Astraeus Airline

Astraeus - a Greek mythological character who was husband of Ares, cursed by Aphrodite. He was the father of the stars and the four winds, Zephyrus, Borras, Notus, and Oesphorus.

The airline is a charter and scheduled airline based in Crawley. Astraeus operates charter services to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. They fly from Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Exeter.

The company was born ...
...flights.

Astraeus comprises of eight aircraft, three Boeing 737-300s, two Boeing 737-700s, and three Boeing 757-200s, one of which we had the privilege of flying on to Kefalonia, (Cephalonia), (keffalinia).

For added interest Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden is a first officer for Astraeus airlines.

CHECK-IN

Arriving four hours before our flight because of the recent security upheaval we ... more

Astraeus - a Greek mythological character who was husband of Ares, cursed by Aphrodite. He was the father of the stars and the four winds, Zephyrus, Borras, Notus, and Oesphorus.

The airline is a charter and scheduled airline based in Crawley. Astraeus operates charter services to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. They fly from Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Exeter.

The company was born on 21st march 2002, and commenced operations on the 6th April 2002. In 2004 they started trans-Atlantic flights.

Astraeus comprises of eight aircraft, three Boeing 737-300s, two Boeing 737-700s, and three Boeing 757-200s, one of which we had the privilege of flying on to Kefalonia, (Cephalonia), (keffalinia).

For added interest Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden is a first officer for Astraeus airlines.

CHECK-IN

Arriving four hours before our flight because of the recent security upheaval we entered the airport and perused the departure monitors. Our flight was shown to be Zone B.

Proceeding to Zone B which consisted of 12 check-in desks I was at first alarmed to see no sign of Astraeus. All the desks were "First choice" check ins. Pre-booked seats are not operated by Astraeus so getting there early was a priority for us as I like to be with my wife at the rear of the plane, and I wanted a window seat.

After a short while two of the "First choice" desks closed and a full three and a half hours before the flight, Astraeus opened two desks of which we were first in the queue. After the usual security questions check-in was rapid and efficient and I was rewarded with two seats at the very rear of the aircraft. (No kids kicking me in the back).

BOARDING

Already in possession of my tickets with my seat numbers we waited for the call for boarding. Forty minutes before the flight we were called to Gate 45. We were taken by bus to the aircraft and this was also quick and painless.

I was surprised on reaching the aircraft that it was a Boeing 757 as when I had asked which aircraft we would be flying on, I was previously told a Boeing 737, which is smaller and more cramped.

As I reached the top of the stairs I was greeted by a very attractive well dressed young lady in airline uniform. She gave me a very warm greeting and I was shown to my seat. That's when I got the biggest surprise of all, the seat itself.

Previously unbeknown to me, Astraeus airline seats are configured with only 201 seats on the 757s compared with the usual 233 seats on most other competitor's aircraft. Forty seats or six rows are taken out to give you some really impressive legroom. This means that the seat pitch is a minimum of 36inches compared to the normal 31 in the main cabin. (It's also larger on the 737s at 31inches rather than 28).

I noticed the aircraft had in-flight entertainment, both audio and video, although apparently the 737s do not have this advantage.

THE FLIGHT

The aircraft taxied away from the hanger and the captain then made an announcement that we would be not taking off just yet as there was an air traffic control problem with the Greek air authorities having a large amount of aircraft in their airspace and that there would be a delay of an hour and a quarter which I wasn't exactly pleased about. We then taxied to a quiet part of the airfield to sit and wait.

During the wait the airline gave all the passengers a choice of champagne cocktails or fruit juice free of charge.

The actual delay ended up at only forty five minutes and was obviously beyond the operators control so I can not really complain about Astraeus on that point.

After taking off the Captain announced the flight would take three hours fifteen minutes and that he would attempt to make up the time lost for the delay. We must have had a tail wind because we eventually landed only ten minutes later than was scheduled.
The flight itself was uneventful. A film was shown which did not seem to be very high quality as it kept jumping. There were also a couple of audio channels. Headsets were sold at £2.50 a pair but I always carry my own anyway.

There are complimentary kid's packs with drawing etc to keep them occupied. Inbound flights get a complimentary newspaper. There are duty free sales during the flight together with complimentary tea and coffee. Also available is an Astraeus in-flight magazine.

Disabled facilities and attentiveness was good.

The staff were courteous, more than helpful, and thorough throughout the flight. Information was good and we were kept up to date by the captain on our progress.

THE MEAL

This was another unexpected surprise. Complimentary and available to all passengers with no pre-payment. It consisted of Sausage, cheese omelette, baked means, and potato cubes. It was hot and it was very nice by normal airline standards. There was also a roll with butter, a cake, and yoghurt. This was followed by hot towels and you were supplied with a rubbish bag that fitted onto the table knob so there was no rubbish all over the slip down table. A very good idea, which made breakfast rubbish retrieval easy and simple.

CONCLUSION

The seat was the jewel in the crown for me on this airline. Sacrificing 40 seats (six rows) for its passengers comfort is an impressive gesture. It is the only flight I have ever endured that I was actually comfortable enough to sleep on. It really made a pleasant change to land at my destination, relaxed and refreshed, ready for my holiday, instead of squashed and cramped, desperate to get off the plane as fast as possible.

The food was good, the staff were excellent.

Together with the little touches like hot towels, the rubbish bag, and complimentary drinks, its nice to know that some charter airlines still do care about passenger comfort and contentment on their flights instead of just the amount of profit they make at the expense of consumer satisfaction. Most of the facilities available on Astraeus flights are only available for long haul flights or with scheduled carriers at a price.

To conclude, a very good airline and a very positive experience. They have my highest recommendation. I will certainly be looking for them in the future.

Thanks for reading
Tony

 

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