Having been a frequent business traveller to Germany, I have done many trips with a number of airlines.
My work regularly took me to the city of Cologne (Koln) in Germany, from which I normally had to fly from Manchester to Frankfurt and then connect to Cologne.
Typical prices via other airlines normally ran to about £350 to £500 per trip depending how short notice it was when the flight was booked.
Purely by chance and out of desperation the normal route I would fly with Lufthansa was fully booked and no other mainstream airlines were available.
Resigning myself to the fact that I may have to miss an important meeting, a little searching on the internet quickly came back with a result for Hapag-Lloyd Express.
Hapag-Lloyd Express (HLX) is part of the European Holiday firm TUI and operates from Cologne around limited routes in Europe.
The price for a return flight was a ridiculously cheap price of £26.00 return and even better the timing of the flight meant that I left Manchester in the morning, catching a late night flight back to Manchester the same day. All the other airlines meant an overnight stay in Cologne.
Being a little bit cautious about never having used HLX before and concerned that there had to be a catch somewhere as the price was too good to be true. I booked the flight over the internet, got an e-mailed confirmation slip and headed off to Manchester not knowing what to expect.
To be fair to HLX, the service was excellent. Check-in was done with the same level of proficiency, if not better, than some of the major airlines. The only unexpected difference to other airlines was the open seating arrangement. You pick a seat when you board the plane and sit in it.
The aircraft was clean and obviously new and didn't seem cramped. I have flown with some charter flights and felt packed into the aircraft like cattle. HLX was spacious and well trimmed and the attendants were very pleasant and helpful.
The flight left almost on-time and in-flight drinks and refreshments could be purchased for a reasonable price. Coffee was around £1.00 but for the duration of the flight it wasn't long enough to be too concerned about going without a meal.
Some of the other passengers had been smart enough to have purchased sandwiches and soft drinks from Manchester or brought their own to eat on the flight, which didn't appear to bother the attendants.
The aircraft touched down in Cologne with typical German precision, without the slightest hitch and I eventually got into my meeting with about 30 mins to spare. Even better I was back at Cologne airport by 4pm and on the return flight that night arriving in Manchester for 10pm.
I was so impressed with the service and the value for money that I recommended it as my preferred choice for future business trips to Germany. It not only made good sense for me in that I could travel to Cologne and back in a day, but also good economic sense.
My company has since become a HLX devotee and has carried everyone including the Managing Director . If it's good enough for them I don't think most travellers would find much to complain about.
I would definately recommed HLX to business travellers going to Germany, providing you are within reach of Manchester airport. The service is cheap, no frills and is good quality. If you are looking for business lounges and all the trimmings then look elsewhere.
The only drawbacks to HLX are that it does have limited services and routes and it is no longer a well kept secret. HLX is growing in popularity and the flights do get booked up quite quickly sometimes.
If you are booking use the internet - if you book by phone you will have to pay an additional supplement. Contact HLX at the following address - www.hlx.co.uk
Happy Travels
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Advantages: Excellent Value for Money. Good Service. In-flight route map. Flight information screens. Disadvantages: A shame they don't fly to more destinations from Manchester
simon1287 16.06.2004 (16.06.2004)
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Review of Hapag Lloyd
Advantages: Excellent Value for Money. Good Service. In-flight route map. Flight information screens. Disadvantages: A shame they don't fly to more destinations from Manchester
simon1287 16.06.2004 (16.06.2004)
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Review of Hapag Lloyd
Advantages: Safe and comfortable new aircraft, much improved service, Business Class for a bargain. Disadvantages: Some routes still operated with old Tupolevs, can't book through travel agents.
From_The_Continent 06.05.2001 (06.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
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