Airline Equality - the best website for airline reviews!

When I book any flight nowadays there are always two things I do:

First is to email my travel agent with my dates and destinations and ask for a range of flight options.

Second is to check www.airlineequality.com to see how each airline on my flight route has been reviewed by other passengers who have flown to the same destination using the same planes and airlines as I will be taking.

Now everybody has got a different opinion but it is a very good way to get people's positive and negative feedback so that you can figure out the pros and cons of each airline compared to the price that my travel agent can offer.

Sometimes there might only be 1 or 2 airlines I can choose from if I am flying regionally in Asia due to the strong national airline monopolies in countries like China, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam etc. so this website is really useful.

Getting a review from a person who just flew the same route a few days, weeks or months ago can quickly let you know if the airline offers:

• Good value for money
• Friendly cabin attendants
  
• On-time arrivals
• In-flight entertainment on each seat (or just a tiny movie screen at the end of each cabin)
• Reasonable Food and Beverage service (or just a glass of water and half a stale sandwich)
• Noticeable differences between Economy, Premium, Business or First Class

I have just booked a flight from Asia to Europe and because I am flying via Bangkok I had a choice of Thai Airways, Air France, British Airways, Emirates, Singapore Air, Malaysia Airlines, Jet India, Eva Air and Cathay Pacific.

In the end I choose Eva Air because the reviews on www.airlinequality.com showed me that I could get upgrade my seat and get better service, IFE, food & drink service and a newer plane than any of the other airlines that my travel agent offered me.

So I now have a good seat booked with peace of mind that I know what quality of service I will get and also that I did not have to spend too much (or not enough) to get the ticket that I needed.

One-Two-Go Report Delays

A year and a half after the tragic (and allegedly avoidable) One-Two-Go crash at Phuket airport the Thai DCA still has not released its official report:

http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-air-crash-report-yet-another-delay/

A group of relatives of those killed has managed to find out a lot of information though:

http://www.investigateudom.com/

It really makes you think - do your due diligence before you get on a plane and don't have blind faith in the authorities!

Siem Reap Airways on EU Blacklist

The EU has banned all personnel from flying with Siem Reap Airways and forbidden the airline from entering into EU airspace.

Interestingly enough the airline has no European routes and only flies to Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Bangkok and Phuket. It is also owned by Bangkok Airways which has always had a fairly good reputation (for a Thai airline).

The official blacklist can be found here:

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/pdf/list_fr.pdf

5 steps to secure the maximum amount sleep on Asian flights

1. Remember to pre-pack a legal amount of sleeping pills, painkillers and tranquilisers in your carry on baggage
2. Upon check-in request a seat as far away from screaming children and Koreans as possible
3. Proceed immediately to the nearest airport bar and lubricate yourself with spirits until your final gate call is issued.
4. After boarding the plane assess the people sitting nearest to you and suggest a series of cunning seat swaps to avoid proximity to screaming children and Koreans
5. Once in the air unpack sleeping pills, painkillers and tranquilisers and administer liberally to yourself and/or the screaming children and Koreans in your vicinity

Singapore versus the rest of the Asia and the world

Singapore is an aviation anomaly.

This small island state manages boasts one of the best airlines in the world in terms of quality and value for money as well as an internationally renowned airport.

In-flight passengers benefit from attentive and polite trolley dollies and the reassurance that comes from flying in aircraft which are less than a decade old.

At Changi the officials are welcoming, the airport is well laid out and the government even provides free mini-island tours for passengers who are in-transit and have a few hours to kill.

In the fight for the title of regional aviation hub Singapore beats Kuala Lumpur and Suvarnabhumi hands down.

The Subvarnabhumi Bangkok Massage

While the airport might not be entirely structurally safe and possibly in danger of imploding at any moment Subvarnabhumi does offer much more in terms of creature comforts than Don Muang ever did.

My last transfer through the place left me with nearly five hours to kill and my general dislike of Thai beer convinced me to try out the massage parlours that are dotted around the airport instead of getting hammered at the bar and kicking off my twelve hour international flight with a changover.

A decent range of massage services are on offer in increments of 15 minutes with Thai, Oil, Foot, Neck and Hand all available (no mention of Bangkok’s famous rub and tug though…)

I paid 600 Baht for an hour long Thai massage in small cordoned off private bedroom.

This is about double to triple the normal cost but everything at Subvarnabhumi is expensive so in context the price was not extortionate (anyway most Bangkok hotels charge upwards of 1,000 Baht for the same service).

The masseuse was quite good and after an hour of her bending me every which way I was blissfully relaxed and in a fine mood.

I managed to hang onto that chilled out state of mind all the way up to boarding the plane where I discovered that cattle class was jam packed with hygienically suspect backpackers, aging sexpats and screaming children.

I wisely took my cue and began quaffing my emergency stash of booze and valium.

Queuing at Heathrow

Heathrow, bloody Heathrow.

If you don’t arrive early for your flight then you face an agonising queue and a closed check in.

If you do arrive early for your flight then you face an agonising queue and a closed check in.

It is the airport that damns you if you do and screws you if you don’t.