Flight check: Sky Europe

Published: 01/03/2006 - Filed under: Archive » 2006 » March 2006 » Tried and Tested » Tried & Tested » Airlines » Tried & Tested » Airlines » Sky Europe »

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS I arrived at Stansted at 0722 after catching the 0630 Stansted Express. The screen in the terminal at Stansted listed my 0900 flight to Poprad Tatry, but there was no message telling passengers which zone to go to, despite the flight being in less than two hours. I checked with the Information Desk, and an attendant told me to go to Zone D, gates 49-50. Once there I found a 15-minute queue. When I told the friendly check-in woman there was no zone information on the screen, she phoned a colleague to tell them of the problem. This Slovakian airline is a major low-cost carrier in central Europe and is based in Bratislava, which enables it to access both the Austrian and Slovakian markets.

THE LOUNGE It took me 10 minutes to clear security, and it was so crowded that the entrance was initially roped off to allow people inside to move along. Despite the crowds, the lounge was quiet and unhurried. Leaflets provided by the airport authorities at information desks and at other points explain how to use the wifi service.

BOARDING The flight was departing from Gate 2, which is accessed via a shuttle; I had to disembark at the first of two stops. The lounge in this satellite terminal was quiet and conducive to work, with a newsagent, Starbucks and an Est Bar Est café-bar. Although the screen above Gate 2 showed "boarding", staff asked passengers to wait 10 minutes. We boarded 15 minutes later at 0845.

THE SEAT Seats were pre-assigned, so there was none of the usual rush you get with low-cost airlines. The Boeing 737-500 has a 3-3 configuration and was only half full, so there was a free middle seat in my row. The cabin has a blue-green theme. It was reasonably comfortable – of course, having half the seats vacant was a big reason for this.

THE FLIGHT We departed 17 minutes late with no explanation for the delay. When I asked the head stewardess, she told me that the flight was expected to take two hours and 15 minutes (as opposed to the advertised two hours and 30 minutes). Although I was comfortable in my seat, the passenger in front of me reclined his seat during the flight, making laptop use difficult. I bought a simple salami sandwich and a Diet Coke (£3.20).

ARRIVAL We arrived on the stroke of 1230. Ours was the only plane in the airport. Passport control was swift, and my luggage arrived quickly on the tiny carousel. A taxi to the centre of town, which is five kilometres away, costs about 200 koruna (£4).

VERDICT There was some initial confusion at Stansted about where to check-in, but overall Sky Europe has comfortable planes and the cabin crew on my flight were charming. Seat allocation is a bonus, and the crew are happy to allow passengers to move to empty rows.

PRICE Return flights start at £55. Visit skyeurope.com.

Tom Chesshyre