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Bulgaria Air Passenger Reviews and Bulgaria Air Customer Trip Reports
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BULGARIA AIR customer review : 14 July 2010 by Nina Koryakina (Russia)
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Trip Rating : 1/10 |
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Recommended: |
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Value for Money: |
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Cabin Flown: | Economy |
Booked Bulgaria Air, Moscow - Bourgas - Moscow for our family vacation. First, they cancelled
all Sunday flights, so we had to fly out on Friday - we learned about it on Friday. The times
were changed, too. From comfortable 7pm from Moscow and 2pm to Moscow, to 3am from Moscow and
about 8pm to Moscow, arriving at about midnight. And we are traveling with three kids.
Bulgaria Air seems to be in business of causing inconvenience, for this was a small one
comparing to what was awaiting on our way back. They routed the flight from Bourgas to Moscow
through Sofia. I thought this was not such a big deal, especially when I saw that there would
be just 50 minutes between the flights. However, they made all of us go through the whole
procedure: - claim our luggage; - check-in; and even - passport control. We had to go through
security check on our way to the plane and some of the passengers had already opened their
Duty Free bags from Bourgas Duty Free. When they asked what were they supposed to do now, the
answer was Put it in your luggage.It was quite a sight to see these poor fellows rushing back
to check-in stands and asking for their luggage back. The check-in clerks had no way to claim
it back - or so they said. We thought the airline would provide us with a meal, since they
extended the time of our flight from 2.5 to 6 hours. There was a cold sandwich and a cup of
juice. That's it for a six-hour journey. The kids on the plane were going crazy - overtired,
hungry, just exhausted. Nobody in Bulgaria Air cared enough to reserve the front seats for
passengers with kids, though this is a common practice for all major charter providers. All
the way we were treated like a heard of sheep, not like customers. As one passenger on this
forum put it, customer service is an alien concept for Bulgaria Air.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 17 May 2010 by N. Bowman (USA)
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Trip Rating : 8/10 |
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Recommended: |
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Value for Money: |
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Cabin Flown: | Economy |
Frankfurt to Sofia return. The ground staff in Frankfurt and Sofia were very helpful and gave
us the seats we requested. The flight to Sofia was a smaller plane and unmarked, but it was
clean and comfortable. We received a sandwich and dessert and drink selection offered was
good. On return we flew a 737 and the leg room was very tight, but luckily it was not a full
flight and we were able to move around. We had a packed lunch with sandwich and cake and the
same nice selection of drinks. The crew seemed courteous and responsive to requests. We left
and arrived on time, and we had no baggage problems on either end. All in all, it was a good
experience and I would fly Bulgarian Air again.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 28 March 2010 by D Crawford (UK)
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Trip Rating : 1/10 |
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Recommended: |
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Value for Money: |
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Cabin Flown: | Economy |
This is a ridiculous airline, very badly run! I flew them BFS-SOF-BFS in February and it was
the most horrible flight I have ever been on. The space between the seats is nothing and I
sat the 3+ hour flight with my knees jammed to the seat in front. The flight attendants were
rude and kept obsessing over the stupid curtain between business and economy (there was no
difference on this flight as it was a charter) and only did half the safety briefing on the
outbound. The heat on the plane was unbearable and any time you asked for a drink of water the
flight attendants would acknowledge your request but made no effort at all to fulfil it.
Another person in my group went to the galley himself to get a drink after having asked the
flight attendants several times. The flight attendants could barely crack a smile and they
only time they spoke was to give an unenthusiastic hello as we were boarding or to stand in
the aisle and wave their hands about while complaining about the amount of children in the
aisle. The plane had no Bulgaria Air titles on it or anything to suggest that it was the
country's national airline. While it was a new A320 and very quiet, I found the seat layout
ridiculous.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 23 February 2010 by E Black (Ireland)
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Trip Rating : 0/10 |
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Recommended: |
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Value for Money: |
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Cabin Flown: | Economy |
Just back from a skiing holiday in Bulgaria, flew with Bulgaria Air. Very bad experience.
Cabin crew were the grumpiest I have ever experienced - did not smile once during the whole
flight. The plane was extremely old and had no logo on it at all. No room in seats, completely
squashed. On the return flight to Belfast I found a three foot long piece of plastic lying on
the ground under my feet! Take off and landing extremely poor - never again.. Felt unsafe
during the whole flight, cabin crew have no english.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 19 December 2009 : by Davide Greco
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Customer Rating : 3/5 |  |
Sofia-Varna return. I was a little concerned about this flight after reading some of the
comments but I had a positive experience. Both flights on time, airliner was an Avro 146 which
is OK for a 40 minute hop. Cabin crew friendly and with good english skills. On the contrary,
ground crew at both airports barely said "hello" to me and looked very bored.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 3 November 2009 : by Pat Leiper
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Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
Sofia-Heathrow return. It's a matter of luck with Bulgaria Air. My flights were fine and the
cabin crew pleasant. Food - small ham and cheese sandwich and a small cake and it's free.
Drinks free and a good selection. My only complaint is not enough leg room. Sadly, when my
family flew Sofia-Heathrow a few weeks later things were different. They found a half-chewed
sandwich in the seat pocket with a lump of chewing-gum on top! When they showed it to the
attendant she remarked "Dirty English passengers from previous flight"! My family also
complained about leg-room and stale food. So, as I say, it's a matter of luck. However, I will
use them again if the fare is competitive.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 28 September 2009 : by C Mueller
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Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
SOF-Varna return in Business Class (operated by Hamus International Airlines). At SOF airport
separate Business Class Security Check. Very nice lounge from where Business Class passengers
are picked up and delivered to aircraft. Older AVRO Jet, inside completely coloured with white
paint. Very wide seats (mechanics a bit worn out), spacious leg room. Drink and Snack offered
on 50 minutes flight. Very attentive and friendly staff. Present (bottle of wine and some
cosmetics) on departure. A very good experience at € 230 for both ways in Business class!
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 30 August 2009 : by Randall Nelson
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
SOF-MAD Business Class and BCN-SOF in Economy. Outbound flight to MAD was a new A319.
Business seat was comfortable, with a wide seat. Seat recline was good. Flight attendants
attentive. Breakfast good and generous portions. Return BCN-SOF A320 seated in emergency
exit so comfortable enough. Sandwich and free drinks provided for the 2:30 minute flight.
Overall was quite impressed with Bulgaria Air, their fleet is new, flight attendants very
attentive and professional. Their prices are comparable to low cost carriers on their service
to Europe and they depart and arrive at Sofia Airport's modern and spacious Terminal 2 versus
the old Terminal 1 for the low cost carriers.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 25 June 2009 : by C Gotsch
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Customer Rating : 4/5 | |
LHR-SOF My first flight on this airline, chosen for price and convenience (dep LHR at 6pm).
Check-in quick (no queues) and reasonably friendly (handling agent is Alitalia). Boarding by
seat row, smooth and efficient. Seat pitch not great but in my opinion no worse than on most
other airlines these days. Friendly PAs. Departure and arrival were both on time. Rather long
wait for luggage at SOF.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 22 June 2009 : by G Chinn
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Customer Rating : 4/5 | |
LGW - Varna. This airline seems to have improved since I last flew with them a year ago.
Fairly modern A320 plane (although completely unlabelled as Bulgaria Air as others here note)
left and arrived on time, staff friendly and efficient and snack/drinks ok (free, after all!).
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 3 June 2009 : by M Nedkov
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
Vienna to Sofia . Absolutely unacceptable. Old plane - probably 20 years. Seats falling
apart. No any space between seats. Plane dirty. Poor service - no newspaper. The worst
sandwich ever seen. Shame for Bulgaria. By the way the plane was not even showing the Bulgaria
air logo.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 18 April 2009 : by J Morley
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Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
Sofia LHR, A320 not even showing the Bulgaria air logo. Flight attendants very good, food
only a sandwich and small cake, choice of wine, beer and non alcoholic drinks. Flight on time.
Seats cramped. Cheaper then low cost flight.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 4 November 2008 : by Eric Kubisch
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Customer Rating : 1/5 | |
Sofia - Varna. It all started by a short delay before we could embark a 1989 ATR 42/72. The plane
looked old and tired.A fter some research, I found out the plane's operated by Hemus Air, a compagny
owned by Bulgaria Air. Once onboard, we waited for another hour or so. When asked, the stewardess
told me we were waiting for someone's luggage. That was total BS, as no airline waits 1 hour for
someone's suitcase, especially because there was another flight to Varna one hour later! Anyhow, we
started and eventually took off. I noticed we weren't gaining altitude, which was kind of scary. It
actually got worse when I noticed that instead of gaining altitude, we were actually loosing
altitude. After just a few minutes of "flight" we turned back, and we heard the message from the
cockpit "Cabin crew, take your seats for landing". After a bumpy and loud descent, we eventually
landed in Sofia again. On biard, everyone was pleased to have landed safely. When asked if we could
disembark, the crew said they did not know. But passengers' pressure made them open the doors and
everyone left the plane. Not a single explanation was given to us about what happened. We were just
scheduled on a new flight some 3 or 4 hours later. When leaving (at night) I just noticed engineers
looking at the plane's engines.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 30 September 2008 : by C Francis
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Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
LGW-Varna-LGW. - It wasn't as bad as some of these reviews say. I agree that the planes are shabby,
there isn't a lot of legroom and FA's are not brilliant but the pilots get 10/10 for experience. The
return flight was better than the outgoing as the plane was newer and the food was ok - the rolls
are not stale, they are cold from storage and the drinks - Bulgarian wine is rank anyway so stick to
the soft stuff and you'll be fine.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 29 September 2008 : by Martin Hack
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Customer Rating : 1/5 | |
Several return flights LGW-Varna. Despite assurances at the airport check-in that vegetarian meals
were booked, they were not provided on board. FA unhelpful, disinterested and bordering on rude.
Told I should take the ham out of the ham & cheese roll. Legroom very limited, making flight
uncomfortable. Raised the issue of poor service for vegetarians with Customer Service department
but they have never replied! British Airways are often only about £20 more (and are sometimes less
than Bulgaria Air) so feel doubly aggrieved.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 26 September 2008 : by Peter Bedson
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Customer Rating : 2/5 |  |
London - Sofia new Airbus. Someone sitting in my (exit row) seat as he could not fit in his seat.
FAs uninterested; fortunately the aircraft was only about 1/3 full so I sat in another exit row seat
which was fine. Looking at the other rows the legroom was suitable only for the very short - I
didn't think such cramped seats still existed. Fortunately, there was not a return flight the
following day so I had to use another airline which catered for normal sized humans.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 23 September 2008 : by E Dennison
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Customer Rating : 1/5 | |
LGW-Varna. On check in we were given a seat that did not exist (12C). I asked the crew for help and
was dismissed with a waved hand. Thanks to the flight not being full we managed to find two seats at
the back alas next to a seat where someone had been sick. My seat did not stand to upright position
and kept sliding back. Overall the aircraft was filthy, the crew very unhelpful and did not inspire
any confidence at all. The return flight was no better. Another filthy old aircraft. On arrival at
Gatwick the crew had great difficulty opening the aircraft door (it took them 20 minutes at least).
Legroom is the smaller I have ever experienced. Never, never again.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 13 September 2008 : by Peter Shaw
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Customer Rating : 1/5 | |
Absolutely terrible. Booked return flights from Manchester to Bourgas via Sofia for family of 4,
months in advance. Bulgaria Air changed schedule 2 weeks before holiday without telling us - only
found out by contacting them. They denied this would cause problems until 2 days before flights,
when they said there would be no return connection at Sofia. We were forced to lose a day of our
holiday at the Black Sea. We were provided accommodation at Hotel Pliska - terrible - filthy,
dangerous and bug-ridden. Ground staff very unhelpful, and UK office staff slow to respond to
complaints, and refused to offer any compensation. Never again.
BULGARIA AIR customer review : 19 August 2008 : by Werner Bartsch
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Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
FRA-SOF-FRA economy. Both flights very punctual. FRA-SOF Plane not the newest one - but everything
ok and clean. Drinks, wine, beer included, one sandwich with ham and cheese - no choice for
vegetarians and some small cake. Announcements in English are sometimes unintelligible or missing.
Airport in Sofia new and clean and fast service in check-in. Legroom in Economy is a joke (I am 184
cm) and my knees hit into front chair (had luck that front-passenger didn't recline his seat).
Fortunately chair next me was free. SOF-FRA - brand new Airbus 319. For 252 € return flight service
was satisfying not worse than 4Star-Airline.
Bulgaria Air - by W McStay
15 August 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
LGW-Varna. Worst flight of my life. Check in was painfully slow. Aircraft an old B737, really
showing its age, some safety lights not working, quick fixes everywhere; not what you want to be
flying in. Legroom was an absolute joke, budget carriers such as flybe and easyjet are made to look
roomy in comparison. Air hostesses arent rude; but never smile and talk only broken english. Some of
the cabin announcements were not repeated in english, leaving me to wonder what on earth was going
on. Horrible ham and cheese sandwich provided as an in flight meal, and selection of drinks limited
to orange or apple juice. VAR-LGW : slightly newer plane this time, legroom marginally better but
nowhere near good enough. Flight was a generally better experience, same ham and cheese sandwich but
a better selection of drinks and marginally more pleasant air hostesses. Check in was again slow and
baggage reclaim took forever. Bulgaria Air does a great job of making you feel completely insecure
and uncomfortable for over 3 hours. If the country is to shake its communist image and become the
modern european country it aspires to be and is in so many places it must improve its national
carrier.
Bulgaria Air - by Lawrie Hall
5 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
SOF-LHR . Get what you pay for. On this occasion very lucky as the BA flight would have gone to
T5! Check-in smooth, plane on time. Ham and cheese sandwich (Bulgarian speciality - try going to a
Bulgarian railway station) followed by cake - a bit mean on a three and a quarter hour flight,
especially as SOF airport restaurant closed. Glass of wine and then a beer, then coffee dished out.
FAs efficient if not exactly friendly. Seat pitch not wonderful, but then my short fat torso does
not ask much. So, on time, reasonable comfort, bags on carousel within 20 minutes of arrival. Cost
about the same as a 'no-frills' but service better. But how lovely to have a pre-allocated seat, and
get on and off the plane through a proper air-bridge.
Bulgaria Air - by B Milner
10 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
LGW-Varna return. Outbound check-in at LGW a breeze, and very helpful staff sorted out adjacent
seating for group of 10 going to a wedding even though only the first 2 passengers had arrived. Leg
room great, though inflight food and drink horrendous. Return flight technical delay of a couple of
hours, but the aircraft had at least 3 inches less legroom than outbound. Hot, cramped, horrid
flight. If I knew I was on the aircraft with decent legroom I'd be willing to put up with the poor
catering for the comfort, but the return aircraft made a 3 hour flight intolerable.
The flight costing £75 compared to BAs £180 made it worth it though.
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