VLM Airlines Passenger Reviews and VLM Airlines Customer Trip Reports

VLM Airlines - by Mike Coward
5 July 2006

LCY-MAN-LCY Booking well in advance saved considerable time and money over the equivalent train journey. Cabin crew were pleasant but I do wonder why on such a short flight it's necessary to offer food, albeit just a sandwich - I'd rather pay less on the ticket price. On the return journey, the ground staff at MAN were extremely helpful to let me switch without charge to an earlier flight. Overall, I found VLM efficient and helpful and would certainly use them again. After all flying in a Fokker 50 puddlejumper was actually fun!

VLM Airlines - by Veeresh Sharma
3 June 2006

LCY-BRU. VLM isn't a bad option, but the comparison with Eurostar on the Brussels route isn't credible. I can get so much work done in comfort on Eurostar on both the outbound and return journeys, using my phone when I need to. Give me that rather than a bumpy Fokker 50 often delayed/cancelled by fog any day!

VLM Airlines - by Simon Smith
18 May 2006

LCY-BRU. I go to Brussels regularly on Eurostar but on this occasion tried VLM. The service was excellent given the very short flight. It was far cheaper than Eurostar and was also quicker, even taking into account the time needed to get to the airport. The only problem with VLM is the frequency - 5-6 flights per day is not enough to compete with the train, and the timings are not great for a business day trip from London. If they had an equivalent frequency to Eurostar I would always use them.

VLM Airlines - by M Jerman
28 April 2006

LCY-BRU and what a great little airline this is. OK, plane was old, cabin crew were not smiling all the time but apart from that I was very impressed. I read many nice comments here but it was better then I have expected. Check in easy and very fast, boarding 10 minutes before departure and still left on time, pre take off sweets, drink in proper glass, coffee in china, nice (not particularly tasty) bacon baguette, very tasty pre landing chocolate. Cabin crew were present in the cabin during all flight and were nice but didn't smile. I was sitting in the last row and being cabin crew myself I wasn't impressed by cabin crew reading newspaper during landing when she should be in her landing position but I have seen it many times on many different airlines. I didn't even mind that plane was one of the oldest in their fleet as I love turbo props and the noise they make. It's great to fly lower then on jet planes as you get nicer view. For 55 quid I paid for my flight I would give the whole experience 9/10.

VLM Airlines - by Mark Hurter
18 April 2006

Have nothing but praise this airline. A competitor cancelled by misstake our return leg out of Liverpool to Basle and the ground staff was not helpful at all (to say it in a polite manner). What a difference at the VLM ticket counter. The woman knew our situation and offered us a reasonably priced ticket to LCY from where we could continue our journey. As we booked last minute and security checks etc. took longer we got denied boarding at the gate as the flight would have left late if it waited for us to be bussed to the aircraft. Received free lounge acces in Liverpool (A special offer at the moment) and free rebooking to the next flight. Friendly FAs served candies upon boarding and free food and drinks during the short flight. Of course it was somewhat like a cold hamburger but more important is the way they treat you. You might pay a bit more but you get treated as a human being. Arrival in LCY was smooth and in the terminal within minutes. Called their London office a couple of days ago for a copy of the electronic ticket. We need that to reclaim the money from their orange competitor. This request was handled promptly and with no problems! Their Fokker 50s are ok for the routes they use. All in all reminds me of what Crossair used to be years ago. Friendly staff, nice service etc.

VLM Airlines - by Ian Morley
2 April 2006

Flown a few times from LCY-MAN in the last couple of months. Service has always been great - easy check in, easy 'onto the plane' and great service once airborne. Only downside is the walk you then have through terminal 3 at MAN as the plane 'parks' in-front of T1. Flights always depart on time and usually a few minutes early into MAN. Prices invariably cheaper than travelling Virgin trains and on a Sunday, the time comparison (1 hour as compared to 4+) makes it all worthwhile.

VLM Airlines - by Lee Melbourn
30 March 2006

London City to Manchester. After reading other passengers comments, I was expecting a great service. This is far from what I received. My original flight was cancelled with no reason or explanation given, they managed to swap me to another flight but that was running late. My colleagues on the 7:20 flight didn’t take off until 10:30. Upon boarding the fokker 50, the cabin crew (just one person) may just have been wearing a sign saying “I’m having a bad day” the attitude was absolutely terrible. It would be unfair to name this person but she did not smile once during the flight and was stern and just so unfriendly. There were no pre take off sweets. I do not understand how anyone can say VLM’s food is good, you get offered half a brown sandwich in a plastic wrapper or fruit, not even both, and no plate. Certainly no chocolates as others have mentioned. On a positive, I had a problem with my e-ticket for my return trip and the lady at the VLM ticket office at Manchester airport was helpful, friendly and smiled! Shame she isn’t working as cabin crew!

VLM Airlines - by Andrew Todd
18 March 2006

Manchester - London City. Very impressed. Flight was called for boarding 10 mins before departure and was greeted by 2 very friendly FA's, seating fine for a 50 min flight, offered pre take off sweets. Once we took off Crew offered Ham or cheese sandwiches complimentary drinks from the bar then tea or coffee finished off with Belgian chocolates. All drinks were served in china mugs and glass tumblers made it feel more like Business class. Arrived on time and as I arrived at the luggage belt my bag was already there, within five minutes of Landing I was on my way into London. Excellent service, Excellent Crew. No complaints

VLM Airlines - by Jason Fisher
13 March 2006

I fly Manchester - London City with VLM on most Friday mornings (the 9.30 am flight) and it appears to be a reliable service. Wheels up is normally at 9.45 and you are on the ground again at 10.30. A good price of £41 all inclusive is available if you book about 3 weeks in advance. It is not a lot quicker than the train for city centre to city centre travel, but in my case I am going from South Manchester to Essex and there is an hours time saving.

VLM Airlines - by Ian Vallance
30 November 2005

I recently flew for business from London City to Rotterdam, returning from Antwerp 3 days later. When our return flight was cancelled after a freak snow storm, the only option we were given was to transfer to the 8am flight the next morning, which itself was by no means guaranteed to depart. We were told point blank and with a shrug of shoulders that a refund would not be possible, nor were we offered food vouchers, transport or accommodation, all of which we had to pay for ourselves. Such a shame to let themselves down so appallingly when they perform well in other areas. A colleague encountered an identical situation with Air Berlin the same week, and was immediately offered a full refund - no questions asked.

VLM Airlines - by Douglas Ward
16 October 2005

I commented earlier this year about the food being tatty. There has been a considerable improvement in the food offered, good news in that respect ! If you are a regular passenger on the Manchester / London City and use the late afternoon / evening flights you may have noticed recently that for some reason departures and arrivals are frequently delayed. This is a real nuisance when you have to have commitments at the other end. These flights are used by mainly by business and professional passengers who have commitments. The challege is for VLM to get its act together and improve on the service which has been most disappointing of late. Time is money.

VLM Airlines - by Jonathan Choat
12 October 2005

London City to Jersey 15.50 Friday 16.9.2005. Firstly delayed because of fog. Then taking off at 8.00pm. Then cancelled because of 'weather conditions ' - so no compensation and no alternative but the 6am flight the next morning. How do you get to LC airport at 5.30am ? At what cost is the overnight stay and the transport let alone the cancelled appointments, loss of a day's paid holiday etc ? VLM personnel unconcerned; supervisor unavailable ( 45 mins later turned up) No compensation, no accommodation overnight . No transport and the airport closes shortly. Lies about weather conditions to avoid compensation for cancellation- other flights were landing in Jersey all this time as confirmed by other passengers being met in Jersey.

VLM Airlines - by Phillip Brander
10 October 2005

Amsterdam - London City (3rd October). No hassles for check-in, with a total of 14 passengers on the flight (Fokker 50 with something around 50 seats I presume). Flight left on time and arrived into London City airport 5 minutes early. Excellent service from the two cabin crew during the flight, including information on how to reach the city from LCY airport. Inflight meals were great (I did end up eating a business class meal, but economy meal looked fine also for a 45 minute flight). Will certainly fly VLM again should they fly where I'm heading!

VLM Airlines - by Liam Pennington
7 October 2005

MAN-LCY . Absolute perfection from this plucky little airline from start to finish. Weather related delays were dealt with brilliantly, vouchers TWICE for drinks and food. Crew friendly and attentive. Returned swiftly, and again crew were very nice. Highly recommend VLM.

VLM Airlines - by David Tippleston
1 September 2005

London City - Liverpool - London City. Despite large posters at Check-In proudly announcing their great punctuality record, the outward flight was over an hour late. Fokker 50 aircraft looked in good shape from the outside, but it was very loud and shabby looking once in the cabin. Catering wasn't up to much on either leg of the journey, but then they were short flights and the crew were very friendly. VLM are a useful alternative to BA, bmi & FlyBe on domestic routes - especially since they have such a large operation out of LCY, which is a great little airport. Where else can you disembark an aircraft and be in a cab 5 mins later?

VLM Airlines - by Jacco van Trigt
8 August 2005

Rotterdam-London City-Rotterdam. On the first leg VLM had decided to combine two flights (the 10:00 and 10:50) but no information was given to the passengers. We found out in the plane where someone else was sitting in our assigned seats with also a valid boarding pass. On the question where we were supposed to sit came no answer from the cabin crew, they just shrugged their shoulders. Some passengers luggage was almost left behind because no one from the crew had told them that they had to point it out before boarding (because of the combining of flights). After some delay we departed for the uneventful 40 min. flight. drinks and sandwich service was very ok considering the short flight. Return flight was free of problems. The price we paid for the return was approx 165 euros per person including all taxes.

VLM Airlines - by Craig Thomas
21 July 2005

London City - Antwerp - London City : Facilities at London City are great, a very convenient airport to fly from. Fokker 50s on both sectors are definitely showing their age and are very noisy. Cabin crew polite and efficient on both sectors - although the cheese roll served was nothing to rave about, the overall quality of catering was superb considering the flight time and aircraft - nice to have wine served in glasses, and coffee in china cups. Only real disappointment is the terrible airport at Antwerp - old, uncomfortable and lacking in organisation, particularly in departure from the "T" Terminal

VLM Airlines - by Patrick Souverein
29 June 2005

AMS-LCY-MAN-LCY-AMS. VLM has recently started started LCY service from Amsterdam for a very reasonable price, which is very beneficial given the location and efficiency of london city airport. VLM flies Fokker-50 aircrafts, that on all four legs looked in good shape. Check-in in AMS, LCY, and MAN was very quick without any waiting time. Flights were not full: AMS- LCY was the best with about 75%; other 3 flights 50% or less (but that could be due to the time: lunch/afternoon). Boarding was efficient. The cabin-crew provided good service. Although the chicken-roll was not special, catering was ok ; coffee and drinks were served in china cups and glasses. Coffee refills were provided. Flights itself were uneventful and that is perfect; all four flight segments departed and arrived on time. All-in-all, VLM did a good job !

VLM Airlines - by Douglas D Ward

23 May 2005

I use this service from London City to Manchester regular basis. The cabin staff with one exception are excellent and it is a pleasure to be a passenger. The food is awful and the airline has been promising for a long time to change matters. I was told it would improve last christmas. Perhaps it will be this christmas! Otherwise just have a drink and avoid the tatty food. I recommend the airline as I travel extensively and this little company does try hard in a tough market. Give them a go!

VLM Airlines - by Joan Burke

20 May 2005

We flew Liverpool to City Airport on Friday 13 May. Unfortunately we were unable to land at City due to the ABS braking system and were diverted to Southend. The crew could not have been more helpful. The pilot made sure everyone was aware of what was happening and made onward travel arrangements for some people. The two flight attendants were attentive, polite and refreshments excellent. A coach was waiting at Southend to take us to City Airport as we got off the plane - no waiting around. We would use Vlm again.

VLM Airlines - by Eric Bateman

6 May 2005

VLM from Luxembourg to LCY on 4th May. Aircraft was a Fokker 50 so somewhat uncomfortable and a little old. But what service. Decent food from decent people who seem to remember that the people in the seats are actually customers. Very, very impressed and would fly them again without any hesitation.

VLM Airlines - by Kevin J Cleary

30 April 2005

Return flight from LCY to MAN. LCY has lousy public transport facilities at the moment and access is difficult with congestion in the local area. On time departures in both directions with competent staff. The website claims that you get china cups: but you don't. You get British Airways paper all day deli cups, don't ask me why. The BA and BD shuttle cost the same (almost £300 flexible) and give you lounge access. I do not think I will bother with VLM again

VLM Airlines - by John Hassett

30 April 2005

Have been flying them between London and Rotterdam for a while now. LCY and RTM are both excellent airport to negotiate, although check-in can be a bit slow at LCY on a Sunday evening. The food is great for such a short flight. Antipasti and pasta salad going out, and herring returning. Not to everyone's taste, but more imaginative than a cheese or ham sandwich. My gin and tonic was served in a glass, and I was given a full size can of tonic. The FA offered me another gin when he came round with the second serving of coffee. The best thing is the fare. I usually book within two weeks of travelling and the VLM fare was less than both Transavia from Stansted or EasyJet from London airports to Schiphol. If only VLM had a frequent flyer program, but you can't have everything.

VLM Airlines - by Gauthier Costes

11 April 2005

I used to take Eurostar between Brussels and London - it was ok but the travel time was always a problem - spending 3 hours and now, with the new rail work done in the UK, 2 hours and an half in a train is really long, especially if you make a day return trip for one meeting. So I decided to use more often VLM to travel between the 2 cities: good service, quite on time generally (except sometimes in the winter because of bad weather), helpful crew. Two remarks maybe: the little Fokker 50 are not always in very good conditions inside and city connections are not very good from the London City airport, I always take a cab (compare to the Eurostar arriving at Waterloo with very good underground connections). But the very positive point is that the trip is only 50 minutes to 1 hour so I will continue to use VLM mainly for the travel time!

VLM Airlines - by Daan Roest

11 April 2005

I want to comment on the opinion of Mr. Dawson. VLM is an independent airline and not a part of KLM. Maybe that's THE reason that they are so efficient.

VLM Airlines - by Owen Dawson

6 April 2005

I have always used Virgin trains for the trip before, but sick of stupid prices, full bookings and delays, I chanced the flight instead. Well it was wonderful. I swept through check in, spent a pleasant 5 minutes in the LCY Departure Lounge and then on to the little Fokker 50 plane. Pleasant, helpful cabin crew, a rather tasty ham and mustard sandwich and a light snooze later, I was walking through Terminal 3 at Manchester. For about £30 more than Virgin Trains, you cannot beat it - LCY is a snug, friendly little airport which gives the impression of being homely even though it mainly deals with business men and women.  VLM are also very efficient - despite being part of the accursed KLM! Recommended.

VLM Airlines - by Steve Richards

7 January 2005

LCY to MAN. London City Airport - very efficient and quiet! The flight was very turbulent, but it was a Fokker 50. The worst thing was the attitude of one of the stewardesses. She treated us like an annoyance and not a paying customer. Whenever a request was made she was very curt and not at all helpful. This behaviour totally spoilt my flight, not sure I'lll use VLM again.

VLM Airlines - by Stephen D'Arcy

22 September 2004

Brussels - Jersey, day return (CAMRA Jersey Beer Festival, what else?). Managed to get a standby fare otherwise day return would have been too expensive (€200!). Flights on Fokker-50 - quite a lot of turbulence in both directions. In-flight magazine - one of the best I've seen with "city profiles" of all VLM destinations. Food good - coffee served in earthenware cups and alcoholic drinks offered free. Staff did the bare minimum then retired for the usual "girly talk" - not what they are paid to do!

VLM Airlines - by Veronica Holden

22 July 2004

I have just used VLM airlines for the first time and can only say what a pleasure it was. I travel from the Manchester area to East London several times a year and have always driven, but from now I will use VLM to London City airport . The plane was on time, very clean, the staff polite and the refreshments excellent. London City Airport is a little gem, it is a 2 minute walk to the terminal and my suitcase arrived just as I got there. In fact I was on my way by car in under 10minutes of landing. This is only surpassed by the check in times of 20 minutes before the flight.

VLM Airlines - by Daniel Reilly

28 January 2004

In any case where a flight is cancelled, the airline should (if they care about their customers) put on alternative means of transport to the destination. Another option that most airlines will use includes a voucher to the value of between 3-5 pounds to spend in the shops at the airport, for refreshment/meal etc. VLM obviously don't have such a policy, the risk you take when travelling. On another note, VLM's aircraft (Fokker 50) are the most unattractive aircraft I have ever seen.

VLM Airlines - by Louise Scott

16 January 2004

I have flown with VLM on several occasions. Each time I have found their staff to be pleasant, polite, courteous and professional. The aircraft have been clean with comfortable seats and a decent amount of legroom for a small aircraft (Fokker 50). The inflight service is good - I was served a fresh cheese sandwich, fresh fruit salad, Belgian chocolates were provided, as was Belgian beer. I have flown from London City to both Antwerp and Brussels with VLM Airlines, and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

VLM Airlines - by Robert Body

14 December 2003

11 Dec 2003 - my daughter and wife used VLM airline for a day return to Manchester, my daughter taking a day off from school to interview for the university. The plane was delayed by over an hour going to Manchester but this was ok as they had a couple of hours to spare. The return departure was 19:00 but was cancelled due to weather conditions (fog?), not quite sure where the fog was, London or Manchester? Definitely not London as I was working there at the time. VLM did not explain why the flight was cancelled and not just delayed. Anyway they were stuck in Manchester with no place to go, no refund from the airline and most annoyingly the customer service just stated "You can use your ticket anytime in the next year". It's only usable if they happen to be in Manchester and want to fly to London within the next year. Customer service (if it exists) could have provided options including organising hotels to stay over if necessary. Alright VLM probably wouldn't pay but at least they could have helped. All VLM did was to say all VLM flights out of Manchester were cancelled until 12:30 next day. What use was that? Where did they think they were going to sleep overnight? As it was they travelled to Manchester Piccadilly and got a train to London (£75 per person) and got in about midnight. I am particularly upset that the airline will not refund for the return journey as some form of compensation. Where do we stand on these type of matters? Can airlines just cancel flights and go home? We will not use VLM again, whatever.

VLM Airlines - by Daniel Turner

30 July 2003

I flew London City to Brussels with VLM and found them to be a very friendly and professional airline. Boarding was very quick and we took off on time. Shortly after take-off we were given sandwiches and mini Belgian waffles which I didn't really expect. The Fokker 50 was quite spacious with Grey leather seats. We had plenty of head and feet room and the aisle was wide enough to walk down comfortably! The return flight was exactly the same, quick check-in and boarding with friendly staff and a clean aircraft.