EASTERN AIRWAYS review : 10 October 2008 : by Mark Wagner

Customer Rating : 5/5

I've previously flown with Eastern Airways between MAN-INV / LBA-INV but low cost airline FlyBE forced them to quit these routes earlier this year. Eastern Airways maybe a little pricey but professional, excellent service and friendly staff makes up for it. I welcome Eastern Airways' return on these routes!

EASTERN AIRWAYS review : 2 October 2008 : by James Weir

Customer Rating : 2/5

I fly periodically with Eastern, and agree with earlier comments about the friendliness and helpfulness of cabin staff. However, their charges are pretty high, and although they are cheaper on routes they compete with flybe on, they are always more expensive. That is fine, but I recently had to fly back from NCL to SOU and got to the airport much earlier than expected. Eastern showed no flexibility re: changing my ticket and demanded I purchase a new ticket. Fair enough, so I asked for the taxes and charges to be transferred to the new ticket. Not only was this refused, but the ticket agent was adamant that the taxes are not fundable. They cannot have it both ways - charge full service prices and behave like a low cost. Ironically, if I was flying low cost such as Easyjet, I could have done this for about £30, but with Eastern wanted closer to £150! It is hard to swallow when I am regularly paying £240 return for a domestic round trip. That degree of inflexibility is going to force me back onto Flybe.

EASTERN AIRWAYS review : 2 October 2008 : by B Atkinson

Customer Rating : 5/5

Leeds Bradford to Southampton with Eastern Airways. Efficient, friendly check in at LBA, swift boarding and an on-time departure. Clean, smart aircraft, although I wouldn't like to do a longer trip on the J41! Informative captain, friendly professional cabin crew. Offered drinks including champagne and snacks, which was fine for the short flight. Arrived at SOU 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Very impressed with this airline and would use them again on this route.

EASTERN AIRWAYS review : 15 August 2008 : by Elizabeth Hawkins

Customer Rating : 5/5

Checked in by friendly and helpful girl at Leeds/Bradford. Straight through Fastrack. Eleven passengers in Jetstream so plenty of room. Flight attendant was friendly and welcoming. Drinks/snacks. Chatty captain. Landing at Southampton bng on time. Despite the extra cost (probably less if I didn't have to book the day before because of family bereavement) I will choose them if possible next time I fly. Before this flight I had never heard of them !

EASTERN AIRWAYS review : 16 July 2008 : by A Bailey

Customer Rating : 5/5

CWL-NCL easy check in, lounge very good, took a couple of minutes from lounge to seat on aircraft. One cabin attendant, fantastic service including complimentary drinks, snacks, sweets and hot towels on a 1 hour flight on 29 seater aircraft. Baggage reclaim at NCL took just a couple of minutes.

EASTERN AIRWAYS review : 21 June 2008 : by J Langdon

Customer Rating : 4/5

The 2nd time that I've flown with Eastern on business on the MCR-INV route. I enjoy flying in the Jetsream, and although inflight catering is a little lacking, the champagne makes up for it. They've now introduced Valet parking at Manchester if you're going away for 3 days or more, which although a little walk to T3 is very efficient with online booking & discounts. MAN check-in is always swift, which is more than can be said for the security queues that you always find, so although flying domestic you want to check in 60 mins before departure, the queues demand a long- haul check-in although Eastern only tend to open the desk 90 mins before departure. The last time I flew the INV-MAN route, the Captain had to get out of the flight deck to unload the hand baggage from the hold as the handling agents hadn't shown. How many other airlines would do that for you? Inverness check-in and security is always a breeze, as is baggage reclaim, its a shame that the Inverness Long stay car park is so far away from the terminal, especially if its raining! Flying with Eastern is always a pleasant experience, even more so if you book far enough in advance, although some standby fares might be a good idea. I just wish Domestic Arrivals would get their act together, on both trips that I've taken, baggage reclaim has always taken 30 mins plus at MAN which is always longer than the other domestic arrivals stood around you, plus they rarely display which carousel your luggage will appear on so you have to go hunting amongst the 3 of them.

Eastern Airways review - by S Ackroyd

11 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Teesside-Aberdeen return. The first time I have flown with Eastern Airways. Experience was excellent. Smooth flight out in good weather, smooth flight back in high winds (small wobble on take off and landing but minimal and I think a small plane is better in worse weather). 29 seater new plane, fantastic staff, free champers / alcoholic drinks / tea & coffee. Only small snacks to choose from such as mini cheddars. Airport lounge at Aberdeen with free tea & coffee papers and plasma to watch. £125 return isn't cheap but quality of service and experience beat a no-frills flight at £70-£80 return hands down.

Eastern Airways review - by Darran Burr

5 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

MAN-STN-MAN. Very efficient little airline, small Jetstream 41 propellor aircraft operates this route, complimentary Champagne offered on both sectors as well as other alcoholic and soft beverages and snacks, all served by a single cabin crew member. Both flights operated spot on time. Baggage delivery very speedy, I literally walked into the baggage hall at both STN and MAN and my case was already going around the conveyor belt, this was excellent and speed of baggage delivery is important on a short business trip. Easterns pricing can be a little steep, but booking very early can avoid this. Overall an excellent service.

Eastern Airways review - by R Sawyer

9 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BRU-SOU (or not as the case was) 3 Mar 2008. Arrived to find flight cancelled. No handling agent just given a piece of paper with a phone number on it and told to get on with it. Option to stay in Brussels (had a meeting in Newcastle next morning so impossible) or get a partial refund (the return portion of the fare) and do it yourself. I managed to get back to Southampton via BA and Heathrow being severely out of pocket. When I called Eastern Airways the next day to ask what they were going to do about it the answer was 'nothing'. They offered options which I didn't take, despite the fact that they were impossible for me and worse still that to fly to Newcastle the next day I was using Eastern Airways again! Up until this week I would have nothing for praise for them but when the going got tough they left - very poor show indeed.

Eastern Airways review - by Alex Taggart

15 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

IOM-BHX. Friendly efficient check-in, flight left exactly on time and courteous cabin crew member. Good inflight service (including Champagne). One slight drawback with Eastern is that costs can be high, but early booking sometimes overcomes this. Along with Manx2.com Eastern are the best airline operating out of the IOM - EuroManx and FlyBe are poor by comparison.

Eastern Airways review - by Jon Earnshaw

17 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LBA-SOU-LBA. First trip of the New year with Eastern. Checked in at LBA warmly and greeted with a smile - as I was returning the same day, asked if I could have return check in and told sadly not. Never mind - checked in and through fast-track security within minutes. Welcomed on board by staff who greeted everyone warmly - sweets offered before take off and a selection of drinks & snacks, including buzz fizz provided to the 8 passengers on board - not sure how Eastern make this route pay? But would have welcomed something a little more substantial at this time in the morning (0650) - hot towels and more sweets provided before landing. Returning back to LBA - checked in by friendly agent and through to the gate with no fuss. 9 passengers back to LBA and again welcomed very warmly on board - selection of drinks, hot and cold provided and a selection of snacks - a sandwich would have been welcome as I had missed lunch. Champagne offered seperately, shame about the plastic glasses. Sweets and hot towels provided before landing. Good flights and reliable service - thanks again Eastern, just think you need to re-examine the catering options.

Eastern Airways review - by Edward Impey

27 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Southampton to Angers (Val de Loire) return. A very fine small airline with exceptional service. No queues, no aggro, no messing about paying for luggage and fast track. Flights on time and personal service all the way. Travel the way it should be at the right price. I hope they can keep up the standards, and the niche routes which are so important to some of us. The champagne is a lovely touch, especially when i dont have to drive the other end! The hostess on my flights deserved special mention, she was quite simply the best I have never had the pleasure of being looked after by. I am happy to pay an extra £50 for the exceptional convenience and stunning reliability. I shall be disapointed by flybe and easyjet from now on!

Eastern Airways review - by Allan Thomson

20 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

ABZ-SOU; prices can be very expensive, but managed to get an attractive price to visit relatives by booking well in advance. Normal prices on this route are unrealistic for leisure travel. Our experience is how it should be - checked in about an hour before departure and no queue. Coffee and shortbread in Eastern lounge, peace and quiet and time to read paper. Flight called about 20 minutes early; only 13 passengers (29 seater Jetstream 41) so no crowds. All quickly seated and take-off 10 minutes early. Into teeth of a gale, so climb and descent "interesting"! Flight took a good 2 hours though. We were seated between the propellers, and the noise was such that we couldn't hear announcements - very wearing. Cabin service was very good, and the offer of champagne made it seem a bit special, even if acceptances (this was a morning flight) were low! A decent sandwich rather than the biscuits and crisps offered would have been welcome on this 2 hour flight though. Landed about 5 minutes late, in arrivals about 5 minutes later, and luggage on carousel within another 5 minutes. Not bad, eh! Return flight a few days later very similar, but this time only 6 passengers. Is this sustainable? Perhaps increased numbers of more competitive fares could be available to encourage use. I don't imagine Eastern wish to subsidise this in the long term.

Eastern Airways review - by Jon Earnshaw

4 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LBA-SOU. Checked in quickly and Eastern flights use the Fast-Track channel to security. Only 6 passengers. So we were all placed into the middle of the plane but I had an emergency exit seat, so plenty of room. Welcomed warmly on board - FA took my jacket and offered sweets & ear-plugs before take off. Once airborne a personal service offered, hot drinks, bucks fizz and a selection of snacks and biscuits - all very good. A second offering of bucks fizz was offered. Sweets and hot towels were offered before arrival - the flight of 50mins passed quickly. The inflight service and attention to detail had been outstanding. I would choose Eastern over Flybe any day but acknowledge the price difference.

Eastern Airways review - by Stuart Ward

19 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

My wife had to fly back from the IOM to BHX recently due to family emergency. The price was OK, £110, for a literally last minute booking and as she had no luggage checking in wasn't a problem. She was surprised to discover the flight took off 10 minutes early and the cabin crew were serving drinks as soon as possible after take off. this was because the hour long flight actually only took 35 minutes. So the flight arrived 30 minutes early, well before the person arriving to collect her got to the airport. She told me the flight was only half full and was very smooth. Far better then FlyBe who we have used in the past and costing not much more.

Eastern Airways review - by C Stephenson

12 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

IOM-BHX. Eastern seem to take particular pride in keeping flights on-time: in both directions we arrived early and this was highly appreciated, as I had onward connections. The plane was clean and tidy, smooth and quiet (considering the small size of aircraft). The staff were very attentive: free drinks and snacks good. Prices seem OK as long as you book well in advance, a little expensive otherwise: but it's worth extra for the feeling that it's a reliable and competent service.

Eastern Airways review - by F Odds

15 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

ABZ-LBA return. I have flown Eastern from Aberdeen off and on for several years. Their fares have become remarkably expensive. At the prices Eastern charges, and with their handy security fast track arrangements at some airports, I assume they intend to provide a kind of business class. On that basis, their insistence on removing even very small pieces of hand luggage at the aircraft door for flights of 45-60 minutes is an irritation. Compare the Eastern attitude with Heathrow Express which attracts passengers paying a premium for just 15 minutes sat at a table in their first class coaches! Having all passengers scrunched into the middle of the aircraft even when it's only half full (it seems the Jetstream 41 can't cope with a randomly distributed load) is a further irritation. The snacks offered are minimal and uninspiring (mainly crisps and biscuits) and the champagne offered on afternoon flights is not really special when served warm in plastic flutes uncomfortable on the list. An overpriced airline to choose only as a last resort when all other options have been exhausted.

Eastern Airways review - by Richard Coxon

19 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

BRU to MME as the only direct flight. On arrival at BRU was checked in quickly but only from a colleague, and too late, was told that I could have used the BA Lounge in BRU. The Jetstream is a noisy, cramped, tiny plane with no overhead bins, and so for the first time ever I had to have my laptop in the seat pocket in front of me and my laptop bag in the valet luggage, which is the usual trolley at the aircraft steps. No newspapers or magazines on offer. The service, for the flight time and price, was derisory, with just drinks and a packet of crisps (once) and the FA was offhand and not friendly. Return flight exactly the same from MME to BRU. Wouldn't fly this airline again, not at the terrible high fares, until they replace the awful planes and give the passengers some service.

Eastern Airways review - by STUART PEARSON

11 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LBA-SOU-LBA. Speedy check-in, and priority security lane at LBA a real bonus. Once onboard, offered sweets/ear plugs prior to take off. Once airborne, snacks and drinks trolley offered. Champagne a real benefit. Tasty wine offered. Very quick flight down to SOU and the Captain was quite chatty and kept us informed throughout the flight. Disembarkation seamless and baggage arrived exceptionally fast. Flight back to LBA great with no concerns. Cabin crew on both journeys very professional. Would prefer to fly with Eastern over FlyBe any time, although i acknowledge the price difference.

Eastern Airways review - by A Harrison

10 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

I fly on a semi regular basis with Eastern - traveling from Newcastle to Aberdeen (I am an offshore worker). The service provided is OK - certainly no better than BA or Gill Air who ran the route prior to Eastern. The down side of flying with Eastern is the cost - compared to other regional airlines they are head & shouders above when it comes to the price of tickets - it is cheaper to fly from Birmingham, Heathrow, Gatwick Luton etc etc to Aberdeen than from either Newcastle or Teeside. Additionally they are totally intransigent when it comes to missed flights due to offshore weather or other helicoptor flight delays. Both BA & Gill would accomodate offshore workers where possible (as they recognised offshore workers as valuable customers & wanted to encourage our ongoing business), however the Eastern answer is invariably if you want a later flight buy another ticket - not the best way to encourage repeat business. The majority of my co-workers now use alternative methods of travel.

Eastern Airways review - by Daniel Boyd

17 December 2006

MAN-INV return. Jetstream 41 - very comfortable aircraft to fly, although not much room to stand in for a guy 6ft 2 like myself. Both ways, we were waited on throughout the journey! We were offered ear plugs before the flight, boiled sweets, and then crisps etc and champagne! Checking in from Manchester was a little time consuming as we had to use the BMI counters, but from Inverness, it was swift and easy. All 6 passengers were waited on throughout this process! Although a little pricey, I think Eastern Airways has it in the bag.

Eastern Airways review - by Jack Taylor

12 November 2006

I have flown up and down from Humberside to Aberdeen for 25 years. (Working on the rigs). Fistly with Air Anglia then Air UK and now unfortunately with Eastern Airways. I have now had to resort to alternative transport (Train) The cost is now way out of my league. I recently purchased a Fly Drive to Florida cheaper than the return ticket to Aberdeen!! What I can never understand is that the majority of the flights are normally less than half full. I'm sure if the price was dropped for offshore workers they would fill it every time and still have room for the business traveller who has their fare paid. Ive emailed them on numerous occasions and rarely get a reply. My only hope is that a low cost airline decides to fly out of Doncaster and introduces some competition.

Eastern Airways - by Jon Earnshaw

21 June 2006

LBA-ABZ-SOU-LBA. Arrived at LBA to catch the 1330 flight to Aberdeen, welcomed aboard the comfortable Jetstream41. Only 11 passengers to deal with but FA provided a very high standard of cabin service in the 1hr5mins flight. Drinks with a selection of snacks were provided after take-off, with sweets and ear-plugs before departure and landing, a complimentary glass of champagne was served too, shame it was warm and served in a plastic flute - but a nice touch anyway. Hot towels were also offered. ABZ-SOU was SAAB 2000 and FA though friendly was not as welcoming as the previous sector, the flight made a 30min touchdown in Newcastle to pick up passengers, again drinks and snacks were service, hot towels, sweets but no champagne, though it was on the bar should you want it. The flight to LBA was full with a massive 4 passengers - the FA made all 4 of us feel welcome and referred to us by name throughout the 55min flight. Drinks were served after take-off again with a selection of crisps and biscuits, champagne was available but had been put off by the warm stuff on the way down and the plastic flute! - sweets were served before take-off landing, hot towels offered too. I found the service excellent from start to finish, the crew very friendly and welcoming and a credit to the airline, I just wish they would serve chilled champagne in proper glassware, and perhaps something more substantial like a sandwich but on the whole a very impressive first experience for me. Well done Eastern!

Eastern Airways - by James Duckworth

18 June 2006

SOU-BRU-SOU. A short notice trip to Brussels on the first day of the world cup was unlikely to be cheap however £550 return for a return from Southampton strikes me as excessive. Aside from the cost however, the services was very acceptable. Southampton remains a delight to fly from - friendly staff, small planes and no route-marches to departure gates - whilst the Jestream 41 was more comfortable than larger commercial aircraft as well as offering a better view from the window. The complimentary glass of champagne may be a marketing gimmick but I think it works - I certainly made mention of my complimentary champagne to anyone who was interested (and probably some who weren't). Would consider this service again but not at this cost.

Eastern Airways - by Tony Brady

18 April 2006

I fly with Eastern Airways nearly every week between Aberdeen and Durham Tees Valley. I am finding of late that the level of service has started to dip. More often than not, there is something different with each leg - ie sometimes there are sweets, sometimes not, sometimes hot towels, sometimes not, sometimes champagne, sometimes not. There seem to be newer crew on this route, and they can sometimes be pretty unfriendly - especially is the flight is busy. Some of the Jetstream 41's are also no starting to get a bit tatty and tired looking. Overall, for the cost of each ticket, I still don't think I am getting value for money, but as has been said in another thread, Eastern fly to regional airports that others don't, and this means you don't have to drive.

Eastern Airways - by Keith Looseley

9 March 2006

ABZ-BRS. With snow causing chaos on roads and at airports, I was far from certain of reaching my destination. Lots of flights, including Eastern, were delayed. What I want to record here is the outstanding job the ground staff did in keeping passengers informed. Every few minutes, someone was coming in (it helps that at ABZ they have a dedicated lounge) and saying something like "ATC have decided they need another snow-clearance run, so that'll be another half-hour". In other words, no vague "for technical reasons" PAs, but face-to face with understandable explanations. I venture to say that no-one minds delays, it's lack of info that causes frustration and anger. And, in fact, we were only 30 minutes late out and back.

Eastern Airways - by Nicolas Fournier

19 December 2005

Southampton-Brussels return. A mixed experience, first the good points. The flight was on time in both directions, in fact early going, and organisation efficient. Both flights were only about half full, so even though it was a small aircraft, space was not a problem. The flight was in an aircraft operated by Cirrus Airlines, a German carrier, and I guess the crew were also part of the leasing arrangement, they were fine (the stewardess was friendly and very helpful to a disabled passenger). Now the bad points, it is a massive rip off. Having paid £265 for a ticket I discovered it was impossible to change it, even at a price, and no refunds are offered at all. Yes, I accept it says that in the conditions, but the airline's complete inflexibility means that I ended up paying £530 for two flights of an hour or so. When I complained I was told that if they allowed me to change, it would have undermined those who had paid for the 'pivilege' of flexibility. Where do these people get their understanding of serving the customer? Oh, and for this bargain price, the catering consists of a packet of peanuts and couple of cold drinks. A standard service at a very high premium price.

Eastern Airways - by Nicolas Fournier

30 November 2005

NWI-MAN return. I have flown this route twice and have been very happy with the quality of the service provided. The Jetstream aircraft is a little bit noisy and I would advise accepting the ear plugs which are on offer. All seats are covered with leather and are quite comfortable if a little bit narrow. Check-in at NWI is swift, not so much at MAN as you have to use the BMI counters. The only bit lacking is access to a lounge at MAN, but I will definitely use them again.

Eastern Airways - by Mike Langran

7 October 2005

INV-BHX return. 90 minute flight on a Jetstream 32. Not the world's biggest plane but comfortable leather seats. Outward leg the stewardess was surly and uninterested, spending most of the flight in her seat writing in her diary. On the way back, really friendly male attendant who as well as the usual boiled sweets, drinks and a dip in to a snack basket (crisps etc) kept coming round time and time again and even offered us all a glass of champagne! Eastern offer a range of convenient flights between airports usually not offered by the bigger carriers. Not exactly cheap but if the service was always as per the return leg I'd be happy to fly with them again.