VLM Airlines Passenger Reviews and VLM Airlines Customer Trip Reports     No Ranking Awarded       Add your VLM AIRLINES customer review   Ranking withdrawn after CityJet takeover   Airline Reviews : A-Z Index   Customer Review scoring : VLM Airlines   8.7 out of 10 79 reviews

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  27 September 2010 by S Potts   (Netherlands)

RTM-HAM return in F50s. The outbound flight was delayed by about 20 mins due to high winds but the captain kept us informed. There was only one member of cabin crew on this half-full flight, yet he managed two full drinks rounds in the short flying time. The return flight was relatively uneventful and arrived on time. For the return fare, VLM/CityJet do offer excellent value for money with a full service in economy.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  13 April 2010 by S Potts   (Netherlands)

LCY-EIN. The VLM brand is no more (but the ticket still stated VLM). You have to use the CityJet website, planes are in CityJet livery and china and glass have been banished in favour of the bog-standard cardboard cups. I tried checking in online but there was a problem with the system. I cannot remember the last time the online check in went smoothly with VLM/CityJet. I eventually managed to do so. Passage through LCY was quick and efficient due to the extra security they've installed and the fact it wasn't a busy period, but it was a bit manic at the gate, as the ground staff didn't seem to know what they were doing. Consequently, we left 20 minutes late. Once in the air, the flight was fine (about 70% full), cabin crew managed one bar service and one tea/coffee service during the short flight and handed out Belgian chocolates (at least this VLM feature has been retained). I don't think VLM's standards have slipped due to the takeover by CityJet, apart from online check in, but the staff at LCY need to get their act together.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  10 February 2010 by Simon Smith   (UK)

LCY to ANR. Flight left late due to chaotic scenes at the gate, ground staff came twice through the plane checking names against boarding cards (obviously having not done it properly first time). Flight otherwise good, attentive staff, good service.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  5 November 2009 by Gerald Chapman   (UK)

LCY-Antwerp, unable to check in on line for no apparent reason. On arrival, check in machines also refused to accept flights to Antwerp. So, joined long queue to the 3 check in desks that operated for all the Cityjet flights. Eventually checked in, only to find that the security queue snaked through the airport building, almost to the doors! Not sure what went wrong but staff were eventually cherry picking those passengers whose flights were imminent to go to front of queue. By contrast the flight, both out and back on 30th oct, were smooth and uneventful.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  22 October 2009 by Simon Smith   (UK)

LCY to Antwerp again. This time my booking had been transferred to Air France system and my eticket details had been incorrectly coded as a paper ticket. Unable to check in online so joined another long queue. Had to go to ticket desk where agent blanked me, took a phone call and then started talking in French. The convenience of the flight is good but the staff are buffoons who really need urgent retraining.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  18 September 2009 : by Simon Smith

Customer Rating : 3/5

LCY-Antwerp. Disappointing experience. Long queue at baggage drop due to only one attendant being present. A second eventually appeared but was inadequately prepared - did not have the key to work the baggage belt. Stood there for 5 mins totally ignored whilst the attendant made a barrage of calls to remedy the situation without even a 'sorry to keep you waiting'. Flight OK but I find the Fokker 50s poor and noisy in comparison to the 146s. Overall the same level of mediocrity and couldn't give a stuff attitude that affects so many airlines these days. I would suggest some of their staff need to be sent for re-training.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  18 June 2009 : by W Brandoe

Customer Rating : 4/5

LCY-AMS-LCY Economy. Great flight on 146/RJ85. Seats a bit tight widthwise but made up for by excellent crew and good food/drink. This on a 45 min flight. Spoilt by disorganisation of KLM - we had flexible tickets and wanted to change our return flights. Were told by KLM staff at the machines "no you can't". Then sent to "check-in assist", where it was clear our flight would be long gone before we got to the front of the queue. Eventually went to ticket counter and asked for refund and a new ticket for our new flight, which sorted things out. Then back to bag drop - which took as long as manual check in would; they also must have special selection of staff who can say "have a nice flight" in the most insincere way possible.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  8 June 2009 : by M Heather

Customer Rating : 4/5

LCY-AMS-LCY on codeshare with KLM / CityJet on RJ85s. Both flights on time. Outbound flight nearly empty, return flight full. On both flights a drink and a (good) sandwich were offered (although as the outbound flight was mid morning, breakfast may have been more appropriate!). Cabin crew attentive on both flights, though they were rushed to serve all passengers on the return flight given the heavy loading.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  11 May 2009 : by P Cleeren

Customer Rating : 5/5

ANR-LCY-ANR, friendly check-in staff and friendly flight attendants on both flights. Good sandwich, free drink including a small belgian chocolate before the landing is a nice touch for such a short flight. Good seat pitch.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  21 March 2009 : by J Watkiss

Customer Rating : 5/5

MAN-LCY. Very empty flight. Very friendly crew, punctual and great views of the city on the eastern approach into city airport. Arrived early fast baggage delivery.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  31 December  2008 : by Roy Stilling

Customer Rating : 5/5

MAN-LCY. Arrived at MAN about 1hr 45mins before departure and had to wait about 20 mins for check- in to open. I tried to use the self-service machine but couldn't get it to accept my eTicket number. Once check-in had opened a friendly agent spotted that I was only carrying hand baggage and pulled me out of the queue and successfully got me checked in using the s/s machine. Gate (03C) was announced about half an hour before boarding. Gate area is on ground floor directly opening onto the apron and was very poorly heated! Boarding was by bus to the aircraft at a stand. The plane, a Fokker 50 was very cold on boarding but soon warmed up once the engines were started. Internally it looked a little tired but who cares on such a short trip? Seat pitch in row 8 was excellent. Inflight magazine said 32 inches but it felt more than that. Cabin crew did an excellent job of serving lunch (cheese or ham rolls), drinks and a chocolate to the quite full flight in the short time available (they also handed out boiled sweets before pushback). The flight continues from LCY to LUX and continuing passengers don't have to disembark - virtually everyone who boarded at MAN disembarked at LCY though. All in all a very pleasant experience. I usually only ever fly between Manchester and London at times like Christmas when there's no/poor train service, but the convenient location of LCY for me (living in Kent) means that I would consider this route again - especially if I can't get a cheap advance ticket on the train in which case VLM's fares are often a quite reasonable alternative.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  13 December  2008 : by O Banderas

Customer Rating : 5/5

Frequent traveller AMS-LCY-AMS. Outstanding ground, boarding (no buses) and onboard service. Very nice seats and catering more extensive than on other European carriers on a 40min flight. Cabin crew friendly and attentive. No baggage problems, and biggest delay so far is 40min. I hope now that AF- KL bought VLM they dont change anything at VLM!

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  25 November  2008 : by Christopher Adam

Customer Rating : 5/5

LCY-MAN. Excellent service on this short-haul domestic flight. Flight attendants offered omelette sandwiches and rice pudding, as well as a choice of hot and cold beverages with the complimentary meal. The ticket was only marginally more expensive than taking the train, or a no-frills airline. Despite a very busy Friday evening at London's City Airport and a fully-booked flight, we landed in Manchester on schedule.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  22 November  2008 : by D Lijnzaad

Customer Rating : 5/5

This little airline is brilliant. Antwerp to London City. Antwerp is probably the best little airport in the world, free parking 10 minute check in, simple walk to the plane, no fuzz. London City airport is the best airport in London so slightly above mediocre. VLM F50 clean and fitted with great new interior. Staff very friendly and despite short flight two drinks and a sandwich with a smile. Wish this service was available on more routes in Europe

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  31 October  2008 : by S Potts

Customer Rating : 5/5

LCY-AMS. I wanted to fly to Eindhoven but Air France/KLM charged extortionate fares for one-way flights. As Amsterdam Schipol is only 90 mins away from Eindhoven by train, I thought I would give VLM a try. I wasn't disappointed! The plane was clean and the drinks were served in glasses as opposed to plastic cups. The single sandwich was a bit stingy but of high quality. My only grumble with VLM is that the website initially displays fares not including taxes. It’s only when you select the flights and proceed to booking that the price becomes comparable with other airlines. Other than that, highly recommended!

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  16 October  2008 : by Matt Ray

Customer Rating : 5/5

One wonders how an airline like this can offer free food and drink in such a short period of time, have a charming crew, clean planes and easy check in and boarding. Flew Hamburg to Rotterdam. Couldn't recommend it highly enough.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  29 September  2008 : by Simon Smith

Customer Rating : 4/5

LCY-BRU also due to tunnel fire. Flew out business class, as no economy seats left - definitely not worth paying for as the only difference it made was a (marginally) bigger meal than on the return trip in economy. In all other ways, the service was great - no queue for check-in, friendly staff, snacks OK and aircraft seemed in good condition although F50s are a bit dated. I had to hand over my bag on boarding the aircraft, as the overhead bins are quite small, but it was handed straight back on getting off.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  25 September  2008 : by R Maxwell

Customer Rating : 4/5

LCY to BRU because of tunnel fire. Arrived at LCY 30 minutes before departure and pretty much walked onto the aircraft. Large roll and drinks (in actual glasses) served on board by friendly staff. However, F50 could definitely do with replacement or interior refurbishment - seats all seemed to be falling apart. Also hugely expensive.

VLM AIRLINES customer review :  21 September  2008 : by J Willuweit

Customer Rating : 4/5

Rotterdam - Hamburg. Check-In in Rotterdam very efficient, no queue. Plane was a Fokker 50 in good condition and was only half full, so I had 2 seats for myself. FA friendly and helpful. Food and Drinks were better than many other airlines would offer on a similar route. Flight was a 15 minutes late, but luggage was already waiting for us at the belt.

VLM AIRLINES customer review : 14 August 2008 : by O Banderas

Customer Rating : 4/5

LCY-AMS clean newly refurbished F50, comfortable seats and good catering, attentive crew, on-time. Way better than KLM Cityhopper.

VLM AIRLINES customer review : 12 August 2008 : by E Lowe

Customer Rating : 5/5

LCY-BRU on Fokker 50. Very good legroom, attentive crew, sandwich a beer and a coffee on this short flight. I had over 20kg in excess baggage, for which VLM decided not to charge . Their call centre staff are pleasant and efficient and changed the departure date of my flight with minimum fuss and at a reasonable cost.

VLM AIRLINES customer review : 12 August 2008 : by N Tofield

Customer Rating : 5/5

On the short flight from LCY to Amsterdam, they manage to serve a choice of sandwiches, cake, cold drinks and then a separate coffee/tea run through the cabin. Staff are friendly and attentive and the cabin is bright and cheerful, with leather seats. Take off and landing both on time or ahead of time. Compare this to the poor service KLM on the same route and the difference is clear - Fly VLM!

VLM AIRLINES customer review : 22 July 2008 : by Karel Hladky

Customer Rating : 5/5

MAN-ANR-MAN. Helpful check-in, attentive staff, clean plane - a pleasure to fly with.

VLM AIRLINES customer review : 27 June 2008 : by Rob Shepherd

Customer Rating : 5/5

RTM-LCY with VLM. Check in took just a few minutes and flight boarded 15 minutes before departure time. In air within 5 minutes of departure time, landed at LCY 5 minutes early and on Docklands Railway train away within 15 minutes. On board boiled sweets were offered before take-off and complimentary in-flight snack meal (cheese roll, apple pastry, coffee and beer) served by pleasant cabin crew. Comfortable seat and great leg room. Highly recommended.

VLM AIRLINES customer review : 17 June 2008 : by R Mortara

Customer Rating : 5/5

LCY to MAN. I had checked in on-line and printed my boarding pass. The flight had originally been delayed 20 minutes but in the end departed on schedule. As others have stated the service is excellent, although I dont like foccacia bread (a crusty roll would have been my preference). That sad the quality of the chicken sandwich was high (fresh and full of flavour). A chocolate muffin was also served. The tea tasted like real tea and the use of china cups is a nice touch. A good airline and one which deserves to continue its success.

VLM AIRLINES customer review : 29 April 2008 : by P Rose

Customer Rating : 5/5

MAN-LCY-AMS-LCY-MAN. What flying should be about. Great staff at checkins and onboard, good food and coffee without having to pay for it, and real cups too. This airline, that I had never previously heard of, seems to believe in old fashioned good service, at competitive prices, and they make a profit so it can be done without penny pinching and charging extra for everything. Highly recommended.

VLM AIRLINES customer review : 23 April 2008 : by S Wilmott

Customer Rating : 5/5

LCY-MAN-LCY - Superb service in a recently refitted F50. On time both ways and good in flight catering for such a short flight. On the return to LCY I left a item of property on board. The effort to trace the item was outstanding and it was returned to me within days after making only one call to VLM in London. Forget the train to Manchester from London. Go with this airline at a third of the cost.