Our Airline and Flight Reviews with Personal Twist
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Flights with Numerous Airlines
Throughout our travels, we have had the opportunity to fly with various European and global airlines. These airlines can be divided into two categories: low-cost and legacy carriers. In most cases, we haven't noticed any significant differences between the two types, although a few traditional airlines have managed to surpass our expectations. By following airlines' marketing, it is easy to find affordable tickets for both legacy and low-cost carriers.
We enjoy experimenting with new airlines that are unfamiliar to us. By booking flights with these carriers, we get to experience different types of aircraft. While many airlines operate the common and somewhat monotonous Boeing 737 and Airbus A32X fleets, there is always an element of excitement when boarding a new airline. Although most of our flight experiences have been unremarkable, some airlines have left a negative impact on us while others have left a positive one.
More Reviews Coming
To date, we have assessed 21 airlines that we have travelled with. Although we have also flown with other carriers, there are some flights for which we, unfortunately, neglected to record comprehensive information. Nevertheless, additional reviews will be published soon, so remember to monitor our website and subscribe to our newsletter!
Feel free to reach out to us if you'd like your flight stories featured as guest posts on our platform.
Legacy Airlines
We have flown with the following legacy airlines and written reviews of them. It is sometimes difficult to say if an airline has a legacy or a low-cost business model. Usually, the older airlines have the traditional business model.
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier from Hong Kong SAR. The airline has only 1 hub at Hong Kong International Airport but its route network is wide. Even though it is a common trend that airlines provide fewer and fewer complimentary services, Cathay Pacific has still an excellent service level even in economy class.
We recommend Cathay Pacific for people flying to East and Southeast Asia. Connecting at Hong Kong airport is a pleasant experience as is flying onboard Cathay Pacific.
Read the full Cathay Pacific review.
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines, the national carrier of Turkey tops the list of Finnoy Travel's favourite traditional airlines. It still has full-inclusive tickets which is very rare nowadays, especially in Europe. One price includes flights, luggage allowance, meals and drinks. The on-board services of Turkish Airlines are superior to that of many other airlines making them our top favourite airline.
Even though Turkish Airlines has a well-earned reputation, it has now and then discounted ticket deals. We fly often longer flights with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul New Airport.
Read the full Turkish Airlines review.
Aegean Airlines
Aegean Airlines is an airline from Greece. It still has better onboard services than many other legacy airlines. For example, delicious Greek meals are included in the ticket price.
We have flown a few times with Aegean Airlines via Athens which is the airline's hub. Especially during off-seasons, the airline has great bargains. It is easy to combine a stop-over in Athens.
Read the full Aegean Airlines review.
TAP Air Portugal
Tap Air Portugal is the national carrier of Portugal. The airline flies mainly in southern Europe and also long-haul flights between Europe and South America. TAP has two hubs: Lisbon and Porto.
We have liked TAP's service model a lot. Flights are inexpensive, but the airline has still complimentary services onboard. Also, the fleet is fresh and crews operate flights professionally. If we lived closer to Portugal, we would fly often with this airline.
Read the full TAP Air Portugal Review.
Azores Airlines
Azores Airlines is a sub-carrier of SATA Air Açores. The airline brings travellers to the Azores from America and Europe. Azores Airlines flies with a narrow-body Airbus fleet. The owner of the airline, SATA Air Açores, flies also domestic routers between Azores Islands with turboprops.
We have flown with Azores Airlines and also with SATA Air Açores. Both of them offer great service levels. Azores Airlines is probably the best way to head to Azores.
Read the full KLM.
KLM
KLM is the flag carrier of The Netherlands. It is the oldest operative airline in the world with an original name.
We have flown with KLM via Amsterdam Airport a few times. The airline provides decent service with some complimentary snacks. The airline can´t beat the best airlines in Europe but we could choose KLM again anytime.
Read the full KLM Review.
Air France
Air France is the national carrier of France. Air France has been existing already since 1933 and today it is flying globally.
We have flown with Air France via Paris a few times. Paris is not the nicest and easiest airport to connect but otherwise, Air France provides good service. The airline still offers complimentary snacks even on short routes.
Read the full Air France Review.
Air Malta
Air Malta is the national carrier of a tiny independent Mediterranean island, Malta. The airline has only short-haul destinations usually originating or ending in Luca, Malta. The airline's fleet size is small.
According to our experiences, there is nothing to complain about the airline. The staff are extremely friendly reflecting Maltese hospitality. However, their fleet is a little outdated though the fleet has fresh livery. The airline is a good choice if you fly to/from Malta.
Read the full Air Malta Review.
Croatia Airlines
Croatian Airline is a young national carrier of Croatia. The airline has limited destinations and the fleet is small. The company has a fresh modern look.
According to our experiences, Croatia Airlines is a neutral and almost invisible airline. It does its job well. The airline is a good choice when flying in the Balkan area.
Read the full Croatia Airlines review.
Finnair
Finnair is the national carrier of Finland founded in 1923 which makes it one of the oldest airlines in the world. We fly often with Finnair because Helsinki is Finnair's base. Helsinki Airport is one of the best airports in the world.
Finnair concentrates especially on Asian and American routes not forgetting a comprehensive intra-European network. Finnair categorizes itself as a legacy airline but you still need to pay separately almost for every service like luggage in the hold. Long-haul flights have more services included in the ticket price.
Finnair has a fresh brand reflecting Nordic and Finnish values. However, there is still room for improvement but the airline is constantly getting better.
Read the full Finnair review.
Brussels Airlines
Brussels Airlines is the national carrier from Belgium. The name gives you high expectations as Brussels is the de facto capital of the EU.
Unfortunately, our experiences with Brussels Airlines have been bad. We feel that the airline is unreliable. Luckily, the airline's ticket prices are quite inexpensive.
Read the full Brussels Airlines review.
Scandinavian Airlines
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is an airline that originates from Scandinavia, with its main bases located in Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen. The airline offers both short-haul flights within Europe and long-haul flights to various destinations around the world. SAS primarily operates Airbus aircraft in its fleet.
While SAS' bases are conveniently located near us, we don't often fly with them due to their relatively high ticket prices. Despite being a reputable airline, we find that their economy-class service is comparable to that of short-haul carriers. As such, we tend to opt for other airlines that offer more affordable fares with the same quality.
Read the full SAS Review.
Low-cost Airlines
Low-cost airlines are often the ones that cause people to get frustrated whenever flight plans do not go as planned. We have noticed this from our readers' comments.
Typically, low-cost airlines are not flexible and they are trying to charge you more whenever possible. However if you follow carefully their stated rules, everything goes smoothly.
Norwegian Air Shuttle
Norwegian Air Shuttle is our favourite low-cost airline. Its business model is not a pure low-cost model but more advanced. There are many good quality onboard services available but you have to pay separately for them.
Norwegian Air Shuttle has many routes from Helsinki and that is why we fly often with it. The airline has also a good loyalty program, Norwegian Reward. The WiFi service onboard is a nice extra.
Read the full Norwegian Air Shuttle review.
Transavia
Transavia is almost like a traditional airline. It is a low-cost carrier from the Netherlands owned by KLM. That is why it operates many routes on behalf of KLM. The airline has a fresh brand and friendly customer service.
We have flown a few times with Transavia. Our experiences have just been positive. Transavia is a reliable and inexpensive carrier.
Read the full Transavia review.
Wizz Air
Wizz Air is a Hungarian low-cost airline. It concentrates especially on East European destinations. The airline is moderately inexpensive but a pure low-cost airline.
We are flying with Wizz Air now and then. They are reliable as long as things go as planned. Their customer service isn't especially good according to the comments from our readers. Wizz Air is one of the unfriendly airlines which tend to separate passengers to sit far away from each other even though they are in the same booking.
Read the full Wizz Air review.
Sunclass Airlines
Sunclass Airlines is a Nordic charter airline. The airline has changed its name many times during its history.
The airline operates for Nordic tour operators by taking travellers to holiday destinations. Flights depart from Nordic cities to Southern Europe, Africa and Asia. The fleet is small but quite modern.
Read the full Sunclass Airlines review.
Easyjet
Easyjet is a low-cost airline from the UK with a good reputation. The airline is one of the oldest low-cost airlines in Europe.
We fly with easyJet now and then and we have found easyJet as a reliable low-cost carrier. We would choose easyJet more often if it had more destinations from Helsinki. London is a hub easyJet so many routes start or end in London.
Read the full easyjet review.
GetJet Airlines
GetJet Airlines is a charter airline from Lithuania. It flies with a really old fleet and the image of the airline isn't especially fresh.
The airline has no route network. We boarded once GetJet Airlines on our way to Stockholm. The flight was marketed by Norwegian Air Shuttle.
Read the full GetJet Airlines review.
Volotea
Volotea is unknown to many. It is a regional commuter originating from Spain. The airline flies mainly around the Mediterranean Sea. It uses still rare Boeing 717 fleet.
The airline is just another low-cost carrier. There is one big minus: The airline does not allow to carry drones! The quality of in-flight service needs also improvements.
Read the full Volotoa review.
AirBaltic
AirBaltic is the biggest airline in Baltic countries based in Riga, Latvia. The airline has been renewing its fleet lately and it is now flying with modern Airbus A220 and Dash 8-Q400 fleet. Airbaltic has only short-haul destinations and almost all its flights originate or end up in Riga.
Riga is close to Helsinki and airBaltic is often an inexpensive choice for us. These are the reasons why we fly often via Riga with airBaltic. AirBaltic has become a professional in the aviation industry.
Read the full airBaltic review.
Ryanair
Everyone knows Ryanair. The airline's CEO is known for controversial comments which is a strategy to get the airline's name frequently into the news. Ryanair is often extremely cheap but the service level is simple.
We fly sometimes with Ryanair but do not expect much. Tickets are cheap which compensates for the cons of the airline. Ryanair uses distant airports but lately, the airline has opened routes also to major airports. Ryanair is one of the unfriendly airlines which tend to separate passengers to sit far away from each other even though they are in the same booking.
Read the full Ryanair review.
Bottom Line
Price and schedule are often the key factors when choosing an airline. While we may have preferences, we remain open to any safe option that offers a reasonable price. We understand that a lower price comes with certain expectations of reduced quality.
As our reviews demonstrate, price does not always equate to good service. There are instances where expensive airlines provide poor customer service. Particularly, older legacy airlines may struggle to adapt to new aviation trends.
We would like to know your preferred airline. Please leave a comment below!About Authors
We have been following the travel industry for years, while travelling in Finland, in various regions of Europe and Asia. Our multicultural background with the extensive travel experience gives us a diverse perspective. We encourage individuals embark on high-quality yet sustainable journeys. Furthermore, we are thrilled to introduce the captivating beauty of our homeland, Finland.
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