Meridiana

We had a 1.20 flight booked from Venice to Olbia with Meridiana. Flight was delayed for 2hrs then at 3pm cancelled. At no stage was any explaination provided for the cancellation. There was 1 staff member for the whole flight trying to sort out who got on another flight from Bologna (65 places) and we didn't mange to push our way to front of queue to get on. We had to pay for a whole new flight with Volotea as there was no way out of Venice otherwise. Getting our luggage back was an absolute nightmare and took 2 hrs. We finally landed in Sardinia 8 hours after our expected arrival and 900Euro poorer. Absolutely disgraceful and will never use them again. and have no idea of how to get our money back from cancelled flight. Don't fly with Meridiana. It might be cheaper but it's not worth it

We were delayed 8 hours. During our wait we had no information whatsoever (even the Airline Information desk were devoid of info from the Airline). After 8 hours waiting we were suddenly told to go to the Gate and that it would be closing in 6 minutes. Panic ensued. The Gate was at least a 10 minute walk (run!) away. We are in our late 60's and not as nimble as some - no help was offered whatsoever. Then after this awful panic we were kept waiting for nearly half an hour at the gate. All crammed in and as we were slower than the rest of the passengers, we had nowhere to sit. We had a taxi booked to meet us at Naples and had considerable difficulty and expense arranging the cancelling of this and giving the taxi firm the estimated time that we would be landing in Naples. Eventually we landed at 11.15 pm and then arrived in Sorrento and checked in to our Hotel at 12.15 am the following morning. After this complete travesty we attempted to claim compensation for the 8 hour delay ordeal. This is now proving difficult. Meridiana is unbelievable and, believe me, I wouldn't touch them.

✅ Verified Review | I flew with my husband and three year old daughter from New JFK to Palermo direct round trip. We encountered no problems on either leg. Now, we may have been lucky (I don't know) but flights left on time and arrived on time. Check in was very easy at both airports. Luggage was promptly received and cabin crew kind and courteous. What I want to explain to travelers is that you cannot expect top-notch luxury service from them while onboard. Let's be realistic. A ticket from JFK to PMO direct cost me $800/pp whereas Delta/Alitalia wanted $1,500 to connect in between. Traveling with a small child, I was more than happy to have the direct flight at half the cost. It is a no-frills plane. I asked for milk and there was none. The plane is old but we had no problems. There was one TV going to PMO (like flying in the "old days") where you had to watch what was playing. On the return, there was no TV at all. 9.5 hours without entertainment makes for a long flight. The seats in coach are uncomfortable. Narrow and small so if you are not prepared to deal with that, this is not the airline for you. Food was mediocre. No alcohol, wine only served with the meal and you got a light snack before landing. All in all - this airline is good if you can accept no-frills flying. The beauty is that you get to Palermo direct and at half the cost of the larger carriers. Would I fly them again? Probably if the price is right.

✅ Verified Review | Flew Naples to London Gatwick with Meridiana. The staff were courteous, friendly and helpful. However, the pilot aborted the flight after two attempts to take off, saying that a problem was signalled. We had to leave the plane and wait in the airport for 7+ hours. We were given a ticket for lunch in the "Meridiana cafe" which does not exist. All the staff at the other restaurants were unfriendly when asked if we could use our ticket. There were no clear directions. All passengers were milling around looking for the café, being directed up and down, most carrying hand luggage, some elderly. Finally, a waitress at one café directed us to a Brioche bar next to where she worked where we were abruptly given a bagette and drink. The plane seemed old. The seat in front of mine was slightly twisted to that the back would not go upright. The flight was cheap but I am not sure that I would risk flying Meridiana again.

✅ Verified Review | I travel almost monthly from Milano to Munich and I appreciate the service and punctuality of the Meridiana flight. The flight is convenient as it leaves in mid afternoon from Linate, the city airport, and it is always on time also on the return from Munich. Flight assistants are courteous and helpful. Only drawback is that in Milano the plane does not disembark to a finger but uses a bus shuttle. I imagine that this is done to save money as fingers are more expensive. At least this usually translates into cheap fares compared to aother travel options as car or train. As it is not a low-cost carrier Meridiana has the advantage of the possibilty to check-in at the airport at no extra cost.

New York to Naples with Meridiana. Every second of the process, from booking the ticket online until the plane lands was horrible. Bad customer service, old planes and zero organization. If it weren't for their direct flight from NY to Naples, I would not use this airline. In the future, I will be glady connecting through anywhere instead of flying direct with Meridiana.

✅ Verified Review | Prior to the booking I called to Meridiana 2 times to confirm that my flight from Milan to Sharm el Sheik return in April 2016 will not be cancelled. So I booked and in addition I booked 2 connection flights from the UK and the hotel in Italy for my family of 4. Three weeks before flight my flight to Egypt was cancelled so we lost around 200GBP in booked flights plus the alternative route was 200GBP more! I contacted Meridiana many times by emails and calls requesting to get a compensation, but my emails were returned! Very disappointed!

My first experience of Meridiana was to book a flight from London to Naples well in advance. 5 months later I got an email saying my flight had been cancelled. I had to call their call centre in Italy where it took the operator ten minutes to find my booking - all racking up call charges. The only alternative they could offer was on another day, so I requested a refund and rebooked with BA. That cost me an extra 70 GBP and I'm not looking forward to the phone bill. I won't be troubling Meridiana with my custom again.

Although Meridiana is very basic, we had great experiences flying New York JFK to Naples and back a few weeks ago. Check in was quick and efficient at both airports, and they let me check my somewhat large (although within allowance) carry-on free of charge both ways. The seats though are tiny. I'm 5'10, and my boyfriend is 6'1", and if we had known we would have paid extra for the "comfort" seats with extra legroom. For a long flight to Italy, this was not ideal. But I should have done my homework so I can't blame the airline. The plane was a Boeing 767 both ways, and was old and sort of dirty, but quiet and it was a smooth flight both ways. The food was fine on the way into Naples, but on the way home it was atrocious. The flight crew is totally uninvolved and stays at the back of the plane for the duration of the flight, but when they did come around for meals and beverages, they were pleasant enough. The movies were corny romantic comedies, but deal-able. All in all, I got what I paid for - a $600 round trip ticket to Italy is not something I'm going to complain about. The trip there was better than the trip home, but I would fly Meridiana again in the future for the value alone.

Uncomfortable seats, poor drink selection. I asked for a scotch and I was told they do not serve super alcohol. If you are operating business class service you should stock your inflight bar with booze. I know many customers do not like to drink but if you provide service from New York you should cater to your clientele! They don't provide any snacks in business class - not acceptable.