I recently flew with Air Baltic for the first time, taking advantage of their low fares and regular connections between the capitals of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to shuttle between the three countries in three days.
Since achieving independence in the early 1990s, the Baltic nations have ... Read review
Advantages: Competitive prices, plenty of destinations, good service Disadvantages: You have to pay for food and drink on board - but that's almost standard nowadays...
I recently flew with Air Baltic for the first time, taking advantage of their low fares and regular connections between the capitals of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to shuttle between the three countries in three days.
Since achieving independence in the early 1990s, the Baltic nations have all steadily developed their own airlines - however, it is probably Air Baltic that has achieved the most in terms of brand recognition and market share, ... ...
Established in 1995, Air Baltic is steadily expanding its route network and fleet of aircraft as it grows to meet the increasing demand for business and leisure travel both to and within the Baltic states. The Latvian national carrier uses Riga as its main hub and services 46 destinations from the capital city, and flies to 20 cities across Europe from Vilnius in Lithuania as well. In addition to this, the current strategy seems to involve ... more
I recently flew with Air Baltic for the first time, taking advantage of their low fares and regular connections between the capitals of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to shuttle between the three countries in three days. Since achieving independence in the early 1990s, the Baltic nations have all steadily developed their own airlines - however, it is probably Air Baltic that has achieved the most in terms of brand recognition and market share, and the choice of name alone suggests an intention to become the leading player in the Baltic market.
Established in 1995, Air Baltic is steadily expanding its route network and fleet of aircraft as it grows to meet the increasing demand for business and leisure travel both to and within the Baltic states. The Latvian national carrier uses Riga as its main hub and services 46 destinations from the capital city, and flies to 20 cities across Europe from Vilnius in Lithuania as well. In addition to this, the current strategy seems to involve expanding the domestic network in Latvia, as Liepaja and Ventspils can now be reached by air from Riga. Interestingly, Air Baltic has also crossed a border that many airlines have chosen to ignore, as it links Kaliningrad directly with Copenhagen, and is one of the few airlines to operate out of this Russian exclave.
The most positive effect of this increase in options when travelling to and from the Baltics is of course that it has driven down prices for flights from other airlines. Until fairly recently, major carriers such as Lufthansa could charge relatively high fares to the region but now a direct local competitor has entered the market, with the pleasant result that destinations such as Tallinn and Riga are included in the regular 'Europe for €99' special offers.
The Air Baltic website (www.airbaltic.com) makes it very easy to peruse the flight schedules and book online - the route map takes pride of place on the main screen alongside the calendar and the flight planner. Navigation around the site is very easy and it is simple to access any information that you need, plus you can log on to the secure members' area or check in online. The side bar contains links to new destinations, group tickets, special offers (such as the Baltic Pass: if you have a return flight booked to and from one of the Baltic capitals, you can book up to eight single trips within the region as flexible tickets, which works out at great value if you're planning a tour of the Baltics), airport transfer bus tickets, car hire, hotel bookings, and so on - and best of all, the website is available in no less than 13 languages, which puts some other, bigger airlines to shame!
Air Baltic is not currently part of the One World or Star Alliance programmes, but as an SAS Scandinavian partner it is involved in the EuroBonus frequent flyer system. Another bonus is that if you are flying to Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf or Munich, you can also take advantage of the Rail&Fly offers, which give you discounted tickets for connecting trains to a host of other cities in Germany.
I flew from Riga to Vilnius, and then from the capital of Lithuania to Tallinn - both flights used the small turboprop Fokker 50 aircraft, seating about 50 passengers, and were approaching capacity. No surprise really, seeing as the prices were extremely affordable - my flights each cost around €60 (including taxes and fees), and if you book far enough in advance, then flights are available from €1. This is a tactic that has served Ryanair well, and Air Baltic seems to have realised that…
The onboard service was fine on both flights - the short hop from Riga to Vilnius included a free coffee, while the longer journey to Estonia gave the flights assistants time to sell a selection of drinks and snacks, and the prices and standard were OK in comparison to other airlines (about €2 for a drink, for example). However, if you buy a business class ticket, then the increased price includes an onboard meal.
All in all, Air Baltic offers a decent level of service at a very reasonable price. The route network is growing at a sensible rate - plenty of new destinations have been added in the last couple of years but the overall impression is that the company is expanding gradually and is certainly looking to cement its position as the top dog for air travel in the Baltics. The relaxation of airspace and airport regulations across countries in western Europe also means that there are more opportunities for newer carriers to gain a foothold in what had previously been closed markets, so I wouldn't be surprised to see this airline providing more routes to Germany, France and the UK in the near future. And if you are planning a trip to the Baltics, I definitely recommend that you give some serious consideration to Air Baltic.
Advantages: Modern and convenient Disadvantages: Boring
centre. We had a lot of luggage and so got a taxi. We must have got some sort of pricey one as it cost GBP11. If we'd have got the bus it would have been 20p each!
The main airline here is AirBaltic, Latvia's national airline. But we flew direct from here to Stansted - about a 2 and a half hour flight. It was cheap but you don't get any food or drink - not even water, so you have to go prepared. You can buy stuff onboard tho, if you pay a large price.
Well, maybe it's not fair of me to criticise. I've been used to big airports where there are things to do, big bookshops to look at., etc. Latvia is a small country - it cannot manage such things. After all, everyone was efficient, nothing went wrong, and my departing flight was on time. Maybe I need to search within myself for cures for boredom, not expect stimulus from outside. Or am I ...
We stayed here at the Albert for 3 nights at the end of Feb.
We flew with AirBaltic for £41.70 each including tax!
My daughter and I arrived late at night at the Albert ....they had granted my request for a high,non smoking, room with a view of Old Town!
We could see all the tops of the steeples across Riga and the Art Nouveau style buildings.
We were exceptionally pleased with our room.
Alot of bright lighting available in the rooms but with low lights for night..very cosy.
It was meticulously clean with very comfy beds and crisp sheets.
They had fabulous under floor heating in the bathroom too.
The shower was the best power shower I've ever used!
The maid service was great....they even folded my daughters pyjamas and put under her pillow each day!
Infact the cleaners were always cleaning the hotel foyer entrance ...
and various far eastern cities, mainly out of the Stockholm hub. SAS code shares extensively, with Lufthansa, Wider¢e, airBaltic, Cimber Air, Estonian Air, Icelandair, Maersk Air and Skyways. This makes through ticketing to just about anywhere in northern Europe fairly transparent. In the UK they also code share with British Midland, which would be help with through ticketing for regional UK airports, I guess.
The SAS website is, surprisingly perhaps, a bit lacking in that Scandinavian style which does so much to endear us to them. Whilst flight information, timetables and so on are available, the whole thing feels a bit counter-intuitive to use, and you're left feeling that it could have been so much better. Still, I didn't book through their website, but through a travel website, and what must be said in their favour is that their fares are ...
