PIA PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL review : 29 April 2008 : by Waqas Rafiq

Customer Rating : 2/5

ISB-MAN. I was travelling on Pakistan International Airlines and was disappointed with the meals served. On the flight we were served two breakfasts. Many passengers asked cabin crew and they replied in a unprofessional manner that we have changed our system now and do it for all flights.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Syed Ali

23 April 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-KHI return. LHR-KHI staff was rude and didnt pay any attention to any passengers requests, food / meals acceptable. KHI-LHR totally different, service as good as leading airlines. Offered free papers, served drinks/water throughout the journey.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Esha Haroon

23 April 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

DXB-Lahore on an PIA fully packed flight. Check-in fast although they couldn't assign me any aisle seat. Ended in a seat in the middle of the aircraft. Boarding on A310 not very well organized, ending with a 30 min delay. Service efficient and friendly. Meal quality OK, but I can see some cost cutting measures like the absence of proper cutlery, served in paper cups. Dinner is always the same for 1 year. Captain updated on flight status twice and apologised for delays. However,no in-flight entertainment of any sort at all.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Z Aslam

27 March 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

ISB-LHR business class on 777. Comfortable sets, not as good as on the BA, but had a good sleep. Service, food and drinks OK. Crew attentive and professional. I never use the IFE. PIA arrivals lounge at LHR is nice, great showers.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Mohammed Younis

14 March 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

LHR to Islamabad and impressed with the new 777. Food was ok and inflight entertainment was very good for once. Found the cabin crew very helpful and polite. I think PIA could to better with more branded gifts inflight.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Fahad Yaqoob

6 March 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Economy class LHE-LHR. We found staff to be quite friendly and professional. There was ample legroom although the seat did feel a little narrow. The food is fine and there is an ample selection on the entertainment program but less than competition. Toilets clean and rounds by crew with water / juices etc.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by R Zaidi

30 January 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Lahore to Karachi on a 747-Combi - pretty old plane. Flight was great, but leg space in upper deck, which is supposed to be Economy Plus (and charge extra) was the same as economy. Food decent. Crew passive but not impolite. In the older 747's its better to sit in the main Economy cabin.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Arzoo Masood

10 January 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

KHI-LHE Economy class on 777. Excellent legroom and - for a domestic service - generous meals for 1.5 hour flight with two choices. Friendly and professional crew, clean cabin, both flights on time. Although personal TV screens were fitted, there was no IFE available which is very strange.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by A Ali

10 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

Travelled economy plus to Lahore from Mnachester, Lahore to Bahawalpur the following day. Boeing 777. The seats were more comfortable than economy and service was excellent. Hot food, friendly stewards, and great IFE. Cabin crew were attentive, catering for the needs of my 2 year old daughter. Lahore to Bahawalpur was better experience as the plane was half empty. Return journey the same. But the accommodation for the transit passengers was not good.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Nishat Haroon
28 February 2007

LHR-Lahore economy plus. Aircraft ok and upper deck seats normal economy with slight leg room. Service courteous and food delicious - served by attentive and friendly crew. Made several rounds during flight with water and juices. However lacked inflight entertainment which needed improvement.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by T Gul
27 February 2007

I recently did a round trip with PIA from London. I flew to Lahore and back from Islamabad. The outward journey was OK. The cabin staff seemed to do a satisfactory job. Anything other than the routine handing out of the food was seens as a chore. Their understanding of the english language was at best very basic and I had to explain in simple and slow speech what I wanted. The in flight entertainment was tempramental and basically I had to lump it. The passenger in front insisted on having the seat reclined despite repeated request by me and the crew to raise it at least during meal times. I will think twice about flying with PIA ever again.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Ian Monier-Williams
12 November 2006

Internal Pakistan flights Karachi to Lahore to Islamabad to Karachi business. Well organised flights, good cabin, friendly and efficient staff. Business plus service, with checkin at the car drop point and a porter to take you and your bag to the lounge, is an excellent idea. Overall PIA impressed me with planes, cabin and service.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Mohammad Ali Dada
5 November 2006

My mother flew into LHR with an open return ticket. PIA refused to confirm return seats on any Heathrow flight which required me to change her return journey on the new Stanted flight PK 774 on 04 November. In an era of paperless tickets, PIA also insisted that I would have to visit their office to allow them to make a change. Called up PIA on the day of the flight only to be informed that the flight had now been cancelled and the passengers had all been booked onto the PK 788 on 05 November flight. Nobody from PIA bothered to call us to inform that the flight had been cancelled. Basically PIA cancelled the flight they had more or less persuaded me to select as it was the only confirmed seat they could offer. Not sure if the convenience of being the only non-stop option between London and Karachi is coping with the disgraceful customer service. Its so appropriate that PIA has dropped its slogan of 'Great People to Fly with' to a desperately worded 'Come Fly With Us'. Never again!

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Mohammed Iqbal
8 July 2006

YYZ-ISB-LHE-YYZ. Tickets were Economy Plus on the new Boeing 777-240LR. Leaving Toronto, flight was on time, courteous staff, excellent food, in-flight entertainment was working, and the level of service was amazing. Economy Plus seats were the same as Economy, but service enhancements (Separate check-in counters, food, and the extra attention by the cabin crew).

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Yasser Abbass
10 May 2006

LHR-KHI (and supposedly - LHR). London to Karachi and although this was a business trip, was purchased economy seats from the company who paid for my ticket. I was not fussed as although this was a business trip lasting 2 weeks, I have family in Pakistan so managed to schedule some time to meet them too. I specifically asked for a seat with leg room (which I was informed had been reserved) as I am 6ft 2 inches tall and when I checked in at the airport was informed that I had been given the seat next to the emergency door (wide leg space area). I was pleased about that. Once I got to my seat, I was amazed to see that the flight was overcrowded. In the jump seats in front of me, they sat down two kids in their teens and when I questioned them as to why they were seated there (restricting me of the leg room), I was informed that they were the Pilot's very good friend's kids who had been squeezed onto the flight by the pilot (who was doing his friend a special favour). I was extremely irate. The flight was scheduled to take off at 20:00hrs and we managed to finally fly 90 minutes later. My seat was right next to the toilets, as you can then imagine it was a disaster flight for me. There was no view of the projector screen which was several meters ahead of me. It did not tempt me to reach for the hard rough plastic earphones (with no ear cushioning) that had been given to me earlier and place them into the earphone plug socket on my armrest (which was positioned in such an awkward position on the arm-rest itself that I would have had to stand up in order to insert them and risk snapping them when I sat back down) and risk causing pain on my ears (by placing the earphones or even listening to what was being played). Within an hour or so after take off PIA started to serve the food. I must say although it is difficult for the flight attendants to get past the aisle as their were people constantly walking up and down for no reasons (and that was not just the children but adults too) they did a fair job and managed to serve the food and drink in ample time. The food was nice. As dinner had been served people decided to use the toilet. Naturally, however those who could not use the toilets (due to them being occupied) decided to queue right next to my seat and congregate in the (now restricted, thanks to those kids in the jump seat) emergency escape area where I was sitting. I remember thinking to myself that I would never fly PIA again (I have flown them before on family visits to Pakistan) as no matter what happens, it never gets better but can get a whole lot worse. The next thing I remember is that I woke up to the same level of noise however daylight was coming in from the windows. I asked the passenger next to me if they had served breakfast to which he replied "YES". I did not mind that I wasn't woken for breakfast, I got some sleep so it was a fair trade. Within seconds after landing I heard seat belts being unfastened and people starting to open the overhead storage compartments. The attendants really have no control. However they do try their best. My return did not take place on a PIA flight. I cancelled and flew back by Gulf.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Marianna Keen
25 March 2006

Business + return between Heathrow and Islamabad Check-in at Heathrow posed no problem, and they actually let me take 13 kg over my allowance of 50 kg. The shared first class lounge was excellent. The service on board was very nice, with refreshments on arrival. The entertainment didnt work on the outbound flight, although it was fine on the way back. Crew were lovely, I had 1A on both ways, which was a lone seat so I didn't have to sit next to anyone. Islamabad airport is an absolute nightmare - but thats not PIA. Well worth paying the extra for Business+, thoroughly recommend the airline.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by M Robinson
18 March 2006

LHR-LHE-LHR Economy Plus. I decided to fly PIA because they had reduced their fares and it is a direct flight to Lahore which does make all the difference especially when you're expecting to arrive in temperatures of over 40c. Security, post 7/7, regarding PIA flights from the UK has obviously been increased dramatically. Nearly all men on the flight were subjected to some form of questioning at the departures gate by customs officials. It delayed the departure by about 20 mins. My suspicions though about my economy plus seat were raised when I notice that the plane wasn't a 747 and there was clearly no upper deck where I had been assured that the economy plus seats were located. When I was shown to my seat I simply couldn't believe my eyes - it was a standard economy seat. A section of the economy seats at the front of the cabin had been curtained off and were designated as 'Economy Plus'. I was appalled and felt cheated. The cabin staff simply didn't understand what I was going on about and couldn't care less. The inflight entertainment didn't work either. It was a long and uncomfortable 8 hours to Lahore. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that some street-side halwa puri for breakfast awaited me once I left Lahore airport. The service in the flight was ok though the staff seemed tired and miserable. The food though was quite tasty and in typical hospitable Pakistani fashion it was never-ending! Pakistanis never seem to astound me with their generosity. The flight back to the UK was a complete contrast. The plane was a 747 and the upper deck seats were fairly comfortable though the interior of the plane was in great need of refurbishment. It looked and felt old. It makes all the difference. On board security was lax though - the door to the pilots cockpit was endlessly opening and on a couple of occasions was visibly ajar while seemingly unattended. Anyone could have gone in there. Overall, the comfort of flying direct is a big bonus. But that is the only thing that would make me fly with PIA. It fails to live up to its competitors in every other aspect. And frankly, I'm still furious about being sold a seat that didn't exist. I've flown a few times with PIA inside Pakistan from Islamabad to Lahore and it was generally fine - if you can cope with the horror that is Islamabad airport! A new one is being built and if its similar to Lahore airport it'll be a marked improvement. Very dull with nothing to do but certainly better.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Nadim Alam
15 March 2006

LHE-KHI Economy Plus. Pleasant check in at Business Counter. The plane wasn't the scheduled 747-300 but Airbus A310. Pretty full. Inflight entertainment seat unit didn't work, no head set given either. The seats were 3x3x3 format and had safety cards for the 777! Food hot and acceptable but normal standard fare of pilau rice, chicken, gulab jaman, salad, yoghurt.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by M S Sheikh
17 January 2006

My wife and I travelled to Lahore P class. This time I bought the tickets very early and was able to secure 91 A&B seats. These are emergency exit door seats and hence with miles of legroom. But I was still disappointed. These seats have the Audio/Video controls on the side of the armrests. This makes the seats narrow. Further the L shaped AV plug, when in its socket, digs into the side of your upper leg. London-Lahore passengers pay £100.00 more than London-Karachi passengers but they travel in 747-300 as compared to 747-200. The former has more seats on the upper deck than the latter and thus very small legroom. Cabin staff was young, pleasant and courteous but the food was awful. We are now considering carrying our own food when we fly PIA. On both, out and in flights, water dripped from above on passengers at the time of landing. There was no early baggage delivery, hot or cold towel, selected menu choices or complimentary amenity kit as promised by PIA “P” class blurb!

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Nadim Alam
21 December 2005

Recent KHI - LHE domestic flight after flying in from the UK. Flight was overbooked. I had an E TICKET in Econ + that was booked online, and cancelled by the time I had got to Karachi! Its a case of who you know when the stampede starts for standby pax. I was told that my agent had made an incorrect booking hence the seat going. I was in the know and got onto the flight at the last moment. No complaints with the flight, just the way they operate. Perhaps someone could have advised me, as their call centre did say, seats would only be held for 3 days.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Mohammad Hussain
13 September 2005

For past 3 years monthly flights between ISB-CPH and occasionally between ISB-MAN. ISB-CPH is hardly ever delayed while some delays experienced on ISB-MAN. Never lost baggage. Economy Plus is worth the price-difference. Economy Plus is often not full which provides ample room for sleeping across 3-4 seats (and thus often more comfortable than Club class). Plenty of leg-room. Food is good but gets trivial on frequent flying. Main objection is washrooms in Economy class. They are nice and clean at take-off but soon tissues are lying everywhere on the floor, the sink etc.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Nessar Hussain
1 July 2005

LHR-LHE economy, KHI-LHR economy plus for rtn. Outbound experience with wife and two children was surprisingly good. Food was tasty. Inflight service was attentive and caring, male stewards better then female (who seemed to regard passengers as an inconvenience). IFE was working most of the time. No kids packs (not good). Return flight was nice surprise: plus points would be spacious seats, nice food, kids served first, clean interior, attentive stewards/ stewardesses. Negative points would be, non maintained IFE system (no sound), no PTV screens, no kids packs. Good toiletry pack but would have been better if given at start of flight instead of after landing!

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by M Sheikh

25 April 2005

I have flown to Lahore from London by Pakistan International Airline at least once a year for a number of years. PIA used to be a good carrier on both international and domestic routes but for many years its services both on land and in the air are a disgrace. Often check in staff is not aware of frequent changes in the PIA baggage allowance and they are inefficient and rude. Having said that, in my experience of about thirty trips to Pakistan from London and about 15 flights within Pakistan, PIA has never lost my baggage. Full marks to PIA for that. If only PIA would look after its passengers as well as it looks after their baggage it would have a high place in airlines league table. I am a 67-year-old 17 stone 6ft 4in tall person. The usual legroom in PIA Economy class between seats is too small for me. With the passing years it is becoming more and more difficult and uncomfortable for me to sit in cramped conditions in Economy or even P class. The few seats with good legroom in the economy class are never available for ordinary passengers like me. They are blocked for friends and families of PIA staff or to oblige someone special. No amount of direct, advance, written or recorded requests, pleas or approaches have ever secured me the seat with legroom in the Economy class. When PIA introduced P class with “more personal space” and promised many more goodies I thought my problem was over and I went for it although the “nominal” extra cost for the benefits was about 40% more than the economy fare. But it was still a disappointment in every respect especially the legroom aspect. PIA told me that it was the wrong version of 747 by which I had flow to Lahore implying that I should travel by the right version as if I have control over which aircraft I fly in. Having been disappointed by the more personal space promise in P class hype in 2004 I decided to travel by Club class in 2005. It was not that I wanted to travel in PIA luxury or can afford it but I flew Club class only because it offers very generous legroom. The anticipated PIA Club class luxury was the icing on the cake. But yet again I was disappointed. On way to Lahore my entertainment equipment was not working and on way back my lights were out of order. The food was cold though plenty. I suppose PIA’s desire to look posh was responsible for the cold food. I guess that the heated food is served differently in the two classes. The Economy class is served the heated food in heated and still sealed containers whereas for Club class the food is emptied into serving dishes first and then into the passenger’s china. I suspect that this transfer first of heated food into serving dishes is responsible for the food getting cold. I would prefer hot food in a reasonable container to cold food in china any time.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Shahid Anjum

12 April 2005

PIA from LHR-KWi on the upper deck economy plus+ seat and was impressed. Ample legroom and food was top notch. The entertainment system and especially the pa system should be improved. The urdu seems fine but when the hostess speaks English, it is a bit of a struggle. Coming back from Lahore after the initial routine hassles at the airport, the flight was fine. Although no inflight magazines were available, the flight was on time and there were no blocked toilets - which is usually accustomed to PIA. but only thing is in this route inside the flight no entertainment.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Alan Solomon

19 January 2005

Flown several domestic flights, and almost every year Toronto-Manchester-Islamabad. The flight is very comfortable, and PIA pilots have one of the smoothest take-offs and landings. They have never lost/delayed my baggage which is a frequent occurence with Air Canada or Emirates. The in-flight entertainment is satisfactory, meals are good and they will not starve you like European carriers. Attendants could lose some weight. Flights are generally delayed 20-30 minutes, but amazingly they always arrive on or before scheduled time.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Kurt Müller

15 November 2004

KHI-LHE on PK302 on 10/11 and return on PK305 on 11/11 in Economy Plus. Both flights excellent in terms of cabin appearance, crew enthusiasm and meals. However, in both instances, the overall experience was totally marred by the indifferent and clearly contemptuous baggage handling. In Lahore, I waited for more than 30 minutes for my suitcase, while low cost carrier Air Blue landed 5 minutes later and had all baggage delivered on the neighbouring belt 10 minutes prior to mine. The return flight was even worse - not only did delivery of the baggage take more than 30 minutes, but at first I thought my case had been lost as it had not appeared on the by now stopped belt. Upon closer inspection I found my suitcase stuck half-way through the hole in the wall. It had obviously been the last item and the brainless baggage crew had switched off the belt without allowing for all cases and bags to be conveyed into the baggage claim area.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Sohail Ashraf

20 September 2004

LHE-KHI-BAH: Beginning Sept. 04, my wife was to travel with my 18-month old son to Bahrain. Owing to end-of-vacation rush she had to choose PIA travelling via Karachi. The problem is that PIA treats its LHE-KHI passengers as 'domestic' passengers. Therefore the poor lady had to first receive her luggage from domestic arrival and then move a floor up to to international departure. This is highly inconvenient for any person let alone a lady or an elderly one. In my suggestion, PIA must arrange for transit facility at Karachi airport for upcountry passengers. Otherwise, flying out of Lahore by Middle Eastern airlines will continue to be better choice.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Kurt Müller

30 August 2004

DEL-LHE on PK271 and LHE-KHI on PK 307, both in Y class. There could not be any greater inconsistency in the product offered by one carrier. Despite this being an international flight, the DEL-LHE experience was disappointing, with a very old B737 sporting a totally run down interior and offering what may to many would be a decidedly poor first impression of Pakistan. The cabin crew were reasonably efficient albeit not exactly enthusiastic, serving pre-flight soft drinks to bridge a minor delay (late passengers, last-minute baggage identification) and an in-flight snack. (At least two fellow travellers at the all-Economy check inquired about purchasing C-class seats but were informed there would be only Y-class seating on this flight. As it happened, there was indeed a C-class cabin which seemed to be occupied entirely by non-revenue pax). What world of difference on the domestic Airbus 310 flight from LHE-KHI! Despite this also being an aircraft with a couple of years of service behind it, the interior was superb, both in its design and its presentation. With every single seat taken and a 10 p.m. departure, cabin crew at all times extremely polite and eager to please, serving a hot dinner with a choice of two menus (Pakistani or Western). Based on this and numerous previous domestic flights with PIA, I can only say that they are far superior in terms of service and catering to almost all intra-European (let alone US) flights. It is a mystery to me why their international service is not of a similarly high standard.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by David Richardson

24 May 2004

I flew on PIA on 15 May from Dhaka to Karachi. A fellow passenger was using a mobile phone during the flight and when I raised this with the cabin crew theY initially said it was ok as long as we weren't taking off/landing. When I then asked to see the captain they reluctantly spoke to the passenger concerned. The crew seemed unAware of the risk to safety of interference to navigation equipment and the possible consequences of this. Perhaps a section of your website for the worst safety ?

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Nadim Alam

24 May 2004

KHI-LHE. Flight 3 hours late, despite changing 2 planes as well as the original 747. Seats were very cramped in the time I was in the original plane. The normal 30 mins delay from the cabin staff normally means 2 hours plus if you didn't know. Once offloaded, the staff were trying to find a replacement plane, as the 2nd one left the jetty and came back.. Staff were heard to say we cant find another plane, which I found highly amusing, as it was a 747 they were looking for. The 3rd plane was OK, typical sandwich and tea fare for food. That was the first time I flew PIA after some 3 years flying Business Class on Emirates. Nothing has changed.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by Nadir Sharif

5 May 2004

I have only flown PIA on the Lahore-New York route, having made the trip both ways a couple of times. I find PIA to be the best option considering my budget and their service. PIA will take you between these cities in about 18 hours almost non-stop (only one stop of about an hour in Manchester, GB) There is no limit on baggage as long as it is cabin size and you can carry two bags up to 32 kg in the luggage hold. In-flight entertainment is also offered (only on this route though). The food is pretty good. Some times it can be tough to cope with neighboring passengers, but being a Pakistani, I manage well. I do suggest though that they improve toilet facilities.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by M Abrar

29 April 2004

I have flown with PIA several time in the last 3 years LHR - ISB. Their service cannot compare with Gulf or Emirates. So why fly with them? I did not want a Middle East stopover of several hours and the baggage allowance of 40 Kg was useful. One of the things that has surprised me about service on PIA flights is how variable it can be. On one flight the main meal comprised a sandwich which a goat might have found palatable (that was the only long-haul flight I have EVER been on where I left the plane hungry), yet on other flights meals have actually been quite tasty. The FAs do not do this job because they want to serve the customers; they do it as it is seen as a high status job in Pakistan. Some of them are quite arrogant, but I have found most to be friendly although not to the extent that they will go out of their way to do anything beyond the call of duty for the passengers. Having said that, they do have to deal mostly with Pakistanis, many of whom do not make pleasant passengers. Even knowing about the service and food, I travelled with them because of the convenience of a no- stop flight and baggage allowance. They have now surpassed themselves in ensuring customers are inconvenienced. When you get to ISB airport, you find that there are several international flights leaving within intervals of about half an hour. This in an airport that can barely cope with one flight at a time. Couple this with corrupt customs officials after bribes, ridiculously long queues (two and a half hours to check in!), check-in staff who work as though rapid movement might hurt them and who allow friends etc to bypass the queues, you have a very unpleasant experience. One problem is the lack of competition, Only PIA and BA fly this sector non-stop. BA offer 2 inches less seat pitch and only 20Kg allowance. And there is no competition on price. At least they’ve got a few new 777s – about time too. Staff accountability would be a nice next step.

PIA Pakistan Int'l review by K Müller

29 April 2004

Flew KHI-LHE on 26/4 and LHE-KHI on 27/4 in PIA's "Economy Plus" class. Both flights on 747 equipment, with "Economy Plus" cabin on upper deck. Excellent leg room and - for a domestic service - generous meals (full cooked breakfast on outward leg, and light afternoon meal on return). Above all, both flights spot on time wise. Although personal TV screens were fitted, there was no IFE available.

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