Review: Transavia Offers Quality with Less Money
Disclosure: The content on this page includes affiliate links. While clicking on these links won’t cost you anything extra, we may earn a modest commission from any purchases.
Transavia is a low-cost airline from Holland. We were among the first customers on their new route from Amsterdam to Helsinki in April. We had no expectations but were happy with the flight quality. Please read our review to learn more.
Covered in the Article
Transavia - A Dutch Low-cost Airline
Transavia is a low-cost airline coming from the Netherlands. The airline may not be familiar to many travellers, but actually, the airline is already more than 50 years old. Transavia has a small, short-haul fleet that flies mainly inside Europe.
Nowadays, Transavia is owned by Air France-KLM. Its main hub is in Amsterdam Airport, and Transavia is concentrating especially on holiday routes departing from the Netherlands.
Our Flight from Amsterdam to Helsinki
We flew from Amsterdam to Helsinki by Transavia. The route was newly opened, so it is the first time Transavia has had its route to Helsinki. Transavia's parent company, KLM, flies between Helsinki and Amsterdam, but Transavia offers much cheaper tickets. Even though Transavia is a low-cost airline, there are no huge differences between Transavia and KLM regarding service quality.
Our flight departed in the evening from Schiphol Airport. Schiphol is Amsterdam's main airport and one of 's busiest airports in Europe. Our flight was operated with a new Boeing 737-800, which means the plane is in great condition. It had also the new livery of Transavia.
The plane arrived at Helsinki Airport almost on time. The departure from Amsterdam was delayed about 30 minutes due to traffic restrictions, a common incident for flights leaving from Schipol Airport, one of the busiest airports in Europe.
Perfect Quality in the Low-cost Class
The quality was perfect in the low-cost class. The plane was immaculate and brand new, with a relaxing green theme. The crew was working professionals, and there wasn't any over-marketing about in-flight services in contrast to other low-cost airlines like Ryanair is doing. We felt we were flying by a traditional airline even though Transavia profiles itself as a low-cost airline.
The ticket was cheap and included only the flight. However, by checking in online, we could choose standard seats freely. Better seats were to be sold.
Transavia Luggage Policy
Hand Luggage
Be careful with your carry-on when flying with Transavia. The limits are quite ordinary: 1 item weighing 10kg is allowed with max. dimensions of 55 x 40 x 25. However, if the hand luggage is larger than 45 x 40 x 25 cm, it may become the aeroplane's cargo because overhead bins get easily full. That is quite common with all airlines.
Transavia is checking the weight of your hand luggage at Schiphol Airport. Be sure it does not weigh more than 10 kilograms. If the luggage is too big and the plane is full, they will ask you to check your luggage in your hand free of charge. Transavia seems to be strict with its luggage policy.
Strict luggage policies are not uncommon among low-cost airlines. However, many low-cost airlines allow one piece of hand luggage and one small personal item. Transavia does not offer free personal items, but they didn't seem to have any strict control at the gate like Ryanair and Wizzair have. In contrast, their staff checks every single passenger meticulously before boarding.
Rating
Our Transavia review includes ratings from 1 to 5 stars.
Customer Service and Professional Skills
According to our experiences, the cabin crew were working professionals and friendly. Onboard service started soon after the take-off, and it was handled quickly. It isn't easy to evaluate pilots' professionalism. Still, the pilots of this Transavia flight gave informative speeches, and the plane operated smoothly from our point of origin to our destination.
Cabin of the Plane
The cabin was clean and new, with a nice green colour theme. Because Transavia is a low-cost airline, there was not much legroom.
Ticket Price
Our tickets were extremely cheap. Ticket prices vary a lot, so it is impossible to say the average rate. At least the lowest fare class seems to be low.
On-board Catering Services
Transavia does not offer any free snacks or drinks during the flight. You may buy light meals and drinks from their small selection. Low-cost airlines' catering selection is similar, and Transavia makes no exceptions. They have the same kind of products available as all other low-cost airlines have, not any better or worse.
Price to Quality Ratio
The quality in the low-cost class is high, and the ticket price is quite low. Hence, the Price to Quality ratio becomes high.
Overall Rating
If you are looking for a decent and cheap low-cost airline, Transavia may be your choice. There is no reason to pay more to fly with KLM because KLM, a traditional airline, offers nothing more. However, the ticket price of the KLM flight is much more expensive.
Common Questions
- Is Transavia a low-cost airline?
- Yes. You have to pay extras for seats, hold luggage, snacks and other similar services.
- Can I take a personal item besides my normal hand luggage into the cabin?
- No, it is not allowed by Transavia.
- Does Transavia weigh hand luggage?
- At least our hand luggage was weighed.
- Is KLM much better than Transavia?
- Even though KLM owns Transavia, we feel there are not many quality differences between these two companies.
- Is Transavia a good choice?
- According to our experience, Transavia is a much better choice than many other low-cost airlines.
Why Do We Recommend Transavia?
The answer is simple: We got a good quality flight experience with a cheap price tag. Everyone understands that low-cost airlines do not offer business-class quality, but no one should expect it. If you want a basic connection from points A and B, we recommend flying with Transavia whenever they offer the route.
Have you flown with Transavia Airlines? Please comment below.
