This list is from our experience and for economy or budget seats only. We have also taken on board what our customers say but an airline can offer good flights on one route and a bad on another, so this is not a final say. Try to Google opinions about flight also as there are many out there. Then make your own decision about whom to book with.
BEST (in no particular order)
AIR NEW ZEALAND - What a charming bunch of people. The happiest crew I have ever seen. Great service, clean cabins, great food and NZ wines. I couldn't fault it.
EVA AIRLINES - They know they are good and their prices have been creeping up steadily as they become more popular. Great roomy planes, nice decor, good food and service. Also a direct flight to Bangkok. A well loved airline by us. It is well worth upgrading from economy to Elite Class as the seats are larger, recline further and there is ample leg room.
QATAR - We were extremely impressed by everything it had to offer. There was one stop in Doha but it was just over an hour and pleasant enough - time for a loo stop and a bite to eat. The staff were brilliant on this airline and interactive entertainment great.
SINGAPORE AIRWAYS - always of high standard with a stop off at SIngapore AIrport, probably the best in the world. No faults whatsoever.
THAI AIRWAYS - the flag ship of Thai travel. Good quality throughout, excellent food and service. Also no stops.
JET AIRWAYS - An Indian airline with superior service that usually stops at Mumbai for a couple of hours. Good service, clean planes and great food. Good check-in facilities prior to flight also. Unfortunately, due to recent troubles, security at Mumbai is chaotic to say the least. Shame, as it is not the airline's fault.
BRITISH AIRWAYS - Good direct flight but really expensive for not a lot more than those above.
VIRGIN - They only fly to Hong Kong and arrange a connecting flight with their partners but I really love their big 747s and great service, though they are one of the most expensive.
WORST
AIR ASIA - If you have to use this despicable airline use their special offers only for short flights. They offer nothing more than a seat and conveyance from A to B. Unbelievably cheap prices are ramped up with additional charges for luggage, food, taxes and puzzling admin charges.
AA benefit by your misery. The lower prices are subsidised by customers' mistakes. Miss a flight and you will pay for the entire ticket again with the same addiitonal charges even though you never put luggage on board the missed flight, never used the insurance and never left the airport to pay the airport taxes. Air Asia don't care, they want your money. On rebooking a missed flight you will find the price has gone up about 20% because it is within the 48 hour break off point. The inaccurate AA scales at Stanstead checkin said I was 2 kilos over my luggage weight despite me weighing in at home perfectly. I was charged five UK pounds per kilo. Imagine if you were 10 kilos over! Put ALL your heaviest items into your hand luggage if you can before hand as this is not weighed.
If by my experience the plane is forced to make an emergency landing due to one engine failure AA offer an e-voucher compensation that unsurprisingly does not work. End of story because no matter how many emails you send they never repond. The telephone agents tell you to send an email. You get an automated reply and nothing more. There is no other way you can complain.
Because I had to change a flight, I paid well over £600 to AA on the Stanstead to Kualar Lumpur to Bangkok route, with all the extras repeately bumping up the price. I would never wish the ghastly flight on anyone. 12 hours with a non reclining, hard seat with poor expensive entertainment or inedible paid for food was disgraceful.
When you add up all the extras you have to pay they aren't so cheap. If you are on one of their long-haul flights I certainly don't envy you. They won't let you bring even water or food on board, so you must pay their exorbitant food costs plus entertainment. Boycott Air Asia at all costs.
ETIHAD - Reasonable flight but minimal entertainment. I was not impressed with the ticketing in Bangkok when I had to change my return flight. Waiting time at Abu Dhabi varies from 3 hours to one day, so beware. I saw many bored people with nothing to do but the airport is quite beautiful. I had to pay a GBP160 charge because I was over my baggage limit. Something to watch out for.
ROYAL JORDANIAN - Never never again. Sure, it was a cheap flight but the hassle was not worth it. A 5 hour stop over in Amaan where we were carted off by bus to a hotel with 400 other screaming and shouting people all waiting to get a room for a few hours. Totally ghastly and the same on the return journey. Food was disgusting and plane fllthy. No individual monitors for entertainment and the film shown on the pull down screen was old and censored. My fairly solid fireglass suitcase had no lock when it arrived in baggage retrieval. Airline told me to claim on my travel insurance. No further assistance given. Ghastly.
CATHAY PACIFIC - There was one stop over in Hong Kong but relatively short. The smugness and complacency of this airline is amazing. My UK agent directed me to the CP website which advertised new seats in a fibreglass shell and interactive entertainment. What we got was an old airbus with in-seat video, but the old kind that was on a loop, so you had to wait for all the films to finish before seeing one from the start. Film choice was rubbish also. After three hours the meal final turned up but the popular choice was finished, so I had a poor vegitarian meal. Cheap plastic plates and cutlery. The staff looked bored and uninterested - same here. Exactly the same service going home, ie no main meal choice, poor seats etc, despite my attempts to get a 747. It was GPD150 more than other flights, which made me even more angry I personally complained to the company who couldn't care less.
SEND US YOUR COMMENTS PLEASE ON THE AIRLINES OF YOUR CHOICE AND THE WORST.
IMPORTANT TIP
If like me you take a few books with you (books are HEAVY things) make sure that you do not go over your weight limit. Airlines are reducing the limit all the time to make more money and extra charges are high. What makes me angry is that huge overweight people pay no excess but if your luggage is a few kilos over your limit you forfeit a substantial sum. A good tip is to put your books into your hand luggage. It may be a strain pulling it around the airport but it might be worth it financially.
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