I guess the point of all this is that I should have flown BA... That is the connection. I hope the powers-that-be don't move it...
So - not that my expectations were particularly high, but anyone who complains about BA, should have a go in the back (23F will do) of IB's A319 MAD-TLV! I saved a good £300-400 on my dates for not flying direct, but I spent 3-4 hours wishing I had spent those £300-400!
1. I am NOT a tall person. I'm no midget, but I wouldn't pass for an NBA player. My knees hurt, coming off the flight, for having been pressed into the seat-back in front of me. Really: I tried many a convoluted position to relieve this, but to absolutely no avail. An hour into the flight, I resigned myself to the fact that it would simply remain uncomfortable. Which brings me to point 2.
2. The service on IB's steerage class (and I could kick myself for flying IB whY in hindsight) was a mess. I mean it was really a mess. People who have complaints about MF have really seen nothing yet. First to appear, about an hour after take-off, was a middle-aged lady (CC) who looked rather misguided. Staring at a rather undefined point in space, she walked up and down the aisle offering coffee and tea. By the time she got to me, I told her that tea would be lovely. It really would have been, had I had any sort of receptacle in which to keep it. Second arrived the dinner trolley, but because of the many special meals (kosher, vegetarian, low fat?, etc.) it kept rocking back and forth. It looked like the CC were undecided as to the direction in which they wanted to move the trolley. And finally, the drink came, as I was just finishing my arroz con pollo y cari (you'll forgive my shoddy spelling in Spanish, I do not speak the language). As a quick aside: I had already eaten arroz con pollo y cari that evening - in the Sala Velásquez, MAD's 'VIP lounge'.
3. Lastly, and this might be a health and safety issue, the seats reclined as promised. Sadly, I didn't realise that a recline of less than an inch was what they had intended. I was uncomfortable enough that I didn't want to bother the cabin crew with my 'mundane' complaints. But it should be noted, that it allowed me to keep the seat-back 'back' through landing and take-off...
Yeah, I barely got through an A319 MAD-BIO without blowing a gasket, all the same issues, and they lost my luggage, and moved me out of the exit row I had reserved, so my sympathies entirely.
Seat pitch in steerage on the IB 319s is desperate -- it's got to be 30", or maybe even 29". I don't know how they get away with it. To add insult to injury, the reason I got to experience it was that I was downgraded from C to Y on the MAD-TLV leg of a trip from JFK because the incoming flight was late, C was overbooked, and somehow or other the system didn't register me for the through trip when I checked in at JFK (although my luggage was checked through). Anyway, it is a mercy that the seats only recline so little -- if the guy in front of me had been able to recline any more, I would have needed knee replacement surgery by the end of the trip. It was a nightmare.
p.s. You stop worrying about the quality of inflight service when your whole focus is on how you are going to survive the next five minutes, and then the next five, and then the next, with three hours still left to go.
Last edited by husseinbadr; Dec 13, 12 at 5:25 am..
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Poor old you! Well at least you know what not to do next time, and it was quite a cheap ticket was it not? Hopefully that will consol you a bit after this character building experience, though perhaps it is a case of you get what you pay for.
I did this flight last night but in J. I would not dare to do it in Y to be honest. In J (or should it be C as it's IB) you get a reasonably comfortable cradle seat which I sleep well in (done 3 times now) albeit not as well of course as in BA J. I don't bother with the service at all so no idea what it's like. I find it strange that most of the passengers in J have a full meal at past midnight but then again maybe they are connecting from a different time zone and have not adjusted.
Last night each passenger in J had a spare seat next to them so it was really very comfortable.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrandery
I'm flying IB LHR-MAD and MAD-TFN and back soon - so 4 sectors.
All in Y - I think it's an A321 or A320 though
How's the seat pitch there? I'm 6'4" so I guess I'm in trouble?
Try as much as possible to book an exit row seat at OLCI (on IB web site, 24 hours in advance of your flight) or before, if your status allow. These are the only seats with some sort of comfort on IB "steering" class. If those are not available, try a seat in the first rows after C and before the first exit row. The pitch here is slightly better than in the back of the plane. For the latter, in comparison, even FR seats seem to me more comfortable.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by economyman
I find it strange that most of the passengers in J have a full meal at past midnight but then again maybe they are connecting from a different time zone and have not adjusted.
People mention this quite regularly. For me it is simple - if you start eating hot food or any food which smells edible then I will want to eat it. Especially if I am sat next to you. I am not fat or greedy, but simply smelling food in a confined space will make me hungry.
People mention this quite regularly. For me it is simple - if you start eating hot food or any food which smells edible then I will want to eat it. Especially if I am sat next to you. I am not fat or greedy, but simply smelling food in a confined space will make me hungry.
I can understand that but as I travel quite a bit I try hard to manage my meal times or I end up eating too much. Food wakes me up too (except in the afternoon) so on a short red eye like this where I want as much sleep as possible I would avoid food even during the last couple of hours before the flight.
Poor old you! Well at least you know what not to do next time, and it was quite a cheap ticket was it not? Hopefully that will consol you a bit after this character building experience, though perhaps it is a case of you get what you pay for.
It was cheaper than BA by a fair bit, but it was by no means cheap...
Have you travelled Y on the A321 BA "rendition" flights by any chance?
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