FLYBE review :  23 June 2009 : by Erica Williamson   (UK)

I have just returned from a trip to Orkney and Shetland and used Flybe. I would agree with the comments about price, they are not really that cheap. When things went wrong in Sumburgh on the way back the staff were helpful, courteous and good humoured. They kept passengers informed and offered alternatives, such as booking passengers on the ferry. I had to stay an extra night and was booked into a hotel and rebooked for flights the following day with no arguments at all.

FLYBE review :  18 June 2009 : by Brian Wood   (UK)

LGW-ABZ-LGW. Bag drop at LGW completed within 2 minutes of arrival. On time departure and arrival both ways. Friendly crew and Embraer 195 aircraft spotlessly clean. Very pleasant trip although less than half full. First experience of Flybe, but on this occasion a far superior experience compared to Ryanair or Easyjet.

FLYBE review :  15 June 2009 : by P Hamilton   (UK)

How flybe claim to be a budget airline is something I'll never understand. I regularly used them between Belfast and Manchester and pay about £70 return with one bag. As a student returning to Belfast for the summer I had booked two bags as I had a lot of belongings to carry home. What was not made clear in their baggage policy is that the £15 odd that you pay for your extra bag does not entitle you have extra weight in your bags. I was 7kg overweight which would have cost me £85. I therefore had to transfer 4kg of my stuff to my hand luggage (thats all I was allowed to comply with the hand luggage rules) and then carry/wear the rest. On a warm sunny day I was wearing 2 t-shirts, jumper, jacket, jeans, 3 pairs of socks, scarf and a hat! I also had everything I could carry in my pockets from calculators to a pack of cards. In the end I actually met the 20kg allowance without paying excess, but this experience has pushed me over the edge. From now on I will fly into Liverpool and get a bus to Manchester.

FLYBE review :  15 June 2009 : by R Worcester   (UK)

Further to R Dalgleish's comment, Flybe seem to have now removed the box which allows you to avoid paying for your seat. You will therefore have to pay for your seat, whether you like it or not. Unfortunately, there is no option to stand for free. I have always found Flybe staff to be fine, but the flyBe pricing system is ridiculous, and would not use them unless I had to.

FLYBE review :  10 June 2009 : by T Danbury   (UK)

I now use Flybe on a bi-weekly basis between Newquay and London Gatwick for business trips to London. I am happy with the price as I am simply commuting so my price is the basic one, without numerous add-ons. I would prefer to support Air SouthWest as the local airline but the prices are often on the high side at the time I book, 2-3 weeks before. Dash 8 Q400 are clean and efficient. The morning flights are no more than half full but a Thursday or Friday PM back from Gatwick is usually full. I would never use them for a hHoliday from Newquay or Exeter. I would rather drive 250 miles to Gatwick or Heathrow to use other airlines.

FLYBE review :  9 June 2009 : by K Oliver   (UK)

After a cruise and looking forward to a quick peaceful flight home. No way with this airline. They make out they are a budget airline with cheap fares. The basic costs are cheap but the extras put them miles above anything else we would normally pay. eg price from Southampton to Leeds £45. for a 45 minute flight. Their hand luggage size is a laugh. I had a small trolley with wheels that has been on every other airline I have ever flown - but not Flybe. Because the small wheels on the bottom did not fit into their contraption it would not be allowed as 'carry on' luggage. I had to go and buy 2 plastic bags and take out all the contents from the case and transfer into plastic bags in order to comply with their rules. I then sent the empty case as hold luggage carrying exactly the same amount of weight onto the plane. (of course paying for the empty case to travel in the hold and paying extra for 2 kg overweight as well). I would never travel on this airline again, but, unfortunately they seem to have the monopoly on internal flights. I found their staff at Southampton very unhelpful and unsympathetic . Flight crew good and the airplane clean.

FLYBE review :  9 June 2009 : by R Dalgleish   (UK)

Just a word of advice to all who book flights with flybe. They have changed the bookiong form slightly and when you come to seat booking you have 2 options to change you seat or accept the seat. If you check ACCEPT be warned that this will cost you £6. The only way to avoid this is to go right to the bottom of the page and check the continue box. The site is totally misleading and seems to be designed to "dupe" everyone into paying £6. Please beware!

FLYBE review :  9 June 2009 : by J Taverner   (UK)

BHX to Milan, online check in easy, flight early into Milan. FA's pleasant. Return in Dash 800, 10 minutes late departing and very bumpy over Alps with big storms.

FLYBE review :  6 June 2009 : by M Gooding   (UK)

I travel Flybe between Exeter - CDG a few times a week. Although I am on business, I never go for their 'economy plus' option which costs £100 each/way extra on top of the normal fare and only give you a couple of measly extras, so I go for normal economy and get the same seats anyway! Flybe seem to be efficient on this route and seem to be on-time or early. Especially on their late night returns to Exeter and early morning service to Paris. Comfort is good on the plane, considering the flight only usually lasts just over 60 minutes. However one of the problems recently is that the planes are very loud (due to having propellers) and they always seem to shudder just after takeoff.

FLYBE review :  3 June 2009 : by T Alexander   (UK)

Flybe seem very over priced for what they offer. They market themselves as low cost but in reality seem to be a very high cost airline who try to charge you for virtually anything and everything. If you avoid paying extra for your luggage you are harassed by their ground staff who desperately want to check the dimensions of your carry on (which to fit have to be less than most other airlines). It is a shame they behave in this way because their cabin crew are generally quite pleasant and their aircraft are usually clean and modern.

FLYBE review :  27 May 2009 : by K May   (UK)

LGW- INV. Embraer 190 jet bright and comfortable with 2x2 seating. Crew very pleasant on half full plane.

FLYBE review :  20 May 2009 : by P Hansson   (UK)

I can only add to what 100's of Flybe passengers have previously expressed, a self-declared low-cost airline with a virtual monopoly from my local airport of Exeter, Devon, and milking their position to the max. by charging the locals outrageous prices, eg £55 taxes per person to fly return to Faro, Portugal, total price booked 4 months in advance amounts to £270 per person! I for one will be the first one to desert this company as soon as they have any viable competition. I have used this company many times over the years and always paid through the nose and have nothing good to say or recommend about them. A high-cost airline with a rip-off culture, stay well away if you can!

FLYBE review :  12 May 2009 : by Jeremy Brown   (UK)

I have now done about 18 Flybe flights in 12 months; mostly between Southampton and Bergerac. I live in North London and find the 70 minute train ride to Southampton Airport very worthwhile. FlyBe fares may not be the lowest, but they don't reach the 'rip-off level of Ryanair. Flybe treat passengers with respect and appreciate their business. Planes always clean, comfortable and usually on time.

FLYBE review :  7 May 2009 : by Paul Clifford   (UK)

I want to like Flybe as they fly from my local airport but their business practices make it very difficult to do so. They market themselves as a low cost airline but their flights always seem far more expensive than others eg Easyjet and Ryanair. Their taxes and charges too are more. Most annoying though is their baggage charge. I usually check in online and have a carry on case that fits within their dimensions yet recently I am still being told that I have to go to their desk and have it checked. When it fits clearly within their hand baggage case measuring cage, they now insist on weighing it. Everything about Flybe now seems to be about getting their passengers to pay more. I for one have had enough.