KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  5 May 2009 : by A Fraser   (UK)

The queues at Heathrow terminal 4 were not well organised and we got a rep who had to put us through the charade of using a personal check in machine only to go up to the check in desk to get checked in. Seats London-Bangalore and back were narrow and very hard, but the food was good and the facilities were excellent. Staff a bit hit and miss - clearly picked for their looks rather than their skills. The inflight entertainment was really poor. Out of date films and limited music etc on a brand new plane which is pretty shoddy (14 year old films etc). I guess they saved some money on the options. The seats are not wide enough, the IFE control is slotted into the side of the armrest and not only reduces the seat width ( even when removed as it has a deep slot it fits in to ) but the buttons get pressed just by sitting there. The food was great on all flights. However you should not be fussy as often all the options run out and you are faced with what is left - usually the veggy option in our case. You need to be ready to get in to the Indian mode as the food is very ethnic. Suits me perfectly but not to everyone's taste. There is free (quality names booze handed out and you can go to the back and ask for more. The girls were OK about that and clearly there is no rationing ( unless you get sozzled I imagine). The inflight announcements were sensible and helpful rather than rushed and garbled, as we have all experienced at times. Coming back from Colombo we had a pain in the neck SriLankan Airlines check in girl. We ended up getting centre seats for 3 of us even though we asked for window seats and checked in hours early and long before the rest of the flight. (You cannot check in online for the London flights yet) We were a bit hacked off at this at Bangalore and told the stewardesses and they helpfully relocated me to a better seat and the parents stayed in the three we had had. For some reason they closed the window shutters and dimmed the lights for hours even though it was a daytime flight and we were arriving in the afternoon. Bangalore airport is boring, nothing to do, but it's not a long stopover. Don't bother trying to bring water off the plane with you as their police are totally over the top, you have to go through security again, and they confiscated two small, sealed, bottles of water I took to drink while we waited. Bangalore-Colombo was a scream. Much more comfortable seats on the smaller plane, the "snack" is in fact a whole meal, with free cans of Kingfisher beer, bottles of salted lemon juice, earphones and pens being dished out within minutes of getting on board. Very funny only because there isn't really time for all of this, and you don't really want a full dinner after the other flight. However, these staff were considerably better practiced and it was a very slick procedure.

KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  1 May 2009 : by S Grahame   (UK)

I was somwehat disappointed compared to most people on here. We found the service slow. We were missed out of two drinks rounds, and despite being only in row 30, by the time we were reached at dinner time (both times), only one of the three meal options was left. A member of cabin crew was very rude and abrupt to an old lady who couldn't walk 'fast enough' down the aisle, and some young children were allowed to play, scream and jump about on the seats and meal trays throughout most of the journey - even during the rest time, and periods when the seat belt sign was on. Seatback IFE touchscreens were large and excellent - but the entertainment options were very poor compared to other airlines. There was virtually no western music, and the movies were dated. When airlines such as Emirates and SIA are offering 1,000 channels, only having a dozen or so old English language films and about ten TV programmes is not cutting edge. There were some nice touches, and seats were comfortable. It was good, but not that good.

KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  30 April 2009 : by Naqeeb Isthiark   (Sri Lanka)

Colombo to Chennai and back. The service was great, the inflight entertainment above expectations and meal was excellent. Although the flight time on both routes was about 1 hours I still enjoyed the Whole trip. Special Thanks goes the friendly crew members of Kingfisher airlines.

KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  27 April 2009 : by Paul Denham   (UK)

Goa - Delhi, Jaipur-Delhi and Delhi-Goa in April 2009. All flights were in modern, comfortable aircraft and service on board and inflight entertainment were excellent. Food provided was appropriate for the time of day and better than many. This airline really tries and deserves its 5-star rating.

KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  22 April 2009 : by Vishwanathan Shankar   (India)

I am a Gold Member with Kingfisher and do use it often. On a recent trip from Jammu - Delhi, my wife and I were pleasantly surprised when we were upgraded to Business seating. The crew on the ground and in the air were extremely friendly. Service impeccable - lunch served was of average quality but everything else made up for it. Predictable standard and quality of service, friendly and helpful staff.

KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  18 April 2009 : by E Baker   (UK)

Heathrow to Colombo and back via Bangalore. Generous seat pitch, helpful staff, excellent food, free drinks, fast transits at Bangalore, new planes. They were the cheapest option too. Their website didn't do justice to the quality they offer. Even their UK call centre was superb, allocating us good seats on all 4 flights in advance. One thing I particularly liked was having the 2 seats by the window on the long haul legs - we get fed up with the 3-4-3 seating on jumbos. 2-4-2 (eg on A330s) is far more pleasant.

KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  14 April 2009 : by S Sankar   (UK)

LHR-BOM on First followed by BOM-DEL and DEL-MAA in Economy. The First class onboard experience was superb. Within minutes of boarding, a stewardess introduced herself and asked if I would like a drink at the bar or at my seat. After the doors were closed, I was offered champagne with chicken tikka pieces and nuts. After take off, a choice of cocktails offered and was asked what time I would like to eat. One small issue was that the lobster was unavailable. Given there were only 8 passengers in First that evening, I felt a little hard done by although the other choices on the menu were superb. The seat was very comfortable and the 17" TV screen a cut above screens on all other carriers. I felt the choice of Western movies could have been better - however, it was extensive enough for me to find something to watch. Landing in Mumbai a breeze. Since my suitcase was marked 'Priority' it had been set aside on a trolley waiting for me so I was out of the airport within 10 minutes of arriving at the gate. Only the choice of Western films and the very average KLM lounge in Heathrow T4 prevent me giving a 10/10. As for the domestic legs, for two hour economy journeys, the experience was a cut above anything available in Europe. The quality and choice of food was outstanding as was the onboard service. Check in and luggage collection were also very efficient I will always try and travel on Kingfisher for domestic flights in India

KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  7 April 2009 : by Abhi Gupta   (Australia)

Once you fly Kingfisher, you'll fly nothing else in India. I was running late for my flight. I only had to ask for a little help from and they went out of the way, prioritizing the steps they normally do and helping at every bit. Also, the staff were excellent. And albeit some people consider them pricey, for the variety of fares to quality service, I think it's pretty good.

KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  17 March 2009 : by David Leston   (UK)

LHR-BLR-TRV in economy. The aircraft was spotlessly clean, food was plentiful and extremely good and was able to get a good 6 hours sleep in the wide, comfortable seat. The connecting flight to TRV was in an older ex Deccan ATR, which could have done with a bit of a clean and the weather was very poor, resulting in a bumpy flight, but the crew were great and the service was ok (although not on a par with the international sector).

KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  17 March 2009 : by R Saunders   (UK)

Heathrow to Goa via Bangalore and return. Good flights, excellent cabin space - seats seem very wide as I'm not a small chap! but still plenty of room. Excellent check in, all staff v helpful. Food on plane good. Transfers in Bangalore good, plenty of time to go from International to Domestic / vice versa. Could not fault the experience.

KINGFISHER AIRLINES review :  10 March 2009 : by P Garforth   (UK)

Heathrow to Bangalore then onto Goa, return. This was our first flight with Kingfisher and we would highly recommend it. The cabin crew were first class, very attentive and polite and also very smart. We will fly Kingfisher again in the not too distant future.