Pakistan Intl Airlines

I flew PIA from Toronto-Islamabad return in Oct 2015 and it was a terrible mistake. Aircraft was in bad shape, seats broken, 80% of IFE system was not working, food was below standard, one of the washrooms was out of order, no blankets and above all the behavior of cabin crew was terrible. I asked the crew member who was distributing headphones, why bother when entertainment system was not working? She laughed and kept on doing her business. Unfortunately, PIA is the only airline operating direct flights to Pakistan from Toronto and a majority of people, who have days of vacation, cannot afford to lose a day by picking other routes. PIA does know this fact, thus taking full advantage of its monopoly and is least interested in listening to its customers.

We were supposed to take off from Jeddah at 9pm on PIA. We reached the airport at 6pm in order to start check-in earlier. We reached Departure area to go towards the checkin, They said we're sorry but PIA hasn't started check-In. It was just 2.5 hrs to take off and they were saying this. At least 200 passengers were standing there. We requested to at least let us in because we had a disabled Passenger with us. But they didn't care about it and made is wait till 8pm. Then eventually we went in, waited in line to get our turn, after some time we got our Luggages Booked and boarding Passes received. It was around 9:30pm and we arrived at our gate. We waited and waited for a long time. At around 11pm, they started boarding. We proceeded to the counter, he gave us our boarding passes and we headed towards the plane. All passengers were boarded. They weren't taxiing. We waited for 2 whole hours. At 1am, after lots and lots of screaming, yelling, shouting, swearing (not only passengers, but also cabin crew) they started taxiing. We finally departed at 01.30. Overall, the flight was comfortable, but the behavior of the staff was very rude. No inflight entertainment. While leaving the plane, still the crew offered no apology.

Disappointing to say that after charging approx £900 for a return ticket this airline treat people like cattle at the check-in - the check-in staff cackled with senior officials at Islamabad. The flight was 4.5 hours late and I was told to go to an air conditioned resturaunt on site after standing in 40+ degrees conditions outside only to carry our cases up to a not so air conditioned cafe style place. No apologies from anyone employed by PIA not even the captain for the delay and no refreshments, not even water was offered let alone alternative accommodation -nothing offered to assist passengers. An airline that is most disappointing and I will not be recommending it. The cabin crew need to learn a bit of customer service and learn to smile. The aircraft was dirty and the toilet roll and soap were not topped up. Cabin crew looked and laughed when I alerted them to this. An unprofessional service and daylight robbery for those needing a direct route to Pakistan from the UK.

We were travelling with 3 children and during the entire flight the screens didn't work and staff just shrugged their shoulders. Trying to keep children busy in cramped conditions is not easy and PIA certainly don't help. PIA know that ex pats will travel on their airline and don't care if it's a miserable experience or not. The seats had no cushioning and I felt sorry for the elderly who couldn't move around. I took 2 of my sons to get a drink for them and despite the stewardesses seeing that I was holding the boy's hands, she said to carry on serve myself while she carried on chatting with her colleagues. On my return flight, a young child was sick in the walk way and a passenger asked the crew to clean it up because it was in the way, the stewardess gave tissues to the woman and told her to do it herself, unbelievable.

My experience flying with the PIA was awful. As it was my first time in a few years, I expected improvements. The in flight entertainment TV was not working which was the worst part. As you can see in the other reviews, PIA is not an airline to fly. The only good part about flying with them is that they fly direct which is a must for some people.

Flew from CDG-MXP-ISB. Check in was uneventful, however, the 'Premiere Lounge' is pathetic. There was no decent food selection available, and the only things on display were packets of pot noodles and 3 cold salami sandwiches. So, as soon as it was announced the gate was open, we fled the lounge and went to the gate. After passing through security, we realised there was a 15-minute delay. Finally, boarding was announced, and, much to my dismay, there was no priority boarding! We finally boarded the flight and were taken to our seats by the cabin crew. Moments later, the purser appeared with a range of juices and hot towels. In terms of seat comfort, I found the seat to be comfortable, and after flying EK's, EY's and QR's Business Class, didn't find it to be all that bad. After a 10 minute delay, we took off, and the IFE was turned on while the crew prepared for snacks, consisting of sandwiches, chicken 'rolls', cake and tea/coffee. After snacks, we began our descent and landed in MXP, and the ground staff cleaned the plane while we remained seated. After everyone had boarded, we were given juices and cold towels again, and soon after, we took off, 10 minutes behind schedule. We were given our amenity kits, and the rest of the flight was uneventful. Dinner consisting of a steak, curry, rice, lentils and vegetables was served, along with dessert, which was cheesecake or a plateful of chocolate eclair and lights were turned off for passengers to go to sleep. I fell asleep and woke up with only 2 hours to ISB when lights were turned on for Breakfast. Breakfast consisted of a sandwich, a croissant, coffee/tea, a roll, cold chicken cuts and a shashlik. About 1 and a half hour after breakfast we landed, right on time. De-boarding was swift, and soon enough I was in ISB. It was a wonderful flight, and definitely worth the money!

I flew from Islamabad to Toronto via Lahore - The flight from Islamabad to Lahore was excellent with courteous flight attendants and fairly good check in and baggage handling. The overnight hotel accommodations provided by the airline in Lahore were awful. Flight from Lahore to Islamabad was uneventful except for the extremely low safety concerns of the cabin staff. There were children running all around the plane even when the seat belt signs were on and even when the aircraft was flying through turbulent weather - what surprised me the most was that cabin staff just ignored these children while I was a nervous wreck watching the children jump around seats and run in aisles.

We flew from Islamabad to London on PIA's 777-300ER's Business Class on the 20th of June 2015, and it was a mixed experience. After 10 years of flying PIA's Business Class, you get used to the CIP lounge in Islamabad, which, although renovated and refurbished, still lacks a lot when compared to Emirates, Qatar Airways or Etihad. After the long wait, the boarding started slightly behind schedule. Since Islamabad Airport doesn't have jetways, we boarded via stairs, and as we entered the aircraft, I immediately realised that the AC's weren't on. We had to sit in this inferno for about 20-30 minutes before the engines were started. Post-takeoff, menus were distributed and the food trolley was rolled out. The food was delicious, and I even opted for seconds. After lunch, I realised that the IFE wasn't working, and when I flagged down a stewardess to ask why the IFE had failed, her response was "technical failure" and was not very helpful. The rest of the flight was uneventful. Business Plus passengers were allowed to de-board first. All in all, not the business class you'd expect from other carriers, but it is somewhat value for your money. I probably would recommend PIA to my friends and family.

KHI-LHE and return LHE-KHI. The flight to Lahore was on an ancient A310 which had definitely seen better days. You know that a plane is old when they have to use a VHS tape for the safety announcements! The flight was uneventful until the landing. We were only 1000 feet from the ground when suddenly the airplane ascended sharply the captain then came on the pa and announced that a warning light had come on causing the aborted landing but they had determined that everything was okay and would attempt the landing again. The second attempt was successful but I suspect that the landing gear did not fully deploy on the first attempt! The return was uneventful and luckily on a much newer B777. The only problem was that the IFE was not operational during the flight. Yet I'm still baffled why PIA is serving food on a two hour flight and using a B777 on such a short route.

28 March and 12 April I flew PK 786 LHR-ISB and PK 785 ISB-LHR and it is one of the most awful experiences I have had. The plane was so filthy it beggars belief the inflight entertainment broken on both legs and the staff non fussed. The seats were grubby worrn out and dirty the seat pockets seemed to have a years worth of accumulated dirt inside even the walls of the plane were dirty. The attitude of the staff was extremely poor a stewardess decided to "clean" trash off the floor by pushing it under my wifes seat with her foot. She even seemed quite shocked that my wife did not find this amusing. Earlier in the flight I had asked the same stewardess to send someone to clean my tray as it was filthy of course no one came and she seemed shocked at my suggestion. Should be avoided at all costs!