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flyBe customer review :  2 September 2011 by J Tydeman (UK)

Southampton to Dublin. Flight was extremely full, whilst there was nothing wrong with the experience, it was typical Flybe really. You get the impression that this is a low cost airline in terms of service, but not in terms of the actual cost. I often use them on domestic routes and though I am not usually paying for the ticket, the cost of some sectors appals me.

flyBe customer review :  1 September 2011 by J Johnstone (UK)

Charged £30 for a case which I was told could not be taken on the plane (Edinburgh to Southampton), yet 3 weeks earlier the same case was passed as being ok to take onboard on the same route. Flybe need to apply a consistent policy here. Staff were off-hand in Edinburgh and not helpful. Service poor, set up unprofessional compared with other low cost airlines.

flyBe customer review :  1 September 2011 by M Chapman (UK)

Southampton-Dublin. Easy check-in at airport. Flight almost on time, although full and I'm a big lad was quite comfortable, though the prop driven Dash aircraft they use can get a bit bumpy. Really cannot call Flybe a budget airline anymore, used the SOU-MAN route a few times but fares now make the train or driving a far better option. Although the convenience of flying from a local airport does make up slightly for the more expensive fares.

flyBe customer review :  28 August 2011 by G Holton (Australia)

Bergerac to Exeter and was pleasantly surprised. Straightforward online booking, efficient check-in, on time departure and arrival. We pre-purchased extra allowance online so no problems at all. Onboard staff were friendly and professional and offered service levels I haven't experienced on some of the larger UK airlines.

flyBe customer review :  26 August 2011 by M Law (UK)

Been using Flybe at least once a month for business purposes over the last year and never had any issues with the service. I usually travel Aberdeen to Birmingham, never been delayed or had any luggage issues. Have always found the staff to be pleasant (both in the terminal and onboard. Never bother with the refreshments on a flight that takes just over 1 hr so cannot comment on the quality/price.

flyBe customer review :  21 August 2011 by V Garner (UK)

Southampton-Frankfurt. I checked in online & printed my boarding cards. Ground staff were efficient and polite. Cabin crew were very good and better than some crew on non budget airlines I have flown. My only grumble was the £9 per passenger debit card charge. We had a pleasant flight and I will definitely be flying flybe again.

flyBe customer review :  19 August 2011 by Stefano Breschi (Italy)

At the bag drop desk I was informed that I had to board my hand luggage and pay an extra charge. The bag did not fit for few centimetres, but they were inflexible. I had to pay £136, as I was with my family I could not afford to miss the flight.

flyBe customer review :  18 August 2011 by A Wharmby (UK)

Southampton to Palma. Standard 2 hr delay on outbound and inbound flight with little information provided until you get onboard. Food and drink prices are ridiculous. Will look at other low cost airlines before I consider using FlyBe again.

flyBe customer review :  17 August 2011 by Geoffrey McNab (UK)

Belfast City to Gatwick return. Outbound flight had some drama whilst taxiing, the pilot announced there was a communications problem and would be returning to the stand. The captain kept us informed, the crew remained cheerful and, the engineers were able to fix the problem. The Embraer jet is quite comfortable and the local crew were speedy with the snack carts. The return flight on the Dash 8-400 with propellers may have come as a bit of a shock to those expecting the big jet. Seating is not quite as comfortable but compensation was we flew lower and, enjoyed excellent view. One disadvantage of the Dash 8-400 is the overhead lockers are not so roomy, it took a bit of shoving and pushing to get hand luggage in. Again the crew were bright and cheery. Although a slightly longer flight it was quite smooth and enjoyable. If you check-in online you are allocated a seat and cannot change it. If you check-in at the self service machines at the airport you can change the seat if you do not like where you have been seated.

flyBe customer review :  12 August 2011 by Tim Dalziel (UK)

Recently flew Southampton-Rennes route. This satisfies both businessmen and visitors to this part of France. I used TGV for the last hour of my journey. Compared with my previous Eurostar/TGV route my time saving was nearly 4 hrs and at little extra cost, inc car parking. As a result of a small luggage booking glitch I asked for and received without quibble the appropriate refund.

flyBe customer review :  11 August 2011 by D Richardson (UK)

SOU-BES. Two hours late for take off, no reason given. Diverted to Nantes, over 3 hrs away, and transported by bus, because of bad weather.

flyBe customer review :  4 August 2011 by B Scott (UK)

Unfortunately, this seems to be the UK's most unpredictable low cost airline, flights delayed or cancelled at every turn. We flew MAN to CDG and our outbound flight was delayed for 1.5 hrs, though it was touch and go whether the flight would actually leave at all. The airport information about the delay was poor, but the FlyBe representative on the Customer Service desk was pleasant and as helpful as she could be in the circumstances. Once we were onboard, the Q400 Dash 8 is small, uncomfortable and very noisy. The cabin crew are rather offhand with a slow service, it all just feels a bit amateur. The return flight was absolutely fine but I can't recommend FlyBe as it is all just too unpredictable.

flyBe customer review :  2 August 2011 by C Jones (UK)

Flying from Birmingham to Glasgow, check in was quick and easy, flight on time, flew in a Dash-Q aircraft, very small, but did the job. The cabin crew looked bored and not interested at all. Flight back was again on time, in an Embraer, cabin crew this time were much more helpful. The seats in this aircraft were comfy, good sized leg room, ok selection of on board snacks. FlyBe is a fair airline but there are a lot of sneaky charges.

flyBe customer review :  30 July 2011 by A Thwaite (UK)

Just dropped my daughter off at Manchester to fly to Southampton to take a summer job on IOW. She booked extra baggage at £26 but they refused her normal sized hand luggage which she had taken with FlyBe before. Asked to pay £220 excess baggage! They suggested she throw away the hand luggage bag and her trainers as they are worth less by weight than the baggage cost! Don't some companies just love their customers.

flyBe customer review :  30 July 2011 by W Dimmlich (Germany)

After measuring my carry-on bag to ensure it met the airline requirements I travelled from Dusseldorf to Inverness via Birmingham. I passed through two Flybe check-ins without them questioning the size of my case which also fit comfortably in the racks in the place. However when I returned from Inverness to Dusseldorf I was informed that my case couldn't be carried on and would have to be checked through at a cost of 30 pounds per sector. I had to fly 3 sectors to get home, resulting in a 'fine' of 90 pounds. Absolutely mad. The advice I received from staff at Flybe was to fly home without my case. Not very helpful. This was my first trip using Flybe and will certainly be my last.

flyBe customer review :  13 July 2011 by Simon Leadbitter (UK)

Southampton-Bergerac. We arrived at the airport to find the baggage handling system had broken down (apparently a frequent occurrence) so it took over 1hr just to drop our bags off. We were then delayed for 6½ hrs due to technical problems. Eventually left on the third plane they tried. At no time was there an official announcement from FlyBe as to what was happening, all our information came third hand from other passengers. We were given a £5.00 voucher but this barely covered a sandwich & a drink. The crew onboard were excellent however.

flyBe customer review :  12 July 2011 by H Alan (Thailand)

Birmingham-Jersey. I found the kiosk check-in at Birmingham Airport was a little hard to use. The plane was a brand new Embrear ERJ-195 flight was short 50 Mins. The cabin were quite good happy and helpful. But on the return leg they were quite bad. I didn't like the seats at all. Hard, little leg room and they can't recline. So not a very enjoyable flight.

flyBe customer review :  7 July 2011 by P Braemar (UK)

BHX-GLA on Dash-8. I must admit that I was justifiably apprehensive about even getting to Glasgow for a can't- miss meeting having read all the recent negative reviews. On the day though I must have been one of the few lucky ones who travel with FlyBe without any hassle or problems it seems. Check-in straight-forward, no issues with pre-booked baggage, on-board service solid, on-time arrival with my checked luggage. But I could see where FlyBe do make life difficult for their customers at every stage of the flight process, particularly with over exuberant luggage contractors at the gate. Given the choice, I'm in no rush to fly with them again as they appear far too inconsistent - I put this flight down to luck.

flyBe customer review :  5 July 2011 by C Johnson (UK)

Flybe cancelled my flight (Glasgow-Manchester) at the last minute due to technical problems though I suspect it may have been due to there not being many passengers. The later flight wasn't going to get me to Manchester in time so I decided to head home (a 2.5 hr drive). The staff were rude and unhelpful, one even seemed surprised that I wouldn't be using the return part of my ticket!

flyBe customer review :  5 July 2011 by Rob Tawers (UK)

Flight cancelled at Southampton. No explanation although flight I was rebooked on was only half full (makes you think). Disorganised at airport, gave conflicting instructions to us which meant a long wait at the desk. Missed connection due to cancellation. Staff not particularly helpful. I will avoid Flybe and Southampton as much as possible in the future.

flyBe customer review :  27 June 2011 by Pamela Hughes (UK)

Glasgow-Exeter-Glasgow. Flew Economy+. Don't waste your money. Nice lounge in Glasgow, flight ok, cabin crew bored and disinterested. On checking in at Exeter, found Flybe Lounge closed, no explanation. Had 1 hr 30 mins to wait in crowded conditions. On board a different set of bored cabin crew, and virtually nothing to eat (we had food vouchers.) We were served first, so I imagine there really was nothing by the time the back of the plane was reached. We bought the full fare ticket as there was a high chance we would have to cancel, but it is certainly not worth the money.

flyBe customer review :  26 June 2011 by Sheila Shields (UK)

Flew Southampton-Manchester day return. The return flight at 1500 was cancelled. This has happened so many times to me and other people in our business that it is clear that this is not a real scheduled service. It only runs if they can't bounce people onto the 1700 flight (ie. not enough seats). The lies you get from Flybe ground staff re technical problems or crew not available just adds insult to injury. I'll go by car in future, I can drive the journey in the time a waste sitting in Manchester airport (not exactly the most pleasant place to be).

flyBe customer review :  25 June 2011 by T White (UK)

One of the worst airlines, always late, high prices , poor service. Unfortunately I am stuck with them as they are the only service from London-Isle of Man. You get the impression they know they have a monopoly on the route and there is nothing you can do to get to the Isle of Man from Gatwick so they stick it to you.

flyBe customer review :  25 June 2011 by Keith Fellows (UK)

BHX-IOM return. Immaculate service (really!) throughout. However, I resent the smaller than usual cabin luggage sizing and the sneaky fee additions to the basic fare. I wonder if it can really be to their advantage to generate customer ill will in this way.

flyBe customer review :  20 June 2011 by B Pearce (UK)

The service at Jersey airport on the return journey to Gatwick was disgraceful for disabled passengers. The check in was no problem but it was a free for all when boarding was announced. Disabled passengers were not boarded separately and as soon as the gate was opened there was no orderly boarding. Passengers just pushed in front to be first on the plane completely ignoring the needs of the disabled.

flyBe customer review :  20 June 2011 by J McAllister (UK)

Newcastle-Limoges return on a Q400 Dash 8. All round excellence: nothing too much trouble for the cabin crew, swift boarding and exiting, adequate choice of snacks and drinks from the trolley. Flights were not that cheap but very convenient in terms of directness and timings-home to holiday in south central France in a few hours.

flyBe customer review :  14 June 2011 by S McKeen (UK)

I will never ever fly with these robbers again. Belfast to Manchester - no bother with hand luggage fitted perfectly into overhead locker. On return journey with the same hand luggage that was carefully bought to use on flybe flights bearing in mind their dimensions, all dimensions were smaller than size given on baggage allowance, I was asked to place the luggage in the rack, the luggage went half way in and I was told I had to pay £30. I explained I had flown over with no problems, but was rudely told that I would not be flying if I did not pay this money. I ended up reluctantly paying but that will be the last!

flyBe customer review :  14 June 2011 by Alison Hart (France)

Much better than Ryanair, though often more expensive. Usually love Southampton Airport, though today too few check-in desks open. Can never get through to Flybe by phone and have not used my "free" flights (thanks to new credit card) as cannot book this online.

flyBe customer review :  13 June 2011 by S Long (UK)

When booking tickets online I found it difficult to get past the pre-booking seats section as it clearly wanted you to pre-book seats. I did get past that section but when I went to check in online it again wanted me to choose seats and wouldn't let me past that section even though I clicked on the Continue without pre-selecting seats. The only way I could get past that stage was to press the back button twice and then I eventually got on to the Boarding Pass printing. Flybe - stop trying to trick your passengers into paying extra.

flyBe customer review :  11 June 2011 by M Harrison (UK)

Liverpool to Isle of Man return. I did not see any Flybe representative anywhere in the airport. I agree the flybe website does push you towards paying for extras that you may not need - it is possible to get around this. Our flights were extremely punctual. Q400 aircraft was perfectly suitable for this short flight although I wouldn't wish to fly more than 1.5 hours on such a plane. The crew were professional and efficient but lacked warmth and joviality. The inflight magazine was of a good quality, and excellent value for money.

flyBe customer review :  9 June 2011 by R Louis (USA)

Called the customer care center at 16:15 trying to get my flight changed prior to the call centre closing at 16:30. Sat on hold for 21 minutes and was then disconnected. Called back to receive a message stating that the call centre was closed. I cant believe that they wouldn't clear their queue prior to shutting down the phone systems. So much for Economy Plus!

flyBe customer review :  8 June 2011 by D Coppock (UK)

Hand luggage size is now being enforced at the gate at 50x35x 3 which is smaller than most cabin bags that you can buy - even Ryanair allow 55x40x20. And then they charge you £30 at the gate - if your bag is bigger, which it probably will be. Have flown with them for years and never had problems with my standard cabin bag - and previous tickets simply said 10kg max. Now they put 50x35x23 at the bottom and enforce it. If I had realised this new policy beforehand then I would have used Easyjet. Customer services say the size was always that - the difference is that they have a new trial policy of enforcing it. Instead of being one of the better low cost airlines, they are now competing with Ryanair in their approach and winning - but without the lower fares. Suggest you avoid them until they change policy - as I will.

flyBe customer review :  8 June 2011 by Fiona Freshwater (UK)

Southampton to Edinburgh. Cabin bag that has done many easyjet cabin flights was mugged at the check in for £35. Then we were held up boarding watching a guy stuff a much fatter bag into the locker with great difficulty! Plane was full, delayed by adding poor passengers to earlier cancelled flight, staff onboard good but the plane (prop Dash) was ancient and noisy.

flyBe customer review :  5 June 2011 by C Astreos (UK)

I am a Cyprus national and flew Flybe from Brussels to Manchester. I went through passport control and through security and proceeded to the Gate and waited there until the flight was ready for departure. When we were called for boarding the Flybe employee who checked the passports and boarding cards did not accept my passport as a valid document. she demanded to know if I had any UK bank cards to prove that I am a UK resident. As of when do Flybe employees request proof of residence? The danger was that if I refused I would miss my flight. I am still puzzled why I was treated that way.

flyBe customer review :  2 June 2011 by David Goff (UK)

SOU-FAO Embraer 195. Checked in online. Empty desk and through security at SOU within 5 minutes. Smooth flight, seat comfort/leg room fine. Cabin staff efficient. Arrival mins early. Luggage first off carousel.

flyBe customer review :  1 June 2011 by D Burr (UK)

Manchester to Isle of Man return. Flights on time, Q400 aircraft comfortable with very pleasant cabin crew. We booked well in advance and got the flights for £85 per person including tax, seat allocations and 20kgs baggage. Very happy customers on this occasion.

flyBe customer review :  25 May 2011 by M Bubb (Guernsey)

SOU to GCI. We were 1.8 kg overweight. That will be £24 pounds - no "sir" or "please". Thankfully we were able to transfer out of the suitcase to hand luggage so were ok. Glad they didn't weigh the hand luggage! This company is one big rip off. They money grab where they can. The website is difficult to navigate with all the add ons. Insurance, seat charge, different weights of baggage. Then finally the credit card charge! Also when you fly via one of their hubs to destinations not served directly why are bags treated as per sector. Heaven help the person who wants to fly from the Channel Islands to Shetlands with a suitcase! When queried the automatic reply came "we have the most generous hand baggage allowance".

flyBe customer review :  22 May 2011 by Bob Burnell (UK)

The web-site must be the worst in the industry. It is terribly confusing with hidden charges everywhere unless you negotiate the site carefully. If an airline has to resort to these sort of tactics they are on a slippery slope to bankruptcy! The flight from JSY to SHPT was over an hour late - the excuse was the usual 'Technical Difficulties' - I have it on good authority that they have used this excuse when they are short-staffed, particularly with pilots. Absolutely everything has to be paid for. Never again if I can help it!

flyBe customer review :  22 May 2011 by David Walsh (UK)

Flybe used be one of the better low-cost airlines, but it appears that they have now resorted to underhand tactics that even Ryanair would struggle to match. A good example of this is their cabin-luggage policy, and the means by which they have deliberately designed this to squeeze money from passengers. Most airlines permit luggage measuring less than 55cm into the cabin. As a result, luggage manufacturers such as Samsonite have been making cabin-luggage holders with dimensions that comply with these stats (with most cases measuring between 52-54cm max). Not flyBe. They have deliberately reduced their allowance to 50cm (and employed muggers at departure gates in many airports) so that many passengers with standard-sized cabin luggage will fail to pass their size test and therefore be forced to pay £30 per item, per leg - that's £60 to take a piece of underweight - ie less than 10kg) cabin luggage that fits their overhead lockers perfectly well. Moreover, their staff then try to get you to pay for the £30 return excess charge when they know that if you paid for this online before the return leg it would cost significantly less. A nasty underhand tactic. Shame on flyBe.

flyBe customer review :  22 May 2011 by S Lewis (UK)

MAN-CDG. AF early morning flight and late evening flight back is now a codeshare with flybe. If you book with Air France, flybe staff seem to go out of their way not to recognise Air France norms such as fast track security for elite and elite plus card holders. The lounge at Manchester has a great view of the runway but little else. Very poor selection of snacks and drinks, poor wifi. No priority boarding on flybe flights. Have to pay for seat selection in advance - unless travelling Air France Premium/Business - also pay for drinks/snacks. Online check in a nightmare. Crew usually excellent and so far flights have has been on a modern Embraer 195 and on time.

flyBe customer review :  21 May 2011 by N Sutherland (UK)

LGW-ABZ-LGW. No problems with check-in on either leg, but don't be having any excess baggage. On-time departures both ways, gate area in LGW was a bit of a dump with lots of stairs to negotiate. Embraer jet clean and comfortable. Onboard food and drink prices were steep but some good prices on inflight merchandise. Ticket price is expensive compared to the same route from LHR but since Flybe currently have a monopoly on the route (soon to change I hear) they can pretty much charge what they like. It will be interesting to see what happens to their prices when EasyJet start up on the route.

flyBe customer review :  18 May 2011 by M Mattock (UK)

Today I needed to make a booking for myself and realised with great surprise that their website contains one dirty trick after the other. Just tried to pay for my flight after being told that all of their fares were fairly explained - and I am lumped with an 8% fee on card payments at the end. Unless I have a visa electron card of course. Who owns one of these nowadays? And you need to make sure you ignore their friendly offer of advance seat selection, because they will quietly sneak in £6 per seat selected in advance. It is not clear at all how to avoid this, but you can by just saying "continue". They will then warn you that you may be split up if you are travelling with another passenger. It is very unclear that you can carry hand luggage (cabin luggage) of up to 10kg on board but they don't make that clear either (I needed to read the T&C's for that to be sure) - so people may think that you need to tick at least the 15kg option on luggage. If companies have to revert to these dirty tricks in order to make their margins I'd rather not believe the "low fares" at all.

flyBe customer review :  18 May 2011 by Andrew Coogans (UK)

GLA-CWL-GLA. Q400 aircraft very clean, aircraft doesn't feel small and space between rows seems okay, but seats are quite narrow and low. Cabin crew helpful enough, but avoided the rather expensive menu items. Both flights slightly delayed with no announcements made in the airport to explain late boarding, but explanations given from pilots. Overall good flights, but I would not describe them as a "low fares" airline.

flyBe customer review :  17 May 2011 by I Clarke (UK)

Yet another delay, thats two out of two flights. Take my advice the name Flymaybe sits well with this airline and customer service is awful with no information and a defensive culture built on having to manage regular delays. If you have to fly with this airline I would suggest you avoid the last flight out as there is a good chance you will be very late. No wonder profits are down and I would suggest the CEO needs to think whether he is doing a good job. I for one do not have confidence in him.

flyBe customer review :  11 May 2011 by Tanya Frost (Germany)

We will never ever fly with Flybe again, nor recommend it to anybody. The bag drop service at the MAN airport was horrible. Flying from DUS to MAN (this year and already the year before), our hand luggage was fine (which is the standard size for all airlines). Then suddenly, on our way back (MAN-DUS), they said it's "too big" (3cm), we have to pay extra (as 3rd piece of luggage) and check it in. We already paid 250 EUR for the flight and 2 pieces of luggage (online, when booking). We told them that the luggage does fit in the airplane cabin (we were flying with exactly the same hand luggage with Flybe last year and from DUS to MAN a few days before), and the size has never been a problem before, but the service at MAN airport did not care at all. They also refused to tell us if the plane was fully booked or not. They made us pay an additional fee of 70 GBP for an almost empty piece of hand luggage that was incredible 3cm bigger than their weird size restrictions (which is abnormal to any other airline in this world). Even more ridiculous - the plane was almost empty. There were about 10 passengers in there, and for whatever reason they had their hand luggage trolleys with them (which were exactly the same size like ours). We are feeling ripped off, this was simply a way to soak even more money from us, randomly as it seemed. Having to pay for even a glass of water onboard is already poor (I still do not consider a 250 EUR ticket as "low budget"), but being charged an additional amount of 70 GBP for an almost empty piece of hand luggage (which hasn't been a problem for Flybe all the time before), especially if you already paid a whole lot of money for 2 pieces of luggage, and especially when the plane was almost empty and the other passengers (economy as well) had their same-sized hand luggage with them in the cabin as well - that's nothing else but rip-off. Besides the hand luggage rip-off, the seats are rather poor, and you have to pay for everything (selecting your seat when checking in, even for a glass of water). With all the extra fees - you can also book a different airline like Lufthansa and get a really good service instead.

flyBe customer review :  1 May 2011 by James Fox (UK)

My daughter recently flew from Gatwick to Newquay with her young son. The plane arrived early and she said check in and cabin staff went out of their way to be helpful.

flyBe customer review :  28 April 2011 by J McArthur (UK)

The worst regional airline in the UK bar none. The onboard service is great but everything pre-flight such as the booking system, the website and most importantly the customer support is an unmitigated farce that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. I fly every week between Scotland and England so consider myself something of a regional flight specialist and can categorically say that the only reason I (and other people) use Flybe is due to lack of competition on regional routes ie. consumers don't have a choice! In particular customers almost always have to wait ridiculous amounts of time to speak with an operator and Flybe have the audacity to charge premium rate call due to their inability to deal with call volumes.

flyBe customer review :  11 April 2011 by P Meikle (UK)

Paris to Exeter. Flybe effectively closed immigration to passengers disembarking at Exeter so they process visas for a group of interline passengers continuing to Belfast, and speed up their aircraft turnround time. We incurred 30 minute delay, meeter/greeters thought we had missed flight. No apologies or information. Customer care could not be bothered to respond to complaint, only automated received response.

flyBe customer review :  7 April 2011 by H Blackhall (UK)

Inverness-Manchester-Nantes, Nantes- Gatwick- Inverness 29th March. I use Flybe several times each year and must be one of the lucky one - I have yet to experience a cancelled flight. My flight time from Nantes was changed a few weeks prior to my planned departure - Flybe phoned and offered an earlier onward connecting flight if I required it. I do wish they would stop calling themselves a low cost airline though!