were not mean but were not nice, and communication in English was definitely an issue.  AZAL provides a complimentary meal on all their flights - and that is a nice gesture especially in today's time.  You can preorder special meals based on religious and/or dietary restrictions.  On this leg, one meal service was going to be conducted; we took off on-time and it was a late night flight so instead of serving the food quickly and letting people sleep, or letting people sleep and then serve food before we landed into Baku, the airline decided to keep the cabin dark for an hour, let everyone sleep, and then an hour after takeoff start the meal and drink service.  It was a really odd choice and after the meal service coffee and tea were offered, and again that took a while so hour 2-3 of your flight was taken up by the meal service.

The meal provided was basic but decent and for my special meal included a salad, fresh fruit, the main dish, as well as a piece of bread.  The main meal was a smaller portion but decent for the 4-hour flight but was a bit bland and needed some flavor; the bread was not warmed but was decent.  Complimentary drinks, including alcoholic drinks, were served and coffee and tea were offered afterwards.  After the meal service, the lights were turned off again for the remaining flight time to do what you wanted.  They did have screens above that showed the flight map, and you could connect to the entertainment system on your own device.  The entertainment system was present but extremely limited as it only offered a handful of movies and other programs; it was basically bring your own entertainment. We landed in Baku on time and quickly exited the plane and cleared through customs and immigration.

I took AZAL again when flying between Baku and Tbilisi and the overall experience was the same but there were a couple of differences.  The plane operating this route was an Embraer E190 and it was newer so the seat pitch and comfort were better; all regional flights operate out of Terminal 2 which is the older terminal and you can definitely feel that; and the Embraer did not have the 'stream to your device' entertainment option.                                                                                                                                                                    In the end, it was an average and basic flight was AZAL.  There are some things that were good including the price which was not expensive, each flight took off and landed on-time, the complimentary seat selection and luggage allowance, and the complimentary meals and service on both flights.  Service could have been better but airlines within this region are not known for their service; generally if they get to your destination on time in a clean and comfortable space then they did their job and AZAL does the job.   

Trip Report: TAP Air Portugal - Washington, D.C. to Zurich via Lisbon (November 2021)

  Trip Report: TAP Air Portugal - Washington, D.C. to Zurich
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was looking to fly to Europe from the US and in Fall of 2021 only certain airlines were operating.  One of these was TAP Air Portugal and during that time their prices were good, the flight timings were good, and the COVID regulations were not strict thus limiting travel (I think TAP did this strategically to continue operating and providing a revenue for their operations); because of all these reasons I booked TAP Air Portugal.  I have flown TAP before both long-haul (Newark to Lisbon) and short-haul (Lisbon to Barcelona) so I was familiar with their product; they tend to offer lower fares and in return offer a decent product.  Their prices are not fancy and neither are their services - everything seems ok, especially given the price you pay so one should not expect a Singapore or Emirates-type service.  Since my last flight with them, they have invested in fleet renewal which includes A321LRneo which are long-haul single aisle planes.  These have been used recently on many long-haul flights between Europe and the U.S. in markets where a larger, twin-aisle plane capacity is not there.  

My flight was from Washington, D.C. to Lisbon and then from Lisbon to Zurich; the first leg wasoperated by an A321LRneo while the second leg was operated by an Airbus A320.  When I booked my trip, I was able to preselect my seat and select a special meal option for my long-haul flight at no cost; for the short-haul flight preselecting a seat and adding a meal would be an extra charge.  Since my itinerary included a long-haul sector, checked baggage was included but had my itinerary only been short-haul or within Europe then checked baggage and hand carry are only allowed on certain ticket levels.  I had all my documentation ready and so I was able to check-in online and receive my boarding pass but I still needed to stop by the desk to confirm all my health requirements and documentation.  During the check-in process I could modify my long-haul seat selection but could only add a seat for my short-haul for a cost.  

The flight from Washington, D.C. departed at 10pm and arrives into Lisbon at 10am.  In the Fall of 2021 there was not many people flying so the airport was empty and it took 10 minutes to get through check-in and security.  Once the flight arrived and was cleaned and catered, we boarded in groups.  The Airbus A321neoLR is a unique plane in that is a long-range plane but it is single aisle unlike most long-range planes which are double aisle.  The single aisle makes allows airlines to operate routes longer term that may not be as profitable with a bigger airline.  The airplane is in a 3-3 configuration and had a business class upfront, a small premium economy, and then economy section.  Even though it was a single-aisle the seat pitch and seat width of the seat were very good and comfortable for the 7hr+ flight.  The seat itself contained a wide PTV screen with USB and headphone jack underneath, a section for safety card and airline magazine, a tray table that can be used half-open or fully open, and then additional pockets and storage underneath.  Overall, it was a comfortable flight for the flight time and length of the flight. 

Once airborne, inflight service commenced.   First there was a drink and pretzel service and then meals were served.  The food was average, decent but not great, and this was also the comment on the entertainment options for the PTV, decent but not great.  The options were great for a 4-5hour flight but you would be limited for longer flights.  After the first meal, most passengers went to sleep.  There was water and pretzels available in the rear of the plane throughout the flight and then prior to landing a snack was served.  Once we landed, transiting through Lisbon airport was a NIGHTMARE as there were too many people and not enough staff to handle the transit.  I had about 2.5hrs transit time and the entire time was spent in line going through immigration and security.  I barely had enough time to clear everything and make it to my next gate; that happened both on the airport and the return.

My next flight was an intra-European flight on an Airbus A320 and there was a noticeable difference in terms of cabin size, seat comfort, seat pitch and width, and general layout of the seat.  The seat comfort, seat pitch and width were all reduced and it made the 2h45m flight feel longer.  There was no PTV and I could not access wifi on the plane so it was up to you to bring your own entertainment.  Drinks are served on TAP but everything else is buy-on-board.  

Generally, it was an average flight onboard TAP.  My experience and opinion of them from my previousflight had not changed - they are an average airline which will get you from Point A to Point B in a lower cost and with an average plane with decent seat pitch and width.  There will be nothing outstanding that will make you say 'oh my God' but nor will there be anything that bad that will make you swear them off (except this time transiting through Lisbon was not fun). 

Trip Report: Qatar Airways, Houston to Lahore via Doha (September 2019)

Trip Report: Qatar Airways, Houston to Lahore via Doha
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling to Lahore, Pakistan from Houston and for this route there are a couple of options: Emirates, Qatar, and Turkish.  I usually take Turkish (see review here) or Emirates (see review here) but this time I took Qatar Airways.  I have flown Qatar regionally (see review here) but it has been over 10 years since I have flown them long-haul and everyone keeps talking about how Qatar's onboard product is nice and one of the best.  I was not that impressed when I flew them 10 years ago (which is why I haven't been back) and I wasn't overly impressed with them on the regional flights, but the price and flight timings were good so I decided to try them again.  Also, Emirates' service has dropped somewhat in the last couple of years so while the entertainment system is great, their onboard service is not as great as it once was.  

The flight from Houston was scheduled to depart at 6pm and arrive into Doha at 4:40pm the next

day, and then our next flight was scheduled to depart Doha at 8:10p and arrive into Lahore at 1:40am.  Both flights were scheduled to be operated by an Airbus A350-1000.  Booking the flight and managing the reservation were simple and easy both through the website where you could select your seat, request special meals, and request special assistance.  You could also check-in 24 hours prior to the flight, either through the app or the website; I choose to check-in at the airport.  The flight was scheduled to depart Houston at 6pm and I got to the airport about 2:45pm and this early there was not much of a line so checking in, checking the luggage (two bags at 23kg each), and receiving the boarding pass was quick.  For those in economy, there was a chance to purchase an upgrade to business class; the business class would only include the Houston to Doha sector (no additional sectors or transfers) and would not include access to the lounge in either Houston or Doha.  The price for the upgrade was double that of a single economy ticket, and while the chance to upgrade is welcomed the price was extremely high especially given that you would not be able to access all the amenities (and considering other airlines like Turkish allow similar upgrades, from Houston to Istanbul, for half the price and you still get access to the lounge in Houston).  

Boarding was to commence at 5pm so many passengers were congregated near the gate at this time waiting for the boarding announcement, but none came; only after passengers asked was an announcement made that boarding would be delayed due to late arrival of the aircraft.  Boarding finally commenced at 5:30pm and was done by Groups, with the first group being those with families and those needed special assistance.  Boarding took a long time, was a bit chaotic and hectic, but finally all passengers were on board (I do have to point out that Qatar was not as strict on its carryons as other carriers such as Emirates has been).  After a safety video was shown, we finally took off about 30 minutes behind schedule.  The operating aircraft was an Airbus A350-1000 with a 3-3-3 seat layout.  Each seat came equipped with a PTV with a screen that was a decent size, a USB port, headphone jack, space below the screen to store your own device, a plug, a decent size tray table, and three seatback pockets one of which contained a folder with the airline magazine, the safety card, and bunch of other literature.  The seat was well-equipped for the long-haul flight.  The seat width was generally good and so was the seat pitch, as they were both generous enough for the long-haul flight.  The seat comfort on the other hand was a bit tough. especially after the 12th hour, but kudos to Qatar for making the seat last that long.  On the seat itself was a pillow and blanket as well as headphones and amenity kit - the amenity was standard and included toothbrush, tooth paste, socks and eyeshades and they were a welcome addition.   The PTV had a selection of movies, TV shows, news, music, and games and while the selection was decent, it was not wide enough to keep one entertained for 15+hours. 

Once boarding had been completed, a menu card was handed out regarding the inflight meals (I am

not sure why menu cards are still printed as the menu can be digitally added to the PTV screens and save tons of paper!).  Once we reached cruising altitude, the inflight service started with dinner and drinks.  A complimentary meal was served along with complimentary drinks - I ordered a special meal so those were served first followed by the regular meals.  The meals itself were limited in portion quantity and quality and not appetizing, pleasing, nor filling for the long-haul flight (this was not just my opinion but other passengers who congregated in the back had the same issue with the food).  I found that on all my flights, the catering on Qatar was definitely well-below expectations.  Coffee and tea were served after dinner, the meals trays were cleared, and then the lights were turned off so passengers could get some rest.  Throughout the flight drinks were available in the back along with a select few snacks (and I do mean few) and passengers could help themselves.  Mid-flight the crew did come around with snacks and light drinks, but generally the cabin crew were not present throughout the flight.  Before landing, breakfast was served (even though we landed at night) and again the catering at Qatar was not good as the food was low in quality and quantity.  We landed at Qatar, deplaned, went through security, and then roamed Doha International until the next flight.  

Doha International is a brand new purposely built terminal and I have been there before and the same issues I had then continued; there is only one food court for all the passengers, the food and drink selections are severely limited, the food and drink are nowhere near where the gates are, the service is extremely poor, and the prices are ridiculously high. 

The second flight was also supposed to be operated by an Airbus A350-1000 but instead got switched to a Boeing 777-300ER and immediately upon boarding you could tell the difference.  The plane's quality and interior were a bit older and not as comfortable, so I could not imagine traveling on those for 15+hours.  The plane was in a 3-4-3 seat layout and were designed in the same way as the Airbus except these had the older PTVs, no space underneath them, and the USB, headphone jack, and cable jack were on the side of the seat.  As the plane was only 40% full, all passengers could stretch and many moved to the rear section where many passengers got an entire 4-seater to themselves.  Again, upon boarding each seat had a pillow, blanket, and headphones and once boarding was completed menu cards were handed out.  After reaching cruising altitude, complimentary meal and drinks were provided followed by coffee and tea.  Again, the catering was subpar as both the quantity and quality of the food were abysmal.  We landed in Lahore, taxied to the gate and deplaned. 

My return flights were both on Airbus A350-1000 and I had the same experience.  Qatar has a nice hard product - they have new planes with nice amenities but its the extras that Qatar lacking.  Qatar has all the ingredients to make a good airline, but none of it comes together to make it cohesive or work.  The planes are nice and have all the amenities, but the onboard service is poor and the food quality is terrible.  In Doha (and in my experience in many other stations as well) the ground staff barely want to do their job and have horrible customer service (and it has been that way for a couple of years now).  My fellow traveling partner opted for the upgrade from Houston to Doha and said that the only good thing about Qatar Business Class was the lie-flat bed, the pajamas, the slippers and the amenity kit.  The food in business class was not good at all and the size of the individual pods was very tight and narrow and made the entire experience cramped and uncomfortable.  We flew Turkish business class earlier in the year (check out the review here) and when comparing the two, both have issues with their ground staff but Turkish has been quality food, their hard product may not be as up to date but its better in terms of quality, their staff has better customer service, and their pricing is more competitive.  As I said, it had been a while since I had flown with Qatar long-haul and my previous experience was not good so that is why we had avoided them but I wanted to try them again to see if anything had changed; in my opinion, nothing has changed and Qatar's product does not seem worth the time nor money I would spend on their product.

Trip Report: SriLankan Airlines, Colombo to Pakistan (September 2019)

Trip Report: SriLankan Airlines, Colombo to Pakistan
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I needed to travel from Colombo to Pakistan and there were a couple of options available - either through the Middle East, through Southeast Asia, or direct flights.  The direct option was the best in terms of overall flight times as well as the flight schedule worked for my schedule.  SriLankan is a part of the oneworld alliance so I used AAdvantage points to book my flight.  I booked my flight on American's website and then I called SriLankan to confirm the details and to get the SriLankan confirmation, but this seemed more difficult than it needed to be.  After speaking to two different agents at SriLankan, as well as emailing them, I gave up and worked with an American Airlines agent who provided me the information.  With my SriLankan reservation number, I was able to go online and modify my reservation, select my seat assignment, as well as select any special meals.

The SriLankan flight from Colombo to Karachi operates 5x's a week and departs Colombo at 12:20pm and arrives into Karachi at 3:20pm for an estimated flight time of 3hr 30min.  24hours prior to my flight I was able to checkin via the website, and confirm my preselected seat assignment.   My flight was scheduled at 12:20pm, but there is a lot of security checkpoints at Colombo International so I was advised to get to the airport 3hours ahead of schedule; in the end, there was a lot of waiting around as security and immigration were extremely quick.  Even though the flight was not scheduled until 12:20pm, at 10am they started announcing for passengers to go through security at the gate even though after security there is nothing to do but sit and wait for the flight which we did until proper boarding happened at 11:15am.  Boarding was supposed to happen in groups and by sections, but many passengers were not listening to the airlines instructions and the airline staff eventually gave up and just let everyone board at the same time. 

The operating aircraft for the flight was an Airbus A321 with a 2-2 seat configuration in business class and a 3-3 seat configuration in economy class.  The seat itself had a seatback PTV with a headphone jack and USB port, a full tray table, a pocket underneath which contained the airline magazine and the safety card, and there was a pillow on each seat.  The seat itself was generally comfortable and both the seat pitch and width were comfortable, especially for this short flight.  Once boarding was complete, there were some empty seats in the front so passengers were allowed to move around to more comfortable seats.  Once pushback started, a safety video was shown and then we taxied to the runway and took off for Karachi.

Once we reached cruising altitude, the inflight service commenced with lunch and drinks.  I had

preordered a special meal and that was delivered along with the regular meals - and the meal consisted of a main dish, a salad, and dessert.  While the quantity was fine, especially for this mid-range flight, the quality of the food was a bit subpar and it was the only disappointing thing on the flight.  Tea and coffee were also provided after the meal service and then once the trays were cleared, it was up to the individual passenger how they wanted to spend their time.  Some slept, some read, while others watched movies or TV shows on the PTV screens.  The selection was decent but a bit limited so I was not sure if this was their full range of videos or if they had limited it given the short flight time (because it was enough for this flight time but definitely would not be enough for their longer flights to London).  For the remaining flight, the FA's mostly stayed in the back and never walked through the cabin so if you needed anything you did have to walk to the back; they were responsive to FA call buttons.  After a while, we started our descent into Karachi and landed on time and quickly taxied to the gate.  

Overall, I was impressed with my flight with SriLankan.  I have been trying to fly with this airline for about 5 years but always one thing would happen and I would not have the opportunity.  I finally got the opportunity and they are an impressive mid-range airline.  They operate a mid-range number of flights and given their range and destination of flights I think they offer a good service with competitive rates and good amenities.  The seat was nice, the onboard amenities such as USB port and PTV screens was nice, and a complimentary meal was provided.  The negatives were the poor quality of the food, the limited entertainment selections, and the long waiting time in Colombo.  Based on this experience, I would definitely choose to fly with SriLankan in the future. 

Trip Report: Royal Brunei Airways, Kuala Lumpur to Brunei (September 2019)

Trip Report: Royal Brunei, Kuala Lumpur to Brunei
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Brunei and on this route there are three options - Malaysia, AirAsia, and Royal Brunei Air.  Royal Brunei is an airline I wanted to try, the flight times fit my schedule, and I have flown on Malaysia before (check out the review here), and the AirAsia schedule did not work for me on the outbound (I did use them on the return and you can check out that review here).  It was very easy to book the flight with Royal Brunei through their website, and I wanted to book a tour as well and the customer service - through the website, the phone, and email - were all very helpful and provided great assistance.  Royal Brunei is a full service airline so the ticket includes complimentary checked baggage, at 30kg, and complimentary meal and seat selection.  Most of their planes included PTVs on the seatback, but they also provide an app to download which provides entertainment if the operating aircraft does not have PTVs.  

The flight departs from Kuala Lumpur at 12:10pm and is scheduled to get into Bandar Seri Bagawan at 2:30pm.  Through the app and the website, I could check into my flight, confirm my seat selection, and make any changes to my flight.  I had arrived into Kuala Lumpur earlier that day on Malindo (check out that review here) so I was ready for the check-in desks to open at 9am.  Checkin went smoothly and I proceeded to the gate for my flight.  The incoming flight arrives into Kuala Lumpur at 11:10a and this plane is turn around for the outbound departing at 12:10pm.  The incoming plane landed on time, it was deplaned and we were boarded by groups - the group boarding was strictly enforced.  The operating aircraft was an Airbus A320 with a 2-2 seat layout in business and in a 3-3 seat layout in economy.  The FA's were very helpful and smiling in getting passengers to their seats and assisting them with their hand carry.  Once passengers were seated, the boarding doors were closed, a safety video was shown, and we pushed back and made our to Bandar Seri Bagawan.

The economy section was in a 3-3 seat layout.  The seat itself had a PTV on the back, with a USB and headphone jack, followed by a tray table, and then a seatback pocket with the airline magazine, duty free magazine, and the airline safety card.  The seatpitch was alright, not great but not bad, but there was a metal bar for the tray table that cut the seatpitch and hit at your knees (and it made the seating a bit uncomfortable).  The seat width was decent, comfortable enough, but the seat comfort was lower than I expected.  The PTV had a decent selection of TV shows, movies, and audio but the content is censored - the selection was definitely enough for this flight time but not sure it would be enough for longer flights that Royal Brunei operates, say to London.  The flight time to Bandar Seri Bagawan is 2hr 20min but as soon as we reached cruising altitude the inflight service started.  Complimentary meals plus complimentary drinks are provide along with complimentary tea and coffee, no alcohol and no pork are onboard.  Special meals were first delivered followed by regular meals - the meal portion was decent, similar to a standard airline meal, but the quality was lower than I expected.  I had high expectations from Royal Brunei and while the meal was a standard airline meal, I expected a bit higher quality for quality and flavor (in fact, AirAsia had better quality of food than Royal Brunei!?!).  Once the food was served, tea and coffee were also provided.  After the meal trays had been cleared, there was only about 30-45 minutes for the passengers to spend the time however they wanted before the captain indicated we had started out decent into Brunei.  The cabin was prepared for landing, we landed on time, taxied to the gate, and deplaned into Brunei.

Before my flight, I was very excited to fly with Royal Brunei.  I expected exceptional service and a

high quality product - they did deliver on the exceptional service as the customer service agents really worked with me to help me book what I wanted.  What they fell short on, in my opinion, was the high quality product because the onboard experience was decent and nice but it was not high quality; especially the seat comfort and the meal quality.  Also, the metal bar that was below the tray table that hit right at the knee - especially when someone would recline their seat - was a great inconvenience.  If I was to compare my inbound flight on Royal Brunei (a full service airline) and my outbound flight on AirAsia (a low-cost airline), the seat comfort was the same on both, the meal quality was higher on AirAsia, the service was definitely better on Royal Brunei and the entertainment selection was better on Royal Brunei.   

Trip Report: AirAsia, Brunei to Kuala Lumpur (July 2019)

Trip Report: AirAsia, Brunei to Kuala Lumpur
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was in Brunei and needed to travel back to Kuala Lumpur.  I had arrived on Royal Brunei (check out that review here) but their flight times for the return did not work with my schedule, and I wanted to try a different airline.  Based on flight times, I decided to go with AirAsia and I wanted to try their product.  I had flown AirAsia back in 2011 on a short flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, but I wanted to experience their service on a longer flight and see if there had been any changes in almost 10 years.  AirAsia is the pioneer of low-cost flying in SouthEast Asia and as a LCC they charge for everything.  They have a variety of options and packages available depending on your preference and price points.  While I had initially wnated to book the flight through an online travel portal, I decided to book directly with AirAsia as I could clearly see what different options were available.  Navigating the AirAsia website was very easy, but 1) you have to sign up for their frequent flyer program in order to complete the booking; there is no other option and 2) it was somewhat difficult to process the payment for the ticket if you are based in the US and the AirAsia assistance was not very helpful (this should have been a clue to how my flight was going to turn out).  

As I said, AirAsia is a LCC which means they charge for everything.  I was traveling with a checked baggage so I searched through the various options that included a checked baggage.  The option I choose was the 'Value Pack' which included 20kg checked baggage, a meal, standard seat selection, and 1hour baggage guarantee.  I appreciated the bundle package, and while it had more items that I really needed, the bundling was a smart idea.  Every ticket comes with 7kg complimentary hand carry, and this is strictly enforced (more on that later).  My flight was scheduled to depart Brunei at 4:30pm and arrive into Kuala Lumpur at 6:50pm with a scheduled flight time of 2hr 20min.  48hours prior to my departure I received a notice that it was time to check into my flight; I was used to 24-hour notices and receiving a notice this early caused me to panic a bit and check to ensure I had booked the correct flight.  While I appreciate checking in so early, I wish AirAsia would advise customers of this as it would save some panic attacks.  Checking in through the app or the website was very easy, and while checking in I could move my seat selection to any standard seat selection in the cabin (they have standard seat selection and 'Big' seat selection with extra legroom).  Even though I had already checked-in and had my boarding pass, I still arrived at the airport 2hours prior to my flight as I had to check my bag and get my documents checked.

The check-in counter was pretty empty when I arrived (I discovered later that it was a pretty empty flight) so checking in was really quick.  Both my checked luggage and my hand carry were weighed, and because of a laptop my hand carry was a bit over the limit by 2kg and this was written on my boarding pass.  I proceeded through security and immigration to my gate, where they were setting up for another checking.  The entrance to the boarding area was sectioned off to check the boarding pass but also to weigh the hand carry.  I understand they are a LCC and they need to be strict about their hand carry weight, but this can be done either in a customer friendly or non-customer friendly, and this day it was handled in a non-customer friendly way.  The airline ground staff were extremely harsh and a bit rude when enforcing the 7kg hand carry limit.  When it came to my turn, I started to tell them that my hand carry had already been weighed when I was interrupted by the agent who said 'everything needs to be reweighed so put it on the scale'.  I put my hand carry on the scale and that is when the other agent noticed the writing on my boarding pass which had stated that I already had my hand carry weighed and after a conversation I was let go.  Again, I understand the strictness but the way it was handled was poor customer service.

As soon as the plane landed from Kuala Lumpur, and the passengers had disembarked, boarding started.  Boarding initially started in groups but then given the light load and the lack of lines that quickly turned into everyone boarding at the same time.  On board the Airbus A320, it was a 3-3 seat layout.  The standard seats were in black while the 'Big' seats had a red cover on them.  The seat itself was alright but a bit uncomfortable and the legroom was not tight but definitely not roomy either.  In my opinion, the seat would be comfortable for a 1-2 hour flight but anything over that would be very uncomfortable.  As a LCC, the seat is very basic with a tray table in the middle and a seatback pocket which contained the airline magazine, the menu, and the Duty Free magazine.  Once boarding was completed, given the light load passengers were free to move to another seat as long as it was another standard seat (ie you could not move from a standard seat to a 'Big' seat, and this was being enforced throughout the flight).  Manual safety demonstrations were conducted, we pushed back and headed off for Kuala Lumpur on time.  The aircraft itself looked middle aged, it definitely was not a new plane but was not an old plane either; and same for the cleanliness as it was not too clean but was not too dirty either.  

Even after we had reached cruising altitude, it took the crew a while to start the inflight service; maybe it was due to the light load but usually LCC's are quick to start the service as it is a revenue generator.  The first pass was those who had preordered meals or who had meals booked with their ticket and the second pass was for those to purchase any items; then a third pass was made with a duty free cart.   I have been on a couple of LCC's and some of them sell the product hard but the crew on this flight did not seem bothered; again, the lack of customer friendliness that was evident from the ground staff was also evident in the air.  The 'Value Pack' that I had booked with my ticket came with a meal and I could choose from a variety of options that were able to be prebooked.  I had booked the vegetarian option, and this came with a bottle of water.  The food was delivered with just the food, utensils, and a bottle of water - there was no presentation or effort put in at all.  The food itself was actually very good and very flavorful, and I was very surprised as I had very low expectations of the quality of the food.  The remaining time passengers could pass the flight how they choose; to sleep, read, or do as they choose.  AirAsia does offer wifi on board and does offer some complimentary entertainment when connected to the wifi, but the entertainment selection consisted of Malaysian television movies and tv shows (so not great for international audiences).  It was a very uneventful flight and the only entertainment provided was by the captain who made various announcements throughout the flight and he seemed to take pride in his job (the only one who seemed to do so).

We started our descent into Kuala Lumpur and landed on time, proceeded to the gate, and disembarked through a jetbridge (another surprise as most LCC make you board and disembark via stairs).  Once immigration was cleared, it was only a 10-15 minute wait before the luggage arrived.  Overall, it was a disappointing flight with AirAsia.  As one of the biggest LCCs in the world, I was a expecting a good LCC experience but what I received was a poor LCC experience with ground staff and crew that seem disenchanted, an extremely strict enforcement of hand carry rules, and overall just an average flight.  I saw nothing and experienced nothing that would set AirAsia apart from another carrier or something that would make this flight special or make me want to choose AirAsia.  To me, AirAsia seems to have decided that just providing low fares is enough and nothing else is need to entice passengers; for me, that is not enough.

Trip Report: Delta Airlines, Atlanta to London Heathrow (August 2019)

Trip Report: Delta Airlines, Atlanta to London Heathrow
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling from Atlanta to London Heathrow and since Atlanta is Delta's hub, the most flight options and availability was through Delta Airlines.  It was very easy to book the flight on Delta's website, and both through the website and app I was able to manage the booking which included preselecting my seat, my meals as well as other special requests.  For my flight sector, the outbound was being operated by Delta while the return was being operated by Virgin Atlantic (check out that review here).  On transatlantic flights, the ticket on Delta includes complimentary meal as well as one checked bag at 23kg.  I had never flown Delta internationally so I was excited to try their product.

I was able to check-in 24hours before my flight and receive my mobile boarding passes; however, because it was an international flight and we had bags to check we proceeded to the check-in counter.  As part of our group had 'Sky Priority' this meant that we could check-in at the Sky Priority counter and could board with Sky Priority.  We arrived at the airport about 2 hours prior to the flight and there was no one at the check-in counters so it was very easy and quick to check our bags and confirm our boarding passes; the agent who assisted us did his job but he was not overly customer friendly.  We went through security and proceeded to our gate - our flight was scheduled to board at 9:05p with a departure of 9:55pm.  The flight seemed very full and there were lots of people crowded near the gate, especially as the boarding time came and went without any announcement.  They finally announced that the boarding time would be delayed as the cleaning crew was delayed so that meant every process was delayed.  We finally started boarding at 9:30pm.

The operating aircraft was an Airbus A330-200 in a 2-4-2 configuration.  The condition of the plane was decent as the plane did not look brand new but also did not look really old.  The interior and the seats had been updated but you could tell the age of the plane with the overhead and the AC vents.  The seat itself was generally comfortable with decent seat padding and the legroom was also decent - I am 6'1 and while my knees were not hitting the seat pocket, they definitely were not stretching out either.  The seat width was also comfortable in that you had enough room to move without hitting your neighbor.  On the seat was a pillow and blanket and the seatback had a PTV with a USB and headphone jack on the bottom, and underneath the PTV was the tray table plus the seatpocket which contained the airline magazine, safety card, and sickness bag.  A plug was also available on the bottom of the next to the underseat storage, but there was one plug so it had to be shared between seatmates.  The boarding was complete, the front doors closed, and we finally took off about 30 minutes behind schedule.

The PTV was not operational as soon as we boarded, but it was switched on after the safety video was shown.  The PTV had a good movie selection and an average TV selection, in my opinion their movie selection was better than their TV selection as the movie selection had a wider range to select from - and there was definitely enough to keep you occupied for the 8hr 10min flight (although not sure if the selection was good for a significantly longer flight).  During taxi, the FAs came around and handed out full-botter water, menu cards, plastic earbuds, and a packet with socks, eyeshades, and earplugs.  I appreciated both the water - as its important to stay hydrated during the flight - and the menu card - as it is a nice touch (some airlines provide the menu in the PTV to be more environmentally friendly and I would prefer that) and the pouch and earbuds were also nice - especially since many Western (American and European) carriers have stopped providing these. 

An hour into takeoff the inflight service started.  Drinks plus pretzels were provided followed by the main meal plus drinks, then coffee and tea, as well as water - full bottles of water were available throughout the flight and that was a nice aspect.  The meals were decent in terms of size and flavor - I have been on airlines that serve more and have been on airlines that serve way less so this was in the middle.  Once the meal trays had been cleared, passengers were left to get some sleep on this overnight flight.  In the back gallery, drinks, biscoff cookies, cheese crackers, and water were available and FAs were available if you needed something but I did not see them passing through the aisle.  About 2 hours prior to landing, the lights came back up as a light snack/breakfast was being served.  The breakfast came in a little pouch that had a bagel, cream cheese, juice and butter.  It was not a substantial breakfast but a small snack to tide you over until the arrival.  Even though we left late, strong tailwinds helped us make up that time plus gain more so we landed a bit early but it took a while to taxi and deplane.  

Overall, it was a decent flight with Delta.  My previous international experience with American carriers had not been pleasant (with United and American) and generally American carriers don't have the greatest reputation for international service - so given all this my expectations were low.  Despite that, Delta offered a nice seat with decent amenities, nice PTV selection, and good customer service.  Generally, Delta's ticket prices are a bit higher than its competitors but with a higher fee comes higher expectations and Delta delivers on that.

Trip Report: British Airways, Edinburgh to London Heathrow (July 2019)

Trip Report: British Airways, Edinburgh to London 
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling to Edinburgh from London, and on the outbound I choose to travel by train but for the return I wanted to travel by plane.  British Airways, RyanAir, EasyJet, and FlyBe all fly between Edinburgh and London but only Flybe and British Airways (BA) fly to London Heathrow.  I wanted to fly into Heathrow as I had another international flight from Heathrow the next morning.  Also, I had checked baggage and when adding that fee into the overall price the difference between BA and LCCs was not that significant (also, with BA you get 23kg checked baggage while most LCCs give you 20kg).  Booking the ticket on BA's website was very easy and my ticket included checked baggage, however my ticket did not include preselecting my seat (even though with the upgraded price it should have).  After booking my flight, it was easy to manage the reservation either through the website or through the app.

24-hours prior to departure I was able to check into my flight and select my seat assignment.  BA had already preselected our seats and luckily we were sitting next to each other, but we could also change the seats to any open seats in our cabin.  The ticket purchased included one checked baggage at 23kg and prior to check-in I could add another bag at a lower cost or add it at the airport at a higher cost.  We had a lot of stuff so I prepurchased another bag, checked-in, and received my mobile boarding passes.  Even though I checked-in online, I could later go to the computer and print my boarding passes as well.  When we arrived at the airport, the line to check-in was very long but the self-service kiosks had no line so we went there to check-in our bags.  We checked-in our bags, self-tagged them, and dropped them off to the belt with almost no interaction with anyone from BA.

After security we made our way to the crowded gate area and waited for boarding to commence.  Boarding was done via groups, with the first groups for Priority members and groups 3-5 for economy class.  We were seated in row 17 and following RyanAir's model, BA also boards from both the rear and the front of the planes with rows 16 and higher boarding from the back of the plane.  The enforcement of which side you board from is haphazard, as half of the rear of the plane boarded from the back while the other half boarded from the front; and BA should take note of seniors or others who would have difficulty going up and down the stairs instead of boarding directly through the jetbridge.  When we boarded from the back, there were two BA attendants there but neither of them made eye contact, neither were smiling or pleasant, and neither greeted any of the passengers.  We made our way down the aisle, put our carry-on bags up, and sat in our seat ready for take-off.  The BA attendant who was in the back came down to close the bins and was muttering to herself, somewhat loudly, about passengers behavior saying 'who is going to close this lid with the bags like this, seriously' and other such comments against the passengers -- poor behavior and service from the BA staff!

The operating aircraft was an Airbus A319 in a 3-3 configuration and the flight time was scheduled at 1hr 20minutes.  The seat pitch and seat width were decent given the seat pitch, however the seat was not very comfortable.  The seat itself was basic with no PTVs and had a pocket up top - for the magazines, the safety card, and the airline sickness bag - below had a tray table and underneath that had another pocket for your personal items.  It was a decent seat for a short intra-European flight.  There were video screens that dropped down throughout the cabin and the safety video was screened on these videos, and throughout the flight the flight path was shown on the video screens. There was no wifi and no screening of entertainment to your personal devices, so the flight path was the only entertainment provided.  Once we reached cruising altitude, the inflight service commenced.  Similar to LCC's, BA has started a buy-on-board service where everything from snacks to drinks needs to be purchased; nothing is complimentary, and I believe water also needs to be bought as I did not see complimentary water being handed out.  The FAs spent most of their service time in the front section of economy - those in 'economy plus' -  and given it was a short flight they did not have time to spend in the back section so just rolled quickly buy towards the back galley.  We started our descent into Heathrow, landed and deplaned, and then waited almost 45 minutes for our bags to arrive.

Overall it was a disappointing flight experience with British Airways.  On their intra-European flight it seems there is no difference between them and a LCC in terms of pay for extra services and buy on board product.  Given BA has to compete with LCCs on this route and with the train, one would think they would try and help them stand out by offering better onboard service but that is not the case.  Their fares are higher than both the train and the LCCs with the only advantage BA has is that they fly into Heathrow and are part of a oneworld alliance.  These two factors are not enough for me to choose BA again. 

Trip Report: Turkish Airlines, Business Class - Houston to Lahore via Istanbul (February/April 2019)

Trip Report: Turkish Airlines - Business Class
Houston to Lahore via Istanbul
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was flying from America to South Asia and for this trip there are many options – Emirates, Qatar, or Turkish.  My last couple of trips have been in business class and, since it is a long flight, I wanted to travel again in business class.  I have flown on Emirates business and really enjoyed both the lounge and in the air-experience, especially on the Airbus A380 (see review here), but in my last couple of flights with Emirates the service seemed to have dwindled a bit so this time I was looking to try other services.  I have flown Turkish many times, mostly in economy and once in business class – the business class was decent with lots of food and lie-flat beds, however it wasn’t the best product out there but good value for what you pay for.  When I was searching for this flight, Turkish kept coming up in terms of best product, best flight times, and overall better price for the service so I went ahead and booked Turkish Airlines Business Class. 

My first sector was on Turkish’s Boeing 777-300ER from Houston to Istanbul.  Turkish does provide complimentary pickup and dropoff to Business and First Class passengers within 30 miles of the airport – it’s a nice service that some of the competitors only offer at their home base.  Through Turkish’s updated website and app, I was easily able to manage my flight, my seat selection, meal preferences, as well as select my complimentary pickup.  Turkish leaves Houston at 8:55pm and that is a nice time as it is later than its competitors so there is not a lot of rush at the airport.  We got to the airport well ahead of schedule and went to the business class line were our bags were checked to the final destination.  After security we went to the lounge – Turkish does not have its own lounge but its passengers have access to their Star Alliance partner United’s Polaris lounge in Concourse D.  The lounge has recently been updated to the Polaris look and it is a THOUSAND times better than what is before – before the lounge was very sad and just looked like an upgraded waiting area, but now the lounge actually looks like a lounge with improvements to the seating, the overall look, the service, and the food.  It was really nice to spend time in the lounge, but the only problem is that United does not have flight times for any of their Star Alliance partner flights so it is up to the passenger to monitor their time and ensure they leave the lounge in time for their flight.  We left the lounge and made our way to the gate to board the plane.  Even though we were supposed to board around 8:15pm, Turkish always seems to have a flexible on-time schedule.  No flight I have ever taken with Turkish has ever left on time and this was the case with these flights. 

Boarding finally started and Business Class boarded in a separate line and through a separate entrance into the plane.  The plane was configured in a 2-3-2 layout which isn’t ideal especially if you are stuck in the middle seat for over 12+hours.  I was able to preselect my seat and I had chosen a window and an aisle seat.  The seat itself was very long but it was a bit narrow, especially if you were a bigger person.  On one side was the seat and on the other side was a console with a huge TV screen on top and a footrest on the bottom.  The footrest could be opened to allow storage during the flight (I appreciated this because some other airlines do not have this feature and it makes it inconvenient to constantly get up to get things from the upper storage).  The airline magazines as well as a shoe storage were also located in this console.  The seat itself was nice and comfortable, although as I said a bit narrow.  The seat was upright and could be maneuvered to be completely lie-flat.  The seat had a reading light, and adjustable footrests as well as other adjustable parts (however – this all depended on all the controls working on every seat, which not all did).  There was a massage function as well on the seats, but again not all the functions worked for every seat.  Below the armrest in a dark cubby hole was the plug-in for the headphones as well as a USB port.  While these amenities were very nice, it was very difficult to access given the narrowness of the seat, and it all got tangled when you lay the seat flat.  This cubby hole is also were the remote was for the PTV – the PTV was touchscreen but because it was so far away the remote was needed; however, again the functions of the remote sometimes worked and sometimes it was just easier and quicker to move to the touchscreen on the TV.  I have said this in other reviews and while traveling in economy, and it remained the same in business class – Turkish’s onboard entertainment has a decent selection of movies and TV shows but they are only enough to pass about 5 hours of flight time; if your flight is longer than that I would suggest downloading movies on your personal device.  The same was for this flight as the entertainment selection was decent for about 5 hours of viewing time, and then you had to improvise (in this category, no one can beat Emirates’ selection).

Before take-off, pre-drinks were served, newspapers were offered, noise-cancelling headphones were distributed (again, some headphones worked better than others), and amenity kits were also distributed.  While the amenity kits were nice, they looked more like a premium economy kit rather than a business class kit as the kits contained socks, eyeshades, toothbrush, toothpaste, earplugs, a small lip balm and small lotion.  I have received the same kit – in a less fancier package and without the lip balm and lotion – in economy class on other airlines.  I have also flown business class on other airlines – namely Emirates – where the business class amenity kit includes much more such as razors, shaving cream, and cologne.  Menus were also distributed prior to takeoff and this is one area where Turkish excels over its competitors.  Both the quality and quantity of food was very good and it was an extensive menu of offerings that the passenger gets to choose from. 

Once airborne, the inflight service started a hot towel service and then with drinks and nuts.  The tray table is in the middle console which is shared between the two seats but the positioning of the tray table makes the narrow seat feel even more narrow, especially for those who are larger.  Also, the tray table is supposed to move diagonally to let the passenger out of the seat but again some of these worked better than others.  The tray table was set with linens, a fake candle, and really interesting salt and pepper shakers.  After the nuts, the first course of appetizers were served, followed by another starter, then your selection of the main dish, then dessert, then cheese and fruit, and then coffee or tea.  Again, it was a lot of food and it took about 2.5 hours for the entire course of meals to be presented and consumed.  As I said, both the quality and quantity of food were good.  Once the meal service finished, the attendants came by to make up the bed.  The pillow was already on the seat, and it was an average size pillow.  The mattress padding was fitted onto the seat, and that was a bit thin in quality but the blanket provided was nice and of good thick quality.  You really felt the narrowness of the seat when you slept, as there was not a lot of room to move in the seat, although the seat did lie completely flat so that was nice. 

Turkish only provides two meal services – one after takeoff and then one right before landing.  In between, if you are hungry there are small snacks, fruit, crackers, and nuts available in the galley.  While these snacks are nice, they are definitely not filling if you decided to skip the meal and get hungry in the middle of the flight (I also do not believe Turkish has a ‘dine on demand’ product available); again comparing it to some of its competitors, Emirates does at least provide some more substantial snacks that are available in between the meal service upon request.  About an hour prior to landing, the lights came on and the tray tables were set for the second meal.  Again, there was a selection of breakfast items to choose from as well as some appetizers.  This meal selection was substantial but smaller than the first meal selection (both were definitely filling though).  The cabin was then readied for landing and we landed in Istanbul. 

On my outbound flight I transferred at the old Istanbul airport while on my return I transferred through the new airport.  I did have family members who were affected by the transfer from one airport to the other, and the communication and coordination between Turkish Airlines and its customers during that time was very poor.  Luckily I had booked through a travel agent and they were coordinating and rebooking everything, and he said that the information kept changing minute by minute as he had many customers who were being affected by the transfer and cancellation of flights.  I transferred to the new airport about 2 weeks after it opened, and it was still a mess.  Long walks, not helpful ground staff (although Turkish has never been known for helpful ground staff), still under construction security areas, many confused ground staff, and a lot of teething issues.  While waiting in the lounge for my flight, the gate for the flight changed, and I am not kidding, 5 times in a span of 1 hour.

While there was one HUGE business class lounge in the old airport, the new airport has multiple business class lounges and both are identical in terms of the offerings and look – this makes it very confusing if you are meeting someone at the business class lounge because the only difference between the two is the location.  The lounges are nice with good offering of food, drink, and spaces.  There are free massages available but those are only on a first-come, first-serve basis and the wait time for the massage was over 2 hours.    

My onward flight was on an Airbus A330-200.  On the outbound the plane was very old and so was on the onboard product while on the return both the plane and the product had been updated.  The service and onboard system was the same for both flights – the seat was similar to that of the Boeing 777 as it did lie flat, the space was narrow, and the same features were available on both seats.  Same amenity kits as well as same headphones were distributed along with menus.  The main difference for this flight is that only one meal service was offered, right after take-off, and the meal quality and quantity was smaller – it was more of a heavy snack/light meal rather than a full meal – and this was the only service offered during the entire flight.  This was another difference between Turkish and its competitors as other airlines, I believe, would have either offered a more substantial meal if they were doing one meal or would have offered two light meals.

Overall, the experience with Turkish Airlines in Business Class felt more like Premium Economy rather than a true Business Class.  The lie-flat seats, the access to the lounge, and the substantial food offered on the long-haul flights are characteristics of Business Class, but the quality of the seats, the narrowness of the seats, and the overall feel and experience of the on-board product made it feel more like Premium Economy.  The negative about this is that Turkish does not offer First Class, so the choice is between Economy or Business so if you are only offering one premium class, wouldn’t you make it more outstanding instead of having minor differences between the two?  In Turkish’s defense though, the price for Turkish was lower than its competitors so if you are paying less then I guess you would expect less as well.  If you are looking for an overall business experience, then Turkish is not the choice for you, but if all you are looking for is a lie-flat seat, good food, and a nice lounge then Turkish is your airline.