MAXjet STN to IAD return April 06
 

I have just completed my first return trip with MAXjet and must say I was very pleasantly surprised.

Rather than write my usual long and rambling reports I thought it best to summarise the plus and minus points in the order in which they occur!:

Positives:

1) Fast-track at STN: effectively they break the line for you and you walk almost to the front of the que. Must annoy all the Ryanair passengers no end!

2) Lounge: Food is better than most First Class lounges I thought, far better than UA First lounge at any rate, good selection of pastries, cheeses, meats, savories, even small luxury desserts. I steered clear for fear of overeating. Great views from the lounge which has large glass windows on three sides. I enquired about wifi access and was given a BT card to connect with which was great.

3) On board it all looked very smart, clearly the seats aren't next generation, in fact they are last season, but that doesn't necessarily matter. The jets are quite old, 767-200s but provided they are safe I don't really care. If you looked hard and know what to look for you can tell they are older but like most refurbs it was smart, clean and in good order. I did wonder if they were noiser though that A330/B777s it appeared so. Anyhow the staff were excellent and very attentive to any needs. Possibly too attentive as I've never been offered so much water and juice etc., anyhow they appear very happy and seem to treat passengers like customers unlike some airlines I know!

4) Canapees served prior to take off was a very nice touch I thought.

5) All drinks were served post takeoff in full glass wear, not mini-me glasses!

6) Full set of metal cutlery. (Will someone please explain what the law is on this). Why is EOS using plastic knives and many other flights from LHR such as UA/BA/GF when others aren't?

7) Wine list was good with both a pudding wine and port on offer.

8) My return trip was delayed due to a computer circuit that the pilot finally had to accept defeat on as instead of rebooting it they needed to replace it in its entirety. Ground staff swung into action with the FAs who passed round the digiplayers whilst we were on the ground so we could watch movies whilst they diagnosed the problem etc., then they ordered pizza and drinks etc., when we had to de-camp and they gave us digiplayers to watch in the waiting area etc.. Kept us uptodate on progress etc., don't really know what more they could have done.

9) My butter was a room temperature and not minus 50 degrees as per some US airlines. Its these small almost cost free points that make the difference to me.


Drawbacks:

1) No MAXjet flight listed at STN on the overhead monitors so trying to find the check-in area was a bit of a pain. Once there though no queue so everything ran smoothly.

2) The food was very good quality although mine wasn't hot enough. I think this was due to light loads and therefore they served from one trolley. As I was near the back of the plane by the time they arrived it had probably been sat in the trolley for 10-15mins cooling down.

3) Seat, pitch is great but the recline isn't satisfactory. It was a premium economy recline. I couldn't work out what was up though, it felt odd, leg rest came up a long way but the recline didn't. Certainly didn't replicate the website! On my return home it suddenly dawned. I was in 18A (18C has same issue, book these if on the IAD flights!), for some reason this two seats have the "originally planned recline". WOW is all I can say, the recline was near 160 or 170 degrees and I slept perfectly. I hoped round to row 19 to see what the seating would be like for the passengers behind. I'm 6'3" and I had room to get my feet comfortably under my fully reclined seat in front, not bags of free room but myself I want the recline rather than having surplus foot flapping room? Would be interested in others opinions. I agree that getting out would have been an issue but really it always is and its expected you have to put you footrest up and crawl over you neighbour. I would have had to do this anyway I think even with the seat recline/pitch.

In summary they need to sort this out, presently you have far too much free space which is wasteful and leads to less comfort for no real reason. I hope they return to the original plan.

4) IAD, I'm going to list the whole airport as a blot on the face of America, good god, the largest capital market in the world yet your Capital has an airport with bloody tractor buses to shuttle you around to ensure you miss any tight connections. Well done!! What weirdo came up with that even in the 1960's? Did he own a tractor bus company that was losing money by any chance!

Overall conclusion.

For the introductory fare that I paid it was a steal. Even at say £1200 I think it is great value. The biggest challenge they face is covering their start up costs. I was flying in the first week of the routes commencement and yield was around 30%. Once people find out about it, particularly those North of London I think it will work. Drawbacks are that they are not part of an alliance and I am a hoare to my status! Also any slight delays and missed connections will no result in the onward airline being helpful as it wasn't their ticket and thus they have no obligation to put you on the next flight.

I wish them well and can see myself taking them when the company's policy requires economy travel, something I don't do! Key ticketing features include no Saturday night stay restrictions, walk up fares from £849 return I think they said, and a reasonably priced change policy of £200.

We'll be on Maxjet in a few months. Sounds fine. I'm confused about the seats, though. Was it just 18A & 18C that didn't give the good recline; or, were those the only ones which did? Would appreciate knowing. Also, where is the check-in at Stansted? Thanks.

Seats 18A and C has the great recline, both together and went back at least 160-170 degrees, all the others I played with around it were standard of 130 or 120%. Only on the IAD aircraft though. Even those in the back row with bags of room behind them don't recline anywhere near the rear bulkhead.

Check in is in zone K I think. The very last one. At IAD it is round the back from the BA check-in. Limited signage too!

Which concourse and lounges did they use at IAD?

Also see my report on the excellent service here. I also thought the recline didn't match the website promise but I still managed a very comfortable sleep. I am not sure that flatbeds are required for such a short journey. LAX to London or Snahghai to London I have appreciated them but on a 7 hour flight I accept I will only sleep for 2 or 3 hours normally so a comfy seat is all I need.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=544910

B concourse and NW lounge.

Thanks Scottland for sharing your experiences with us!

Question about flying with young children
 

I have found roundtrip air fares from Dulles to Stansted on MaxJet for a very good price. However, I was wondering if anyone has traveled on this airline with children or has seen families with children on this flight? I spoke with the airline, and of course they stated that families would be welcomed. But I wanted to post this question to see how people felt that have flown MaxJet, would the children be welcome? Or does the company feel this is a business only flight? Any insights would be appreciated.

There was a family with children on both my flights and they were made to feel very welcome and with the delay treated very well given the children were small and the disruption.

Given the yields are still quite low there is lots of space in the back of the plane too so I would say its a great choice. The service and staff are excellent so you and the children will be treated very well.

Thank you and I will go ahead and purchase the tickets. Your response eased my concerns.

I have one more question. I read throughout the board that people have suggested to purchase travel insurance (via credit card) for these tickets in case there are financial problems. What insurance are they referring to?

Thanks ^

Thanks to all who replied.

Children on Maxjet
 

I took my four (13, 10, 8 and 4) who are very well behaved and the reception was wonderful and service they received exceptional. It made it fun for my wife and I.

Just a note to the OP:

Everybody loves to rag on Dulles, but if you had paid some attention during your stay there you should have seen signs of major improvements to come, not the least of which is a new underground tram that will run between the terminals, and result in the retirement of the Mobile Lounge. In 2-4 years, that airport will look and operate quite a bit differently, and it should be significantly improved.

We are quite looking forward to our Maxjet flights at the start of June. I'll be sure to report back. :)