Airlines

[Superdave]

Focussing on long haul here lads - who's been long haul with which airlines and how did they find them?

I'm looking at two 36 hour flights before and after xmas with KLM - any input? as in should i pack the valium?

[k974]

there the cheapest from here and i presume nz too with the sale fares as far as i know they use singapore airlines as far as singapore and klm then to amsterdam a friend went home for a couple weeks with the recently and said they didnt have the seat back tv's in them.

i flew to south africa with them 3 or 4 years ago and they did have the seat back tvs so maybe its just the plane they used that day or whatever.


i've flowen with the following long haul and have em in order of preference

singapore airlines
malaysian airlines
qantas
air nz
klm
thai
garuda (dont fly with)

to be honest i dont find a whole pile of difference between any of them there all basically the same the only thing that would affect my choice is if they didnt have the tv's.

singapore were the best they did have the nice little extra touches

singapore, qantas and malaysia not much to choose between

klm werent bad but i heard they dont have the tvs from sing to amsterdam

thai didnt have the tvs in the seats and wouldnt serve any extra drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) just water

garuda i wouldnt fly with again they went rome-dubai-bangkok-bali like a delivery van!



to be honest besided thai and garuda my decision would come down to price or route if you wanted a stopover

supposedly emirates are v good

[jungle]

First thing with KLM is to check whether it is actually KLM operating the flights. If you book a flight like Cork-Sydney, there's a good chance that it will be

Cork-Amsterdam (Aer Lingus)
Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur (Malaysian)
Kuala Lumpur-Sydney (Malaysian)

So, although the flights are all KLM codeshares, none of the flights will actually be operated by them.

As for their service...

Bear in mind that I am only comparing them to Aer Lingus and British Airways for long-haul. KLM market themselves as "The Reliable Airline" and that is exactly what they are. Their service is not the best, but I've never known it to be bad. In contrast, with BA, I've had some great flights, but also some apalling ones. Basically, expect efficient service, but no great pampering.

One slight warning, ,they do have a poorish record for losing bags.

[Shedite]

2 little gems that I've travelled with in the past year are Egyptair and SriLankan

Got a flight from Beijing to Bangkok with Egyptair for €190 less than a week in advance. Then got from Bangkok to London (via Columbo) for €325 with about 2 weeks notice.


http://www.egyptair.com.eg/docs/Services/services3.htm

http://wwi.srilankan.aero/travelplanner/routemap.asp

[hughjass]

Focussing on long haul here lads - who's been long haul with which airlines and how did they find them?

I'm looking at two 36 hour flights before and after xmas with KLM - any input? as in should i pack the valium?

KLM are savage, best airline I was ever on. Very comfortable, decent food too. Best of all though is their in flight entertainment system. You get a tele in the back of the seat in front of you which is connected up to a computer system. It has about 50-100 movies, new releases and classics, and about the same amount of TV programmes, as well as music, games, and if you pay it even has internet, email and phone service. And cos its on a computer system, you can watch any show at any time, pause or fast forward or whatever. Its the job!

[Job!]

I've flown with KLM a number of times. Somwhat satisified. Singapore as already mentioned is superb. Emirates is in a class of its own and BA offers excellent service. A damn sight better than some of the muck on offer when flying to the States.

[faircop]

there the cheapest from here and i presume nz too with the sale fares as far as i know they use singapore airlines as far as singapore and klm then to amsterdam a friend went home for a couple weeks with the recently and said they didnt have the seat back tv's in them.

i flew to south africa with them 3 or 4 years ago and they did have the seat back tvs so maybe its just the plane they used that day or whatever.


i've flowen with the following long haul and have em in order of preference

singapore airlines
malaysian airlines
qantas
air nz
klm
thai
garuda (dont fly with)

to be honest i dont find a whole pile of difference between any of them there all basically the same the only thing that would affect my choice is if they didnt have the tv's.

singapore were the best they did have the nice little extra touches

singapore, qantas and malaysia not much to choose between

klm werent bad but i heard they dont have the tvs from sing to amsterdam

thai didnt have the tvs in the seats and wouldnt serve any extra drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) just water

garuda i wouldnt fly with again they went rome-dubai-bangkok-bali like a delivery van!



to be honest besided thai and garuda my decision would come down to price or route if you wanted a stopover

supposedly emirates are v good

they're from hell alright, i'd never been scared on a plane till i flew with 'em...

[mushypea]

oh christ stay well clear of KLM. Flew to Singapore with them - it was worse than a bus eireann bus! There was 2 tv's for the entire plance and both of them were broken.......sat there for 11 hours....torture
Got Singapore airlines back - fantasic comfort and leg space. Every seat had a built in monitor. friendly staff......can't say enough

[jammybox]

BA - Excellent, especially the new angled seats. Service on long haul is very good.

AA - OK, but probably as I always get that cabin right behind business class which is much better than the back cabin which is just a chicken coup (on 777 and 767). Service is questionable

UA - Awful

Delta - Awful

Emirates - World class, top notch service
Singapore - World class, leg room and service is impeccable
ANZ - Very good
Qantas - Very good

[EL TORO]

Emirates Airlines. End of! They are the best of the best. Officially Cathay Pacific are the world's no1 carrier, but Emirates are awesome regarding service, punctuality and modernity of aircraft. I have worked in the Travel/Sport industry for 10 years and i'd swear by them. P.S. I dont work for em.

[Cyprus Avenue]

Thai Airlines
&
Qantas are really good.


Thai airlines are better for in-flight service, but then again Qantas does have that hard-drive under the seat to watch a choice of about 30-40 movies + games, tv shows, etc.....comes in well handy on a 12hr flight.

Had a horrible flight on BA this year though....seats felt like i was on the No3 bus.