I have just returned form Alicante on a flight operated by Air Europa. Air Europa are a Spanish Airline that operate from various airports providing direct flights to various airports in Spain. My flight was between Aberdeen and Alicante, and, as I have never flown with them before, here is my review of their service.
Check in This is a bit of a grey area for me as I am not sure whether the check in staff at Aberdeen actually worked for Aberdeen Airport or whether they worked for Air Europa and vice versa on the return flight. Check in at Aberdeen was a relatively painless affair with most passengers being processed quickly and efficiently. Alicante was the same, queues were moving quickly and efficiently. However, one point I would note is that my holiday was done via Airtours. The return ticket specifically specified that check in was three hours
prior to departure. However, it was a different story at Alicante Airport. They will not let you check in more than two hours prior to departure. When I asked the Airtours rep, they said that the tickets say this to allow for traffic on the way to the airport. This is one to bear in mind especially if you are arriving at the airport early as you will have to queue! My flight was at 15.55 and I arrived at 12.30, expecting to be able check in at 12.55. I was not allowed to check in until 13.55. I could have gone and had a coffee or something but the queues build quickly so I decided to wait (and was glad that I did). Again, I’m a bit confused as to whether this was Airtours or Air Europa as the reps from both companies blamed the other!
Flight, service and food The flight to Alicante from Aberdeen lasts just over three hours. The plane was similar to those operated by Easyjet and was clean and tidy with a nice greeting from the Spanish in-flight staff. The seating was all allocated but there was limited leg room. The in-flight staff were all Spanish, were polite and spoke good English. However, the food was not up to much – the in flight meal was a sandwich which literally consisted of two slices of bread, a slice of something that resembled ham and a slice of cheese. There was also a small chocolate bar. Although the food was not too pleasant, there was coffee and tea served for about a half hour which helped take the rather nasty taste of the sandwiches away! Drinks were available to purchase from the drinks trolley but these were rather expensive. For example a 50ml spirit alone cost 5 euros and, if my memory serves me correctly, a beer was 4 euros for a small can. Soft drinks such as Coke, water and orange juice all cost 1 euro. The flight passed quickly and there were no delays. Updates were given during the flight and we landed on time. One thing I did find a touch worrying was that on the return flight to Aberdeen, I was seated over the wing exit. As the plane was coming in to land at Aberdeen, the window in the exit door started dripping! I’m not sure where this was coming from as it was not raining but it was slightly worrying! One final thing that I found rather interesting was the in-flight staff’s uniform. It was actually a blue/grey denim looking material. While this looked more casual than something you would wear to work, it was highly effective and looked really good.
Duty Free As this was an international flight, a duty free service was offered on the flight. Products were detailed in a rather glossy magazine. The range of goods offered was good from teddy bears, to cigarettes, to perfumes to sunglasses. The prices appeared to be quite reasonable, especially on cigarettes and alcohol. If you are thinking about travelling with Air Europa to Spain and want cheap cigarettes, I would suggest buying them on the outward flight. For example, a pack of Lambert and Butler 200s was 12 euros duty free. The cheapest I saw them in the shops in Alicante was 30 euros. From looking at others buying duty free goods, most appeared to be in stock and readily available.
In-flight entertainment This was not great! There were the small televisions that came down from the panels above but, although there were pictures, there was no sound and no headphones available to listen. A magazine was available to read but that was about it! I would make sure you take a few magazines of your own.
Conclusion In general this was a good flight combining elements of what you would expect on a low cost airline (limited leg room and expensive drinks), and elements you would expect from a regular airline (free meal and coffee and tea). I would certainly fly with them again as the flight was relatively cheap for a direct flight from a small airport such as Aberdeen. It may be worth checking in advance if you are thinking about flying with Air Europa as flights from certain UK airports to Spain finish at the end of October.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Not letting you check in early is always nonsense and solely for their convenience not the customers. A black mark against any airline that does this or tolerates airport staff doing it on their behalf. Good review. Cheers, Duncan
chizster 01.09.2004 11:55
I can only reflect the other comments but just as a sidenote - the drips that you would have seen on the window will have been the condensation formed when the plane moved from the higher altitudes (where it is cold) down to lower altitudes (where it is warmer). Hope this helps. Chris :o)
emilyo 01.09.2004 10:48
Hi honey, useful op but you really need to include info on range of flights and how the prices compare to get a higher rating. Hope this helps and hope you edit as you do have a useful op, EM XX
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Record Rent a Car is present in the main spanish airports and has a very wide fleet. We offer: exceptional discounts, free additional drivers,
unlimited mileage... subscribe to our Club Record and take advantage of special offers.
Sep 1st, 2004
very helpful by (74%):
helpful by (26%):
