Airline Reviews?

[dmrevis]

Was it this site where someone had posted a link of all airlines seating plans/In flight entertainment? Maybe not.

I was thinking however it may be a good odea for people to list the airlines they have used to fly to Orlando and list the pros, cons, whats included etc. This may help people unsure about which airline to choose to start their holiday. I for example am reluctant to use charters as i feel the flight is part of the holiday so should be as luxurious as can be afforded. However i hear some of the charters like First Choice now offer good meals and seat back TVs on their flights. I think it will be a good way to rate airlines as all the info will be from personal experiences of the members who post.

I'll start with BA and Virgin.

BA fly with B777's which include seat back TVs with 12 channels of movies/TV in economy. A meal and light snack before landing plus free drinks throughout the flight. In flight pack with toothbrush, toothpaste, eye blinds, travel socks etc.
Virgin fly with B747 (400 series). Similar to BA but with basic Nintendo games included (i.e Tetris etc).
I found the service on both airlines very good.

Feel free to post your experiences of airlines.

[ADRIAN C]

That sounds about right for Virgin, I have flown with them twice and fly for a third time in may and have always found the superb, my daughter loved all the games and cartoons, me and my son spent the whole flight watching films, the food is the best airline food ive ever had, the kids meals were great, you get a ice cream half way through the flight, and you get a drink whenever you want, the customer service is first class, I ended up with 3 packs of cheese and biscuits the last time I flew. :) :) :)

[Simon Veness]

A website called Skytrax provides an excellent ranking system for all the major airlines, including charter and low-cost carriers. You can look them up on "www.airlinequality.com" and click on the Airline Ranking link for a lot of useful info.

I'm not so sure there is a website that lists all the different IFE for the various airlines, but I know you can look this up with some of them, e.g. Virgin Atlantic on this link:

"http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/whatsonboard/inflightentertainment/movies/index.jsp"

[Catlady]

We have flown Virgin 8 times and Airtours once. Have no complaint with Airtours the service was good although if we hadn't upgraded to Premair I doubt my husband and son would have fitted in the seats! I have to say that I like Virgin, things like the twilight check in is handy. The last few times we have upgraded to Premium economy again for the leg room. I would be interested to know what other airlines are like especially the leg room aspect :)

[Susan Veness]

I flew with Northwest a few years back and found their service to be quite adequate. They had seatback TVs, served dinner and a light breakfast, but I can't recall if they had games as well.

I also flew Continental (as a last minute switch from BA when the ground crew went on strike). They had seatback TVs with movies and games, served a full lunch and a snack, and I want to say they gave us ice cream at one point, but I could be wrong about that.

[TESSIE]

We Have Been To Orlando 3 Times With Virgin And They Are Really Good. We Have Never Had The Games On Our Plane And That Would Have Been Great But My Girls Had Their Gameboys Any Way.

[Simon Veness]

First Choice now have excellent services on their long-haul US routes, with a new (in 2006) fleet of Airbus A320s, with a very generous 33-inch seat pitch in economy and 36 in premium economy. Seatback TVs are standard and they catered very well for children with meals and IFE. Along with Thomson and, to a lesser extent, MyTravel, there is now excellent choice in the charter flights market to Orlando Sanford Airport.

[dmrevis]

An A320 certainly is a strange choice for such a high density route. But it seems to work their flights are always nearly full. It will be interesting to see what the charter airlines do now that the companies owning thomas cook and first choice have merged.

BA certainly are good, but i have to admit Virgin are better in my expereince. Interesting to hear NWA and Continental have seat back TV's because they certianly dont advertise the fact on the routes i've looked at.

[Simon Veness]

Oops! Good spot, dm! They don't use the A320s on the Sanford route; they use Boeing 767s, minus 54 seats from the normal (i.e cattle-class!) configuration, which gives them the extra legroom.

Trivia Of The Day!: First Choice will also be the very first airline to use the new Boeing 787 when it comes into service in 2009.

[dmrevis]

Oh thats interesting indeed. I'm a bit of an aviation buff hence the reason i picked up on the A320 comment. We should also start a sweepstakes on when the first A380 ("superjumbo") will be used on the Orlando route. I'm fairly sure there would be demand for it during the summer months at least.

[Simon Veness]

Hmmm. That's a good one. Bearing in mind that only VA and BA fly direct, and that it is likely to be WAY too big for any of the charters (at least at first), that really only leaves VA as the main contender, seeing as how BA have said they are in 'no hurry' to try out the new plane. And Virgin have already said they want to delay their order until 2013.......

It seems a LOT of airlines are already fighting shy of ordering the A380, waiting to see it 'prove itself,' that it might be a Catch 22 situation, with orders waiting until the plane is a proven quantity, but the plane unable to prove itself without sufficient orders. I know I wouldn't want to be an Airbus investor just at the moment.

[squidge]

Maybe in the summer VA will operate the A380 on the london routes to orlando but not sure if there will be the call for it on the manchester flights.

I would like to see a permanent 5 day a week service from VA on the Glasgow to orlando route. this would be so much better for us scottish people who have to travel to manchester or london to go VA. At present they are only trialling this route on saturdays on a limited number of dates in July & oct & both these attract a weekend flight suppliment & makes the holiday costs really expensive for a 2 week holiday for 2 adults (would hate to see a family of four price) The suppliments when i last checked were an extra £165 each just for the privalige of travelling on a saturday, which is the only day they fly out from glasgow)

It would be cheaper for me to drive down to manchester from north scotland with ferry costs & milage/fuel & secure parking than pay over £300 for the suppliments.

[dmrevis]

Very good point on the Glasgow flights. I found a good price for a First Choice flight to Glasgow, but that was the only airline flying direct on my availible dates. Glasgow certainly is a growing airport, and with Edinburgh only 60 mins away via the bus there could be huge potential for a direct flight operated by a Scheduled airline year round.

[squidge]

both edinburgh & glasgow airports are expanding dramatically, mind you so is the smaller regional airports too like inverness & aberdeen, would be soooo handy if we had a drict flight from inverness to orlando wouldnt it karrie :D

[karrie]

omg inverness to orlando!!!! bring it on!!! :D :D :D

[squidge]

thought u would like that one!!!:D

[karrie]

i love the sound of that!!! cant se it happening for a goooood few years tho!

[squidge]

niether can I, but glasgow would be a good start :)

[karrie]

yep glasgow would be better than nothing!

[squidge]

yeah im hoping virgin will extend their flights in 2008

[dmrevis]

You guys are lucky, Even Inverness is a 4 hour journey for me. I'm sure there is demand for direct flights from Glasgow, perhaps Virgin will see that after this year's trial runs.

[Simon Veness]

You'd certainly think they are looking at it carefully, especially as Flyglobespan seem to be expanding fast with their transatlantic links from Scotland and N Ireland. Mind you, how many other people will be put off by a weekend supplement for the ONLY day that they fly each week? What a rip off. I certainly wouldn't blame people for driving down to Manchester rather pay an extra 300 quid, and that could well affect the overall demand for these flights. Not good business sense, you would have thought.

[karrie]

You guys are lucky, Even Inverness is a 4 hour journey for me. I'm sure there is demand for direct flights from Glasgow, perhaps Virgin will see that after this year's trial runs.

you never know one day they might fly out of orkney!!!

[dmrevis]

That would be great, but Orkney Islands Council wont let the runway be upgraded. The biggest aircraft we can handle is the Herc, and even then it can only land in emergencies as it has to be dismantled and shipped back to base (the runway isnt long enough to take off again!). We sometimes get the BAe 146, but the runway isnt sturdy enough to handle it regularly. We have to put up with Saab 340 Turbo Props, i dont think they'd make it to Orlando :D

[squidge]

You guys are lucky, Even Inverness is a 4 hour journey for me. I'm sure there is demand for direct flights from Glasgow, perhaps Virgin will see that after this year's trial runs.

to get to inverness i need to leave the house at 0545 & will reach inverness at around 1130 if the ferry is on time LOL



ON the subject of supplements I would imagine many people would be as put off by the cpst of the suppliments & would rather drive to manchester to fly out to orlando.

Flyglobespan are expanding at a fast pace tho

[Simon Veness]

Do enough people in Scotland know about FGS yet or are they fairly well known by now?

[karrie]

fly globe span??

yeh they are becoming better know but had a hard time last year when they canceled a lot of mid week flights due to poor sales and got a fair bit bad press about it

other than that all u hear is good lol

[squidge]

im nervous flying with these low cost airlines as i have heard so many horror stories about mistreating wheelchairs etc.

If my wheelchair was damaged i wouldnt be able to get off the plane :O

[Mr Orlando]

A good thread - Airline Review but why keep in confined to Orlando



VIRGIN = CRAP

(no change on this one for me)

He are some others

First Choice = GOOD
United / United Ted = EXCELENT
DELTA SONG = GOOD
BA = GOOD

[loobylou]

For all you people that live in Scotland, TCD fly from Glasgow not only do they have their own TCD jumbos but they can offer scheduled flights with BA, American Airlines, U.s airways and continental airlines.

[dmrevis]

Lets keep in mind these are personal opinions. Mr O claims Virgin are "crap", in his experience. Plenty of others think their service is good.

TCD may offer scheduled flights with the big carriers, but then you loose any saving from using that company.

[Simon Veness]

If anyone's looking for a good low-cost carrier in the US, we can definitely recommend Airtran, who fly to more than 30 different destinations from MCO. Their planes are decent enough - a mixed fleet of mostly new Boeing 717s and a few older 737s - but the real bonus is their in-flight service, which is very good and attentive, and they all come with in-flight XM satellite radio, which means you can plug in your headphones the moment you sit down and tune in to more than 200 radio stations worldwide, including the BBC's World Service! The seats are very comfortable (the 717 is quite a smart small-capacity plane, seating up to 117) and their reliability record is very good (usually with very quick turn-arounds, so don't be late for the flight!).

[dmrevis]

Very good point on the turn-around times. Dont forget that any plane doesnt make money when its sitting at the stand, so they want to keep them in the air. Especially the low cost airlines whose margins are sometimes tiny in terms of profit from fares charged. If you aint there, they will go, they wont wait.

[Mr Orlando]

New boeing 717's - not heard of these

[Simon Veness]

The Boeing 717 was actually pioneered by Airtran back in the mid 1990s, and they based their fleet very heavily on it. Boeing ceased production of it last year, so it was only a relatively short-lived programme, but it has proved a popular plane with a handful of airlines, much better and more efficient than the McDonnell MD-80s (a stretched version of the DC-9) which rival airlines have used on similar short-haul routes (and with which it is easily confused - see below). Here's what Boeing says about it:

"On May 23, 2006, Boeing delivered its final two 717 airplanes to Midwest Airlines and AirTran Airways in a ceremony before thousands of employees, retirees and dignitaries in Long Beach, Calif. The deliveries conclude commercial airplane production in Southern California that began in the 1920s with the Douglas Aircraft Co.

The 717 program, which produced 156 airplanes, pioneered breakthrough business and manufacturing processes for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The program was launched by an order from AirTran Airways in 1995, and the airplane quickly became renowned by customers for its excellent economics, performance and reliability. Based on the Douglas DC-9 and launched as the McDonnell Douglas MD-95, the 100-seater was renamed the Boeing 717 after McDonnell Douglas and Boeing merged in 1997.

The 717 will continue to deliver unsurpassed economy and value to our airline customers for years to come. Boeing will continue to provide the outstanding customer service support for the 717s operating at carriers worldwide.

Douglas opened the Long Beach factory in 1941 as part of President Roosevelt's Arsenal of Democracy -- a request to the nation's industries to halt civilian production and assist in making wartime equipment. The facility produced almost 10,000 airplanes for World War II before transitioning to commercial airplane production after the war. Douglas merged with the McDonnell Aircraft Company in 1967, forming the McDonnell Douglas Corporation. More than 15,000 airplanes have been produced in the Long Beach factory."

And, for the real aircraft anoraks ( :D ):

The Boeing 717 was specifically designed for the short-haul, high frequency 100-passenger airline market. The highly efficient 717 concluded its production run in May 2006, though the airplane will remain in service for years to come.

Final assembly of the 717 took place at the Boeing plant in Long Beach, Calif. The airplane was originally part of the McDonnell Douglas airplane family and designated the MD-95 prior to merger with The Boeing Co. in 1997. The program produced 156 717s and pioneered breakthrough business and manufacturing process for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The standard 717 has a two-class configuration with 106 seats. Its passenger-pleasing interior features a five-across-seating arrangement in economy class, with illuminated handrails and large overhead stowbins. The two-crew flight deck incorporates six interchangeable liquid-crystal-display units and advanced Honeywell VIA 2000 computers.

Flight deck features include an Electronic Instrument System, a dual Flight Management System, a Central Fault Display System, and Global Positioning System. Category IIIb automatic landing capability for bad-weather operations and Future Air Navigation Systems are available.

Two advanced Rolls-Royce 715 high-bypass-ratio engines power the 717. The engine is rated at 18,500 to 21,000 pounds of takeoff thrust, with lower fuel consumption and significantly lower noise and emission levels than the power plants on comparable airplanes.

The 717 wing span is 93.3 feet (28.4 meters) and overall length is 124 feet (37.8 meters). Maximum takeoff weight for the 717 is 110,000 pounds (49, 895 kg). Nonstop range goes up to 1,647 statute miles (1,430 n.mi. / 2,645 km).

[karrie]

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

[dmrevis]

i'm humbled! i do my best to keep up with aviation but i too had not heard of a B717! :o

[Simon Veness]

I must admit, neither had I until a couple of years ago when we first flew with AirTran. I don't know that anyone in Europe uses them, hence they are pretty much the 'unknown' Boeing.


ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

LOL, Karrie! Not the most thrilling subject, I'll admit, but it appeals to the old plane-spotter in me :rolleyes:

[dmrevis]

the European airlines try to stick to airbus for their fleets, sort of trying to keep the business in a European company. I'll have to dig out my aircraft encyclopedia and check out this 717.

[Simon Veness]

Outwardly, it looks the same as the MD-95 (the upgraded DC-9), but I believe when Boeing took over McDonnell-Douglas in the 1990s they gave the MD-95 a Boeing 'makeover' with different engines and a slightly smarter cabin look, and renamed it the B717. It's certainly a curious one!

[dmrevis]

Ahh, that makes sense now. I knew about the MD, never knew they had re-named it. Very strange thing to do even if they did take over the company.

[Simon Veness]

Yes, it's hard to work out if it was a master-stroke or something which was just quietly shelved as a good idea that didn't work. Certainly, they never built many 717s and production is now officially at an end, but AirTran genuinely seem delighted with theirs, and we have flown them quite often with great satisfaction.

Rival company Spirit Air, who also fly out of MCO to a lot of US destinations, have a new fleet of Airbus 319s.

[Mr Orlando]

some "intresting" information there

thanks

[Buddyelvis]

Airline Reviews(Flying from Glasgow)

My Travel-Nice plane,bored staff inbound and outbound,cramped seating,poor service would not recommend.

First Choice-Good seats,seat back telly,good food would recommend

Continental(via Newark)Airline of choice,normally a 757,sometimes slightly older aircraft.Excellent service as you would expect from USA carrier.Have managed to get extra legroom every time,just arrive early at check in smile and ask.Upgraded once to First/Business nice big seats,personal TV with choice of movies but would not recommend paying the extra money for these seats,yes it was good but not that good

Flyglobespan-Using this May for the first time,opted for premium economy.Friends have travelled using them and have had no problems.This is there first year of having daily flights
to Sanford so there are bound to be teething problems.We are both looking forward to our trip and let you know how it goes we just reckoned its good to have the convienence of a daily flight from our local airport direct( We normally go of peak either May or Nov) so are thinking we should use it or lose it!!

PS Have just booked and received our park tickets from ATD,phoned to book tickets and definately got the best price,super slick service highly recommend

[KillerPenguin]

United, Continental all good

BA, Fairly good

Most charter are crap My Travel, Thomas Cook etc

No frills are some wot ok - but they do what they say on the tin

[Crackerbarrel]

The first time I travelled to Florida with US Air, via Charlotte, and they were excellent. Then I went with Monarch via Bangor, and didn't think it was up to much.
Next time I went with the cheapest I could find which was NorthWest. The Atlantic part of the route was excellent, but we stopped at two or three other places along the way. Internal flights not so good and some of the planes had seen better days. Can't remember the exact routes there and back, but we landed and transfered at Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago. Very tiring. We did get an almost empty 747 on the last leg coming home though.
After that we went direct to Sanford with Monarch again. Not impressed at all.
Then we tried Virgin Atlantic, and when we go next year it will be the fourth time we've flown to Florida with them, so that says it all really.

[Tiggers Friend]

Earlier this year we flew with Virgin from Manchester direct to Orlando and found them to be very good (booked with them for next year!). Year before we flew with MyTravel in Premiair Gold and enjoyed that as well. In 2005 flew transatlantic with bmi to Washington and then United to Tampa. Both flights were fine (bmi was as good as Virgin), but the transit at Dulles was awful. Came back from Orlando via Chicago which went fine despite the need to transfer terminals.

[FLORIDA MAD]

2003 We flew with virgin

2004 We flew with British Airways to Miami

2005 We flew with Aer Lingus direct from Dublin to orlando

2006 We flew with Virgin

2007 Virgin again


All airlines were very good, flying direct from Dublin was a real bonus although Aer lingus charged for drinks and snacks and they are just too expensive now.

The thing I like about about Virgin is that whenever we have travelled with them there has always been empty seats to stretch out on and of course we got a free upgrade this year.:happy-thumb

[KeriandSophie]

Im travelling with Thomas cook in april 2008 to Sanford.
Their website says they will have flights with more leg room etc from may 1st 2008. Im travelling back on May 10th, does this mean we'll be travelling back in the new aircraft? Anyone know if thomas cook have seat back entertainment? Im a little worried, spent alot on this holiday and i really wanted to enjoy the flight, i suposse i just figured a big name like Thomas cook would have good flights..but reading some posts..im a little worried to say the least!
Any info would be appreciated!

Thanks guys!:o