We’ve taken many flights all around the world. It’s interesting and to put all the qualitative data/funny stories we’ve collected into one post for all to enjoy.

(newest additions are in bold)

Airlines:

Jet Blue – Salt Lake City to Fort Lauderdale: Roomy. Impressed with the cabin, seats, cleanliness.

Jet Blue – Fort Lauderdale to Cartagena: international crew very professional and went out of their way to take care of our kids.

Avianca – Cartagena to Miami: Amazing crew, full meal for this 2.5 hour flight. If you ever have a chance to fly on Avianca, take it.

United – Miami to San Francisco: nothing wrong. Lots of points.

Air Mobility Command – Travis AFB to Hickam AFB: room for everyone to stretch. H got to spend time visiting with the aircrew and checking out NVGs. Very comfortable with room to spread out.

Hawaiian Air – Honolulu to Seoul: great attention by crew on this 10-hour flight. Full chicken and rice meal with steamed veg and coconut cookie, serving of Raman, bags of mix (Chex mix), water, tea, etc. Our family given ample seat and leg room.

Air Asia X – Seoul to Kuala Lumpur: Pay for what you get – checked bags, nice meal at a fair cost. Show up early. Great service. Read the fine print.

Air Asia X – KL to Sydney. Same – very good food, friendly service, clean. Take the time to read the built-in charges e.g. bottled water.

Tiger Air – Sydney to Brisbane and Brisbane to Cairns: Seemed clean and new. Comfortable and fair price.

Virgin Airlines-Australia – Cairns to Melbourne and Melbourne to Christchurch: Professional and clean. Hot meal included. Beer or wine with dinner – gratis. Magnum ice cream bar for dessert – Nice! Attentive to kids. Friendly.

Jetstar Australia – Enjoyed a great experience despite apprehension after reading less than favorable feedback and comments. Recommend reading the fine print and being early. Great encounter with check-in team – they were flexible, friendly, and saved us some money. Didn’t take advantage of their in-flight technology or menu items, although we may in the future as their warm meals smelled great – my row-mate enjoyed a piping hot meat pie.

Scoot Airlines – Gold Coast to Singapore: Scoot is a Singaporean budget airlines. Took this route out of Australia because of the amazing ticket prices. Will continue to fly and recommend Scoot because of the smooth check-in, welcome customer service, and seemingly effortless flight. What a wonderful surprise – especially since we had an early morning.

Air Asia (again) – Singapore to Krabi: There’s a reason we flew them a third time – great value and performance. I joined their member program. Don’t go in cold. Need to do some basic research and see where the hidden costs are.

Bangkok Airways – Krabi to Bangkok: Beautiful and comfortable. Very reasonable cost. “Asia’s Boutique Airline.” A regional airline that visits 28 cities. We took advantage of their lounge, snacks, and free WiFi while waiting to board. Manage to serve a cold chicken salad/snack and beverage despite a very short flight. Wide aircraft seemed roomier. If you’re near Thailand – highly recommend.

Nok Air – Bangkok to Chiang Mai: Cheap tickets. Friendly service. Easy check-in. Nok Air is a budget airlines serving Thailand domestically and other regional hubs. Not a luxury flight, and there was some wear on the seats, but would definitely fly them again. Seems like they have a clear, simple mission and they have it down. Tickets at these prices makes it easy to see more of Thailand and SE Asia.

Laos Airlines– Found reasonably priced tickets from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Luang Prabang, Laos aboard Laos Airlines. Not the first time we walked out on the tarmac to board a plane on this trip, which may be foreign to some folks, but was the first time we flew on a prop airplane this trip. Smaller plane. Tight. Free bags. Not a lot of space for our short flight, but the tuna & pea salad sandwich on small bread rolls turned out to be pretty tasty. Fresh drinking water served with the lunch packs. Nice in-flight magazine too. A fine airline experience like Nok and Scoot, but not great like Bangkok Air, Virgin Australia, or Avianca.

Vietnam Airlines – Luang Prabang to Hanoi, Vietnam. This was not our original flight from Laos to Vietnam, but that backstory will be told at a later date. The Vietnam Airlines experience? From the flight to the bags and snacks – easy. No charge for bags. Roomy passenger section of the aircraft. Window seat even had plenty of room. Juice served and serviced easily for this short flight. Will save the rest of the story for later.

VietJet Airlines – Hanoi, Vietnam to Yangon, Myanmar. This is Vietnam’s version of a budget airline. Worked fine. No hidden fees. No issue with baggage or drinks on the flight. Colorful bright red and yellow color scheme. Klunky website, but it met the need. To be honest, we were ready to move on from Hanoi and this was a welcome flight. Any issues with the flight may have been swept aside by our satisfaction in moving on from Hanoi.

Yangon Air – Yangon to Bagan. This 45 minute flight on one of Myanmar’s domestic carriers (I think there are two) served its purpose in getting us from Yangon to Bagan. From the terminal, we took a shuttle bus to the plane. A small rickety ladder with rope handrails helped us climb into the airplane. Very small commuter plane. Tight. Props. It featured our only flight, so far, that was excessively bumpy. Passengers double-checked that their seatbelts were securely fastened, and held onto arm rests or tray tables with both hands. The hour-long flight was just slightly more expensive and saved us from taking a day-long train or bus ride. Bouncy flight. This is one of those flights where you don’t get up to go to the bathroom – if one even existed. Due to cloud cover, had to make a pass at the first landing attempt in Bagan. Glad we did because the runway was well off to the right when we broke through the cloud deck on the first go. I can’t imagine what the pilot was thinking once he finally broke through, “Gee, I know it’s around here somewhere.” Following our go-around, the cloud cover shifted enough to give a clear view of the landing strip. Bagan is a small airport. After we walked from the plane across the tarmac to the terminal, we awaited the arrival of our luggage.

A very whiny tangent that has nothing to do with our flight on Yangon Air …. We saw our packs loaded on a trolley and get wheeled past the baggage claim, through the passenger terminal, and into the parking lot. Here’s the gig – ‘foreigners’ coming into the Bagan airport have to pay a tourism fee of about $20 per person. Bags are held hostage and physically separated from their ‘foreign’ owners until the ransom is paid and corresponding ‘official foreign tourist tickets’ issued. This was news to me. I, not keen on Burmese bureaucracy and selectively choosing to ignore the large “Foreign Tourists Pay Fee” placards, burst out of the airport at full stride and into the parking lot to safeguard my family’s possessions while being trailed by a band of alarmed fee collectors and eager baggage handling tip-seekers. Once I reached the baggage cart, I was surrounded by the motley band of interested workers, none taller than my shoulder. I was not happy, but reluctantly returned back inside in search of the official ‘foreigner fee desk’ to discuss the situation. Once we came to the understanding that my youngest two daughters wouldn’t need the tickets, I began my quest for an operational ATM, which is a lot easier said than done. Once I found a working ATM in the small airport, and a bathroom (see flight notes above), I walked away with a stack of so many Burmese Kyat bills that made me think I should’ve had an armed escort. Paid the fee. Grabbed our packs to throw into the back of the taxi van. Reluctantly agreed to let part of the small band gathered near our bags move them from the trolley to the back of the taxi. Nerves were frayed. We were tired, and I was probably more frustrated than need be at the news of having to pay the ‘foreigner’ fee. Topping it off, the so-called ‘lead baggage handler’ stuck his head in my side of the taxi and sang out “Carry, carry, money, money.”

Thai Smile – Mandalay to Bangkok. Thai Smile is the budget subsidiary of Thai Air. Really enjoying the ease and price of these inter-SE Asia airlines. As a family, we’re better in our approach too and have developed a routine that works for everyone. We were excited to get back to Bangkok – to somewhere we were comfortable, had currency, knew the customs, and knew the basic greetings. Sawadeekop.

Oman Air – Bangkok to Muscat. We left Bangkok for the second time with mixed emotions. Our departure signaled the end of our SE Asia leg of our lap around the world. We have friends in Bangkok and are comfortable there in that we accept and appreciate its gifts and flaws alike. (Check the song/video of Nikki singing “Good Morning Baltimore” from the John Travolta version of “Hairspray”) This flight represented our entrance into the Middle East – a new land and culture dominated by a religion unfamiliar to our family. Flying on Oman Air was a bit of a culture shock for us, having spent so long in SE Asia. It was clean, organized, nice, and calm. We chose this flight for ease – non-stop in the mid-afternoon. Easy to find our seats. Seats were roomy and offered USB charging stations. Plenty of space for bags. Ample audio and video selections free of charge. Good food. Professional staff. Clean. I had some issue buying one of our tickets on-line via their website though, but it all worked out in the end. Good experience.

Ethiopian Airlines – Muscat, Oman to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Cape Town, South Africa. Two legs, but got us a long way for a very, very good price. I was worried about Ethiopian Air based on internet reviews, but the experience far exceeded my expectations. Maybe we’re becoming better travelers, knowing how and when to work in extra time,  flexibility, and bribery snacks for the kids. Maybe we don’t get rattled as much by people swarming through the entry gate, completely oblivious to any notion of ‘zone’ boarding. Door’s open? Swarm. Maybe we have a better sense of humor and adventure. When we arrived at the Muscat check-in line for our pre-dawn flight a couple of hours before takeoff, we were whisked to the front for expedited check-in. Perhaps it was because we traveling as a family of six. Perhaps it was because we didn’t look like any of the other travelers, at all. At check-in, we expressed concern that our 30-minute transfer window in the Addis Ababa airport might be cutting it short. Ah, no need to worry. We were assured that it’s done all the time. So, we waited at the departure gate for our zone to be called. More than once, women passed by us and deliberately swiped their hands through K’s golden hair for good luck as they were on their way to swarming the gate. Once we got onto the plane, we had plenty of space for our bags. Staff was great. Food was fine. Not the most comfortable seats or the cleanest, perhaps the toilets weren’t all that great, and maybe all of our seats didn’t recline perfectly, but it was fine. Not sure why I saw so many “Air France” labels on the seats and throughout the cabin. In the back of the plane sat an unorganized contingent of women wearing colorful headscarves and black traditional dresses who, once we were airborne, sang and chanted happily. We didn’t know any of their songs, but they were certainly happy to land in Ethiopia. Once in Addis Ababa, transfer passengers were herded off to the side of the tarmac after descending the exterior stairs. Then, our facilitator tried to match the different transfer passengers with the different transfer busses, none of which seemed to follow the same traffic pattern while driving through and between the aircraft, baggage carts, and fuel trucks. Our people-marshal would yell into his walkie-talkie, look at it, shake it, shake his head and run over to one of the passing busses. Then he’d run to a different one. Then run over to our herd where he was greeted by a chorus of different languages and accents expressing concern about catching their transfer. It all worked out fine. We caught our connection without issue, and by no means were we the last ones to board. Upon reflection, it seemed like our takeoff time was more of a ‘suggested window’ for takeoff. Second leg to CT wasn’t as colorful, and was more calm. Heard Afrikaans for the first time. We were fairly knackered from the lack of sleep. Overall our Ethiopian Air experience was great. Economical. Chaotic. Loud. Colorful. Funny. And it worked out just fine.

Air Namibia – Cape Town, SA to Walvis Bay, Namibia. Cindy and I were wired with excitement in anticipation of our return to Namibia. We visited there about 20 years ago and were pumped up to show our kids the many contrasts of Namibia. We enjoyed a fine daytime flight from CT direct to Walvis Bay, the second largest town in Namibia at about 50,000 people. All aspects of the flight were fine – baggage, check-in, flight, food, cost. Nothing truly exceptional about the experience other that our anticipation. Flying over the wild expanse of SW Africa helped us appreciate the enormity of the continent.

British Airways – Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to Johannesburg, South Africa. Fairly short, but convenient flight. Victoria Falls airport was an upgraded and newer version than what we experienced 20+ years ago. It had been several weeks since we flew, so long that we were eager for our routine. The over-eager baggage handler, who we did not request, had half of our bags on a cart before we could get out of the truck. An older fella with personality, he’s probably worked that airport since the beginning. As it turns out, he was the only person who could make all of our kids smile while taking a group photo. BA, known for top-notch service, didn’t disappoint. Symbolic flight in that it marked a transition for us as far as a departure in community, culture, environment, and infrastructure from Southern Africa.

Turkish Airlines – Johannesburg to Istanbul. About a ten-hour night flight – our last long flight. Very full. People from all over the world. Huge plane. Charging stations in seats, full array of music, video, and movies provided via the entertainment center. Some family members watched three full movies. I listened to hours of music by switching between genres. Service was great. Newspapers offered, drink service passed several times, dinner meal was great (with wine or beer if you preferred), eye masks, ear plugs, and blankets were provided for napping, and the morning breakfast was tasty. Not the best legroom, but the seat tilt and footrests offered comfort. Considering all the factors – a ten-hour night flight – it was a really positive experience. I recommend Turkish Airlines.

Pegasus Air – Istanbul to Izmir. Izmir to Istanbul to Athens. Despite the less-than-stellar on-line reviews, we couldn’t beat the price or time savings of taking Pegasus from Istanbul to Izmir.  Family of 6, $144. At the airport, they used a single line to feed multiple check-in counters for the various international and domestic flights. Although the line was long, it moved quickly. The attendant checked our passports, took our bags, issued our boarding passes, and pointed us toward security with minimal comment and relative ease. Pegasus seemed busy, all acceptable, no issues. Advertisements covered the walls of the walkway and the headrest sheets. Otherwise all was standard. 20KG free checked baggage. Only issue with any of the flights was the significant thud at our first landing. Was definitely the hardest landing that we have experienced. We walked away from it, so I’m not one to complain. Passengers have to pay for snacks and drinks – you can pre-order on-line when buying your tickets too. Great prices from Izmir to Athens.

EasyJet – Athens to Naples. easyJet is a British-owned low-cost airlines that operates throughout the UK and Europe. I had never heard of easyJet until researching flights to get us into Europe. Overall, we had a very positive experience. We weren’t able to print our boarding passes prior to checking in, but the lady at the check-in counter seated us all together – at the front of the plane. For the first time in quite a while, we had to pay for checking bags. The flight was so reasonable that we’re not about to complain. The Italian cabin crew were great and engaging. Snacks came at a cost, so we opted to wait. The full flight was without issue. EasyJet seems to have a good niche in the European air travel market. Our experience with them confirms why. 

Ryan Air – Luton to Kerry, Cork to Stansted, Stansted to Edinburgh, Copenhagen to Kaunas. Due to the relaxing and easy-to-use train systems in Europe, we’d gone two months without taking a flight. It’s been over 20 years since I’ve been on Ryan Air. Then it was a newer discount airline that offered cheap flights between Ireland and England. It was shiny and exciting. Now, it’s a busy budget airline shuttling travelers throughout Europe – especially to/through secondary markets. If you spend the time researching, you will be able to travel by air within Europe for minuscule airfares – e.g. less than $20 per person per leg. Be sure to take an extra few moments and read the accompanying details regarding printing your own boarding passes and baggage fees. Ryan Air is great for what it is. It’s great to use to travel throughout Europe, especially when you’re looking for weekend getaways. However, it is somewhat impersonal now. I don’t feel any sense of kinship or membership to it or its staff. It’s a business that has grown. The seatbacks and many of the overhead bins are covered with advertising. There’s a cost for everything – drinks, food, baggage – not really a big deal since the flights are relatively short and very inexpensive. I noticed some wear and tear within one of the passenger cabins. However, there’s a reason we’ve taken Ryan Air four times, value for our money.

Norwegian Air- Edinburgh to Copenhagen. Nice budget airline that operates in and around Scandinavia. Easy to use. Friendly. I’m getting to a point using so many airlines that they really have to do something unique to stand out. We liked Norwegian Air and took a flight that met our timelines, preferences, and financial concerns. This was our first introduction to new languages (Norwegian and Danish) in quite a while. Only frustrations were with the airport, not the airline. We’re experiencing two new trends. First, silent airports. Love ‘em. Airports that are silent are noticeably more pleasurable because they are void of incessant and annoying announcements in unfamiliar accents over their public address systems. Traveling through these airports is a quieter, more serene, and easier experience on the senses. Air travel can be stressful enough on its own merits without the continually added electronic chatter. A big plus for silent airports. A second new trend, central holding – not a fan, or maybe I’m just slow to adjust. In this situation, once we’ve successfully negotiated security, we’re confined, along with several hundred other travelers, to a central holding pen while waiting for gates to be announced. I imagine this procedure has simplified gate-assignment procedures for airport operations. Minor inconvenience for me.

SAS- Helsinki to Stockholm: peaceful, clean, and efficient. Airport was eerily quiet on the Sunday night of midsummer celebration. Seemed most of Scandinavia was at their waterside cabins, certainly not at the Helsinki airport. Checked in and printed out boarding passes and baggage tags at a kiosk. ID’s checked by an airline rep. Scanned tagged bags at the baggage drop and set onto the conveyor belt. Repeat until complete. Easy. Security efficient. Scan boarding pass to the walkway. Nice flight. Multiple languages used. USB ports available to charge mobile devices. Complimentary coffee or tea for short flight. Friendly and engaged crew. Would definitely fly them again.

Updated January 2nd, 2020

Icelandair- Stockholm to Reykjavik and Reykjavik to Dulles – In Stockholm, all was automated: check-in, bag tags, and boarding passes. Fast and fun. Icelandair reps, who spoke perfect English as does everyone in Iceland it seems, were on hand for assistance and to offer gentle recommendations. Kudos to gate agent for pulling us aside and allowing the six of us to benefit from extra space and time. USB plugs, lots of legroom, complimentary drinks, ample movies. The in-air team was professional, friendly, yet not over the top.