airBaltic

RIX-SVO - extremely slow check in at Riga airport. Crew not friendly and I was denied a claim form on board. The customer service is just odd. It is a very expensive low cost service. The food on board is really expensive.

Flew from London to Riga. For the first time ever had to pay $9 for just flight registration and $35 for luggage. Was a total shock to me and all other passengers registering at the same time since it was not mentioned during ticket purchase. Water onboard was $2.50. Would recommend to avoid this airline by all means.

PRG-RIX-KBP. Probably one of our worst experiences. When we got to the Prague airport we were told that we had to pay 150 euros for 3 checked bags (none were overweight) and our boarding passes which apparently we were supposed to print out before if we didn't want to be charged (which we didn't know about). We took the bus to the Bombardier Q400 and we boarded without many problems and sat into the small seats. We were absolutely baffled when we found out that we had to PAY for everything on-board not even a glass of water or juice was free. We then landed and spent the next 4 hours in Riga where we exchanged 20 US dollars for Lats so that we could buy something to drink and eat. We were able to only buy 6 small water bottles and 4 snacks for those 20 dollars. The second flight to Kiev had the same circumstances and again would have to pay for a small drink. This time we were on an old Boeing 737-300 which had larger seats. Flight attendants are non existent throughout all flights. Never flying Air Baltic again.

I have flown with Air Baltic for many years and generally there are no issues with time keeping and technical faults. On board staff are generally helpful. Customer Service could be better especially at check in in Riga - often long queues that merge into one - airport check in area is rather small and often the queue is out of the door so it pays to arrive earlier. Airport airside is pretty good now with the addition of new shops. I generally travel the London/Riga/London route which is nearly always full. Tend to be expensive at times - out of season usually the better deal. At least assigned seats - unlike the free for all on Ryanair in which case if you are not Latvian or Russian you will not win because they are queuing for plane 30 mins before boarding starts - look out for the passengers who stand up immediately the wheels touch the runway preparing to get off - it always amuses me.

From Riga to Villnius. The Dh8 is very good aircraft for regional flight. On time take off and landing. Everything o/b you must pay for. I ordered one hot chocolate. Very nice taste. Ground staff at Riga airport were so helpful. Crew were friendly to all passengers.

We were to fly Larnaca-Riga-Copenhagen at 04.30am on July 28th. Arrived at the airport at 02.00 found that the plane from Riga had never arrived and ground crew had not received any information about this and knew nothing. All passengers had to be re-routed and re-booked via other destinations. Even though we had the right to vouchers for meals drinks and phone calls ground staff could not get in contact with Air Baltic in Riga and only gave us a voucher for 3.50 in their cafeteria. Not even enough to buy a cup of coffee! Re-routed via Zurich and even though they said we were booked on a flight to CPH this was not the case we had to wait until a seat became available on a flight. Had to collect luggage go through customs and then wait to check in again. Ticket looks very cheap but there are a multitude of hidden costs once the ticket is booked. They do not even give you water on the plane without a charge. We will never fly Air Baltic again!

ZRH-RIX return older Boeing 737-300 in both directions with recently refurbished Recaro seats that were OK but a little cramped. Air Baltic is fine as a low-cost airline - I managed to buy my tickets in a sale - and I appreciated being able to pre-order a proper airline meal with a starter main soft drink and dessert rather than only being able to buy snacks. The lunch was good on the way out and felt like good value for money compared to Zurich Airport but the breakfast on the return was not so good (powdered instant coffee) and was expensive and of a lower quality compared to Riga Airport. Ordering in advance gives you a much larger selection but isn't really cheaper as far as I could see. On-time on the way out 25 mins late on the way in due to bad weather in ZRH but I didn't feel this was really explained. Nice staff. However the ticket prices are often decidedly not low-cost and then what you get for the price is rather scandalous given that you have to pay for all the extras.

Inefficient unhelpful and rude staff at check-in in Tashkent. Charged an additional 40 Euros for luggage despite being an economy not a basic ticket which according to the official website should allow 20kgs free of charge. A scribbled receipt was issued after persistent requests. First flight from Tashkent to Riga took off and arrived on time. Second flight from Riga to Istanbul was late to depart by 30 minutes. Riga airport was chaotic no information was given regarding the lateness of the plane. The planes were adequate the on board flight attendants polite. Poor value and I would not use this airline again.

Travelled HEL-RIX-KBP and back 19-22 July. The online booking and check-in (opens 72 hours before flight) straightforward website easy to navigate. All flights (except the last leg which was 25 min late on arrival) on time. The planes were oldish 737's (except RIX-KBP which was DH4 turboprop) but seemed in good shape and were clean. Seat pitch probably a shade less than major European airlines. The staff was very friendly and onboard service was impeccable. Nothing is free though. Riga airport is quite messy at 11pm when all flights arrive and depart.

VIE-RIX-TAS-RIX-VIE. VIE-RIX flown on small Dash 8 aircraft. We pre-booked a hot meal which was good. Also pre- booked seats which proved to be useless. Arrival to RIX was smooth. Had 5 hours between the flights so we went to Riga for a short sightseeing by public transportation. Boarding in RIX was a mess - flight delayed almost no information small waiting room crowded bus to the aircraft. Although we booked emergency exit row seats for quite a high fee our seats were in front of the emergency exit row - the most uncomfortable seats on the aircraft which was an older run-down B737. Very bad flight experience on this leg with some of the lavatories not working TAS airport is like going back in time it took two hours to get the visa and pass immigration and customs. Return flightt slightly better smoother check-in friendlier staff aircraft in a better condition although also one of the lavatories not working. Altogether the services provided was of lower quality than most low-cost airlines.