Stay Report: Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel (Stockholm, Sweden - June 2022)

   Stay Report: Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel
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I was traveling to Stockholm and when looking for a place to stay, there is not a lot of variety especially if you want to stay in the city center.  There were only a couple of options and one of them was a local brand and the other was the Radisson Blu.  Radisson Blu had a couple of locations throughout Stockholm City Center so you could choose from a variety of options.  I had never stayed at a Radisson Blu so was not sure what to expect, but my travel companion had stayed and had some status so we decided to book the Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel.  

This hotel is located right next to the train station and is within walking distance to many sights, shops, and restaurants and this is the main reason we choose this hotel; location.  We booked the hotel through the Radisson app as there were discounts through the app that were not available online.  There were various room types to choose from and each room had various booking types - bed only, bed plus breakfast, bed plus extra points, etc.  We were using the hotel as a base to walk around and were not planning on being in the room long so we booked the basic bed-only room.  

The hotel is located on the main road right next to the train station.  As you exit one section of the train station - right next to the entrance to the airport train - you will see the hotel on the left-side.  From the outside, the hotel does not look like much and definitely needs an upgrade and paint job from the outside.  There are entrances to the hotel - one is located right next to the train station entrance so you can walk out of hotel, take 5 steps and be inside the train station.  This exit is only open during the day and closes at night due to security reasons; I did not feel unsafe walking around at night but did have to be more vigilant at night.  The main entrance is located on the main road so from the train station you go towards the main road, take a left and the main entrance is right there.  When you enter the lobby, there is a long walkway that leads you to the check-in desks at the other side of the lobby.  Service at the check-in desks was varied and greatly depended on who was at the desk which made requests and service extremely difficult and inconsistent.  

Along the left-side of the walkway are seating areas.  Along the right-side are seating areas, the hotel restaurant, the hotel bar, as well as access to the second section of the hotel (more on that below).  The lobby did not match the outside and luckily looked updated so was large, roomy and had plenty of seats.  There were two sets of elevators - one of the left and one on the right - and these led to the two different sections of the hotel which contained the rooms.  

The rooms on both sides were designed the same and both resembled a cabin on a cruise ship.  In my stays I experienced both a smaller room size as well as a 'deluxe' room type - both were laid out the same and had the same amenities and the only difference was the size of the room.  In both rooms, as you entered on the right was the bathroom.  The bathroom contained a sink, a toilet, a shower tub or shower stall as well as refillable bottles of hand wash, lotion, and body wash.  In addition, there were other amenities in the bathroom including towels, comb, and other bathroom amenities.  Across from the bathroom was an extremely narrow closet which contained an iron, ironing board, safe, shelves, and place to hang your clothes.  The closet had everything but was EXTREMELY narrow.  In between the bathroom and the main part of the room was a nook that had a fridge on the bottom and the coffee maker on top.  In the main part of the room, on the right side was the two twin beds each with a nightstand on either stand as well as a nightstand in the middle.  The beds were small but comfortable and provided a decent nights sleep.  Along the left side, across from the beds, was a TV mounted on the wall and a desk and a chair next to the wall; it was a basic desk but nice since there was no storage space in the room.  Those were the basic amenities that were in both rooms - and as I said the only difference between the rooms was space as both were identical in features but one was larger.  Both rooms also had a window and in one room there was a chair and small desk next to the window; the other room did not have this feature.  

Amenities in the hotel included a restaurant, a fitness center, wifi, and meeting rooms.  The wifi was complimentary and at a decent speed with no limitations to the number of devices connected.  The fitness center was not a fitness center but an actual gym in the bottom of the hotel that hotel guests were allowed to use; but the service at the fitness center was not pleasant so it did not create a pleasant workout  experience. Overall, it was a disappointing stay at the Radisson Blu.  The only advantage to the hotel was the location right next to the train station but otherwise they offered an average room that had ok features but was small and definitely not worth the exorbitant price that was charged for the room.  The service was poor and the amenities and layout did not match the price paid.

Trip Report: Finnair, Stockholm to Helsinki; Helsinki to Tallinn (June 2022)

 Trip Report: Finnair - Stockholm to Helsinki; Helsinki to Tallinn
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I was traveling to Helsinki, Finland and so that meant I had to try Finnair.  Finnair is Finland's national carrier and is also part of the oneworld alliance.  I have been wanted to try their service for a while and now got the opportunity in two regional flights - one from Stockholm to Helsinki on an Airbus A319 and then from Helsinki to Tallinn on an ATR plane.  I was traveling with hand-carry only so my experience with both flights were similar.                                                                                                                                               It was very easy to book flights on Finnair's website but since Finnair is a member of oneworld I could also use my AAdvantage points to book award travel on Finnair so that is what I did - I used AAmiles to book a free ticket on Finnair.  It was easy to use the miles and book my ticket, get my record locator number, and then use that to manage my booking on Finnair's website.  Finnair is a full-service airline so checked baggage and complimentary seat assignment were included in the fare.  

My first flight was from Stockholm to Helsinki and was operated by an Airbus A319.  I was able to 

select my seat, free of charge, upon booking and I could modify the seat assignment anytime prior to and during check-in.  It was very easy to checkin on the app and obtain my boarding pass.  In regional flights, Finnair does not provide food but you can preselect/purchase food and have it served on the plane.  The incoming aircraft arrival was delayed so that meant our departure was delayed - this information was communicated by the gate agents, by the monitors, on the app, and we also received email notification of the delay.  Once ready for boarding, Finnair boards in groups and is VERY strict about the boarding groups; they do not allow anyone outside their boarding groups to board.                                                                                                                                                              Once onboard the Airbus A319 the seats were laid out in a 3-3 seat configuration.  Generally there is an economy and Euro-business class on the flight (economy seats with the middle blocked) but with the flight time was only 1hour , I think Finnair considers this a more 'domestic' flight so there was no business class and only economy.  I say this because I was in seat 3 which would normally be 'Euro-business' but this time was all economy.  

The seats were basic with seatback pocket up top, a normal size tray table underneath and then a small pocket underneath that.  The seatback pocket up top contained the safety card information; airline magazine and buy on-board menu was available online.  The seat width was a bit narrow, especially if you had a broader person sitting next to you in the middle but the seat pitch was great - I am 6'1 with long legs and my legs easily fit with room to move.  Once we took off, inflight service commenced.  Complimentary blueberry juice, tea, or coffee were served; everything else needed to be purchased.  You could connect to Finnair's wifi which provides content dependent on the flight; for some flights this includes entertainment such as TV shows and movies but for this short flight it only included access to journals and newspapers (including international newspapers).  After drinks were passed out and rubbish collected, it was time to land and deplane in Helsinki.

My next flight with Finnair with an ATR Aircraft which is in a 2-2 seat configuration and one that boards from the back.  The check-in and complimentary seat assignment were the same with this flight, the only difference was that the flight time for this flight is 30min so this meant that there was no inflight service.  We boarded, took off, landed and deplaned.                                                                                                                            Overall, it was a nice flight with Finnair.  Their planes were nice, the service onboard was good and overall it was a nice short flights with each airline.  This definitely makes me want to try their long-haul or longer flights with them.

Trip Report: airBaltic - Tallinn to Stockholm; Stockholm to Riga (June 2022)

   Trip Report: airBaltic - Tallinn to Stockholm; Stockholm to Riga
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I was planning my trip around Europe and needed to fly between Tallinn (Estonia) and Stockholm.  There were a couple of options available but the one that worked for me was airBaltic in the evening.                                                                                                                                                          airBaltic is an airline based in Riga, Latvia and is a low-cost hybrid carrier.  They are low-cost in that they only operate one type of aircraft, Airbus A220, and they charge for extras like seat assignment and baggage.  They are a hybrid because they offer business class and partner with many airlines and that can include complimentary luggage.  They are also hybrid because tickets include one carry-on and one personal item.  I had heard of airBaltic as they were the primary customer of the Airbus A220 which is a new plane model that is a 2-3 seat configuration.   airBaltic operates mostly a regional network within Europe with additional flights to Central Asia and Dubai. 

I had 3 flights with airBaltic and they were all a bit different. Flight 1 was Tallinn to Stockholm, flight 2 was Stockholm to Riga, and flight 3 was Riga to Munich.  All of these were booked differently so flight 1 was the complete low-cost experience as it was ticket only, no additional seats nor luggage was purchased.  Flight 2 included checked baggage so it was termed as 'Economy plus' but the plus did not include seat reservation nor priority boarding as some other low-cost carriers include in this bundle, it only included 23kg of checked baggage.  Flight 3 was in partnership with Lufthansa so I booked the ticket on Lufthansa and the first leg was operated by airBaltic.  Although each flight was booked differently, the operating aircraft was the same on each flight, the check-in process was the same, and the on-board experience was the same for each flight.

As I had mentioned, airBaltic is a low-cost hybrid airline.  Your booked ticked includes a hand-carry

and personal item, everything else needs to be purchased including checked baggage and seat assignments.  There are categories that include checked baggage but that is all they include and no other amenities are included.  It was very easy and efficient to book the travel through airbaltic's website and through the process you can add extras like seat assignment or checked baggage for a fee.  After your booking and days leading up to your flight you will get messages from airbaltic asking if you want to prebook/purchase a seat or prebook/purchase a meal.  You are able to check-into your flight 36-hours in advance (more if you have prebooked your seat) and during that process you can also preselect your seat.  If you do not select a seat then you are assigned a random seat at check-in and there is no option on the site to change the seat (the only option is to ask at the airport at the check-in desk).  

For one flight I had personal item only while my other 2 flights I had checked baggage so for those I had to stop at the check-in desk.  The service both on the ground and on-board was not great, not bad but not great.  They would answer a question if you had one but not proactively offer assistance or notice that a guest needed assistance.  For two of my flights, I was able to arrange a different seat assignment at the check-in desk and that was done with no hesitation.  Boarding is supposed to happen 30 minutes prior to the flight but everyone of my flights were delayed.  That would not be a big deal but in each instance the gate agents made no announcement nor was there any information provided; the only notice would be an email from airbaltic after the time had passed notifying you of the delay.  This email was the only communication from either the ground staff, gate agents, or airline regarding any delays.  When we were finally ready for boarding, it was everyone all at once; those who needed assistance came first and after that it was everyone on board with no boarding groups or other order.

Each operating aircraft was exactly the same - an Airbus A220 with a 2-3 seat configuration.  Both the

outside and the inside looked relatively new and the planes looked in good shape.  The seats were basic in that up top had a place for magazines, below was a tray table, and below that two small back pockets on each side of the tray table holder that could hold a cellphone.  The tray table had an interesting design in that the table was not connected to the back of the seat in the conventional way but rather connected to the seat through a pole that went down the middle of the back of the seat.  It was an odd design and felt very Soviet-style design.  Up above were airvents, lights, call bell, and above each row was a tiny screen that looked like a sideways cellphone.  This screen showcased the safety video, the details of the flight, any safety announcements, and advertisements for airbaltic destinations.  AirBaltic also advertised their destinations in their onboard magazine which was in the backseat pocket along with the safety card and airsickness bag.  The magazine also contained the menu for the buy on-board meals and drinks.  The seat pitch was average and the seat pitch was also average for a low-cost; I have been on tighter seat pitches so for low-cost the seat pitch was the standard average.  I am 6'1 and I had enough room so that my knees did not hit the back of the seat in front of me.  Most of airbaltic flights are 1-2 hours so the seat is comfortable for that; my longest fligth with them was 2-hours and the seat was comfortable enough for that but beyond that I think the seat would become uncomfortable.

Onboard service included a buy on-board service.  Nothing was given for free, not even water, so everything had to be purchased.  There was no wifi, no stream to your device, nothing so you had to bring your own entertainment.  And bring a lot of entertainment because airBaltic has a liberal on-time departure time; I had 3 flights and none took off on-time.  Each flight was delayed or late by at least 30mins with an average delay of 45-60mins - this added to the time in seat because you would board late and then sit there with no communication and then all of a sudden there would be pushback and you would depart.                                                                                                                                      Overall, it was an interesting experience with airBaltic.  They have carved out an interesting niche for themselves with Riga as a hub and using the Airbus A220.  Having only one type of aircraft you definitely know what you are getting when you step onboard so that is convenient.  The low-cost model saves the passenger money when the ancillary fees are not included but once you start adding checked baggage and seat selection the ticket prices add up.  Would I fly airBaltic again?  I would not hesitate to fly them short-haul, point-to-point, for 1-hour flights and if I do not have to connect nor check a bag.  I think they are a good regional airline and are a good 3-star trip.