Air Europa

I flew Miami to Madrid on March 29 2015. Staff at airport were nice. Were boarded promptly and then sat on the plane for over an hour past scheduled departure with no announcement made. Apparently they were waiting for some paperwork. I was in business class and they brought me 1 beverage. 2.5 hours later that was all they had offered! I pressed my call button and no one responded. I had to get up and ask for more water. They provided an iPad for movies. I was on an Airbus 330-220 which is an older plane. The seats are lie flat but not totally comfortable (I put the blanket under me for more cushion). The service in business wasn't very good. The dinner meal was ok. They don't bring you hot towels for you hands when you first board but did right before the meal. Our flight was almost 1.5 hours late in leaving but the crew wasn't concerned as we had good wind in the direction we were flying so the flight time was only around 7.5 hours - the day before it had been over 9! They did not offer any other service the rest of the flight. I was waiting for breakfast when the announcement by the pilot was made they were making the approach to Madrid and would land in less than 1 hour. What? Where was breakfast? They never turned up the cabin lights and got people up. The crews excuse was "you were sleeping and we didn't want to wake you". I fly a lot and this is the first time this has ever happened. I asked the people around me if they had got breakfast and they all said no. I paid for a business class ticket and got second rate service! All in all though the flight was fine a little bumpy at times but we got to Madrid no problems baggage came off quickly. I can't imagine flying coach with this airline I would only book this again as a last resort.

We travelled Alicante-Madrid-Buenos Aires and return on Air Europa and being honest after booking we were dismayed at the poor online reviews. So it was a massive surprise to find that the cabin crew were friendly and extremely helpful the flights were spot on time the connections perfect and our luggage always arrived with us. The only downside was the food which was rather insipid compared to other airlines. Let me put it this way better than Air France or Iberia.

I flew from Madrid to Porto on a lovely Embraer 145. The aircraft was small and cosy a little bit old but perfectly functional. It only has three seats per row two in the right side and one in the left. I was lucky and got one on the individual lane. The flight was pleasant on time and extremely quick (45 minutes) despite the weather was not too good. The comeback was on a Embraer 190 also on time and quick. It was a night flight and they kept the lights off so the journey was pleasant and relaxing. No services offered onboard it is nonsense on such a short trip.

EZE-MAD and MAD-MXP. First flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid was in an old A330. Seat was regular and entertainment poor. Catering was the worst ever: in a 12hr flight they served one meal (2 star to be generous) and after 10hr only a little sandwich. Second flight Madrid to Milan was in a brand new A320 nothing to say. The good experience in a short range flight terrible in a long haul. Never again for a transocean flight.

I flew from London Gatwick to Havana Cuba via Madrid. The flight London - Madrid was on time check-in went smoothly. In Madrid I had 1.5 hour for transfer which went quickly. We boarded the plane on time however then we were told we would have a one hour delay which was a bit annoying. I reserved my seat 13C in advance - it had extra leg room as it was in the Emergency row and I was very happy with it. The only minus is that the seats felt a bit hard and on a long flight it was a bit uncomfortable. On the way back I was not able to reserve the same seat so I sat in regular 18F - aisle seat. I felt the leg room was quite small (I am 172cm tall). The return flight was on time and we arrived in Madrid in 8.5 hours. The on board entertainment could be improved - there were only 2 movies on during 9.5 hour flight. Please bring your own headphones as you need to buy them otherwise! I was pleased with the food and I have to say that staff were very nice and helpful on both fights serving plenty of water. It is a low cost airline so you cannot expect same service as from more expensive ones but overall I was pleased with them and the fact that I saved nearly £200 makes you forget the little imperfections.

LGW-MAD-GRU - Having done this journey direct from the UK I was dubious about the change in Madrid and sceptical about the £2k less difference in the BA price. Check was a bit gruff at Gatwick with the handling agents doing their best to ignore customers while discussing their weekend plans and gossiping about a poor member of staff who had just gone of shift . However the Lounges at Gatwick and Madrid were not as good as the Heathrow Terraces but much better than the rude and over booked facilities of the JFK Terraces. I felt the weak link here was the lounge in Sao Paulo on the way back which reminded me of a provincial airport with basic service and low quality decor. Air Europa may wish to consider changing this. The first thing that strikes you about this airline is the service and the pristine staff who respond to you every need as if their life depended on it nothing was too much trouble. Dinner service was on a par with old BA first class with leather menus and five courses although the food was on a par with lesser Club World. The seat - was not a lie flat bed but very similar to Club World London City although the Air Europa Corporate colours are a bit garish for my taste. There were plenty of films to watch and an I pad if you ran out the regular on demand service. There was a the obligatory amenity kit comforter blanket and pillows at bed time. I cannot understand why the cabin was half empty! If I were considering another trip to South America I would seriously consider using Air Europa again - especially given the saving.

Overall the airline is decent. I departed from Miami Int'l Airport to Oviedo Asturias with a stop in Madrid. What stood out to me was the lack of PTV entertainment. Food was okay. Don't expect too much from this airline.

UX9118 MAD-TFN (23/9) and UX9049 TFN-MAD (03/10). Both flights were on Boeing 737-800 and on time. Online check in was efficient. Check in staff was friendly and changed my seat without additional costs. Crew was not friendly. They even didn't say hello when the people entered the plane (they were chatting). This didn't give a feeling of welcome (which I get when I fly KLM). English announcements were so worse that I didn't understand them at all. Surprisingly I got a free bottle of water when I asked for some water. Crew was very good in hiding themselves. I've only see them once to sell drinks and food.

Flew LGW-LPA return via Madrid. Got all of their types E195 LGW-MAD A332 MAD-LPA and return B738 MAD-LGW. The service was OK all flights on time. English announcements were very hard to understand except on LPA-MAD leg the crew on MAD-LGW leg were surprisingly poor in their English skills could not understand a request from the person sitting next to me for a tea with milk. This does not cause a particular issue though it is a Spanish Airline. The 738/E195 were far more comfortable than the A332's - I'm 6'2" and rather thought those A332's were only specified for Europe flying - reading reviews apparently not. I'd avoid them long haul if there's a chance of getting one. But to be very positive their fares were spectacular. They were a clear £100 cheaper with luggage than any of Ryanair EasyJet or Norwegian and £150 cheaper than Iberia. Check in was easy everywhere. Connections were good. Flights were very well timed 10.00 departures both ways. Madrid makes for a longer journey than direct but that does not really bother me as long as I can arrive a decent hour which I did. I would definitely use them again for flying in Europe.

I recently booked a holiday through Thomson Holidays in the UK. We were informed that they had booked us on Air Europa flights to Tenerife and return back to Glasgow. A 4.5 hour flight with no inflight entertainment no inflight magazines to read no provision for my dietary requirements the trolley dolly didn't even know what I was talking about when I asked for a cider from the bar! The overhead air mover above my seat was out of its socket and didn't work. What a third rate airline! If this airline is to be used again by Thomson Holidays god help their profit margins because travellers will refuse to book with them if this is how they are going to be treated.