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Background

Croatia has always been on my fiancée and my to-go list. Having read and heard from many friends and family about how beautiful the sea side towns are, we decided to make it part of our graduation trip holiday! Turns out it not only made sense but was even necessary to enter neighbouring countries Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro along the way. After much research and comparison of prices, the most cost effective way to travel would be to fly BA into Zagreb, rent a car and drive about for 1.5 weeks, before returning it at Dubrovnik and flying easyJet back to London.

On BA, we booked separately - me with luggage, she HBO. On EZY, we booked one 20kg check-in and I decided to also spend a few extra ££ to reserve us row 8 seats, the first row of the regular seats. Flying BA on the way back would have been nice, but the difference in fare price was too great to justify, so here goes my first ever easyJet flight!!

Outbound Flight

British Airways
BA848
LHR-ZAG
Airbus A320
G-MIDX
Seat 25F

After landing in London from Singapore An Unexpected TR Featuring BA's LHR Arrival Lounge (by pokfur Jun 4 2015 in Trip Reports), I popped into Oxford for the day, and back to Heathrow that night where my fiancée and I stayed at the Leonardo Heathrow Airport Hotel for the night. To be honest, I wasn't planning to do a TR on this as I figured it'd be a bog-standard BA short-haul flight, so no pictures until we boarded.

Basically it was the usual - rather empty but not entirely empty T5, checked in at First check-in, headed through a quick fast-track security, and into the Galleries First lounge for some breakfast. The night before I had checked the seat map and discovered a rather empty plane, and so moved ourselves to the rear in an atypical fashion, hoping for an empty aisle seat. Half an hour before departure, we headed to the gate where boarding had just begun. We were accepted at the fast track queue, and then headed on board.


   Oh no!

Upon entering the aircraft, I immediately realised that we were on one of the ex-BMI A320s. The blue seats, lack of headrests, and plastic centre tables in Club Europe gave it away immediately. Not something to be overly bothered about I suppose but the legit BA seats are definitely much nicer.


At my seat!

Strangely the ex-BMI seats seem to provide slightly better legroom than the BA seats, despite the A320 having the same configuration. Suddenly, my leg kicked something under the seat. Hmm..


What's that?? And look how dirty the seat area is!


And what's that under my fiancée's seat??

   So it looks like even though this aircraft had been sitting overnight at LHR, nobody had cleaned or checked it. Seems like the cover of the life jacket had come loose, and a wine bottle was rolling around under the seat! We really couldn't be bothered to complain though (yes yes we probably should have...)..


Luggage being loaded under a grey morning sky.

Soon enough, the pilot welcomed us on board and we were ready to go.


Taxiing to the runway.


And here we go!

Without a long wait, we began our takeoff roll down the runway, the lightly loaded aircraft accelerating powerfully.


Whooshing by Terminal 2


Up in the air past Terminal 3!


Terminal 5, obviously.

Service on this flight really was the usual though. We got the customary bacon cheese tomato (new!) croissant along with a drink. So been there done that that I totally forgot to take a picture of it.


Cruisin'

My fiancée and I passed the time by just catching up with each other. It had been 3 weeks since we last met. We both kept our croissants for later; in the event of hunger we'd have some emergency back-up food.


Descent soon begun.


Very green Croatian landscape.


Almost there!

We landed with a solid thump that made me thankful that I wasn't sitting on top of the landing gear.


Pulling all the stops to slow this aircraft down.


Parking.

Tiny Zagreb airport didn't have any jet bridges, so it was down the back stairs for us onto a bus!


Bye MIDX!



And with that, we were dropped off at a tiny immigration hall, after which we emerged into a tiny baggage reclaim hall, then into a tiny arrivals hall where we picked up our car and off we went for our holiday!


Pictures from my travels

I will feature some photographs from my travels. First up, we drove immediately from Zagreb to Slovenia, specifically to Lake Bled where we stayed the night.





We had beautiful weather. But by the time we arrived it was too late to take a boat to the tiny island in the middle. The next day, we went into Triglav National Park for a hike/walk which was beautiful







We really had perfect weather and the sunshine filtering through the canopy made the walk all the more charming. After the walk, we went to pop by Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia.





Beautiful city, though we didn't spend much time there. From there, we drove to Piran where we spent the night.


  

The next day we drove from Piran to Pula, popping by a winery on the way.



Slovenia produces some really great wines for great prices!! We ended up with quite a few bottles by the end of our trip    At Pula, we stayed the night and walked around the following morning.


Amphitheatre.

We then immediately embarked on one of our longest drives of the holiday - from Pula to the Plitvice lakes. We got there rather late in the day but thankfully managed to make it in time for the tram and boat rides. Ironically, arriving so late in the day meant that all the tourists had already left.


Wooden boardwalk

It was a beautiful evening stroll on the wooden boardwalk, with lots of lakes and waterfalls along the way.






This waterfall was much more magnificent than the photograph suggests.


Sun setting soon.


Taking the boat across the lake back to our car.

That night, we stayed near by the lakes at a B&B, before driving to Split the next morning. That afternoon was spent walking around Split.



Unfortunately we didn't quite like Split that much so not much photos to show you either haha! The next morning, it was time to cross the border and drive to Mostar. However on the way, we visited the Blue and Red Lakes.


Blue Lake

We were much more impressed by the Blue Lake and upon reviewing my photographs, it looks like I didn't even take any pictures of the Red Lake?!   

That afternoon, we arrived at Mostar, and took a walk around town.


The famous Old Bridge


Alternate view down by the river.



And what were those two men doing?! Well apparently they were there to collect money from tourists. Once they collected €25 (or €20?), they would then jump down into the river from the bridge!! Unfortunately we didn't hang around long enough to see them plunge down because we were hungry.


Dinner time! Some traditional food.

The next day, we left Mostar to make our way to Dubrovnik. Along the way, we stopped by this really tiny town. Thinking back, I have totally forgotten its name. Nice view from the top though!   


View from the tower. And yes, the town is just whatever is on the left side of the photograph.

We also went in search for some ancient walls somewhere... In the end it was a rather scary drive up a dirt road, and we ended up with really just an uninspiring wall. So, instead, I took the chance to photograph our trusty Opel Astra  



A spacious, comfortable car, it had an incredible lack of power (1.6L petrol). But for a petrol it could go something like 600-700km on a full tank!

That evening, we arrived at Dubrovnik quite late. Here, we would stay for two nights. The next morning, we drove down into town (because our apartment was quite far) and thankfully managed to find a parking lot.


Main Street


Quite a nice view while climbing the city walls.


Looking back towards Dubrovnik Old Town while driving off.

We ended the day pretty early, and the next day we were off to Montenegro. Unfortunately I didn't find any of the towns we visited very charming. However, we did drive up the mountains and found the view from up there absolutely stunning.





The pictures obviously hasn't done it justice, but it's probably one of the most unique views up there of very steep, black mountains with the water down below... And with that, we spent the night in Montenegro - our final night - before our flight the next day back to London.

[Edited 2015-06-10 10:33:34]

Inbound Flight

easyJet
EZY 5428
DBV-LGW
Airbus A320
G-EZWC
Seat 8A

The day started out leisurely in Herceg Novi, Montenegro, where we had spent the night. From here, it was actually a shorter drive to Dubrovnik Airport than it was from Dubrovnik itself. Our flight would depart at 11.20am, so we left our lodging at 8am, crossed the border into Croatia, and were at the airport in less than an hour, far earlier than we intended to arrive.


At the car rental area.

Thankfully no issues with our car after a week and a half!    Now time to cross the road to the terminal.




Simple, bare bones terminal.

Check-in for easyJet wasn't open yet. In any case, we had to weigh our luggage to see if it had exceeded 20kg. Somehow we had ended up buying lots of Croatian and Slovenian wines    So we went to an unmanned counter and hauled the bag onto the belt.

   22.4kg! Oops. And thus we unpacked several items, stuffed them into our hand carry and ended up 2kg lighter! At this point, check-in had just opened so we quickly joined the queue which was forming.



It wasn't a long wait and funnily we were called forward by an agent checking in for Monarch. I guess it's a common system used for check-in here. Our 400g overweight bag was accepted without comment and we were sent on our way!

Once through security and passport control (I filled up two pages of my passport just from this trip alone driving between countries!), we emerged into a rather crowded air-side.


Lotsa people.


Duty Free.

Interestingly, Dubrovnik Airport has gates on 2 levels. Ours was on the upper level so that's where we went. Here we took a seat at the cafe, right in front of our gate. We spent a good hour here I think, and my fiancée got bored so she went to find a way to spend our last 20 kuna.


18 Kuna!

Eventually, it was time for boarding and everybody started queueing up, including us.



The gate agents made an interesting announcement saying that the aircraft wasn't ready, but that they would clear passengers first, and we would stand on the jet bridge so that we could get on board the moment the aircraft was ready. Hmm. Okay.

When our boarding passes were beeped, regular passengers were told to queue to the left, while those who had priority boarding will told to queue on the right.



Although eventually after 10 minutes.... We all got onto a bus!


And here we are!

From here it was just a mad rush to the staircases, so if I were a priority boarder I'm not sure I'd have been most happy.


Orange is the theme here!

And now, first time on board an easyJet flight! I was welcomed on board cheerily by a flight attendant, who was more cheery than any FA on any BA flight I've been on.



My first impression of the cabin was that it reminded me quite a bit of Tigerair Singapore's cabin. Cloth seats with no headrests. I found my seat 8A very quickly.


Legroom shot.

And if I'm honest, the legroom felt exactly the same as what I would find on BA's new short-haul cabin   



Incidentally, BA's flight to LGW was parked on our right, due to leave some 20 minutes after us, if I'm not mistaken. It took some time for boarding to be complete. The flight wasn't full - we had an empty aisle seat. Many of the seats in front of us weren't taken up either.

Departure time came and went... and eventually the doors closed, and we were welcomed on board officially. Without needing to push back, the engines turned on, slats were readied, and we turned off stand just like that.


Heading off in the opposite direction towards the runway.

In the meantime, safety demonstration was carried out manually.


Reaching the entrance of the runway, with BA hot on our heels.

So a +1 to BA for punctuality, and -1 to easyJet.


I would be on another BA 737 flight in a couple of days' time to AMS!

Dubrovnik airport is built such that the taxiway doesn't extend all the way to the end of the runway; one has to do some backtracking in order to use the full length. However, instead of turning right to backtrack, we turned left, so I got myself ready for an all-powerful take-off!


Here we go!

But then.. the engines didn't spool up.. and we just rolled down the runway...


And turned off??

The pilot popped onto the PA to inform us what was happening.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, apparently a loud BANG has been heard at the rear of the aircraft so we're returning to stand to have it checked out. Nothing to worry about, but just to be safe we'll be getting off the aircraft to have a look and if all's fine we will carry on with the flight. Sorry about that."

  

A BANG?!   


Arriving back at the terminal, stairs already moving towards the aircraft.

And meanwhile... BA was happily backtracking...   


And there she goes, on her takeoff roll....

Ohh!! How I wish I was on that BA flight right now! I mean, a bang?? That doesn't sound comforting at all!

The doors opened, and the flight crew went down to check out the aircraft. Some 10-15 minutes later, the doors were closed, an announcement was made to say that nothing seemed out of place, and we would depart for LGW. Well. Here goes! For the second time, our engines fired up, and off we went to the runway.

Probably to save time (maybe?), we skipped the backtracking, turned left onto the runway, and immediately powered up to full power!



After an incredibly quick takeoff roll, we took to the skies.




Up up and away!



It's a pity that I chose to sit on the left hand side of the aircraft. It was basically just the sea to my left. However passengers on the right got to see all the land which would have been much more interesting.



After some time, the crew were released. Our flight spanned across lunch time, so the plan was to buy some food on board.



The Meal Deal seemed like the most worth it. £6 for a sandwich (including hot ones), a drink, and a snack. I think it's even cheaper than those on Ryanair. It seemed like the few passengers up front were buying things too, because the trolley moved down the aisle very slowly. When it finally got to us, I ordered the hot Croque Monsieur, while my fiancée went for the Chicken Caeser Wrap.


Hers, being cold, were delivered immediately.

I had a bite of her wrap and it was delicious! I had to stop myself from eating more... My Croque Monsieur had to be heated up so it took an extra few minutes to arrive.


It was really hot when it came..

Not exactly the most appealing visually, it was certainly good enough for a LCC. I peeled open the wrapping to let it cool a little.



Finally, I sunk my teeth into it, and boy was it good! All melted cheese and soft bread and tasty ham... This was turning out to be a very nice flight! The FA that served us was extremely friendly and patient when we were deciding whether to pay in € or £..   


Flying over mainland Europe now.

I spent the rest of the flight chilling out, though I then realised that the seats on easyJet do not recline unlike those on BA. Some might be happy with this but I prefer seats that do recline, and similarly have no problem with others reclining theirs into my face.


Visit to the toilet.

Soon, it was time to cross the channel, and the pilots announced our descent into London Gatwick.


Beginning our crossing.

It's quite amazing to think that less than hundred years ago, crossing the channel was the challenge. And now it's merely just the descent phase of our flight. Once again, I marvel at the wonders of flight...

As we neared UK, however, the pilot announced that due to a large cloud over London, traffic separation had been increased so we'd have to do a few loops.


That cloud right there.

After a few loops, we took the clouds head on.



Occasionally emerging into bursts of sunlight...





And then heading back into the clouds again..


Oh boy that looks nasty!


Aaaaaahhhhh!!! Noooo!!


Drenched.


Clouds were doing some serious water dumping.


Coming close to Gatwick now..


Almost there now!

With a nice bump, we touched down gently onto the runway.



The engines opened up, and full reverse thrust was applied!


Oh so that's how they work...

And then oddly... There was sunshine?!   




An EK whale, set against the Gatwick bridge.


From a different angle now.

After some taxiing, we finally came to a stop at our gate.



Seat belt signs were turned off, and a short wait later, the doors were opened and we disembarked. While en route to passport control, we got some nice views of the tarmac.


Those planes are all waiting to takeoff!!



It was a rather long walk to passport control... Thankfully, the queues for foreigners were short, and we quickly emerged into the baggage hall.



From here, we grabbed our bag, and exited the airport to pick up our rental car. It would just be a drive to Oxford for the night, before heading to Heathrow early next morning for our flight to Bilbao!


Conclusion

Well so BA was certainly worse than usual! The plane as you can see was dirty and falling apart in places. It didn't help that we got one of the ex-BMI oddballs. easyJet on the other hand was a nice change and a rather pleasant surprise. Seats were comfortable, even if they didn't recline, and the food options available on board were decently-priced and tasted good. While they did give us a shock initially what with the bang and all, it all turned out ok. I think in general my only gripe with LCCs is that things like water have to be rationed carefully. I can't just go into the galley and take more if I need, but would have to pay for it. On the other hand, I have already saved by going the LCC way so I should be ok with paying for it. So I suppose it’s just a mindset thing. Does that make any sense??

In any case, it was an overall enjoyable time on my (personal) inaugural easyJet flight and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to fly them again!   


pokfur


Previous (readable) Trip Reports:
An Unexpected TR Featuring BA's LHR Arrival Lounge (by pokfur Jun 4 2015 in Trip Reports)
CX Adventures Part II: Ok Not Just CX... (by pokfur May 1 2015 in Trip Reports)
A Suite Escape: SIN-LHR With SQ (by pokfur Mar 27 2015 in Trip Reports)
CX Adventures Part I: The Old And New J To JFK (by pokfur Mar 20 2015 in Trip Reports)
BA/IB A380/77W/CRJ: Exit Row Or IFE Box? (by pokfur Mar 14 2015 in Trip Reports)
Qatar Widebodies Part 2: The A350! (by pokfur Feb 14 2015 in Trip Reports)
Qatar Widebodies Part 1: 787, A346, And A350? (by pokfur Feb 6 2015 in Trip Reports)
The Qantas Singapore Lounge + BA To Paris! (by pokfur Jan 9 2015 in Trip Reports)
A Roundabout Way Home: IB/BA LCY-MAD-LHR-SIN! (by pokfur Jan 3 2015 in Trip Reports)

Hi Pokfur! Croatia looks incredible!! You took beautiful pictures. It's so refreshing. It looks like pictures from a wallpaper search.

The food looks good on Easyjet. Sorry to hear you had to fly in such a dirty aircraft.

P.S. I like the seat material design on Easyjet. Looks quite interesting to look at for a while..

Thanks for posting.

Hello mh330fc!

Quoting mh330fc (Reply 2): Hi Pokfur! Croatia looks incredible!! You took beautiful pictures. It's so refreshing. It looks like pictures from a wallpaper search.

Haha thanks! The weather was extremely cooperative, which provided for wonderful lighting. Of course, I came back a lot more tanned than I expected.. Lol!

Quoting mh330fc (Reply 2): The food looks good on Easyjet.

Surpassed expectations!

Quoting mh330fc (Reply 2): P.S. I like the seat material design on Easyjet. Looks quite interesting to look at for a while..

Indeed. Nice to have some pattern instead of the mainly monotonous colour scheme that many European airlines adopt.

Quoting mh330fc (Reply 2): Thanks for posting.

No problem, thanks for commenting!


pokfur

Hey Pokfur,

Thanks for the report, glad you enjoyed your first EZY experience, I flew with them a couple of times last year and had no complaints, they're probably the LCC that I wouldn't have to much of a problem using frequently if I had to. Interesting to note aswell the age difference with your aircraft, IDX is getting past 15 years now, whilst your G-EZWC isn't even 3 years, defiantly shows with the pictures, although age has nothing to do with lack of cleaning, that's the kind of thing I would expect on EZY aircaft that don't get cleaned during 25 minute turnarounds, not a night stoping BA plane.

Hey Pokfur  

Great TR  

Did you got to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro? What was the best part of your trip? How safe was it ? Did EZY have the same price as BA? Too many questions  ? Anyways great read and thank you for posting  

Till your next TR  .

Pokfur!

I missed this TR earlier! Another good one and more so surprising one... I wasn't expecting you to enjoy easyJet as much as you did.

Did you complain to BA about that mess under the seats? That's disgusting, especially from an airline like BA, even more so if the aircraft had been parked over night!   

Slovenia looks awesome... It's on the list of planned countries for my road trip later this year along with Croatia and Romania.

A trusty Opel Astra?   I don't mind them, they're pretty decent cars really.

Joey

[Edited 2015-06-10 11:58:54]

Hi C.!

nice report and pics. Surely I'm not to keen on flying BA at the moment. I read a lot of negative comments.
You should tell me whenever you're around in AMS, so to have a drink.

Quoting pokfur (Thread starter): The flight wasn't full - we had an empty aisle seat. Many of the seats in front of us weren't taken up either.

These seats are for an extra fee if taken upon booking/check-in, so I suppose most people avoid paying these additional costs.

Regards
Eric

Hi there!

I'm glad you and your fiancee enjoyed your roadtrip  

Quoting pokfur (Thread starter): rent a car and drive about for 1.5 weeks

It seems that there's finally an A.netter who decided to travel my country in a proper way 

Quoting pokfur (Thread starter): Unfortunately we didn't quite like Split that much

Neither I do. There are so many more interesting places in the vicinity.

Quoting pokfur (Thread starter): The next day, we left Mostar to make our way to Dubrovnik. Along the way, we stopped by this really tiny town. Thinking back, I have totally forgotten its name. Nice view from the top though!

It's Počitelj, some 30 km from Mostar down the Neretva river.

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 5): Did you got to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro?

They clearly did. The last photo of the first post is showing the Bay  

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 6): It's on the list of planned countries for my road trip later this year along with Croatia

You're most welcome!

Quoting pilot320 (Reply 8): You're most welcome!

See you soon then! 

Good morning everyone!

Shuttle12T,

Quoting Shuttle12T (Reply 4): Thanks for the report, glad you enjoyed your first EZY experience,

You're welcome! And yes I did!

Quoting Shuttle12T (Reply 4): I flew with them a couple of times last year and had no complaints, they're probably the LCC that I wouldn't have to much of a problem using frequently if I had to.

Not Ryanair?    I'm still quite a big Ryanair fan myself   

Quoting Shuttle12T (Reply 4): Interesting to note aswell the age difference with your aircraft, IDX is getting past 15 years now, whilst your G-EZWC isn't even 3 years, defiantly shows with the pictures, although age has nothing to do with lack of cleaning, that's the kind of thing I would expect on EZY aircaft that don't get cleaned during 25 minute turnarounds, not a night stoping BA plane.

I forgot to mention that the last flight the BA plane did was from Rome to London.    Anyway, yes you're right, but BA hasn't had a stellar record of keeping it's planes clean, especially when flying out of London. I've had many bad experiences before.


Lesfalls,

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 5): Great TR

Thanks!!

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 5): Did you got to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro?

I did! The old town there was quaint but in my opinion nothing really special. The drive en route was more spectacular for me.

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 5): What was the best part of your trip?

Hmm.. I would say that Dubrovnik does live up to its reputation as a beautiful city. However I would say that Bosnia and Herzegovina had something very unique about it that my fiancée and I just couldn't place - it was very different from the rest of the countries we visited - and we really really enjoyed our time and drive through that country. We were very sad to leave it actually!

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 5): Did EZY have the same price as BA?

No, they were much cheaper on that route, otherwise I would have flown BA what with complimentary food and checked luggage. But I think it really depends? EZY isn't always cheaper.

Quoting lesfalls (Reply 5): Anyways great read and thank you for posting

You're most welcome! Thanks for dropping by!


Joey,

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 6): I missed this TR earlier!

No you didn't! I just posted it like 6 hours ago!    Did you miss the previous one though?   

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 6): Another good one and more so surprising one... I wasn't expecting you to enjoy easyJet as much as you did.

I didn't think they'd be bad but yes I surely enjoyed them more than i thought I would too.

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 6): Did you complain to BA about that mess under the seats? That's disgusting, especially from an airline like BA, even more so if the aircraft had been parked over night!

I didn't. But maybe I should eh? Not sure what good it'll do though.

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 6): Slovenia looks awesome... It's on the list of planned countries for my road trip later this year along with Croatia and Romania.

Romania!! One of the countries we couldn't fit into our trip this time. I would definitely recommend Croatia and Slovenia    Be careful though, lots of car companies don't let you drive through countries like Albania and a few others..

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 6): A trusty Opel Astra?   I don't mind them, they're pretty decent cars really.

I've rented Opel a few times. No problems. Decent, but always lacking in power! Haha. Ah well but that's what you get when you go for the cheapest option I guess! Apparently this time they had already given us a free upgrade!   

Thanks for stopping by mate!


Eric,

Quoting airbuseric (Reply 7): nice report and pics. Surely I'm not to keen on flying BA at the moment. I read a lot of negative comments.

Oh no! I quite like them. They're not the cleanest for sure but in general I've had no problems with the service. I receive far worse service on other European carriers though I always wonder if it's a language-related thing.

Quoting airbuseric (Reply 7): You should tell me whenever you're around in AMS, so to have a drink.

Ooo yes ok! I'll be there next month!   

Quoting airbuseric (Reply 7): These seats are for an extra fee if taken upon booking/check-in, so I suppose most people avoid paying these additional costs.

True. But if the flight were full, I'm sure EZY would have allocated them at no extra costs, right?


pilot320

Quoting pilot320 (Reply 8): I'm glad you and your fiancee enjoyed your roadtrip

We did! Thank you!

Quoting pilot320 (Reply 8): It seems that there's finally an A.netter who decided to travel my country in a proper way

Hahaha! It was quite a headache planning the trip, because we found out that we couldn't drive through certain countries such as Albania. And getting to Dubrovnik inevitably meant driving through Bosnia and Herzegovina. It would be our first time driving cross border, but it turned out to be okay and just as easy as the usual passport control at airports.  

Quoting pilot320 (Reply 8): It's Počitelj, some 30 km from Mostar down the Neretva river.

I remember now! Thanks for that!

Thanks for dropping by too!


pokfur

Quoting pokfur (Reply 10): I didn't. But maybe I should eh? Not sure what good it'll do though.

I would genuinely complain and show them the pictures. It can't do any harm..

Thank you for a great and detailed report. I feel that the difference between legacy-carriers and so called LCC's are diminishing day by day. I recently flew in their CW-cabin from YYZ and CE back home to BGO and I must admit that I'm not that impressed. Next time I'm saving myself or my company some money and go in WT+ instead.

U2 flew from LGW to BGO from september 13 to may last year and I must admit that they are more then ok, atleast compared to the euro traveller cabin.

Anyway, enough jibberjabbish from me. Thank you again for a good report   Looking forward to see what you write up next!

O

Hey Joey,

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 11): I would genuinely complain and show them the pictures. It can't do any harm..

Which reminds me that BA still owes me 60,000 Avios which they wrongfully took away from me.. Sigh..   


Hello invaders!

Quoting invaders (Reply 12): Thank you for a great and detailed report.

You're welcome!

Quoting invaders (Reply 12): I feel that the difference between legacy-carriers and so called LCC's are diminishing day by day.

In Europe, yes. In Asia, thankfully not!!

Quoting invaders (Reply 12): I recently flew in their CW-cabin from YYZ and CE back home to BGO and I must admit that I'm not that impressed. Next time I'm saving myself or my company some money and go in WT+ instead.

Hmm but I'm sure the flat bed must have made some difference? Did you not use it?

Quoting invaders (Reply 12): U2 flew from LGW to BGO from september 13 to may last year and I must admit that they are more then ok, atleast compared to the euro traveller cabin.

Certainly. Cabin itself is really no different. If you're willing to pay up for food and luggage, then the gap closes even more!

Quoting invaders (Reply 12): Anyway, enough jibberjabbish from me. Thank you again for a good report   Looking forward to see what you write up next!

Haha more BA stuff unfortunately. I don't know why but they're pretty much the only airline I've been flying around lately?! But I do have a LOT and an SQ flight coming up soon!    Stay tuned...


pokfur

Quoting pokfur (Reply 13): Which reminds me that BA still owes me 60,000 Avios which they wrongfully took away from me.. Sigh..

Then get on the phone dude! 

Nice, detailed report! Looks like you had a lovely trip, the food in Croatia looks beautiful as well!

Quoting pokfur (Thread starter): I think in general my only gripe with LCCs is that things like water have to be rationed carefully. I can't just go into the galley and take more if I need, but would have to pay for it. On the other hand, I have already saved by going the LCC way so I should be ok with paying for it.

EZY will hand out tap water for free on request, I can't speak for any other airline though!

I see that you still haven't lost your touch when it comes to taking gorgeous photos. 

It is indeed interesting how the difference between LCC & Legacy is narrowing. Some people on this site would refer to WestJet as LCC and I'd be thinking: what are you talking about? It's not as if I get anything extra by flying Air Canada, and it's not as if I save money by flying WestJet...they are pretty much the same! I am surprised by how dirty your BA flight was though - might be an unrealistic stereotype but you'd think BA would be more "classy"...

Hey, less indulgence in gluttony in this report!

Great TR very thorough and interesting pictures, I was on the edge of my seat when you said you heard a bang!
That pesky plastic bottle of red wine, missing this item is unforgivable and heads should roll in the cleaning department, I would write to the head of BA and show them the pictures of the offending bottle and any corresponding items of dirt! I can't believe you had to endure that filth on a plane, send it to the Daily Mail too, they will lap that right up!

I would fly EZY next time, it looks like you were happier with them overall and I bet the crew were happier to see you too.

Keep the reports coming!

Hi Pokfur,

With bits falling off and empty bottles on the floor, BA standards do appear to have slipped. I guess the pressure to lower costs means contract staff have only a few seconds at each seat so a superficial clean is what you get at best.

A bang? Were you able to hear anything from where you were seated? I imagine that it would be a bit disconcerting but obviously (and fortunately) not too serious as to pull the aircraft.

What wonderful scenery and interesting towns you passed through or stayed in. Were you able to drive the narrow, winding road up from Kotor to Cetinje in Montenegro? That road offers some amazing views and the town itself is historic (the former Royal capital).

Thanks for sharing and happy travels to you and your fiancée.

EN

Hey Joey!

Quoting JoeyTaffy93 (Reply 14): Then get on the phone dude!

Yes Sir. I've been meaning to do it for a week now, just too lazy! Haha.


Hello Jumpseat!

Quoting jumpseat (Reply 15): Nice, detailed report! Looks like you had a lovely trip, the food in Croatia looks beautiful as well!

Thanks! Yes had a great time and fattened myself up a little as well   

Quoting jumpseat (Reply 15): EZY will hand out tap water for free on request, I can't speak for any other airline though!

I wish I had known that!!   


Hello CdnCactus!

Quoting CdnCactus (Reply 16): I see that you still haven't lost your touch when it comes to taking gorgeous photos.

Aw thanks man!    The weather helped a ton.

Quoting CdnCactus (Reply 16): they are pretty much the same!

With BA, I feel there's still a marginal difference, especially if one has status. But yes, it's marginal. Is AC a BOB service?

Quoting CdnCactus (Reply 16): I am surprised by how dirty your BA flight was though - might be an unrealistic stereotype but you'd think BA would be more "classy"...

Ha. Yes they're still classy in some aspects, but certainly not in cleanliness. In one of my previous reports, I also got an absolutely filthy 77W on my way to SIN. Here's the picture for memory's sake:



On three. 1... 2... 3... EWWWWWWWW!!!!   

Quoting CdnCactus (Reply 16): Hey, less indulgence in gluttony in this report!

Bwahaha! Cost cutting you see? My fiancée and I tried to cook our own dinners as much as we could. Thanks for stopping by! Haven't seen you in a while  


Hello baexecutive!

Quoting baexecutive (Reply 17): Great TR very thorough and interesting pictures, I was on the edge of my seat when you said you heard a bang!

Thanks! I was very worried myself, what with all the A320 crashes recently.....   

Quoting baexecutive (Reply 17): That pesky plastic bottle of red wine, missing this item is unforgivable and heads should roll in the cleaning department, I would write to the head of BA and show them the pictures of the offending bottle and any corresponding items of dirt!

Should I? Ok maybe I will.

Quoting baexecutive (Reply 17): I would fly EZY next time, it looks like you were happier with them overall and I bet the crew were happier to see you too.

Haha maybe because we bought not just one but two meal deals from them!!

Quoting baexecutive (Reply 17): Keep the reports coming!

Yes Sir I'll begin on my next one ASAP!


Hello EN!

Quoting ElanusNotatus (Reply 18): With bits falling off and empty bottles on the floor, BA standards do appear to have slipped. I guess the pressure to lower costs means contract staff have only a few seconds at each seat so a superficial clean is what you get at best.

Yes but what made things worse was that this aircraft had actually spent the night resting at LHR! Our flight was its first for that day.   

Quoting ElanusNotatus (Reply 18): A bang? Were you able to hear anything from where you were seated? I imagine that it would be a bit disconcerting but obviously (and fortunately) not too serious as to pull the aircraft.

Nope. Not from where I was seated at the front. So perhaps the FA at the rear alerted the pilot?

Quoting ElanusNotatus (Reply 18): Were you able to drive the narrow, winding road up from Kotor to Cetinje in Montenegro? That road offers some amazing views and the town itself is historic (the former Royal capital).

I did just that exactly! Except in the opposite direction. We took the narrow winding road down from Cetinje to Kotor, and captured the two pictures I posted in the TR along the way. Met some tour buses going the opposite way and it was mind-boggling how they managed to manoeuvre.

Quoting ElanusNotatus (Reply 18): Thanks for sharing and happy travels to you and your fiancée.

You're welcome! Unfortunately only one more holiday left for us   Thanks for dropping by!


pokfur

Should have call it "Slovenly BA to Slovenia".   We've wanted to visit the region for a while, lovely to see your photos.

That cloud into London looked nasty, glad I wasn't on that flight.  

Very interesting TR! Thanks!
I have always found the interiors of BA aircraft dirty. People have more than once opined on AF's aircraft being dirty on the outside, but I'd prefer dirty on the outside and clean on the inside, than the reverse.
BA just doesn't clean their aircraft thoroughly on the inside from what your TR demonstrates and my own personal experience confirms.

Hello allrite!

Quoting allrite (Reply 20): Should have call it "Slovenly BA to Slovenia".

Lol nice one. I shall add that into my vocabulary.

Quoting allrite (Reply 20): That cloud into London looked nasty, glad I wasn't on that flight.

Ah.. Yes. However I don't remember turbulence being very bad. As you can see we didn't quite fly through the cloud, mostly just went next to it.


Hello TYCOON!

Quoting TYCOON (Reply 21): Very interesting TR! Thanks!

You're welcome!

Quoting TYCOON (Reply 21): People have more than once opined on AF's aircraft being dirty on the outside, but I'd prefer dirty on the outside and clean on the inside, than the reverse.

Very true. I personally don't feel particularly 'wow-ed' if I get a special-livery plane too!

Quoting TYCOON (Reply 21): BA just doesn't clean their aircraft thoroughly on the inside from what your TR demonstrates and my own personal experience confirms.

I feel like it's especially bad departing London. Some of their outstations do a good job. Never had a dirty plane departing SIN yet      

#justsayin

pokfur

Hi pokfur

I am glad the bang turned out to be a non-event! That is disconcerting to have that experience on take-off roll.

Thank you for a delightful read and I enjoyed browsing your photos - aviation, and of the countries you visited, spectacular scenery showcased there.

Quoting pokfur (Thread starter): Seems like the cover of the life jacket had come loose, and a wine bottle was rolling around under the seat! We really couldn't be bothered to complain though (yes yes we probably should have...)..

A wine bottle rolling around on the floor, that is bad! Not like the cabin crew wouldn't notice that, no excuses really. Did you pick it up and put it in the seatback or just pretend it wasn't there?  

Quoting pokfur (Thread starter): And with that, we were dropped off at a tiny immigration hall, after which we emerged into a tiny baggage reclaim hall, then into a tiny arrivals hall where we picked up our car and off we went for our holiday!

At least you can't get lost in places like that.   

Cheers =

Hello VapourTrails!

Thanks for dropping by.

Quoting VapourTrails (Reply 23): I am glad the bang turned out to be a non-event! That is disconcerting to have that experience on take-off roll.

It got me worried for a while... I'll have to admit.

Quoting VapourTrails (Reply 23): Thank you for a delightful read and I enjoyed browsing your photos - aviation, and of the countries you visited, spectacular scenery showcased there.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Quoting VapourTrails (Reply 23): Did you pick it up and put it in the seatback or just pretend it wasn't there?

We left it there, though after the takeoff roll, it disappeared!! I think it must have rolled around somewhere else to annoy somebody else   

Quoting VapourTrails (Reply 23): At least you can't get lost in places like that.

Lol. Indeed, there's always a bright side to everything!!!   


pokfur

Hi pokfur,

Good to see you trying out a new airline. I personally never had a bad flight on easyJet, always punctual and with good crews. Can’t say much really on BA as I haven’t flown them really for anything longer than let’s say an hour or so for the last 10 years...

Quoting pokfur (Thread starter): And if I'm honest, the legroom felt exactly the same as what I would find on BA's new short-haul cabin

So that speaks not in favour of BA 

Quoting pokfur (Thread starter): The gate agents made an interesting announcement saying that the aircraft wasn't ready, but that they would clear passengers first, and we would stand on the jet bridge so that we could get on board the moment the aircraft was ready.

A common way of working here with the LCC airlines and a good way to speed up things.

Sultanils

Thanks for that report. You guys seem to like wine.  

Hi Nils!

Quoting sultanils (Reply 25): Good to see you trying out a new airline.

Hey!! What's that supposed to mean..?    Am i that boring...

Quoting sultanils (Reply 25): I personally never had a bad flight on easyJet, always punctual and with good crews.

That's good to know. I've booked my parents on them in September    Quite relieved that my own experience was generally positive sans big bang, and good to know others think so as well.

Quoting sultanils (Reply 25): Can’t say much really on BA as I haven’t flown them really for anything longer than let’s say an hour or so for the last 10 years...

Time to give them another go? Why the big hiatus?

Quoting sultanils (Reply 25): So that speaks not in favour of BA

Definitely.   

Quoting sultanils (Reply 25): A common way of working here with the LCC airlines and a good way to speed up things.

It does eh? But we had to stand there for quite a long time, I must say.


Hello beowulf!

Quoting beowulf (Reply 26): Thanks for that report. You guys seem to like wine.

You're welcome! I'd like to humbly point out that that's a great understatement    Hahahaha. Especially for my fiancée; she's in all sorts of blind tasting societies etc etc.   


pokfur

Quoting pokfur (Reply 27): Why the big hiatus?

Mainly because BA doesn’t give me the best fares for my travels and I really dislike connecting flights through LHR.

Sultanils

Very nice pictures and solid review.

May I ask, what camera did you use?

Hey Nils!

Quoting sultanils (Reply 28): Mainly because BA doesn’t give me the best fares for my travels and I really dislike connecting flights through LHR.

Really?? They come out tops when I go ex-EU! Oh well. Maybe not from Belgium maybe haha. And connecting at LHR isn't all that bad. So far it's been ok for me, and yes while I do have fast-track security, the regular lanes seem fine too every time I'm connecting...   


Hello guitarsingapore

Quoting guitarsingapore (Reply 29): Very nice pictures and solid review.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

Quoting guitarsingapore (Reply 29): May I ask, what camera did you use?

It's a Canon Powershot S110. Really quite a decent compact camera in my opinion. Canon probably has a newer, updated model by now though!


pokfur