Just back from my honeymoon so look out for my Hawaiian reviews!!!
Just back from my honeymoon so look out for my Hawaiian reviews!!!
Member since:14.10.2005
Reviews:64
Members who trust:6
I have just returned from Germany after my second trip with this wonderful low cost airline and thought that it was time to improve upon my previous review.
For those that have never heard of Hapag Lloyd Express (HLX) before, they are a German low cost airline of the same mould as airlines such as Easyjet and Jet2 based in the UK. They are a subsidiary of Hapag Lloyd who are a member of the TUI group that also operates flights through Thomsonfly, Corsair and Jetairfly. HLX operate throughout Europe from their main hubs in Germany and operate flights to the UK via Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham.
They currently operate a fleet of 17 x Boeing 737's and 2 x Fokker 100's, with the average
age of the fleet being just over 10yrs. This is only marginally older than the average age of the fleet of an airline such as BA and is indeed younger than the average of Lufthansa.
Booking ●●●●●●●
Booking with HLX couldn't be easier as, although there is a German call centre, almost all flights are booked through their website www.hlx.com. When arriving at the site you can easily change the language to English by selecting the drop-down menu in the top right of the screen.
If you want to see a route map then click on the map of Europe and an interactive map will be loaded. This also has information on flights operated by HLX's partners and selecting one of these will connect you to the relevant website.
We will instead assume that you already know the dates that you would like to travel and your route. You can select these easily from the drop down menus and then click 'search'. I would assume that most people reading this would be flying from the UK and those routes, which would probably interest you, are as follows: Newcastle - Hannover Manchester - Hannover, Cologne-Bonn, Stuttgart Birmingham - Cologne-Bonn
Also on the home page and of great interest is a list of special offers and a cursory look whilst writing this sees flights from as little as £14 (inc. taxes) so if you are looking for a quick trip to Germany, these may be the answer.
Once you have searched for your flights you will be presented with your options. It will also display flights on days either side of those that you have selected and will display the price excluding taxes in the currency of the country in which you are. Look out for really cheap flights around your date of travel, as they do exist. Also, you must note that all the flights from Manchester depart in the evening so you may need to check times if you have a meeting etc. Both occasions that I have flown with HLX, it has cost me about £65 return and I have booked about three months in advance. Booking later will see an increase in prices but they will often still be cheaper than flying with a major airline.
Once flights have been selected, it is simply a case of filling in your details and then payment information and then it is done. You will be sent an email with a PDF confirmation of your booking, which is worth printing off as reference for when you check in.
Check-in and Flight ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Before my first flight with HLX, I had previously only flown with more major carriers such as BMI and Virgin. Having heard many problems with other low-cost airlines, I have to admit that I was slightly apprehensive. This apprehension was not helped when I was informed at check-in of a delay in excess of one hour. However, planes were switched and with the advantage of favourable tail winds, we actually arrived just ahead of schedule. In the three flights since, none has left on time but have only ever been half an hour at most delayed which is par for the course with almost any airline. It is much improved to the experiences that my family have had with Germanwings (another German low-cost) that have always been delayed. An example being my sister's boyfriend who was recently delayed and then flown to Cologne. He finally arrived over 12hrs late.
The planes appear to be well looked after and are quite comfortable. All the seats are leather and very comfortable for the flight. Legroom isn't great but is more than adequate and I have had no problems despite being 6'4 tall so most normal mortals should have no problems. During the flight TV, screens plot your progress on a map, making it very interesting as you can judge where you are flying over. Refreshments are on sale (in euros only) although I haven't ever bought anything. The flight crew and attendants keep you well informed of the flights status in both German and English although the levels of English have varied immensely between flights.
Overall Opinion ●●●●●●●●●●●●
I have been really impressed with HLX on both occasions that I have flown with them. Although every flight has been delayed, none have been majorly so and I don't think any flight that I have ever been on has left at the advertised time.
The flights are comfortable and the crew very friendly, even down to the sweet that you are given on leaving the aircraft.
The sole problem with HLX is that they have so few routes from the UK. They have more than satisfied my needs when visiting my sister who has been studying in Stuttgart but it would be nice for them to increase their routes to German towns and cities.
Hopefully this review improves upon my last one but if you have any questions then please leave me a message.
Pictures of Hapag Lloyd
A HLX Boeing 737. This plane (D-AHLI) bought me back from Stuttgart
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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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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
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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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
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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