Just got George Michael tickets - sooooo excited :-)
Just got George Michael tickets - sooooo excited :-)
Member since:27.11.2000
Reviews:78
Members who trust:114
Last week Paul moved into the next decade of his life (his 30s) and for this momentous occasion I surprised him with a trip to Edinburgh.
I had decided to do this back in January and so had loads of time to figure out details such as travel and accommodation. I looked at the atlas and decided that, yes we could drive, but it was probably going to be a 5 or 6 hour journey and that is not fun with a 2 year old sat in the back, desperately wanting to get out of his car seat and run around. And it’s a very long time to travel just for a couple of days away. So, while Paul was toiling away at work, I logged on to the internet and found the East Midlands website to see about flying.
There was a link to BMI baby.com so I gave it a go. The site was very easy to use. On the home page it gave the option to type in the dates of travel you required, destination and number of people in your group. Click the search
button and it will find the cheapest fare they have. Imagine my jaw drop when the price they quoted was £2 each! You get to choose from the flights leaving and returning on your specified day and you can move onto the next day or previous day very easily.
The next step is to choose the flights you would like to be booked onto. This is where you get the real price. Although the price they quoted for the fare was £2, they then add on taxes and airport surcharges, bringing the total to £12.50 each one way, £25 each return, which I still though was a good price. BMI baby charge nothing for infants (up to 23 months) but all children over the age of 2 are charged at full price. Jacob turned 2 eleven days before we flew. I was tempted to claim he was under 2 but my morals got the better of me and I decided to be truthful. At least paying the full price meant that he got his own seat. Add on the credit card charge of £3 and my total to pay was £78. Still the same price, if not slightly cheaper, than putting petrol in the car and driving.
You confirm your booking, give them contact details, pay and then they show you your itinerary. BMI baby is a non ticket airline so you do need to keep your email confirmation. This gives you a number that you have to show at check-in.
So the 29th May arrived and at 4.30am we set off for East Midlands airport. (Happy 30th Paul, you have to get up at 3.30am!) After parking our car at the local Flypark, we arrived at the airport at about 5.15am and got straight to a check-in desk and checking in was very organised and very straightforward. BMI baby require photographic ID for all passengers over the age of 11 so even though it was a domestic flight, we still needed our passports. Happily booked on the flight with no problems, we went off for a cooked breakfast in the nearby restaurant.
After breakfast we made our way to the specified gate. Even though we thought we were in good time, there were very few seats left. At around 7.05am the gate was opened and we were called to board. There was a short walk to the plane and we were told which door, the front or back, was closest to our seats. I was impressed by the plane itself. I think I was expecting something smaller for a domestic flight but it was a Boeing 737 with 3 seats either side of an aisle. We settled down into our seats and looked forward to taking off. The leg room was sufficient for a short journey and there was plenty of overhead storage for hand luggage.
After the mandatory cabin crew safety talk we had a smooth take off and the pilot informed us of the weather in Edinburgh and estimated time of arrival. Then it was time for drinks. The flight fare didn’t include drinks and snacks so these had to be paid for on board. The selection was fairly varied and I think there would be something for everybody. The prices of drinks and snacks were clearly marked in the in-flight magazine for easy reference and they weren’t too overpriced either. Just the kind of prices you would expect to pay in a city centre café.
I didn’t use the toilet facilities so I am unable to comment on the cleanliness of the loos but I didn’t hear anybody complaining. In-flight entertainment is limited as you would expect. There are no TVs, no radios and no blockbuster films. But then we were only on board for 40 minutes! As mentioned earlier, there is an airline magazine provided and the articles were mainly about the destinations BMI baby fly to, which can be quite interesting to read. There are also details in the magazine of how you can use BMI baby to book car hire, accommodation and insurance. We landed in Edinburgh at 8.02am and the pilot apologised for the delay – we were supposed to land at 8am. How many train users would be delighted with a 2 minute delay?
BMI baby have regular flights from East Midlands, Cardiff and, recently, have started flying from Manchester and you can use them to get to many destinations across Europe including Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris all at very reasonable prices. For most choice, East Midlands is the best airport to fly from as destinations from Cardiff and Manchester are more limited but I’m sure this will expand. To get the best deal, I recommend booking well in advance. I’ve been on the website today in preparation for this op and the cheapest flight to Edinburgh tomorrow is £37.
I would definitely use this company again. In less than an hour we were at our destination. We didn’t have the stress of driving around in a big city once we were there and you cannot argue with the service we received for the price we paid.
USEFUL INFO: www.bmibaby.com 0870 264 2229 for UK passengers and opening times are: 08:00 - 21:00 Mon-Sun. On the same number, you can ring for a group quote if there are 10 or more of you traveling together. To write regarding customer service, the address is: PO Box 737, bmibaby, Castle Donington, Derby, East Midlands, DE74 2XP or you can email through the website.
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I saw BMI baby advertised in Prestwick airport recently and was going to take a look at their website - thanks for reminding me. Brilliant, detailed review :-)
stepearce 27.07.2003 12:44
I've never flown with them, but they sound very good - I'll have to check them out. Ste x
anya_lahiri 22.07.2003 00:58
I have heard so much positive feedback about these! Lisa x x x
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