airBaltic

London Gatwick to Palanga via Riga. I did know about baggage costs and paid for this online and had no problems at check in. The service on board was not something I required but staff were courteous and attentive. The planes were clean and fairly new and comfortable. All flights were on time except my return from Palanga to Riga which was delayed by fog in Riga. Overall my experience of Air Baltic was quite reasonable. Pre booking meals can be cheaper than buying once aboard and it is always possible to take your own food and drink on board to keep down the costs if this is an issue.

Riga to London Gatwick. The flight was busy but on time. Cabin crew in general friendly but could do with a bit of less attitude. The aircraft was new and clean. Have to pay for food and hold luggage separate. The in-flight menu was excellent and food was very reasonably priced and tasty though drinks were little pricey. Tickets can be expensive if not purchased well in advance.

RIX-CPH on airBaltic. Check in and security was a breeze. No proper restaurant airside. Boarding efficient. The new Dash-8 was spotless. Everything went fine. Coffee is overpriced at €225 and it is instant coffee! Service otherwise ok (actually there is no service).

Dushanbe-Riga-London Gatwick. This is a long flight (5 hours to Riga) with a chaotic check in at Dushanbe where most passengers seemed to have to go out of the check in area to change money to pay for hold baggage which they thought had been included in their ticket (including me). Luckily had the middle seat free between myself and fellow passenger so lack of seat space was not as acute as it could have been. Did not buy any food on the flight from Dushanbe to Riga/London. Riga-London was OK. Although arrivals at Gatwick was packed was able to use IRIS automated immigration barrier to avoid the wait. There is very limited choice if travelling to/from Dushanbe - basically it's either Air Baltic or Turkish Airlines. If the travel dates coincide with Turkish Airlines I would go with them rather than Air Baltic.

While booking electronic ticket on Internet for my father I made a mistake writing my first name instead of his. I discovered it immediately after the booking and called the sales office in Lithuania asking to change the name. They said this would costs around euro 80. This is more than the price I paid for one way ticket Vilnius-Copenhagen. No account given to the fact that I acted promptly. When I asked whether I could turn to somebody elsE at the company I was told e-mail of the customer service office. I sent them a polite e-message and probably a dozen of reminders but never received an answer. The customer service appears to be as bad as at the worst low-fare companies. My advice If having possibility use other companies.

The check in at Riga is unacceptably slow chaotic and overcrowded. If you check in at a machine you have to join a long queue to hand in your baggage. Their attitude is unhelpful and unfriendly. Meals and drinks in flight are not free glass of water is extortionate - about five times the cost of a small bottle - and that is just for a glass.

This is my second bad experience with Air Baltic. The first time I had a direct flight from Berlin to Vilnius and the plane was overbooked so they sent me via Warsaw so instead of 1.5 hour travel time I ended up traveling for 5 hours. Second time I had a direct ticket from Oslo to Vilnius. My flight was canceled and I was offered either a refund or a different non-direct flight in the evening instead of morning. I chose a refund and still waiting for it. The representative told me that it will take at least 6 weeks to get a refund!

Gatwick to Vilnius and back. The flights were punctual and service was very polite and friendly. The new seating is very comfortable.

My wife and I travelled to VNO from LGW . The price was very reasonable. B737-500 seats were comfortable captain extremely informative and cabin crew were helpful yet not obtrusive. On the outward leg we were delayed and diverted by fog over Vilnius. We were diverted to Kaunas yet only waited 15-20 mins after collecting our luggage for a bus to arrive and transfer us to Vilnius.

DUB-RIX-TBS and IST-RIX-TXL. Prices to Eastern Europe are usually unbeatable but staff could be more polite. Check-in staff in Riga was outright rude okay in Dublin and Istanbul. Check- in opened very late in Istanbul (1.5 hours prior to departure) which meant a long wait in the rather uncomfortable check-in hall at IST. Overly strict on the check-in weight limit. Cabin cleanliness was okay flight otherwise uneventful.