Astraeus review by Robert Hill
24 May 2006

My partner and I flew from Gatwick to Taba return. Both flights took off on time and landed early - only 1/3 full both ways. We got free upgrades to Star Class with stacks of legroom (- food was reasonable, cabin crew were excellent. Didn't bother with the films - we never do, just read some papers and finished our books before landing. No complaints at all. We liked Astraeus from our first experience with them 18 months ago on the very same flight and chose to fly with them on a Thursday rather than Monarch on a Monday. We like Astraeus and would be more than happy to use them again - if they could reach the Maldives, Seychelles or Mauritius in one hop they would clean up!

Astraeus review by Dave Stanley
18 May 2006

Freetown and back. Astraeus seem to have gone down hill rather badly since I last used them a year ago. The new seeting configuration on the 757's with Star Class means the leg room in the rear of the aircraft is now poor. The food was terrible too, more like something you would expect from the cheapest budget airline.

Astraeus review by Ian Winstanley
10 May 2006

Just returned from Taba (Egypt), 0015 departing back to Manchester. OK the glossy in flight magazine goes on about the extra legroom in the 757's going to Gatwick but that was no comfort to the poor souls onboard a very cramped 737 with no entertainment, no pillows, no blankets etc. This turned into a night flight which was not planned when the holiday was booked through Thompsons. Cabin crew very efficient, food adequate. If this aircraft is regarded as being part of a modern fleet, I rest my case.

Astraeus review by Ronald Lowen
6 May 2006

Boeing 737 to Taba. Sheet of paper apologising for delay from Gatwick because the plane had not come from the repairers on time. Our friends travelled a week earlier, they were also delayed. No legroom,no entertainment, no apologies from cabin crew on a 5 hour flight. Return on a 757 not much better with only the soundtrack of the in-flight movie. Why have 12 channels on your headphones when 10 of the channels are silent? Get up to date Astraeus or lose passengers.

Astraeus review by Carole Luxon
28 April 2006

A Nile Cruise with Kuoni flying to Luxor. We would definately fly this airline again. we had ample leg room on the 757, and although there were some slightly untidy areas it was no more than was to be expected through normal wear and tear. The aircraft was clean, food was satisfactory, even give hot towels after our meal, and sweets given out! The crew were in fact very professional and pleasant. Outgoing flight boarded on time - although due to a heavy queue we did actually take off 30 mins late, which is nothing compared to delays we have experienced in the past. Flight back left on time. Pilot full of apologies for tubulance - but had to be expected and did not last too long anyway. All in all good travelling both ways with a good airline.

Astraeus review by Linda Hunt
18 April 2006

Flight to Aqaba in March/April 06. Pure cattle class. On return flight 114 dinners on board and over 140 people so we were asked who would go without dinner on the five and a half hour flight to Gatwick. This was not a good experience and it makes EasiJet look like BA First Class.

Astraeus review by David Rees
25 March 2006

Flight to Luxor return. Adequate knee room; seats slightly narrow. In- flight meals plain and simple and all the better for that. Entertainment system looking dated - a few small CRTs in the aisle ceiling. In-flight magazine claims new 757s will have in-seat screens. Flight safety briefing an almost unintelligible gabble. Quite an acceptable flight on the whole.

Astraeus review by Sandra Anley
15 March 2006

Gatwick to Taba. Check in at LGW terrible, 1 hr 15mins in queue. Flight delayed, aircraft interior looked a bit worse for wear and by this time we were getting a bit concerned as to what to expect. Cabin crew redeemed the whole situation, friendly and attentive, standard of food better than BA. Trip back delayed, another B757, so a comfortable flight. Taba airport not a great place to spend more time than necessary, but delays happen whenever and however you choose to travel.

Astraeus review by Jeremy Brown
6 March 2006

LGW-Chambery check in at 05.15 - inefficient check in on March 4 but seat secured was 1D. Boarding, Inflight crew and seats as good as a scheduled carrier and breakfast just as bad. The 757 had awful turbulence as we approached. but otherwise excellent value for money transfer to Courchevel.

Astraeus review by Martin Wharnock
6 March 2006

Two flights with this airline in the last six months - quite by chance as they have been the flight company used by different tour operators for flights to Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt last November and Chambery in France for a ski trip last month. On both occasions, flights have been good and three out of four on time. Decent legroom on 757 aircraft (others take note), reasonable service, friendly flight staff and above average food. The aircraft are showing their age a bit, but all have been clean - and the extra legroom is a massive bonus particularly on long flights to/from Egypt. Ground staff at Chambery for our return on 11 February were competent and in good humour dealing with a 2-hour delay (good job with keeping us up to date with what was happening) and also looking after one of our party travelling with a broken leg after a skiing accident. Quite happy to use them again - and I certainly wouldn't say the same of some of their charter competitors. I guess you get the odd delay like any charter flight but overall it's well worth a try.

Astraeus review by D Oliver
26 February 2006

Gatwick to Chambery & back over half term with only a slight delay & lots of information. Excellent crew both legs - helpful & friendly and more legroom than we have had for years. Food was okay as well.

Astraeus review by Roy Hardman
15 February 2006

Boeing 737 to the Gambia on January 24th. I was more than a little annoyed to find that after we had paid an extra £40 for the privilege of having two Emergency Exit seats in order to have more leg-room on the flight, it transpired that the seat pitch was identical to all the other seats on the aircraft. Where other airlines have three seats and a space in front to allow emergency exiting, Astraeus planes do not, having five seats instead and no real gangway should an emergency arise. I feel that I was overcharged by purchasing what I expected to be more leg-room to find that the only privilege I had was that, should an emergency occur, I would be first off the plane.

Astraeus review by Avril Davies
3 February 2006

LGW to Asswan. Friendly cabin crew, food good on outward flight, terrible on return flight. Insufficient legroom made the five hour journey very uncomfortable. No inflight entertainment.

Astraeus review by Russell Edwards
27 January 2006

Manchester to Banjul. Not too impressed with the size of the aircraft for a 5hrs 45min flight. Boeing 737, with no inflight entertainment. Apparently this is only available on the 757's and they only fly from Gatwick! Was lucky enough to get extra legroom seats (1A/B) on both the outbound and inbound flights, otherwise would have found it terribly uncomfortable, as the seat pitch narrow. Inflight food was excellent. No real gripes about Astraeus just the fact that they use such a small plane on a longer flight with no inflight entertainment.

Astraeus review by Eric Kirkpatrick
21 January 2006

LGW to Luxor return. 757 on outboard leg had excellent legroom. Return flight was by Excel Airways 737/800 (chartered by Astraeus). Less legrom but adequate for 5'9" height. Both planes reasonably clean. I had no problem checking in at either end, and flights on time. Would fly Astraeus again.

Astraeus review by B Guy
24 November 2005

Flew to Taba Egypt with them in October. A B737, banged out old bucket. I had seen a few reviews before we went and mailed them to check which plane it would be as the reviews of 737 flights had been poor. Got a mail back from Jonathan Hinkles at the airline with real attitude. Got on the plane and all the reviews had been right. Long flight for a 737 really poor leg room and no entertainment whatsoever. As the flight was full of children it soon became a hell hole. My seat was broken on the way out, and both the seats in front on the way back. Hopefully someone else will fly there soon. Cabin crew very stressed at whole situation.

Astraeus review by Philip Smith
24 October 2005

We travelled Astraeus to Lanzarote return. The whole experience was a nightmare - check in staff were rude and arrogant. The plane, a 737, looked very tatty, dirty and gave a general air of being poorly maintained. The crew put the forward toilet out of action as soon as we took off so it could not be used - it was okay for the flight crew who used it during the flight. Staff were generally arrogant and spent most of the flight laughing and fooling around behind the curtained area, often going missing for 20 minutes or so at a time. The return was better and the crew acted in a more appropriate manner. I would never travel with Astraeus again - to me they are to the airline industry what Betamax were to the video industry, and we all know what happened to them.

Astraeus review by Christopher Raitt
8 October 2005

Having just returned with Astraeus from Samos, can honestly say that I have never travelled in such a cramped and shabby aircraft (Boeing 737-300). I was sitting at the rear of the plane where it was evident that an extra 6 rows of seats had been added (these did not match the other seating). I was unable to raise the armrests - surely not acceptable? My tray table had to be supported throughout the duration of the meal and the seat pocket was torn and hanging from the seat. Astraeus make such a noise about how wonderful their 757s are, I think it's about time they improved the rest of their fleet. Despite these complaints the flight attendants staff were very attentive, friendly and did a very good job.

Astraeus review by David Burrows
7 October 2005

Flew from Gatwick to Dubrovnik, charter flight on behalf of Holiday Options. Check-in efficient and requested seats provided. Flight on time, food good, hot towels excellent, staff efficient. Excellent legroom on 757. Returned 18/9 Check-in slow, asked for two seats at front with window. These not available so agreed window and next at rear. On plane found that the seats allocated were one each side of the aisle in centre of plane, not a major problem though! On time, food excellent by normal airline standards, hot towels excellent, staff efficient. Delay after landing due to plane being made to park nowhere near terminal and having to wait for buses to collect passengers. Generally very satisfied with service provided by Astraeus.

Astraeus review by B Savage
2 October 2005

Astraeus to Sorrento from Manchester, return. The outgoing flight was on time. Incoming was delayed by airport problems. The planes were clean and food on both flights good and hot! No complaints. The staff constantly updating us with information about the flight, they were courteous. We were very impressed and would travel with them again.

Astraeus review by Peter Hughes
2 October 2005

Manchester to Brescia - 737/700 aicraft on the outward journey and the 737/300 on the return jouney, were found to be clean and serviced by friendly and efficient flight and cabin crew. Both flights departed and arrived on time with adequate refreshments being served during the two hour duration of same. The seating space was no different than that experienced on numerous previous occasions when flying on this type of aircraft. I can only comment on the facts as I found them, hence my positive feedback.

Astraeus review by Mike Greasley
2 October 2005

LGW-Sharm 10 Sept and then Sharm-LGW 15 Sept. Flew 757-400 both ways and whilst I agree that inside the cabins are looking very scruffy I was pleasantly surprised by quality of service. Both flights left and arrived on time and the extra legroom was fantastic (a huge bonus given the painful experiences I've had on other Charter flights). The only fault with the service was the time it took to clear away the meal on the outward journey (sat for nearly an hour with empty tray). I'm a firm believer of "you get what you pay for" and on that basis would recommend Astraeus on this basis.

Astraeus review by Sue Taylor
2 October 2005

Travelled to El Alamein. Booking in easy, delayed 15 minutes on outward flight and this meant landing at Alexandria rather than El Alamein (no lights on runway). Flight on 737 was smooth, although legroom less than schudeled airlines was not as bad as some other charter flights I've used. No entertainment but cabin crew friendly, efficient and the food was edible and again I've had far worse. For the price we paid for the holiday, I'm not complaining and miles better than Ryannair.

Astraeus review by Robbie Pender
2 October 2005

Flew with Astraeus from Manchester to Zakynthos, August 7th 2005. The flight was due to leave at approximately 1300 but in fact was delayed by about an hour. No explanation or apology was forthcoming from any Astraeus staff. The flight itself was fairly pleasant and, due to tail winds, was reasonably quick. However, I thought the Boeing 737 was inappropriate for a 3 hour flight as there was no entertainment. The food was of sound quality and the cabin crew were of a satisfactory standard. A further point - we requested exit seats for extra legroom and were told this would be no problem. However, we were given seats in row 26 which was, in fact, the back row meaning we had even less legroom! The return journey was a nightmare! We were scheduled to leave Zakynthos on Sunday 21st August at 1940 local time, we eventually left at 2040 local time - on the Monday. Astraeus wouldn't tell our reps why the plane was delayed but when we were taken to the airport at 0245 we were told the plane was on its way. When we got to the airport we were told it was still grounded in Manchester! Our reward for a 25 hour delay was one free drink and absolutely no apology whatsoever. Furthermore, we only received an explanation when a fellow passenger asked a member of cabin crew. An incident had occured on Saturday morning, which begs the question - Why couldn't a replacement aircraft have been found for Sunday night? Overall, the flights weren't too bad but i'd prefer not to fly with Astraeus again.

Astraeus review by David Wilcockson
16 September 2005

Man –Salsburgh 31 Aug. Aircraft was a 737 of British European Airways It was scruffy, Seated in 3E there were food deposits on my tray. The ashtray cover had been torn off leaving a number of sharp jaggered metal edges capable of cutting hand or forearm. Sals-Man : aircraft was an Astraeus 737-200 looking its age outside and scruffy inside with tea/coffee stains on the cabin wall. Seated in 1E either side of which the armrests were missing. These armrests should cover the folding trays serving row 1 but since missing exposed the uneven edges of the food trays. This was very uncomfortable. I asked the chief stewardess if they ever maintained the interior. She explained that replacements were probably on their way from Gatwick. When she saw I was not convinced she said she would check the report log to find how long the armrests had been missing. She never came back with an answer. Astraeus claim on their web site that they have a fleet of modern aircraft. Do they mean their aircraft have jet engines since I believe the 737-200 can be 30+years old, it certainly showed in the ones I flew in? All this has convinced me never to fly with this airline again

Astraeus review by Lianne Blakeley
13 September 2005

On arrival at the airport on 20th August we were informed by the check in assistant that there would be a small delay with the flight. It was another 3 hours before we were told that we would be delayed further and that we would be issued a meal voucher for some lunch. After a cold and very poor quality lunch we waited for another 3 or 4 hours before we were told that the flight was delayed until the following day. We were not informed by a representative of the airport or by a rep from Astraeus but by a fellow passenger who had also heard from another passenger. Our stay at the Radisson Hotel was uncomfortable to say the least due to the fact that our luggage would not be handed back to us ‘unless it was for medication or something important’ as quoted by a member of the airport staff. The food much like the airport café, was cold. The lack of communication from ‘one of the leading airlines’ as quoted in their very dull in flight magazine is the worst that I have ever had to experience, We did not receive one phone call or visit from a rep to reassure us of the situation and had to rely on the hotel staff who seemed to be as much in the dark as we were – not that it is the responsibility of the hotel staff to inform Astraeus customers when they will eventually be departing for their holiday. Finally on board the flight we were offered 1 drink per person free of charge – Surely one of the leading airlines can offer more than a bottle of water by way of compensation? The airplane was dirty and smelled foisty. My seat had on it what could only be a urine stain, needless to say as soon as I saw an empty seat, I moved. The lack of leg room was appalling for my 6ft 2 partner who suffered from cramp for the whole flight because of this, and the flights were certainly not cheap! The return journey was not much better. After being delayed for 45 minutes on the plane which was very hot and stuffy my partner discovered that there was chewing gum on his seat and in the footwell. Luckily it did not stick to his trousers but his shoe was covered and it took me over an hour to clean when we got home. Again my tray was filthy and the seats looked stained. Whilst looking through the tatty in-flight magazine I found filthy messages written by previous passengers (who obviously shared my disappointment with the company) which I do not care to repeat as they were too obscene. I was deeply offended by the language which was used and am only glad that I found the magazine, not a young child. The service provided by the cabin crew was unacceptable. Not only did they not smile, they did not once say please or thank you when I paid for my drinks. When I asked for a blanket I was told that they had all been given to the children to use, I could clearly see that some blankets had been placed on empty seats and were not being used so I mentioned this to a member of staff who replied, ‘I have already told you that there are no blankets left’ and walked off. The rest of the cabin crew were not much better I can honestly say that the outbound delay and the rudeness of the cabin crew on the inbound flight almost ruined my holiday.

Astraeus review by Keith Paterson
9 September 2005

I flew with Astraeus on a Boeing 737 return to Kefalonia from Manchester, on a short flight they were as good as anyone else. The plane was in good condition and was very clean, the cabin crew were efficient and friendly. The food was good and delivered quickly and with a smile. There was no in flight entertainment, as you are on a charter flight you only get what you pay for.

Astraeus review by Mark Cooke
25 August 2005

Manchester to Taba, which is a 5.5 hour flight. We checked with the Astraeus website first to follow advice before travelling. We did everything right, we arrived at the airport very early for check-in, requested emergency exit seats for the extra legroom and were told that this was fine and that appropriate seats had been allocated to us. This is when the good bit ended. We were taken to a Boeing 737 and our seats (26a/b) were not at an emergency exit, but were in fact the very last row at the rear of the plane against the bulkhead. The legroom was tiny and these seats, being against the bulkhead were bolt upright and would not recline at all, but the seats in front did recline, right into the already restricted passenger space of our seats. The inflight entertainment, which you would normally expect on a medium/long haul flight was non existent. There was no radio or tv facilities on board. The in flight meal was average, and cabin crew seemed insensitive to our needs/comfort. This type and size of aircraft is, in my opinion inappropriately equipped for such a flight and I would strongly urge people to consider this before booking the Manchester to Taba flight. Our return flight to the UK was delayed by 10.5 hours with no compensation offered by Astraeus. I will not fly with Astraeus again and would not recommend this airline to others.

Astraeus review by Colin Bishop

24 August 2005

We travelled by Astraeus to Kalamata in Greece and were lucky enough to have a 757. The legroom was wonderful and made all the difference between civilised travelling and being treated like sardines. Food was very acceptable too. We are off to Santorini next month, also with Astraeus, and are praying for a 757! It was welcome to see a response from the airline to passenger comments on earlier posts. Nice to know someone is listening and is interseted in passenger feedback.

Astraeus review by Colin Bishop

24 August 2005

We travelled by Astraeus to Kalamata in Greece and were lucky enough to have a 757. The legroom was wonderful and made all the difference between civilised travelling and being treated like sardines. Food was very acceptable too. We are off to Santorini next month, also with Astraeus, and are praying for a 757! It was welcome to see a response from the airline to passenger comments on earlier posts. Nice to know someone is listening and is interseted in passenger feedback.

Astraeus review by Steve Bowden

24 August 2005

We flew Manchester to Bodrum Milas (Turkey). Outbound flight (7/8/2005) was delayed 3.5 hours. At one point the reps at Manchester airport insisted that the delay was only 2.5 hours when the board was clearly showing 3 hours. This was obviously to avoid handing out meal vouchers etc. Two of my party had to return after 1 week and their flight was delayed 1.5 hrs. The rest of us turned up at Milas at midnight on 21/08/2005 for a 3.45 am departure. By 2.30 am we were in a hotel in Bodrum and had been told that we would fly sometime in the afternoon. In fact we spent 2 nights in the hotel and had a total delay of 32 hours. We were given a very brief excuse for the delay, a baggage handling truck had damaged the aircraft in Manchester, but were given no explanation as to why another aircraft could not be found to fly us home. They even had the gall to charge full price for drinks on the flight back.

Astraeus review by Paul Harvey

24 August 2005

Gatwick - Preveza: Outbound reasonably ontime departure and arrival, comfortable 757 lots of leg space, decent meal, good crew etc. Return one week later nearly 4 hours late due to a fault in the plane prior to departure from Gatwick. The crew were apologetic, a free bar up to £3, free sunday newspaper etc all that one might expect when things go wrong. Now for the "But" -- for a few weeks prior to my flight I monitored their punctuality via their website, the BAA Gatwick site and teletext and it was obvious that one slight glitch somewhere in their schedule had massive effects later on. Prior to departure I asked my tour operator if they thought we would get back on time (for work reasons) and was told off the record "No!" I would like to think I would fly with them again but they must work at improving punctuality. Users of this website will note the main complaint with them is their time keeping - Astraeus please take note and improve.

Astraeus review by Barbara Feld

17 August 2005

Having returned from a one week holiday to Olbia, Sardinia, flying Astraeus Airlines, I have to report that the delays we experienced were totally unacceptable. To cut a very long story short, the delays totalled 17 hours on our outgoing flight on the 23rd July, (finally being flown out on a Monarch indirect flight landing in Alicante, Spain, and 20 hours delay on our return flight one week later. Throughout, no information was forthcoming.

Astraeus review by D Thomsen

15 August 2005

I recently returned from Alicante to Leeds Bradford with Astraeus (Boeing 737-300) not particularly favourable opinion I am afraid. What can I say, the outbound flight was delayed by 3 hours with no updates from any of the airline staff. It was left to the cabin crew to apologise, overall the cabin crew were attentive and courteous and the aircraft clean although my seat armrest was broken. The return flight was a shambles of an affair, we were told we had a delay of 1.5 hours, the only time we saw any agent of the holiday company or the airline was when they handed out meal vouchers ( by the way for a delay of 1.5 hours thats when I guessed we would be there a lot longer!) then they did the famous disappearing act!!. When the plane did turn up 3.5 hours later it was a replacement aircraft and a different airline (Boeing 757 of Titan Airways, much superior in both respects) as opposed to Astraeus. Only when we returned home did we find out that the delay was known about first thing in the morning with us arriving home at midnight some 12 hours, they knew about the delay so why lie to its customers and say only a delay of 1.5 hours.

Astraeus review by Paul Burgess

8 August 2005

Our 6.00am flight from Manchester to Skiathos left 30 mins early, and our return two weeks later left 40 mins early!! This must have been just lucky, but the space on the aircraft (737-700) was far better than previously experienced, the food was OK and the staff did a professional job. We certainly got the impression that they were succeeding in achieving a higher standard than the average.

Astraeus review by Ian Green

2 August 2005

My wife and I have just recently flown from Leeds to Funchal with them. The aircraft was clean and the both outbound and inbound cabincrew were polite cheery and welcoming. On the out bound I had a faulty seat, but because we go via Cardiff myself and other passenger's were allowed to swop seats. The food was ok - but as it was a short flight quite adequate for our needs. The aircraft had no onboard entertainment which made the flight seem longer. Can't win them all.

Astraeus review by Jonathan Cairns

2 August 2005

Never again. Have just returned form Cyprus. The plane provided for a 4 hour 40 minute flight had no leg room, no entertainment. Flight should have left Larnaca at 11.00pm but was delayed for 3.5 hours. The same thing had happened the week before, even though the crew had been stood down at Leeds Bradford, the poor passenger in Cyprus still bussed to the airport to spend 3.5 hours sat there. How would the Astraeus Management feel if they were treated like this ? Why do holiday companies let such air carriers get away with this ? The UK crew knew the flight was going to be late, because the plane was being "overbooked" for use on the previous flight. 

Astraeus review by Tony Davies

29 July 2005

Having just used the Manchester to Taba route, I found that the '737' was not adaquate for this length of journey with the seat pitch, lack of entertainment and time taken and would certainly not use this route again, but would the Gatwick route with the '757'. As for service etc, no problems.

Astraeus review by John Ramsbottom

28 July 2005

I have recently flown with Astraeus and I have mixed views on their performance. On the outbound flight I was told to check in 3 hours early but no member of staff appeared until two hours before the flight this was therefore a complete waste of my time. The check-in staff were polite considerate and helpful and the plane left on time. The 757 was very clean and I cannot praise the legroom too highly. I am 6.1ft and I did not need to tip my seat back to sleep in the comfortable seats. Toilets were clean and cleaned during the flight. The in flight meal tasted dreadful and more work is needed to improve here. The cabin staff were very pleasant and attentive, some were inexperienced but a senior member of staff always dealt with any problem that arose. We arrived very punctually. Apart from my meal I was much looking forward to flying back with Astraeus but the return flight was carried out by Lat Charter with a A320. Lat Charter are some sort of post eastern- block nightmare of an airline. The cramped badly maintained aircraft was complimented by a cabin crew who were rude, ignorant and patronising. Everything was too much trouble. The toilets ceased to work properly; the food was revolting and badly served. Outbound flight 8/10 inbound 1/10 and this score has only been given because Lat Charter did not crash the aircraft. Astraeus have the potential to be a great airline. There attitude to legroom and the charter flyer is refreshing and they strive to achieve true quality. I will fly Astraeus again. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and I want them to succeed as the rest of the charter industry will have to raise its game to compete but if there is one more Lat Charter fiasco I will scratch them from my list of potential carriers.

Astraeus review by G Keller

14 July 2005

I have recently returned from a wonderful holiday in Taba Heights. I flew with my husband and found the flight had the best seats I have ever had with a charter airline. Peltours told us Astraeus were good but I had never heard of them - will definitely use them again. Your staff are a also a great asset to you. Food was good - delay outbound was handled well and the food voucher appreciated. Well done.

Astraeus review by Lynda Craig

12 July 2005

Taba with Astraeus Airlines and have nothing but praise for the staff onboard. The flight was operated by the 757 that has extra leg room. The plane was not the most modern but it was comfortable. The seat pitch was 35" and this is more than some Premium Cabins that we have flown in. To get this service you have to fly from Gatwick on a Saturday and book your holiday with Peltours as they charter the aircraft. We also upgraded to the Peltours Premium Class which allowed us to have a separate check in at Gatwick which was a benefit - and we also received drinks, snacks and an upgraded meal service. As the flight was not busy in Premium, we had the middle seat free in both directions. We were very impressed with the food.

Astraeus review by Jenny Holt

29 June 2005

Have just come back from Taba. We booked the premium "Star" class and believe it was excellent value for money. The separate desk to check in at Gatwick was a real bonus. We thought using the 757 was a huge improvement and will definately fly Astraeus again. I have a general question which I wonder if anyone has views on. I always end up in the middle seat and invariably lose out on arm rests, particularly if the person in the aisle seat is large and selfish.

Astraeus review by Sue Ollerenshaw

8 June 2005

Manchester-Taba-Manchester, arrived back last night and have nothing but praise for the airline and its staff, Those who think there is little legroom should try travelling with Monarch. I have travelled around the world and have found this airline to be one of the best for legroom. The food wasn't brilliant but it was edible. The staff were excellent and always had a smile for their passengers. Entertainment would have been nice but I was happy to forfeit the entertainment for the extra legroom!

Astraeus review by D Hendry

4 June 2005

Manchester-Taba return. Service was good however the size of plane 737 was not suitable for this length of journey, especially with no entertainment on the aircraft. The ash trays in the arm rests had also no been cleaned out and were full of rubbish. Would fly with the airline again however would have to check the aircraft first as I couldn't stand a five and a half hour flight on a cramped 737.

Astraeus review by S Moss

4 June 2005

Travelled to Taba from Manchester 3 times now with Astraeus. The planes are the cleanest and probably the newest I have flown on, being 6' 2", I do prefer a little extra leg room and have found no major issues with the seat pitch. After all, if you get a bit numb, stand up, walk around and sit back down. The food was extremely good quality and the staff were great. In my opinion, the flight plays a vital part to the holiday and it can be a real anti-climax when you end your holiday and your thinking about a cramped, noisy, poor return journey, which is something I have not yet experienced with Astraeus and I hope they continue to provide such an excellent service.

Astraeus review by Dave Stanley

3 April 2005

Gatwick - Freetown - Gatwick March 21st - April 1st. This route uses the 757's with the extra leg room. This is the way it should be on all medium/long haul flights. It really does make a difference to the whole experience. Astraeus do a good job on this route, which has suffered from poor service by a number of other airlines. The food and service are both good. The twice weekly flights are generally full, so hopefully some more will get added. The only negative side is Freetown airport. It has been refurbished, but it is still pretty unpleasant because of the inadequate air conditioning and inefficient staff. Not Astraeus' fault, but it will put people off. Full marks to Astraeus for reading/responding to this forum.

Astraeus review by Bob Ellis

1 April 2005

Astraeus on the 22nd March 2005 to Banjul via Bristol. The 737 configuration has a seating quality less than low cost airlines and is suitable for one to two hour flights at the maximum. The size of the plane is such that it is impossible to stand in the aisle without blocking the movement of passengers and crew. There is no entertainment which tends to lead to a boring 8 hour flight as the seating comfort makes it impossible to read a newspaper. We were sat in row 26, the back row of the plane, and when the passengers in front reclined their seats there was 8 inches from my face to the back of that seat. This was very claustrophobic, and made it impossible to get in and out of the seats. The crew down to Banjul were very good, but the crew on return were very surly to the point of rudeness. Altogether not a good experience, and one that we will never repeat.

Astraeus review by Jonathan Hinkles (Commercial Director - Astraeus)

26 March 2005

Just some observations in response to Sue Hudson's recent comments on the Manchester-Taba flights that she undertook with Astraeus. Firstly, the aircraft operating the route are only two years old and are amongst the youngest charter aircraft flying in the United Kingdom. Secondly, I am baffled by the comment about lack of toilets. The 737 aircraft has three toilets for 148 passengers (one per 49). Looking at the two other main types operated by UK airlines on charter flights: Boeing 757 - 235 seats - 4 toilets = 58.75 passengers per toilet Airbus 320 - 180 seats - 3 toilets = 60 passengers per toilet There are times during a flight (e.g. after the meal service) where no reasonable quantity of toilets on any type of aircraft can cope with passenger demand and it is inevitable that queues will occur at such times. That said, in general, the 737 is better than other aircraft types. Turning to the legroom on the 737 aircraft, the average seat pitch is 29 inches. This is comparable to other aircraft types flown in a standard seat layout and better than some types including the 757 in a full-economy configuration where the seat pitch reduces to 28 inches in some cabin sections. I would add that Astraeus has become the first operator on short and medium haul flights to offer an extra-legroom product throughout the cabin on our Boeing 757s (mostly flown from Gatwick) where the seat pitch is six inches greater than the norm and so we do believe that there is a market for a premium extra-legroom service and are offering such a product. However, I still firmly believe that the 737 seating is acceptable on both short and medium haul flights (and for the record, I have travelled on a lot of our flights myself!). In simple terms, we operate a number of routes with Boeing 737 aircraft because it is the only economic way of serving some routes where demand is insufficient to fill larger aircraft. These include Manchester-Taba, Bristol to Banjul and Gatwick to Aqaba in Jordan. Without the long-range capability of our 737-700s, these and some other routes arguably could not be serviced profitably and the range of services available to the traveller would therefore be reduced. There is inevitably going to be a trade-off between convenience of regional departures or resort airports and the size of the aircraft used; but as per my previous comments, I don't believe that the larger aircraft operated by many of our competitors actually offer a comfort level any different to Astraeus' 737s! Finally, thank you to all respondents for their feedback.

Astraeus review by Sue Hudson

21 March 2005

Just done a five and a half hour return flight from Manchester to Taba, Egypt. The food, drinks, service and time keeping all good, but second-hand 737s are not adequate for long haul flights - little leg room and few toilets. A three hour check-in at Manchester is excessive, too.

Astraeus review by Sue Hudson

13 March 2005

We just had a superb holiday by the Gulf of Aqaba and the return flight from Manchester to Taba, Egypt, contributed to the pleasure with good in-flight food/alcohol/drinks, good service and the maintenance of schedules. Second-hand Boeing 737s are, however, not adequate for these flights - little leg-room, only three toilets (one used by flight deck crew also) for well over a hundred passengers and no in- flight entertainment.

Astraeus review by Tim Hardless

1 March 2005

Gatwick to Tenerife and back. Flight out - on time, excellent food and service. Although I don't think the aircraft on which we travelled was the one with extra legroom (it was a 737), the seating was more than adequate for a four hour flight and better than that on some other airlines (namely Monarch). The flight back was quite eventful. We boarded the Astraeus aircraft on time at Tenerife, but the Captain then announced that the aircraft had a problem and could not fly back to Gatwick. There were no spare parts of the type needed to fix the aircraft in Tenerife, so the aircraft was grounded there until further notice. We were understandably concerned about what would happen next! A short wait followed and the Captain then said arrangements had been made to fly us home on another airline. He escorted us (around 100 people in all) through the terminal building at Tenerife to get on the other flight which was operated by LTE. Although the flight back on LTE was not as good as the Astraeus flight (food was poor), full marks to Astraeus for sorting out the problem so quickly and to the Captain for keeping us up to date with the situation and then taking us across to the other flight himself. We landed back at Gatwick about two hours later than the Astraeus flight should have done. All in all - flight out was very good and despite the problems on the way home, Astraeus looked after us really well and did everything they could to get us back to Gatwick.

Astraeus review by Matt Valentine

28 January 2005

We flew to Chambery, France and back from Gatwick in January 2005. We flew in a Boeing 757 and were amazed to find that every single seat on the plane had a 36" seat pitch. Absolutely wonderful! Being 6' 2" tall most flights are painful but this was better than our premium class seats which we normally book on long haul flights. About time an airline thought about the space on short haul flights. The service was very good as well and the staff were very friendly.

Astraeus review by Victoria Beattie

13 January 2005

My husband and I flew with Astraeus airlines from Manchester to Bangul,Gambia on 30th December returning on 6th January. We were extremely disappointed by the service provided by this airline. Firstly, our flight did not leave at 10 am as indicated on the flight ticket. We were told that this was a print mistake and that the airline did not have time to contact all passengers. These timings were also provided on the internet. Secondly, there was a distinct lack of legroom. My husband and I regularly fly and were amazed at the lack of legroom making it extremely uncomfortable for the duration of the flight some 6 hours. Thirdly, we could not believe that there was no in service entertainment on this 6 hour flight. Apparently if we had flown from Gatwick with Monarch then we would have received this service. At the very least we feel that we should have been informed beforehand so that we could have brought adequate reading materials on board. Fourthly, on the return flight there was a distinct lack of professionalism. The staffs were in our opinion very rude and spent most of the time talking to each other. At times they were argumentative with some of the passengers.

Astraeus review by Terry Austin

20 October 2004

My colleagues and I want to convey our thanks to the crew who flew us back from Gambia on flight no. AEU 252 15/10/2004. I am a regular flyer and I have flown 65 times this year alone but Have never had such a good time like the one we had returning from Gambia. They made the 6 hour fight seem like one hour. I think the crew are an asset to your company.

Astraeus review by G Gray

15 September 2004

I recently flew on AEU 405/6 to Skiathos on a Boeing 737. I found that the seats where particularly close together, so much so, it was noticable how main men where standing in the aisle, stretching their legs during the flight. It was actually worrying that I did not think that in an emergency I would be able to get into the aisle.