Ukraine International

Flight was from Beijing to Kiev on their 767 in Premium Economy Class. We left on time at 01.35 hrs and arrived into KBP on time. Flight was full in Economy and just a few empty seats in Premium Economy. There were a lot of Chinese on board and announcements were also made in Mandarin by one of the cabin crew. The service was good and a Dinner (almost too much food for the time of night) and Breakfast was served. Both were tasty. Plenty of drinks also for those that wanted them during the flight. IFE was pretty poor but then I slept. Better seats and more leg room in Premium Economy in comparison to Economy. Overall a nice flight.

I used them 3 times within couple months and can say that they are fine to deal with. The ticket purchase online is trouble free. Their online check in is hit and miss because they often change plane configuration so don't bother yourself up to 4-5 hours before flight. Their bag policy is standard (23 kg free allowance) and their cabin bag allowance is pretty standard. Their paid meal policy is ok as finally you're not fed with substandard food and you're warned that there is no free meal service so you can bring your own. Crews are nice and civilized. Planes are mostly brand new and clean. Leg room varies from generous on Embraer fleet to uncomfortable on older Boeing. Two flights out of three were on schedule. One left 1 hour late. Overall good value for money. A kind of Air Lingus type airline.

TXL-KBP-IKA return. First time with UIA and what a nice surprise it was! Excellent price/quality performance. On board staff professional. All flights on B737 and on time or with small delays. On both legs to/from Tehran the last rows were empty so I had 3 seats to myself and actually had some sleep (it's a 4hrs flight). On older B737-500 plenty of space for the legs (it's worse on newer B737-800). There was also a hot meal provided on the legs to/from Iran. UIA uses the new terminal in Kiev which is very good. I will definitely fly with them again.

St Petersburg - Kiev - St Petersburg. First flight average. Flight full. Back flight better. I am a Finn and can say that the service is as good or as bad as in Finnair. Overall quite nice experience. Good prices and Ukrainians are friendly. Recommend.

Flight from Warsaw to Kiev and the next day from Kiev to New York. Warsaw to Kiev trip was perfect flight on time and on board staff very professional. Trip was fine except delayed arrival (1 hours altogether). The next trip from Kiev to NY was fine on time 2 meals (great) I did fly Premium Economy which is definitely worth it drink served every hour staff were nice no problems arrival on time. A lot of space for legs and great duty free selection on board. I would definitely buy a trip with this company again. Service is good for that price.

Flew from Almaty Kazakhstan to Gatwick with UIA (the cheapest option) and decided to fly Business as again it was much cheaper than competitors. Afterwards I could see why. Use of the lounge in Almaty (though that isn't very special). On board it was a great disappointment. Seats are just the same as Economy with a little extra leg room. The middle seat in a row fields down into a table but the seats don't recline any further than in Economy. I assume that UIA can't now fly over Russia - hence the flight was quite long to Kiev - south over Usbekistan and Turkmenistan then over Azerbaijan and Georgia turning north after the Crimea (I could see from Google maps on my phone - there is no in-flight entertainment of any sort). Fairly chaotic at Kiev - it was necessary to go through security again. Boarding was by bus - there was no special arrangement for Business Class. Food was OK but not exciting. No English language paper. On return the flight was delayed at Gatwick and there was only 15 minutes to make the connection but I was ushered through security at the front of the queue. Baggage - 2 x 23 kg bags but no surprise they didn't make the connection. Hence priority baggage handling was of no value - stood around in Almaty for an extra 30 minutes waiting for bags that didn't come. I was informed "this airline do not deliver" so had to come back to the airport the next day. On the whole - I think economy on British Airways Lufthansa KLM or even Turkish Airways would be a better deal.

DXB-KBP-LGW. Both planes were 737-800s but the seating was not identical. On the Dubai-Kiev leg the seating was cramped my knees were knocking the seatback pocket and anyone much taller than me (178 cm / 5'10") would likely have found it very uncomfortable. The Kiev-Gatwick leg however offered what was clearly roomier seating with minimal knee-seat contact. The latter seating also seemed slightly more frayed; I gained the impression that slightly better legroom was in the older plane. Otherwise there's no getting around the fact that despite being Ukraine's national airline UIA are also a budget airline with no in-flight entertainment and no free food (only limited food options for a cost) on short or medium-haul flights - which includes Dubai-Kiev. If you go into the flight knowing this then the really competitive cost makes UIA worth considering as the flights seem to be punctual staff are professional and transiting at the UIA-dedicated Terminal D at Boryspil is easy fast and painless. If you go into a short- or medium-haul route with UIA expecting full service from a national airline then you'll likely be disappointed. I imagine that the Skytrax 2-star rating reflects the lack of entertainment and limited food options - but judge UIA as a budget airline and they're better than many of their European competitors in the similar price bracket and I've had much worse experiences with full-service North American airlines on (internal) flights of similar length to my individual legs here. If I had to keep costs down on a route covered by UIA's network I'd certainly consider them again.

I am 5"5 and average weight and I was uncomfortable with how small and narrow the space throughout the entire plane is. Not only are the seats narrow and too close with one another but even the hallways are just too small. I can only imagine what heavier and taller people must feel like on these planes. It was a 12 hour flight and the section where I was seated was extremely hot and humid me and other passengers had our backs wet from sweat. We told the flights attendants about it and it took 3 times for them to actually turn the AC on. In addition there was no room left for my carry on luggage a flight attendant took it and said it would be sent straight to my destination. When I arrived to my final destination my carry on luggage had never arrived I had to file a complaint and claim my bag days later. For the entertainment I couldn't even enjoy the movies they played because the speakers of my seat were not working.

19/3/2015 PS416 KBP-MUC. Seat comfort and leg space incredibly small - for passengers 1.90m tall or more it was not possible to sit in their seat-configuration (f.e. UR-PSA Boeing 737-8) (f.e.at 32A even not possible to sit with free 32B!). At KBP check-in agent denied emergency exit-seat with remark that all would be occupied - however - half were free in reality. Started boarding and after 5 mins they were doing the last call for boarding. Waited 30 mins onboard for transfer passengers from ODS without any information: asked senior cabin attendant if it was possible to change to emergency-exit-row: Denied without reasons! They are obliged to serve 150ml soft drinks per hour flight-time KBP-MUC is 2 hrs 10 mins we were served just once a little cup with barely 150ml of water. Not worth the low fares!

CDG-KBP-LWO and back. All flights departed on time. International sectors operated by B-737/800/900 with adequate legroom. Domestic sectors operated by B-737/500 with more generous pitch. No flight entertainment but its not really needed on short flights and if I want to watch a movie I will buy a cinema ticket rather than an airline ticket. On international flights only water is offered free while on domestic flights you have a choice of coffee or water free. Altogether UIA fulfils its mission that is to carry passengers and their luggage safely and on time at a very reasonable fare.