SmartWings

Prague to Rome FCO on Smartwings. When I booked the flight the cost was about 70 Euros and was advertised as a non-stop flight. Upon arrival at PRG airport we found out that the Venice flight had been combined with our flight as well. This meant an hour flight to Venice on the ground for about an hour then another 45 minute flight to FCO!

I have flown with Smartwings between AMS-PRG and PRG-BRU several times this year. I was lucky enough to purchase each return trip for only 55EUR and considering that Smartwings offers a complimentary sandwich/soft drink service on all its flights the price per flight is a real bargain. As regards the a/c I should say that their B735 were looking rather old and outdated in the interior while the B738 with wear the mother company titles Travel Service were very modern clean and comfortable. Only downside of this airline is the punctuality. Four out of six flights were delayed and two of these four had at least a two hours delay.

Prague to Venice. Unfortunately I didn't come across this website until the night prior to departure. Flight was delayed by 7 hours. As compensation I was given a voucher with sufficient value to buy a single muffin. During the delay there were no SmartWings staff available to advise of the expected delay. All the passengers could do was sit around and wait for the departure screens to be updated. This level disregard for one's customers is simply unfathomable. The flight was fine but what good is that when you can't get to your destination anywhere near the scheduled times. I will never fly this airline again and will be satisfied when they eventually go under as they undoubtedly will.

I had the unfortunate pleasure of using Smart Wings to fly from Paris to Prague and from Prague to Milan (this was to catch another flight from Milan to Rome) and the service was terrible. Not only was the flight cancelled 4 weeks before the departure date (even though it was booked 9 months in advance) but then the only available flight was 9pm instead of 9am. This flight was then delayed by 2 hours. We were told at check in that it was delayed by 1 hour but no further announcement was made to inform us of the second hour delay. To compliment that the flight from Prague to Milan was cancelled all together but we only found out when we arrived for that flight. This caused us to miss a connecting flight and therefore saw us arrive in Rome 6 hours later than we should have.

I have used Smartwings more than 5 times in the past two years since they began flying. Only one flight was NOT delayed either way. One flight was delayed only one way and the other three were delayed - a long time each way. I am currently writing this from Venice where we were meant to spend 4 days including lunch on Thursday in Venice. Unfortunately once again the flight was delayed - by 4 hours. In the end we didn't take of until 5pm which meant we lost a day in Venice because of Smartwings. Our compensation: 110Kc for food at the airport. This was of course better than Paris last year which was supposed to depart at 8pm on Sunday. In the end it didn't depart until 2am!! We'll see HOW MUCH tomorrow's return flight is delayed but I can say I am thoroughly fed up with Smartwings' lack of any sense of punctuality. To those who claim they had positive experiences I challenge you to fly with them more than once.

Prague to Amsterdam. No line at checkin. My friend's bag was overweight and he was not charged any fee - (unheard of in my experience w/ low cost airlines). Boarding was quick and the staff was professional. Seating was comparable to U.S. domestic flying. Shortly after takeoff attendants provided service including a free sandwich. (service as good as Lufthansa Frankfurt to Prague). Early arrival in Amsterdam. Overall I was extremely satisfied with my flight which I booked rather late and paid about 65 USD for the one way flight. As far as discounters go I was impressed with Smart Wings. The previous negatives were not evident and maybe the airline has improved since the earlier reviews were written. All I can say is this was a great timely and comfortable way to travel from Prague to Amsterdam.

PRG-CDG on Nov-05 departure 6 AM. First experience with this Czech- based low cost carrier. Swift check-in on two counters (hand baggage only) seating allocation (kind plus compared to i.e. Easy) boarding and departure on time plane - a bit worn interior of B735 but spotless. Seat occupancy some 30% pitch rather small (just acceptable for 15 hrs journey) refreshments sold at acceptable prices (sandwich soft drinks tea/coffee - 1 Euro each) nice staff in uniforms no bothering advertisements or lottery. Arrival 10 mins ahead to T3. Return CDG-PRG on Nov-06 plane of same type in better condition departure (on 10:40PM instead of 9:20PM scheduled due to fog in Prague. Were boarded one hour before take off but told lately to wait for clearance with an apology however no free water offered to pax as a courtesy. Being 6 ft/2in tall I have usually no problem even with the low cost / charter pitch but one pax behind me kept stratching her high heeled legs on my armrest and was not reminded by the FA at all (it was my dirty job to ask the pax for manners). Catched up some 20 mins from delay during the flight and landed hard but safely on the invisible foggy PRG airport. Occupancy again very low (40%?) and I wonder how they manage to survive their regular flights into top destinations in favourable slots (better than CSA competitor which is about to swallow them either). Would recommend them to fly whenever possible as a cheap option to classics but be prepared for some delays at the end of the day.

I highly recommend Smartwings if you have a lot of luggage and are in the budget market. I flew Smartwings CDG to PRG and PRG to CPH promptly after a transatlantic flight to CDG in August 2004. I understand Copenhagen is no longer scheduled but I must have been at 35 kg in luggage and that was no problem for either leg. It would have cost me a king's ransom in excess baggage charges on Ryanair. The planes were only half full so that might have helped.

LGW-PRG. I had been warned by my friend in Prague that Smart Wings has apparently gained a reputation in Czech republic for delays and cancellations but I tok the chance on grounds of price as they undercut even Easyjet. The flight itself was fine professional attendants good information and reasonably priced snacks. However the outbound flight was delayed by 90 minutes (not good on a Friday evening) and the return was suddenly flashed up as being delayed by 3 hours as I queued at PRG for the check in! No information was volunteered the check in staff were not employees of the airline and couldn't explain the delay so i spent a thoroughly dull afternoon in one of the least interesting airports in Europe. Speaking to my Czech friend again she told me that because they are quite new and not part of the CSA (Czech Airlines) "club" Smart Wings is basically the first carrier to be bumped down the priority list when problems occur. I hope this will change because there is clearly a growing demand for cost effective travel to what is a delightful city but I am personally going to leave Smart Wings alone for the time being and pay the little bit extra with easyjet CSa or Lufthansa. Nearly 5 hours of delays when one is only going for the weekend is just a little too much to accept - for now.

AMS-PRG. Great little airline. It was good to see so many people get off the arriving flight from PRG. We boarded on time left AMS on time and arrived PRG on time. I find it interesting that the fare was 30 euros + 41 euros taxes for a total of 71 euros. Cheap by anyone's standards. The sad not is that they now only fly to AMS on Fridays. Only drawback was seating. I am 6"4" tall so understandably I was a bit cramped but the seat next to me was empty so it wasn't too bad. In flight crew was professional courteous and very pleasant. I wish SmartWings continued good luck.