ATLAS BLUE review : 9 July 2008 : by Linda Gray

Customer Rating : 1/5

We had the misfortune to travel with this carrier on our recent holiday to Morocco. The outbound flight left on time and arrived on time. The actual aircraft was elderly, the seats had no support left in the cushions and sagged really badly. Leg room was very limited and these two factors made for an uncomfortable journey. We knew it was a no frills carrier but hadn't anticipated that no frills extended as far as no toilet paper and front of cabin toilets being out of use for the entire flight! The staff did their trolley rounds selling food, drink and duty free then disappeared and were not seen again until close to arrival. The homebound flight was a nightmare. We checked in to Marrakech airport at 7.00am for an 8.30am departure. We were advised there was a short delay. Next we knew we were being shepherded to the car park for transfer to a local hotel for Breakfast and Lunch - very ominous. At no point did a rep for the company speak to the passengers and when you did try to speak to people they either pled ignorance or lack of English! For the next 12 hours we were left in limbo - meals were provided but there was no provision of drinking water other than with lunch. If you wanted more than the provided half litre you had to buy it at a cost of approx. £2 per bottle. By various means we eventually found out that we would be ferried back to the airport for an 8.40pm departure - 12 hours late but there was never a rep from Atlas Blue nor did the hotel make any attempt to ensure that all passengers were aware of arrangements. Eventually we took off at 9.40pm possibly missing 3 passengers! We had already missed a connecting flight to Edinburgh and had asked that some one from Atlas Blue be at Gatwick when we arrived. We must have been daft to ask - not a person to be found and to compound the misery Servisair said they had nothing to do with Atlas Blue and directed us to Aviance who then referred us back to Servisair. This carrier couldn't care less about customers and their is no customer service whatsoever. An email sent to complain bounced back - their mail box is full!! How do they get away with it?

ATLAS BLUE review : 9 July 2008 : by T Martin

Customer Rating : 3/5

LGW-RAK. You get 20kg baggage allowance on Atlas Blue. The cabin crew were ok but fairly uncommunicative - also painfully slow and took an eternity serving refreshments down the aisle. On the return a week later they put on a B757, but for some reason crammed all the passengers into the rear section instead of spreading us more, even though the plane was only about a third-full.

ATLAS BLUE review : 11 June 2008 : by B Brown

Customer Rating : 3/5

LGW-RAK. Flight was scheduled at 13:00. Luckily I checked, departure time was actually 14:00. Airline did not inform me of this, though savvy travellers will check a few days before! Check-in no queue. A321 modern and clean, and flight on time. No inflight entertainment, but you can buy drinks and snacks. Cabin announcements in Arabic, French and English. Their English was a little hard to understand! For the price I paid (£100 return) this was excellent value. For a low-cost carrier, Atlas Blue is better than Ryanair or Easyjet and you don't have to pay for baggage or check-in.

ATLAS BLUE review : 13 May 2008 : by Tim Langford

Customer Rating : 1/5

London Gatwick/Marakech return. At Gatwick the outbound journey time - advertised as 13.00 on the website and tickets - was actually 14.00. No prior e-mails warning of a change in departure time. No explanation given - but then the airline staff are invisible. There are no airline staff on the ground: I asked around and was told by another airlines desk that 'they are usually hiding, or on an extended break'. I was told by a flight assistant, by way of explanation, that I could have found out about the time change by consulting the inflight magazine (I'm not making this up! Note to staff - the magazine actually states '13.00'). The return flight at 07.30, from Marakech, left 4 hours late. A story that evolved in high-farce traditions. No Atlas Blue staff, no intelligent information - leaving a void that was filled with rumour and hearsay. Plenty of Royal Air Maroc staff (who all tell you that the airline is entirely independent of RAM so nothing to do with them - nice spin but actually it's 99.9% owned by RAM). Reasons given were 'plane is broke', 'no pilot', 'plane late from London' (untrue, as it starts from Marakech) 'pilot sick' 'have to find pilot who knows this plane' - so the clock ticked by and we waited - tannoy announcements came and went telling us in 30 minutes there would be an announcement - and 30 minutes later there would be an announcement telling us there would an announcement in etc. Finally there was a plane, we boarded. Asked the staff what had happened - they didn't know, said they'd all been waiting themselves since 5am. Atlas Blue is unreliable, poorly organised, zero accountability, invisible management and deliberate obfuscation.

ATLAS BLUE review : 13 May 2008 : by M James

Customer Rating : 1/5

Flight out to Marrakech was OK, only delayed by 30 minutes. The in flight service is poor and they ran out of food quite early on, take your own food as this is a common event. The return flight was a complete shambles. We booked for the 0730 flight. When we checked in at 0600 no one said there was a problem, although they knew by this time there was no plane available for the flight. By mid morning we were told there was a delay, communication was very limited and it was not until several hours later they confessed there was no aircraft available. Eventually they took some of us out to a hotel for lunch (due to poor communication a few passengers got left behind). No one thought to count how many passengers they took out to the hotel, and, as there was no official staff member organising our return 2 couple almost got left behind for the return journey to the airport. When we returned we found there was still no plane available. Eventually they leased one in from Majorca and we eventually boarded about 8 hrs late. At no time did a representative of Atlas Blue speak to the passengers. If you do choose to fly Atlas Blue don't book the early morning flight. Talking to other people we found out this happens quite often.

ATLAS BLUE review : 27 April 2008 : by Krzysztof Leski

Customer Rating : 2/5

I did not expect much, thus it's hard to say I'm disappointed. Atlas Blue took me from Warsaw to Agadir and back, on a crowded Airbus A321 (218 seats version!), what is really a tough experience considering the distance (3600 kms or 2250 miles) and the flight duration (4 hrs 45 mins). It was my longest ever flight on a narrow-body plane, and the worst, though, well, I survived. Food quite acceptable (well, I expected none ;), but you cannot buy more (or drinks) if you've got no euros on you (credit cards are good only if you want to purchase goods in their onboard duty-free shop). Screens showed maps all the way, what I like - but the screen was so far that I hardly could read anything. Furthermore, Atlas Blue (well, in strict cooperation with mother RAM) invented a revolutionary graphics scheme of displaying white letters and digits on white background. The crew was OK, but you better learn French - communiques in English were VERY hard to understand.

ATLAS BLUE review : 27 April 2008 : by Patrice Santiago

Customer Rating : 2/5

Inflight service limited but friendly flight attendant. Rude ground staff in Marrakech. Small seat pitch and quite cramped on A321, more comfortable seats on old but not tired 737-400. 1 hour delay on both flight, it seems that Atlas is rarely on time. Would recommend Atlas, but expect delays.

Atlas Blue review by Ricky Hever

12 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW to RAK. Check in desk at LGW a little slow. A321 was more than adequate for the 3 hour flight, no delays and no problems with baggage reclaim at RAK (Marrakech). On the return flight there was a very slow check in at the airport. My only concern was the lack of food and drinks on the return flight which was unacceptable considering the delay. The plane used was a 757-200 which was fine. I would not hesitate to use this airline, as they arrive earlier than easy jet in Marrakech, and as a low cost airline you know what to expect. Fault that I could find with Atlas Blue was the additional charge added to my final bill due to conversion from EUR into GBP, I was quoted 413.00 for two flights yet the final bill was 433.80 GBP, still very cheap in comparison but very sneaky!

Atlas Blue review by Sarah Hangartner

11 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Five friends and I booked an flight from Geneva to Marrakesh. Atlas Blue canceled it without telling any reasons and some of us were even not informed by Atlas Blue. We could choose between changing the date or getting a refund. All of us chose the refund. We're waiting now for our refund for 3 months - they do not react on emails, they just speak French and give wrong information when calling them. As we're a couple of people we might consider legal action against this unfriendly and unprofessional company. We actually believe that this is a strategy of Atlas Blue to earn money. I dissuade everyone from booking Atlas Blue flights and hope that this company doesn't survive too long to cheat many other customers.

Atlas Blue review by A Panjabi

1 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

We should count ourselves fortunate that we had a fairly smooth round-trip journey from Gatwick to Marrakech last week. No cancellations or lost baggage and only minor delays. Our main problem was not with the airline, but with BAA and ServisAir (Atlas Blue handling agent) at Gatwick. A painfully slow check-in process owing to the baggage belts failing and incompetent check-in staff. Would I choose the airline again? We did not have a bad experience. However, having read other comments on here, we'll probably think twice for our next trip to Morocco.

Atlas Blue review by Yvonne Quarroz

28 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

We had a cancelled flight Marrakech-Geneva in november 07 and it was offered that we could change the date or receive our money back. We preferred another flight with easy jet, we phoned and it was promised, that we could get our money back in no time! I was waiting several weeks, I phoned, I sent mails, no reply. I'm still waiting for the money. I would never chose this company any more, very bad service. It seems that they are not interested in satisfied tourists! So our nice trip to Morocco had finally a bad taste.

Atlas Blue review by Christophe Chouleur

16 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Marrakech to Brussels on an Atlas Blue Airbus A321. The plane interior clean but seats cramped. After take off I was allowed to change seats as the plane was not full and I got more space. Flight attendants nice and polite. Drinks and food available for sale - very good Chicken sandwich, Moroccan style, for 4 euros. We departed and arrived on time.

Atlas Blue review by Xavier Biondi

6 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

We went to Agadir at the end of February with Atlas Blue. 20 minutes delay at Orly. Boeing not very new but good general state. The staff was not unpleasant. The luggage arrived in good condition and quickly. In short, it is a reasonable company which could better do on the airport service and the service onboard but for a flight of 3h15, one cannot expect "luxury". Food and beverages are buy- onboard, and the price is reasonable.

Atlas Blue review by Helen Watkins

26 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

We were supposed to fly to Marrakech on 23/12/07 at midday, but our aircraft was delayed. The communication was poor and unsatisfactory, and it was difficult to find out any information. The aircraft was diverted to Birmingham because of fog. We awaited coaches to pick us up, but the first did not arrive until 1745, ours didn't leave Gatwick until 1900. We were told we would leave that evening - when we arrived at Birmingham, our estimated time of departure was approximately 3 am the next morning - still with no guarantee!! We couldn't believe it. Gatwick had washed their hands with us - it seemed no one seemed to care what happened to us. We finally left Birmingham at 0445 on 24/12/07. We have been unable to contact Atlas Blue, they have not sent us any response to our complaints and requests for letters to confirm the delays.

Atlas Blue review by Ian Parker

17 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW-RAK Return. First time I'd used Atlas Blue and it was fine. Very slow check-in at Gatwick but we pushed back on time. Check-in staff had allocated non-existent seats - row 12 on an Airbus A312 has only 4 seats but the flight was half empty so not a problem. The aircraft was rather old and a bit tatty. Yes the refreshments were minimal, but cheaper than easyjet, 70p for a coffee rather than £1.65. Both outward and inward flights were on time. If you want a cheap flight, use them.

Atlas Blue review by N Kelley

13 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Be aware if booking from UK online that exchange rates quoted for Euro to £Sterling on Atlas Blue web site may not be accurate. For my booking actual rate was 1.33 - whereas Atlas Blue were using a rate of about 1.45 to give indication of prices in £ (a difference of almost 9%!). This could cost you quite a lot of money on a return flight. No reply to my email (after 2 days) message querying this discrepancy.

Atlas Blue review by J Rundo

9 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Milan-Marrakech 4 times in past two years and no complaints. First of all the price and then the convenience as until recently (there's Easyjet now) it was impossible to fly direct from Milan to Marrakech. Last year they also had the extra bonus (for me at least) of allowing 30 kilos of luggage on flights to and from Italy. I hope they continue that!

Atlas Blue review by D Rose

26 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Atlas Blue on the LGW-RAK return route and I was not impressed. This is the second trip I have made to Morocco with Atlas Blue and I have observed a drop in standards. The airline no longer serves the complementary meal it used to offer its passengers last year and all food items served are "on sale" at ridiculous prices. The food choice is also very bland and limited and include Mars/ Snickers bars, mineral water, lukewarm coffee and a choice of either a cold chicken or cheese and salami baguette. The cabin looked slightly worn and could have done with a bit of a clean. Having said that, Atlas Blue fly direct to Marrakech from Gatwick and get you there at 3pm, which is so much better than the later arrival times of BA and Royal Air Maroc. Cabin staff are friendly enough and I still feel they have an advantage over their competitors such as EasyJet because of their arrival time. I am aware that Atlas Blue have started to operate an A321 on some of its european routes, it would be nice to see these introduced on the LGW-RAK route however. Their 737-400s need a bit of an overhaul as far as the interior is concerned.

Atlas Blue review by J Forbes

5 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Used AtlasBlue for a weekend to Marrakech. They are basic, flights on time both ways, staff courteous but not overly friendly with little english spoken. B737-400s certainly seen some miles and cabin did look tatty! But it was cheap.

Atlas Blue review by A Midd

15 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Had Gatwick-Marrakech return flight booked for well over 4 months, the day before I was due to fly a received a phone call saying my flight had been cancelled. They couldn't (or wouldn't) tell me the reason why and said I could have a refund or change the dates forward a day. Luckily managed to change dates of my hotel in Marrakech without much trouble but I was stuck with my connecting flight out forcing me to pay for a hotel at Gatwick and then paying extra to change my return connecting flight. No help at all was offered from Atlas Blue - they gave me another number to call but they just gave me their original number to call back again. 6 emails to an address at Atlas Blue I was given to sort it out have never been answered! Add to that a 5 hour delay going out because some mystery part was getting delivered. The cabin crew were unhelpful, the rolls were stale and when someone complained about the lack of soap and hand towels in the toilet their reply was to the effect that since it is a 'no frills' airline what do you expect? The flight coming back was probably not much more than half full. The way this airline is going hopefully they wont be around much longer!

Atlas Blue review by Carole Patrick

13 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Used Atlas blue to fly to Marrakesh from Gatwick in July. No problems going out, old plane but did the job. Had been told that they would want euros for the food and drink on the way back so we had a few ready. They advertised a type of 'meal deal' in the brochure which they were quite happy to serve on the way out at the advertised price but decided on the return journey not to honour the advertised price and told us we had to pay for each item individually - we tried to argue the point, showed the brochure price to them and said that was what we had paid on the way out but they didn't want to know. Would we fly with them again - probably not.

Atlas Blue review by V Rubens

25 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating : n/a

Marrakech to Gatwick - this was the worst experience I have had with an airline. I was to fly out on June 6h to Gatwick but when I got to the airport there was no such flight. Apparently according to check-in counter that the flight was canceled. Trying to get any assistance was near impossible and they didn't have any solutions to offer me so that I could catch my connector flight from Gatwick home to Toronto. After 20 min of debate and discussion, we just walked away and had to wait 3 hours till the Atlas Blue office opened. The gentleman in charge there was nice but his hands were tied, he said he just worked there and it was a terrible airline. He did get me a flight 2 days later but of course I missed my connector. I had to buy another flight home from Gatwick and also had to spend a night at a hotel in London all at my expense. No offer of anything from Atlas Blue. I'm out of pocket a whole lot of money and guess it's my fault for going with this airline in the first place. It seems to be how this company operates, at this rate am sure they will be out of business soon.

Atlas Blue review by F Sheikh

22 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

We were originally flying from Gatwick - at Gatwick we found the flight had been cancelled. There was no Atlas Blue desk and nor was there anyone to tell us this. I got this information from another operator at the desk. Someone from Atlas Blue did arrive rather late and told us we were on the 9:00pm Royal Air Maroc flight instead. We were given a day room at the Sofitel Hotel and lunch vouchers. During lunch we heard from others on the flight that apparently this was quite common place for Atlas blue to cancel flights at the last minute and transfer passengers. On the return leg again our flight was cancelled - I checked this time before we reached the airport and was told we were again on a Royal Air Maroc flight (their parent company) for our return journey. I asked for confirmation and was given this over the phone by the staff. At the airport however when checking in we were told the flight was full and as we were an Atlas Blue customer and not RAM we would we placed on a waiting list. After arguing with them to no avail for about 45 minutes. They told us to speak to an Atlas Blue representative, again no one showed up from Atlas Blue. Eventually we got on the flight but this was probably due to some people not turning up. This is the worst experience with an airline ever. I would never fly with them even if you paid me. Very unprofessional and have no regard for their customers.

Atlas Blue review by Andy Thompson

10 May 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

Atlas Blue LGW-RAK on the 06th May 07. Although by reading posts on this site before travel, I realised the age and quality of the aircraft could vary, it was disappointing that our plane was an old one. The emex seats assigned at check-in at LGW were not taken onboard, firstly because the row assigned was not emergency exit, but also because the last few rows on the plane were out of service for reasons that were not explained. Passengers supposed to be seated at the back were told to find alternative seats. Two male crew members served onboard in a rather casual black cardigan "uniform". Unfortunately the pay meals were not that great either as the Moroccan mint tea and patisserie was not available. My replacement choice of a red wine was available, but the crew member could not unscrew the top, so asked if there was anything else I wanted. After having exhausted all my choices I gave up. Coming back the Atlas Blue flight was operated by parent company Royal Air Maroc branded aircraft and crew. A brand new 737-800 rather than the tatty old 737-400 on the outbound journey. Although I had no complaints, some Brits complained that they could only pay for food and drink in € and not £. As I had euros it did not bother me, but as pounds were accepted outbound, it did seem strange! Nice to also have smart (female) crew in uniform on the AT operated flight. Overall, I think I would avoid Atlas Blue. The logo and design is more modern than the aircraft, but I was impressed with Royal Air Maroc and would fly them again.

Atlas Blue review by P Herman

9 May 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

Madrid-Marrakech return. Fine overall. The 737-400 was reasonably new with an attractive interior. Seats comfortable and legroom adequate. Food was for purchase only, but prices and selection were reasonable. Crew were friendly and professional, safety regulations were abided by. I can't comment on luggage since I hadn't checked anything. The only surprising thing on the way to Marrakech was that all crew announcements were made in French and Arabic only, quite shocking since the vast majority of passengers were Spanish or English. On the way back to Madrid, most announcements were made in Arabic and English, with a sprinkling of French, but again no Spanish. I would think the concept of safety includes clear communication between crew and passengers, but without better language skills on the part of the crew this is impossible.

Atlas Blue review by F Lay

20 March 2007

Marrakech to Paris Orly. Checkin didn't open 2hrs before departure, so a line up of passengers developed. In the end, it became clear that the flight wasn't going to be that full. It was bizarre to see a supervisor enter the departure lounge yelling "Orly flight...boarding". The dispatch staff had 'forgotten' to start boarding the flight it seems. As it turned out, the plane left on time because there were just 13 passengers on board our 737-400!! I echo Pierre Sprumont's comment regarding the introduction of user pays for the inflight meals and beverages. The first indication of this new 'service' was in the seat pockets after boarding. But overall, for the price I paid, and the empty plane, I was happy with Atlas Blue. Not sure how happy I would be if the flight was full!

Atlas Blue review by Pierre Sprumont

13 February 2007

Geneva / Marrakech return. On a short holiday; our second experience with that company . Surprise on both legs. At check-in in GVA, my wife and I were warned that a supplementary stop would take place in Basle, which was quite unexpected and not planned on the Internet schedule. Very nice check-in (seats 1 E and G!) but arrival at midnight with a 2-hour delay. The return from RAK was marked by first the rehabilitation works at Menara Airport (not Atlas Blue's fault!), and by secondly the sudden appearance of charges on board catering (of a quality worse than the free meal served 7 days before: one-day old sandwiches). In 15 months, the cost/efficiency ratio went down form good to acceptable. Yet we would fly again with them on a next flight to Marrakech.

Atlas Blue review by Adam Bunting

25 November 2006

Marseille - Fez return. Both flights left on time and arrived on time. My wife suffers from claustrophobia and prefers the front row. On both these flights the first couple of rows were blocked, but as no-one was using them when we boarded, the crew instantly said we were more than welcome to change places. Not only that, but my wife was asked if she was all right several times on both flights. On the outward journey the captain offered to let her visit the cockpit if that would help. On the flight home, the captain visited the cabin and personally checked on us and others. Interior was a bit tatty and food was a 'no thankyou' but full marks for two remarkably trouble-free night flights with charming and cheerful service. NB owing to the nature of the route all announcements were in Arabic & French and I have no idea as to whether any of the crew spoke English.

Atlas Blue review by Chris Nurko

12 October 2006

Atlas Blue was excellent. It left on time from Gatwick in a modern interior B737 w/ faux leather seats. Seat pitch was tight, but no worse than easyjet or ryanair. Service was friendly and functional. Food did not look appealing, but it was included in the price! Very impressive. On the return, there was a slight delay and the B737 was an old RAM plane (interior old / exterior new) but the staff were pleasant and efficient. The vegetarian meal was excellent and no bags were lost on either leg of the journey.

Atlas Blue review by Samir Hitan

25 September 2006

Travelled Atlas Blue from London to Marrakesh in April. Unfortunately on my return journey my baggage was lost. Trying to contact the airline is impossible as offices are based in Marrakesh. Tried numerous phone calls to the office but never any answer. Managed to speak to a lady who promised she would help me and return my call but never did. Sent numerous letters but still now response. Now in September with no re- imbursement for the luggage I feel cheated. How can an airline treat its customers in this way. I would avoid this airline at all costs as they come across as amateur.

Atlas Blue by Robert Fein

6 September 2006

LGW-Marrakech) leg was 2.5 hours late and that was the GOOD leg of the journey. On the return journey we got to the tiny Marrakech airport 1.5 hours ahead of time and there was already a mad scrum. Atlas Blue had oversold their allotment (it was an Atlas Blue / Royal Air Maroc code share) by at least 16 seats and bumped the part of our group that booked thru Atlas Blue (fortunately, the three who booked thru R.A.M. got on, but one lost her baggage and no one will take responsibility, but that's another story). However, the bumping was an excerise in extreme farce. Am unable to decide which was the most painful element of the experience between their inability to tell anyone of the 16 bumpee's what was going on, their abandoment of the group for hours at a time, their hiding behind security guards, outright baldface lying, beyond shoddy customer service (i.e., ticket agents accusing people who have been waiting in line for 90 minutes of trying to check in at the last minute), and general organisational incompetence, during LOW season no less. in short, they turned a 3.5 hour trip into a 36 hour trip. As someone who has been flying for over 33 years, I have never had such a bad experience. So much so, that under no circumstance would I recommend anyone flying with Atlas Blue.

Atlas Blue by Alan Jonson

10 June 2006

Marrakech to Gatwick. The most uncomfortable and cramped flight I have been on. Atlas Blue seat rows are extremely close to each other even compared to charter flights or the budget airlines, and so give an intense feeling of claustrophobia especially if the plane is full as mine was. Cabin crew service and food was good, but could never compensate for the minimal seating space. By today's standards this isn't a cheap airline either at £170 for a three-hour flight, so can hardly be labelled low-cost. I will be glad when Easyjet starts providing some competition on this route.

Atlas Blue- by Sandra Collyns

20 April 2006

London Gatwick - Marrakech return on this so called low cost airline (although the fares are not that cheap!) This airline was a nice break for someone used to flying with Ryanair. First of all, we were allocated seats at check in, so there was no scramble for seats, the FA's were all extremely nice and we got food (even if it was uneatable.) Overall I give this airline good marks, but can't wait until Easyjet start flying this route in the summer, because although customer service isn't so good, the fares are a lot cheaper.

Atlas Blue- by Simon Albury

23 November 2005

From fine to dire in 5 Days. Fine = LGW-Marrakech. Sparse but sufficient leg room and seat backs reclined. Excellent FA's, charming service. Dire = Marrakech - London. Insufficient leg room, seats didn't recline. FA said first three rows reclined. Tried centre seat in front row (1B?). This seat was so narrow my hips felt as if they were in a vice. Moved back to 12 D and then found a spare exit row seat which was fine. On 17 Nov I was delighted to find such a delightful budget service to Marrakech. On 21 Nov I doubt I will risk the possible discomfort of Atlas Blue again. Pity the experience is so variable.

Atlas Blue- by Pierre Sprumont

9 October 2005

Geneva-Marrakech return on this rather new low-cost company launched by Royal Air Maroc. Clean aircraft (B 737-400) on both flights, cramped seat pitch (but we are used to that in cattle class, aren't we), more or less decent hot snacks, punctual departures and arrivals, and smiling FA's. All in all, a satisfactory experience with an excellent cost-efficiency ratio in spite of the lack of competition on the segment.