Flights you have been on

[route101]

Flew Finnair for the first time from EDI to HEL. Edinburgh was really busy and its not even high summer. The flight was upgraded from A319 to A321. I was seated at the back and had no one sitting in my row. Excellent views on he route out and headed out towards Aberdeen. Service was only water or Blueberry juice.

First time in Finland and passport control were asking questions like purpose and where I was staying, when I will leave Finland.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Just back from a quick hop across the Irish Sea, Leeds to Dublin return. Chose Aer Lingus over Ryanair on the Emerald Air ATR. Uneventful flight out, return flight was different as due to a technical issue the flight was on a DAT ATR-72 600. Wierd mix of Danish flight crew, Spanish cabin crew and an extra Emerald Air member of staff to deal with trolley sales!

Just returned from a Manchester-Toronto trip via Dublin on EI, starting with the Emerald ATR from MAN and then an A332 (ex-Qatar) over the pond to YYZ.
The return trip from Toronto 10 days later was on exactly the same aircraft (and in the same seats!).
Checking FR24, the same aircraft has been doing the Dublin-Toronto run every day since March 30, bar two days - one for a trip to Madrid, and one without a flight.
That's something like 50 flights just to the one destination.
Very comfortable flights on the A332, but connecting in Dublin is a miserable experience involving long treks between and within terminals.
We also have mobility problems, so we booked for the first time wheelchair assistance at all three airports via EI.
I have to say the experience was very mixed, with only 2 out of 6 services turning up as requested.
I wouldn't like to be 100% reliant on such services.


.

 

[John R]

Maybe a silly question but if you have mobility problems and need assistance would you not be better off on the direct Air Transat flight that seems to run near daily? Surely a connection is just making life difficult for yourself?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Maybe a silly question but if you have mobility problems and need assistance would you not be better off on the direct Air Transat flight that seems to run near daily? Surely a connection is just making life difficult for yourself?

Well it's a long story but we originally booked for last November, and in Business Class for a lie-flat seat.
Air Transat only do 2 flights a week then, and don't have a proper J class.
We had to reschedule the trip to May, and this was possible on EI without penalty, so I was quite happy with the package..
Now I know the Dublin transfer arrangements I might make a different choice next time.
I've previously gone on KLM via Amsterdam and AF via Paris, but their prices in J are very high now.

 

[Iskra]

Last Friday I did the 1130 Ryanair Manchester to Milan Malpensa. Flight was about an hour late departing Manchester due to inbound flight being late and it was greeted by police. I paid £14 for an emergency exit window seat, gambling that nobody would take the middle seat next to it, and this paid off so I had a lot of space which was nice. Trolley service was really slow reaching me so I had to double up on the wine. Flight was very turbulent passing through the clouds at each end but smooth inbetween. A decent flight for the price, but 2 hours of Ryanair is enough for me. For some reason there was an epic walk at Milan Malpensa which I’ve not had before.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Last Monday morning we flew LGW to BUD and we returned BUD to LGW on Friday eve. Flew with EasyJet. Airbus A319 each way.
The return take-off was very sprightly and quite possibly the fastest speed I've shot down a runway.
(I'll bet @Peter Mugridge did a faster lift off on his Concorde flight).

 

[Mojo]

l don't suppose anyone on here has the paid for version of Flightradar24, or some other such website? l'm looking for the registration of BA274 on 31st May.

Thanks.

 

[John R]

Currently in Canada having flown out on the daily 737 Max LHR to Halifax flight with Air Canada in Premium Economy. The seating was by far and away the most comfortable Premium Economy I’ve been on, as it’s what passes for Business on the North American routes which provide most of the work for those planes.

 

[Bald Rick]

l don't suppose anyone on here has the paid for version of Flightradar24, or some other such website? l'm looking for the registration of BA274 on 31st May.

Thanks.

Sat 31 May it was A350-1041 G-XWBK

 

[jmh59]

Just did HK to Melbourne and back - Qantas A330-200 economy seating each way. The outbound was an older interior with smaller entertainment screens; the return more modern, larger screens. Both felt cramped but I actually had plenty of legroom. Seating is 2-4-2 so we had a window and aisle so just the two of us which we don't usually manage. Then HK to AMS on a KLM 787, 3-3-3 layout, felt more roomy.

Of note - different from last year and probably common knowledge - HK no longer needs you to fill in those little landing cards.

 

[Mojo]

Sat 31 May it was A350-1041 G-XWBK

Thank you.

 

[LYuen]

l don't suppose anyone on here has the paid for version of Flightradar24, or some other such website? l'm looking for the registration of BA274 on 31st May.

Thanks.

Flightera has such history

May 2025: British Airways BA274 (BAW4LV) from Las Vegas to London

June 2025: British Airways FLIGHT BA274 from Las Vegas to London. Get real-time flight status updates, on-time performance statistics, and detailed flight information for BA274. Track departure and arrival times, terminal and gate information, aircraft details, and historical flight data. View...

www.flightera.net

 

[Peter Mugridge]

(I'll bet @Peter Mugridge did a faster lift off on his Concorde flight).

Only on the first one, the Bay of Biscay charter - had the full works treatment on that... Standing start take off and of course lightly loaded ( no luggage, no catering, half fuel ) and a full power application just before they released the brakes. Sitting right above the nose gear mounting point, so the vibration during the take off run was most enjoyable. In the air less than 20 seconds after brake release...

The second one, a subsonic hop from Ringway to Heathrow, nothing spectacular despite similar load and fuel conditions - fairly normal take off although of course Concorde's V2 speed was about 20% higher than that of a normal aircraft, so did get more of a run than with most.

Final one, being a full TransAtlantic, loaded to maximum so again not a particularly sprightly take off, just the higher V2 speed.

Except for that first one, I've generally felt stronger take off forces on 767s from a standing start.

Whatever the equipment, rolling starts are very boring...

 

[Bald Rick]

Except for that first one, I've generally felt stronger take off forces on 767s from a standing start

Last year I had a trip in a box fresh A320neo with Easyjet. I think it was its second day in service. Almost certainly it was the first time this particular pilot had flown it. He had a very heavy ‘right foot’!

 

[The exile]

The most noteworthy flights I’ve been on were, ironically, my first 3 commercial flights.
First - Heathrow - Vienna, 1983. Was supposed to be flying together with my Austrian exchange partner but his parents took so long to tell us which flight they’d booked for him that Economy was sold out - result. 15-year-old me on first flight and first major “solo” journey gets Club class. Nice!
Second - Vienna - Heathrow a couple of weeks later. Exchange family brings me to airport in loads of time - so lunch at airport first (Wiener Schnitzel - of course, what else!). Get airside to find outbound flight has had to turn back- apologies for the delay, please make your way to the restaurant where lunch will be provided in compensation (Wiener Schnitzel - of course, what else). Substitute plane arrives eventually - a Tristar ( I think) pinched off a transatlantic run (did BA have a hot spare at LHR in those days) complete with transatlantic catering - so lunch number 3 (guess what!).
Finally - a few years later - Frankfurt - Heathrow. I had to alter my arrangements for getting to the airport as between ordering and receiving the ticket check in had been lengthened from 40 minutes pre-flight to 2 hours. The flight - PA103. The date - December 1988 - a week before that ceased to be just any old flight number.
It’s all been run-of-the-mill since then. Long may that continue.

 

[Iskra]

The most noteworthy flights I’ve been on were, ironically, my first 3 commercial flights.
First - Heathrow - Vienna, 1983. Was supposed to be flying together with my Austrian exchange partner but his parents took so long to tell us which flight they’d booked for him that Economy was sold out - result. 15-year-old me on first flight and first major “solo” journey gets Club class. Nice!
Second - Vienna - Heathrow a couple of weeks later. Exchange family brings me to airport in loads of time - so lunch at airport first (Wiener Schnitzel - of course, what else!). Get airside to find outbound flight has had to turn back- apologies for the delay, please make your way to the restaurant where lunch will be provided in compensation (Wiener Schnitzel - of course, what else). Substitute plane arrives eventually - a Tristar ( I think) pinched off a transatlantic run (did BA have a hot spare at LHR in those days) complete with transatlantic catering - so lunch number 3 (guess what!).
Finally - a few years later - Frankfurt - Heathrow. I had to alter my arrangements for getting to the airport as between ordering and receiving the ticket check in had been lengthened from 40 minutes pre-flight to 2 hours. The flight - PA103. The date - December 1988 - a week before that ceased to be just any old flight number.
It’s all been run-of-the-mill since then. Long may that continue.

Impressive!

- - - - -

Yesterday, I did 1525 Lamezia Terme (Italy) to London Stansted on a Ryanair 737. The flight was late arriving and subsequently late departing, accentuated by an Air Traffic Control restriction. A busy but lovely flight, with a nice view down into the crater of Vesuvius and of glaciers over the Alps. Stansted passport control was the smoothest I've ever experienced it. Unfortunately, we got caught up in a diversion off the A1 so combined with the Ryanair delay we were later home than anticipated.

 

[MalaiseForever]

I did Finnair Manchester - Helsinki on Friday on one of their lovely E190s. Great views over the Finnish archipelago on the way. Blueberry juice and chocolate always appreciated too.

 

[melon68]

I recently flew SAS from Copenhagen to Dublin in a 320neo and it was very pleasant. Arrived on time and got free tea or coffee too. Plenty of legroom

 

[185]

Juneyao, Manchester-Shanghai & flew back last weekend. Excellent new route, flying straight over Russia unhindered. £450 return, includes 23kg bags and seat reservations. Been Shanghai Pudong many times over the years, but never from Manchester. Excellent VIP lounge at Pudong, well worth the £20 for a 1am flight home.

Save £230 per visit by getting a free transit visa for Shanghai (& Jiangsu & Zhejiang provinces) on arrival if (booked and) flying on to a third country within 10 days (240 hours).

Only real failure was the food in economy, edible but not great - although there is some suggestion they know there's a problem & are actively trying to put things right.