Libyan Airlines

Manchester to Tripoli. The ticket said departure was 11.45am. At check-in time there was no check-in open and it transpired that the plane was scheduled to leave at 4pm - so check-in wouldn't be open for another 3 hours. In the end the plane left at 5.25pm. So pre-flying was an absolute nightmare. However once on board things were much better. Nice food and drink (no alcohol unfortunately) and the cabin crew attentive and friendly. But unfortunately it took ages for the bags to appear once we arrived in Tripoli. So to sum up Libyan Arab Airlines seem to be good in the air. Not so good on the ground.

Tripoli to Manchester. The plane took off an hour late - so not a great start. But once onboard there were no problems. Staff friendly food was ok - a bit too many sweets and the seats were comfortable enough. All in all an ok experience. It's by far the cheapest option to get to Manchester so I'll probably be using it again in the future.

Tripoli to Bengazi. A one hour flight that turned into a dreadful 4 hour experience. 1.5 hours late sitting inside the domestic terminal with no reason whatsoever. Bussed to the plane which was a 727-200 that looks like a dead bird from the outside and was very hot from the inside. Torn and non adjustable seats tables kept opening and no seat number assigned to passengers - serve yourself! Before take off the captain explained why the AC was not working well the APU on the aircraft was not working. Long story short - I am a very frequent flyer but flying on that old 722 gave me the creeps!

Tripoli to Bengazi. A one hour flight that turned into a dreadful 4 hour experience. 1.5 hours late sitting inside the domestic terminal with no reason whatsoever. Bussed to the plane which was a 727-200 that looks like a dead bird from the outside and was very hot from the inside. Torn and non adjustable seats tables kept opening and no seat number assigned to passengers - serve yourself! Before take off the captain explained why the AC was not working well the APU on the aircraft was not working. Long story short - I am a very frequent flyer but flying on that old 722 gave me the creeps!

11 Oct 05 Tripoli-Tunis Libyan Arab Airlines There are two terminals in Tripoli one domestic and the other international about 20Km and $20 apart. This one and-a-bit hour flight was due to leave at 1430. Be aware that when you fly on Libyan Arab Airlines you will be bussed to a very distressed 30 year old 727-200. We boarded the plane only half an hour late because of a “security” agent in dark glasses and an Armani- type suit (jacket draped over the shoulders) who laboriously checked documents of all passengers on the 40 degree tarmac. The interior of the plane was so hot probably 50 degrees) that the older passengers were dropping like flies which further delayed the departure by a couple of hours. Sitting beside me fanning himself at high speed (the interior was now like 120 large beserk butterflies) was a flight engineer for LN who explained that there were no spare parts for the Auxiliary Power Unit that provides the AC so that’s why it was hot. I thought that this was not the moment to ask if there could be similar spares shortages for the main engines. People perked up above 10000 feet when they recovered and the cabin crew were not as aggressive as they were on the ground. Your heart goes out to these folks who are on these planes it’s both unpleasant and dangerous work. The alternative to taking Libyan Arab Airlines to Tunis is a 12 hour bus ride.

11 Oct 05 Tripoli-Tunis Libyan Arab Airlines There are two terminals in Tripoli one domestic and the other international about 20Km and $20 apart. This one and-a-bit hour flight was due to leave at 1430. Be aware that when you fly on Libyan Arab Airlines you will be bussed to a very distressed 30 year old 727-200. We boarded the plane only half an hour late because of a “security” agent in dark glasses and an Armani- type suit (jacket draped over the shoulders) who laboriously checked documents of all passengers on the 40 degree tarmac. The interior of the plane was so hot probably 50 degrees) that the older passengers were dropping like flies which further delayed the departure by a couple of hours. Sitting beside me fanning himself at high speed (the interior was now like 120 large beserk butterflies) was a flight engineer for LN who explained that there were no spare parts for the Auxiliary Power Unit that provides the AC so that’s why it was hot. I thought that this was not the moment to ask if there could be similar spares shortages for the main engines. People perked up above 10000 feet when they recovered and the cabin crew were not as aggressive as they were on the ground. Your heart goes out to these folks who are on these planes it’s both unpleasant and dangerous work. The alternative to taking Libyan Arab Airlines to Tunis is a 12 hour bus ride.