CityJet is a subsidiary airline of Air France, which is part of the AIR FRANCE KLM group (with whom you can fly to over 106 countries).

Flying to over 14 major destinations in Europe with 600 flights a week from London City Airport, CityJet, as far as I can confirm, provides the best service to Europe out of all the major airlines that operate from London's airports'. As one of the major carriers that operate from this small, yet convenient and beautiful airport right in the heart of London, it is unofficially the airline of City Airport. Although I booked my flight with Air France and the in-flight food and the plane’s livery was all in Air France colours, the flight was still operated by CityJet. The service is better than, if not the same, as Air France.

Don't get me wrong, CityJet is not a no-frills airline like Easyjet or Ryanair. Unlike no-frills airlines, with CityJet you get to choose your seat, get complimentary high quality in0-flight meals and are guaranteed to have all taxes and luggage items included in the cost of your flight ticket. Unlike no-frills airlines there are no hidden costs whatsoever. CityJet flies to major International Airports like Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris CDG, Geneva, Milan, Dublin and others- and from these airports passengers can transfer to connecting international flights. In actual fact, CityJet and London City Airport are such a great combination that one can easily take a flight with CityJet to, say for example, Paris Orly, and then from there take Air France or Delta Airlines (part of the same Air France, Delta, KLM group) to a long haul destination anywhere on the group's vast network.

CityJet is one of the few select airlines operating out of London City Airport that has a wide affinity with the sport of Rugby as well as with other key sponsorships, including "Temple Street Childrens' hospital" in Dublin, as well as "Fighting Blindness" funds world-leading research into cures and treatments for blindness. In regards to sport, CityJet are the proud sponsors of London Irish, and have their logo proudly displayed on the stands at the Madejski Stadium in Reading.

The buzz word is "CityJet is THE airline to fly with to Europe" and "London City Airport is the best airport in the Greater London Area". This may be my personal opinion, but I am sure this is also the reason why most flights are full.

Route: Geneva International Airport to London City Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 16th January 2008 at 17:10pm

Flight Number: AF8165 (Has a Air France Code but was operated by CityJet)

Flight duration: 1h 45m

Class: Economy

Aircraft type: Avro Intl Aerospace Avroliner RJ85 (AKA BAe 146)

Punctuality of the flight: 

The flight departed Geneva on time and landed at London City around 15 minutes early. There was no delay and we had a straight in approach into London City. The only funny thing was when we landed, the aircraft literally hit the ground that even the Captain made an announcement saying “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have just “hit the ground”- welcome to London City!”.

Any baggage issues: There were no baggage delays on this flight.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

No issues. Geneva Airport is not as busy as some of the other European airports’ and plus taking into account the Swiss culture of being on time, so there were no delays or any other issues.  

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of drinks (choice of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca cola)

Comments regarding the first meal:

A heavy and delicious cheese roll (it looked like a hamburger cut in half!) and a ridiculously scrumptious chocolate chip brownie- no complaints there!

 
Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the breakfast. 

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

In our flight, milk chocolates were offered as a treat, as well as the boiled sweets prior to take off and landing.

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

None

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

None

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

Very professional and polite.


Improvements that could be made:

Nothing- can’t complain much about such a short flight.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The BAe 146 is one of the main types of aircraft which is able to operate from the short runway at London City Airport. It's quiet, compact, beautiful, safe, and flies you from A to B in the same amount of time as any other jet plane. The seat layout is in a 3-3 formation with each seat being smaller than the standard "19 inch wide and 31 inch reclining pitch" provided on the large wide bodied aircraft. There is very little leg room. Even the Business Class is small enough to be classed as part of the Economy Class seats- the only difference being that the seat formation is 2-2 (with a seat in between the Economy Class seats). Nevertheless, since the aircraft is only built for short haul flights lasting of no more than, say, 2 hours at the most, then there is no real reason to complain. Although saying this, it can be a shock for someone to step into the small frame of the BAe 146, especially if they have had been on a connecting flight from Amsterdam, and if their previous aircraft was a large wide body such as a Boeing 747-400 or Airbus A330 (as City Jet is part of the "Skyteam Group", and the same partnership airline of Air France/KLM.  

If you love looking outside the window, and if happen to be in Economy Class, then be sure to choose a seat that is right at the back- otherwise your view will be somewhat obstructed by the engines (which are placed over the fuselage on the BAe 146). On all of the planes', seat rows 4 to 8 have a restricted view- because the engines are in the way!


Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10

CityJet is a subsidiary airline of Air France, which is part of the AIR FRANCE KLM group (with whom you can fly to over 106 countries).

Flying to over 14 major destinations in Europe with 600 flights a week from London City Airport, CityJet, as far as I can confirm, provides the best service to Europe out of all the major airlines that operate from London's airports'. As one of the major carriers that operate from this small, yet convenient and beautiful airport right in the heart of London, it is unofficially the airline of City Airport. Although I booked my flight with Air France and the in-flight food and the plane’s livery was all in Air France colours, the flight was still operated by CityJet. The service is better than, if not the same, as Air France.

Don't get me wrong, CityJet is not a no-frills airline like Easyjet or Ryanair. Unlike no-frills airlines, with CityJet you get to choose your seat, get complimentary high quality in0-flight meals and are guaranteed to have all taxes and luggage items included in the cost of your flight ticket. Unlike no-frills airlines there are no hidden costs whatsoever. CityJet flies to major International Airports like Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris CDG, Geneva, Milan, Dublin and others- and from these airports passengers can transfer to connecting international flights. In actual fact, CityJet and London City Airport are such a great combination that one can easily take a flight with CityJet to, say for example, Paris Orly, and then from there take Air France or Delta Airlines (part of the same Air France, Delta, KLM group) to a long haul destination anywhere on the group's vast network.

CityJet is one of the few select airlines operating out of London City Airport that has a wide affinity with the sport of Rugby as well as with other key sponsorships, including "Temple Street Childrens' hospital" in Dublin, as well as "Fighting Blindness" funds world-leading research into cures and treatments for blindness. In regards to sport, CityJet are the proud sponsors of London Irish, and have their logo proudly displayed on the stands at the Madejski Stadium in Reading.

The buzz word is "CityJet is THE airline to fly with to Europe" and "London City Airport is the best airport in the Greater London Area". This may be my personal opinion, but I am sure this is also the reason why most flights are full.

Route: London City Airport to Geneva International Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 14th January 2008 at 08:55am

Flight Number: AF8162 (Has a Air France code but was operated by CityJet)

Flight duration: 1h 55m (excludes the 5 minute delay to the plane)

Class: Economy

Aircraft type: Avro Intl Aerospace Avroliner RJ85 (AKA BAe 146)

Punctuality of the flight: 

The flight departed around 20 minutes late because there was a delay in the morning rush hour at London City Airport. Although the Captain made up for the time and we were only late by around 5 minutes. If you live in London then I would highly recommend flying from London City Airport with CityJet. Its fast, it's easy, it's comfortable, and there is no hustle and bustle that you get at big airports like Heathrow or Gatwick (where you can fly with CityJet's parent companies such as KLM and Air France). This is not just a personal viewpoint, but also a wider one too- one that is shared by many passengers, both corporate and leisure travellers. However, usually from past experience, I can confirm that 90 percent of the time there are no delays. The airport is compact; so there are no queues to get to the runway, so all the flight are usually on time.

Any baggage issues: There were no baggage delays on this flight.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

No issues. London City Airport is an airport which predominantly caters for the business community- with the close proximity to Canary Wharf, and the Square Mile. The beauty of departing from London City Airport is that no matter what the time of the day it is and irrespective of how busy the airport terminal is, the process of catching a flight seems to be a very smooth one. There is no rush and no long queues for check-in or security. Indeed, most of the time you can easily complete the whole process, right from the moment of checking-in to the waiting lounge, in around 10-15 minutes.  

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca cola)

Comments regarding the first meal:

For a considerably short flight (2 hours if OK), CityJet actually feed you like there is no tomorrow! There was a breakfast box containing a cheese and ham roll, a fresh strawberry yogurt pot, and a hot chocolate croissant to accompany the meal.   

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the breakfast. 

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

In our flight, milk chocolates were offered as a treat, as well as the boiled sweets prior to take off and landing.

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

None

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

Very professional and polite.


Improvements that could be made:

This was a great flight, and on such a short flight, it is difficult to find any faults. Everything was just fine. The views over Western Europe were to die for- especially as we descended into Geneva while passing the Swiss Alps and Lake Geneva.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The BAe 146 is one of the main types of aircraft which is able to operate from the short runway at London City Airport. It's quiet, compact, beautiful, safe, and flies you from A to B in the same amount of time as any other jet plane. The seat layout is in a 3-3 formation with each seat being smaller than the standard "19 inch wide and 31 inch reclining pitch" provided on the large wide bodied aircraft. There is very little leg room. Even the Business Class is small enough to be classed as part of the Economy Class seats- the only difference being that the seat formation is 2-2 (with a seat in between the Economy Class seats). Nevertheless, since the aircraft is only built for short haul flights lasting of no more than, say, 2 hours at the most, then there is no real reason to complain. Although saying this, it can be a shock for someone to step into the small frame of the BAe 146, especially if they have had been on a connecting flight from Amsterdam, and if their previous aircraft was a large wide body such as a Boeing 747-400 or Airbus A330 (as City Jet is part of the "Skyteam Group", and the same partnership airline of Air France/KLM.  

If you love looking outside the window, and if happen to be in Economy Class, then be sure to choose a seat that is right at the back- otherwise your view will be somewhat obstructed by the engines (which are placed over the fuselage on the BAe 146). On all of the planes', seat rows 4 to 8 have a restricted view- because the engines are in the way!

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10

Route: Malta Luqa International to Airport London Heathrow Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 16:55am on the 27th October 2009

Flight Number: KM102

Flight duration: 3 hours 30 minutes

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Airbus A320

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight was on time.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

Luqa Airport is considerably small for an international airport, but then so is the country to which it belongs to! There is not that much traffic at the airport as one would expect, and also it feels like a desert! The check in procedure was quick and smooth. The time it takes to go from check-in to the security is around twenty minutes. The airport is comparable to the likes of, say, Geneva International.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of drinks (tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca-cola), and a selection of Maltese red and white wines.

Comments regarding the first meal:

Dinner was served around an hour after take off- the timing was great. The meal consisted of neatly sliced pork seasoned with a generous portion of salt and pepper. There was a healthy portion of boiled baby potatoes and vegetables (again seasoned with salt and pepper). This was accompanied with a soft bread. The pork was lovely, fresh and soft to the tongue.

As always with airline meals, the highlight of the meal was the dessert. You cannot go wrong anywhere in the world when you are presented with a banana mousse sprinkled with small chocolate chips.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks was offered after the meal- this included the complimentary selection French and Australian red and white wines.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

In the A320, the in-flight system was provided in the form of a map of the route.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

Very professional staff and very friendly. They served in a true Maltese tradition!

Improvements that could be made:

This was a great flight, and on such a short flight, it is difficult to find any faults. Everything was just fine.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort):

The aircraft was clean, the flight was not full and it was very comfortable to be able to sit and enjoy the flying experience with Air Malta.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10

Route: London Heathrow Airport to Malta Luqa International Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 10:50am on the 22nd October 2009

Flight Number: KM101

Flight duration: 3 hours 10 minutes

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Airbus A320

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight was on time.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

This was my first time to fly Air Malta and my first time to fly to Malta as well. We departed from Heathrow Terminal 4 on time and landed around 10 minutes earlier than schedule. The check-in staff were very friendly and helpful. There was no rush- everything was smooth.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of drinks (tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca-cola), and a selection of Maltese red and white wines.

Comments regarding the first meal:

Lunch was served around an hour after take off (Just as we were over Paris...check out the photos!!). The meal consisted of roasted beef balls served with a healthy portion of slightly spicy steamed rice. This was accompanied with a soft bread. The beef balls were delicious- nicely blended in well with the fragrant rice. This was a traditional Maltese meal served with pride with true Maltese tradition!

The meal seems a bit small, but it was enough to fill the stomach for such a medium haul flight.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks was offered after the meal- this included the complimentary selection French and Australian red and white wines.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

None

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

In the A320, the in-flight system was provided in the form of a map of the route.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

Very professional staff and very friendly. They served in a true Maltese tradition!

Improvements that could be made:

This was a great flight, and on such a short flight, it is difficult to find any faults. Everything was just fine.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort):

The aircraft was clean, the flight was not full and it was very comfortable to be able to sit and enjoy the flying experience with Air Malta.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10

British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 148 destinations around the world with a fleet of 245 aircraft. British Airways are one of the world’s leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. Operating one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks, together with our code share and franchise partners, British Airways flies to more than 300 destinations worldwide.

Route: Hong Kong International to London Heathrow Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 23:25pm on the 1st October 2006

Flight Number: BA0026

Flight duration: 12h 50m minutes

Class: Premium Economy Class (AKA: World Traveller Plus)

Aircraft type: Boeing 747-400

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight was on time.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

I love Hong Kong Airport. Consistently voted one of the best airports’ in the world, Hong Kong Airport never fails to shine when it comes to excellent customer service and an atmosphere that creates a certain smooth feeling for passengers. Indeed, as a major gateway for Asia, the airport is almost comparable to a small city- a futuristic city that is. One feels at ease once they are at the airport. Evenings are very busy at Hong Kong, with the majority of flights going to Australasia, South Africa, Europe and throughout South East Asia. The check-in process was smooth. BA are highly organised when it comes to making sure that passengers are not kept waiting for a long time.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of various hot and cold drinks, and a selection of Australian wines and Scotch whiskeys were offered along with a packet of “sea salt and cider flavour” pretzel nuggets.

Comments regarding the first meal:

Dinner was served around an hour after take off (around 00:30pm local time in Hong Kong), and our plane was somewhere over Guanxi Province heading north onto Xian, and then making its way into Russian airspace before entering Europe. Dinner consisted of roasted chicken breast served with buttered roasted potatoes and vegetables. This was accompanied with a soft bread along with a bowl of fresh salad (consisting of cherry tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber all sprinkled with lemon juice).

Chocolate cake topped with a large portion of  crisps and a dash of chocolate sauce provided the perfect dessert at 37,000 feet! In the Economy and Economy Premium cabins they gave us “Kit Kat” chocolate bars, while in the Business and First Class cabins “Thornton’s Natural Delights” were on offer. All meals were generously served with a bottle of “Gleneagles Mineral Water”. Not a bad dinner before going to sleep on this long haul flight. The flight was not that full.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks was offered after the meal- this included the complimentary selection French and Australian red and white wine.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

For the overnight flight, passengers were able to help themselves to a selection of “Hobnob” chocolate biscuits, various cereal bars and “hotpot” noodles from the galley. There was also the selection of complimentary drinks on offer.

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

Breakfast was served around an hour and half prior to landing at Hong Kong International. Our plane had just passed Belgium, and we were going to make a straight in approach over Essex (Basildon, Dagenham) before entering the final approach over City Airport to land at Runway 27R.

There was a choice of either a Western breakfast or a Chinese breakfast. I went for the former as I knew I would be eating a Chinese breakfast everyday for the next few months! Nothing beats the feeling of eating microwave food at 37,000 feet (and yes airline food is all heated an hour before serving- so its not fresh!). The sausages, bacon and scrambled eggs all tasted as if it was freshly cooked. The strawberry muffin and the Muller corner yogurt were both sheer delights to have. Breakfast was accompanied with hot tea, and coffee, as well as green tea.

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

The in-flight system was working without any problems. All BA flight begin with a minute long news update provided by a recording of the BBC World service. There are a selection of music and films and documentaries to keep everyone busy throughout the 13-hour flight.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort):

The aircraft was clean at the beginning. Normally after a long flight one would expect the plane to be a bit unclean, however because the flight was not that full, so it seemed fresh!

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10

British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates fullinternational and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 148 destinations around the world with a fleet of 245 aircraft. British Airways are one of the world’s leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. Operating one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks, together with their codeshare and franchise partners, British Airways flies to more than 300 destinations worldwide.

Route: London Heathrow to Hong Kong International Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 21:25pm on the 16th October 2006

Flight Number: BA0027

Flight duration: 11h 45 minutes

Class: Premium Economy Class (AKA: World Traveller Plus)

Aircraft type: Boeing 747-400

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight was on time.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

By the time I had taken this flight I had already accumulated around 80,000 BA miles and a Silver Executive Card- so it was nice to use the BA Lounge before such a long flight. No check-in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at London Heathrow. Bearing in mind that this was not the evening rush hour so therefore Terminal One was reasonably quiet.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of various hot and cold drinks, and a selection of wines and Scotch whiskeys were offered along with a packet of “sea salt and cider flavour” pretzel nuggets. 

Comments regarding the first meal:

Dinner was served around an hour after take off (around 22:30pm local time in London), and our plane was around 20 miles west of Brussels heading towards German airspace. Dinner consisted of smoked red salmon served with buttered mashed potatoes and peas. This was accompanied with a soft bread along with a bowl of fresh salad (consisting of feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber all sprinkled with lemon juice).

Chocolate cheese cake topped with almond crisps and a dash of chocolate sauce provided the perfect dessert at 37,000 feet! In the Economy and Economy Premium cabins we had “Time Out” chocolate bars, while in the Business and First Class cabins “Thornton’s Natural Delights” were on offer. All meals were generously served with a bottle of “Gleneagles mineral water”. Not a bad dinner before going to sleep on this long haul flight (not to mention the rather long queue to the toilets so everyone can brush their teeth etc before saying goodnight).

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks was offered after the meal- this included the complimentary selection French and Australian red and white wine. I had to make the most of the food (OK, its only airline food), as I knew that this was perhaps the last British style food I would get for a long time. Western food in China is just not the same.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

For the overnight flight, passengers were able to help themselves to a selection of “Hobnob” chocolate biscuits and “hotpot” noodles from the galley. There was also the selection of complimentary drinks on offer.

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

Breakfast was served around an hour and half prior to landing at Hong Kong International. Our plane had just past Kunming in Yunnan Province and we were heading straight towards Guangdong. The flight took us over Guangzhou, then Zhongshan, Macau and then finally entering the Hong Kong Peninsula from the east to make a landing in from the south into Runway 25L at Chep Lap Kok.

There was a choice of either a Western breakfast or a Chinese breakfast. I opted for the former as I knew I would be eating a Chinese breakfast everyday for the next few months! Nothing beats the feeling of eating microwave food at 37,000 fee. The sausages, bacon and scrambled eggs all tasted as if it was freshly cooked. Oh, and that strawberry muffin and the Muller corner yogurt were both sheer delights to have. Breakfast was accompanied with hot tea, and coffee, as well as green tea.

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

The in-flight system was working without any problems. All BA flight begin with a minute long news update provided by a recording of the BBC World service. There are a selection of music and films and documentaries to keep everyone busy throughout the 12-hour flight.

Improvements that could be made:

This was a great flight. Everything was just fine.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort):

The aircraft was clean at the beginning, however because the flight was full, so obviously at the end of the journey it needed a bit of a clean up. Other than that there were no problems.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10

British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates fullinternational and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 148 destinations around the world with a fleet of 245 aircraft. British Airways are one of the world's leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world's premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. Operating one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks, together with our codeshare and franchise partners, British Airways flies to more than 300 destinations worldwide.

Route: London Gatwick to Luxembourg

Departure date and time of flight: 07:15am on the 11th of December 2007

Flight Number: BA8142

Flight duration: 1h 20m

Class: Economy Class (AKA: Euro Traveller)

Aircraft type: Airbus A319 

Punctuality of the flight:

The aircraft landed at Luxembourg on time.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

No check-in issues at Gatwick. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Gatwick- considering it was the morning rush hour. The airport terminal at Luxembourg is just one small building with two separate doors, one for departures and another for arrivals. Not bad for an international airport!

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of various hot and cold drinks.

Comments regarding the first meal:

A delicious (cold) egg and bacon roll was offered with the standard coffee, tea and other drinks.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

None in economy.

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

None

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

None

Comments on the professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

Improvements that could be made:

This was a great flight, and on such a short flight, it is difficult to find any faults. Everything was just fine.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The A319 is part of the A320 series of aircraft are used by British Airways for their short to medium haul routes within Europe. The aircraft is used from both Gatwick and Heathrow. The interior is a standard 3-3 for Economy and 2-2 configuration for Business Class passengers. The Business and Economy Class seats are all leather in navy blue colour (typical of the signature for British Airways).

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best):10

British Airways is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom, and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. British Airways operates to 148 destinations around the world with a fleet of 245 aircraft. British Airways are one of the world's leading scheduled premium international airlines. Their main principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world's premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. Operating one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks, together with our codeshare and franchise partners, British Airways flies to more than 300 destinations worldwide.

Route: Luxembourg to London Gatwick

Departure date and time of flight: 17:35pm on the 11th of December 2007

Flight Number: BA8145

Flight duration: 1h 20m

Class: Economy Class (AKA: Euro Traveller)

Aircraft type: AIRBUS A319

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed from a very quiet Luxembourg airport - the terminal building is tiny! The flight landed on time at Gatwick.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Luxembourg. The airport terminal is just one small building with two separate doors, one for departures and another for arrivals. Not bad for an international airport!

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of various hot and cold drinks 

Comments regarding the first meal:

A delicious (cold) egg and bacon roll was offered with the standard coffee, tea and other drinks.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal.

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

None

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

None

Comments on the professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

Improvements that could be made:

This was a great flight, and on such a short flight, it is difficult to find any faults. Everything was just fine.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The A319 is part of the A320 series of aircraft are used by British Airways for their short to medium haul routes within Europe. The aircraft is used from both Gatwick and Heathrow. The interior is a standard 3-3 for Economy Class and 2-2 configuration for Business Class passengers. The Business and Economy Class seats are all leather in navy blue colour (typical of the signature for British Airways).

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10

Route: Amsterdam Schipol to London Heathrow Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 20:30pm on 16th of February 2008

Flight Number: KL1033

Flight duration: 1h 20m

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Boeing 737-800

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed on time and landed around 20 minutes late at Heathrow due to the (normal) heavy traffic waiting to land. Our plane circled over North London at least 5 times before finally making the turn to land.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

No check in issues. I was transferring from a flight from Geneva at Amsterdam, so there were no problems. The wait was not too long.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Just drinks, including wine. I choose “Solaris White Wine” and a miniature can of orangeade.

Comments regarding the first meal:

The food was the same as given on the Geneva to Amsterdam sector. I was on a connecting flight from Geneva to London. Normally I would take a non-stop flight for such a short sector, however I wanted to try what the service is like on KLM! The food consisted of a packet of the KLM Trademark “TUC” cheese miniature biscuits and a packet of “prine chocolate biscuits”.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. Including “Solaris White Wine” and soft drinks.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

None 

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

None 

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

None

Comments on the professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The Boeing 737-800 is part of the Boeing family of aircraft, and is one of the smallest, as well as, most advanced versions of the type. The seat configuration is 3-3 in an all economy class layout. The interior design is based on the “Royal Dutch Blue” colour scheme.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 8

Route: Geneva International to Amsterdam Schipol

Departure date and time of flight: 18:00pm on 16th of February 2008

Flight Number: KL1932

Flight duration: 1h 20m

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Boeing 737-400

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed on time and landed around 5 minutes early at Amsterdam.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

No check in issues at Geneva. Everything went smoothly as possible. The time taken from the check in process to the gate took around 20 minutes.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Just drinks, including wine. I choose “Terra Andina Red Wine” and a miniature can of orangeade.

Comments regarding the first meal:

Just a packet of the KLM Trademark “TUC” cheese miniature biscuits and a small chocolate cake ("Prince" brand). They were so good that I asked for another one! It was the only food available on this short flight!

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. Including “Terra Andina Red Wine” and soft drinks.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

None 

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

None 

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

None

Comments on the professionalism of the cabin crew:

One of the cabin crew members clearly seemed to have had a bad day at the office as she was seen asking a passenger seated two rows in front of me: “Sir, do you speak English?”. To which the passenger in question spoke back deliberately to challenge the question and said in clear English “No, I speak whatever you speak!”. The air hostess continued: “Sir, I am asking you, do you speak English? Please put on your seat belt, OK?, thats all I am asking”. After this remark, there seemed to be a certain heated exchange for around 5 minutes before another cabin crew member calmed things down and apologised to the passenger on behalf of the rather tired and rude cabin crew. I was very surprised and shocked to witness this on a flight as I have never come across a situation where the cabin crew actually are rude to the extent that they challenge the passengers! The rest of the flight seemed to be fine.

Improvements that could be made:

None

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The Boeing 737-400 is part of the Boeing family of aircraft, and is one of the smallest versions of the type. The seat configuration is 3-3 in an all Economy Class layout. The interior design is based on the “Royal Dutch Blue” colour scheme.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 6

Route: Geneva International to London City

Departure date and time of flight: 17:55pm on 4th April 2008

Flight Number: LX356

Flight duration: 1h 35m

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Avro RJ100 Avroliner

Punctuality of the flight:

In the true Swiss way, the flight was on time, and likewise it landed on time.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

No check in issues. The check in process at Geneva did not take much time. Its not a medium sized airport, and normally on any given day it takes around 20 minutes on average to get from the check in desk to the gate.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

No pre-meal on this flight

Comments regarding the first meal:

Nothing. No sandwich or anything else. We were just offered the drinks and the Swiss chocolates!

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

We were offered the complimentary Swiss chocolates in the shape of a football because of the UEFA Euro 2008 was just around the corner! 

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

None 

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

None

Comments on the professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

Improvements that could be made:

Maybe some more food- such as sandwiches.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort):

The Avro RJ100 Avroliner has a standard 2-2 layout in an all Economy Class. However, the Avro RJ100 is purely used a means of getting Europeans from main airports to smaller airports on short haul flights.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best):10

Route: London City to Geneva

Departure date and time of flight: 08:40am on 31st March 2008

Flight Number: LX443  

Flight duration: 1h 45m

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Avro RJ100 Avroliner

Punctuality of the flight:

In the true Swiss way, the flight was on time, and likewise it landed on time.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

No check in issues. As always, everything went perfectly smoothly at London City Airport. The timing to go from the check-in desk to the gate was around 15 minutes maximum (and this despite being the morning rush hour at London City).

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

No pre-meal on this flight

Comments regarding the first meal:

Nothing. No sandwich or anything else. We were just offered the drinks and the Swiss chocolates!

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

We were offered the customary complimentary Swiss chocolates in the shape of a football because of the UEFA Euro 2008 was just around the corner! 

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort):

The Avro RJ100 Avroliner has a standard 2-2 layout in an all Economy Class setup. However, the Avro RJ100 is purely used a means of getting Europeans from main airports to smaller airports on short haul flights.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best):10

Route: Amsterdam Schipol to Geneva International

Departure date and time of flight: 20:20pm on 10th of February 2008

Flight Number: KL1937

Flight duration: 1h 20m

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Boeing 737-400

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed on time and landed around 10 minutes early at Geneva.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

No check-in issues. I was transferring from a flight from London at Amsterdam, so there were no problems. Amsterdam Schipol is a very large airport, and there are plenty of shops to while away the time!

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Just drinks, including wine. I choose “Terra Andina Red Wine” and a miniature can of Orangeade.

Comments regarding the first meal:

Just a packet of the KLM trademark “TUC” cheese miniature biscuits. They were so good that I asked for another one! It was the only food available on this short flight!

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. Including “Terra Andina Red Wine” and soft drinks.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

None 

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

None 

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

None

Comments on the professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

Improvements that could be made:

None

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The Boeing 737-400 is part of the Boeing family of aircraft, and is one of the smallest versions of the type. The seat configuration is 3-3 in an all Economy Class layout. The interior design is based on the “Royal Dutch Blue” colour scheme.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 8

Route: London City Airport to Amsterdam

Departure date and time of flight: 16:35pm on 10th of February 2008

Flight Number: KL1564 

Flight duration: 1h 15m

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Fokker 50

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed on time (as always, and, as expected from a flight at London City Airport), and it landed around 10 minutes early.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: 


No check-in issues. As always, everything went perfectly smoothly at London City. The timing from checking In to the gate took around 15 minutes’ maximum, and this despite being the morning rush hour at London City.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Complimentary coffee and tea. A selection of other drinks (no alcohol) were offered.

Comments regarding the first meal: 

Bacon and tomato sandwiches, spread with provolone eggplant spread. The sandwiches seemed to have originated from Amsterdam and must have been carried on the in-coming flight to London City. Though they were fresh, and the cold bacon was edible for an afternoon tea at 27,000 feet over the North Sea as we made our way to Amsterdam!

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

None 

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

None 

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

None

Comments on the professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

Improvements that could be made:

None

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort):

The Fokker 50 was designed after sales of the Fokker F27 Friendship, which had been in continual production since 1958, were beginning to decline by the 1980s. Fokker management, notably Frans Swarttouw, decided that aircraft with aerodynamic and avionics updates, derived from both the Fokker F27 and the Fokker F28 (the short-range twin jet for 85 passengers), were sensible. The Fokker 50 can carry 50 passengers in a normal seating arrangement or up to 58 passengers in a high density arrangement. It has a range of over 2,000 km (1,243 mi, 1,080 nmi) at a speed of 530 km/h (329 mph, 286 kn), a 50 km/h (31 mph, 27 kn) increase over the Fokker F27. Design of the Fokker 50 started in 1983. Only 205 Fokker 50s were built. Last machine delivered in May 1997. The seats were not that comfortable. Even for an averagely tall man (5” 10”), I had to lean downwards in order to look through the window, and plus the seats were narrow. But the flight was not that long, and so it did not make that much difference.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 7