BACKGROUND Regional airline Baboo flies to 15 destinations all the year round from its base at Geneva Airport. The Swiss airline, founded in 2003, has undergone a significant network expansion over the last year with London City one of its newest destinations. It is the connecting LCY-GVA-VCE service (once a day during the week) which Baboo has high hopes for. Baboo flies from Geneva to Venice once a day (excluding Sundays). The route is served by a Dash 8 Q-400 turboprop aircraft.
CHECK-IN As this was a connecting service, I had arrived at Geneva from London City on the same aircraft (to see the review click here). Baboo has permission to keep passengers onboard for connecting flights which meant there was no need to disembark and go through Swiss airport security. In fact we weren’t even allowed to set foot on the tarmac outside. The plane needed to be cleaned and refuelled, and to pass the time the cabin crew kindly offered to let us have a peek in the cockpit.
BOARDING Again, no boarding for me as I was already on the plane. However, a new load of passengers going from GVA to VNC was onboard and settled within ten minutes with little fuss.
THE SEAT The seat width was fine and there was ample legroom, one couldn’t really expect more on such a small plane with economy throughout. All the seats were upholstered in leather which appeared new and above all clean and comfortable.
Seats are in a 2-2 configuration. My seat, 15D, was on the right hand side by the window, to see the seatplan click here.
WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? I would recommend seat 1B, however the first five rows are reserved for Baboo’s SMART ticket holders which costs a little more. The rest of the seats were much the same, however I would say for those who prefer window seats, bear in mind that the Dash 8’s massive turboprop engines obscure the view from the middle third of the aircraft but this is really no worse than sitting above the wing of an Airbus or Boeing. They are very nicely decorated though, in Baboo’s swirly red and white design.
THE FLIGHT Connecting passengers had to stay on the plane while it was prepared for the onward flight to Venice, which was an odd experience what with the cleaners giving the aircraft the once over, bin bags in hand. The plane was refuelled before a fresh load of passengers embarked, considerably more in fact than on the previous leg. All were onboard by 1220 and the plane was in the air again by 1235. Ten minutes later bottles of water were handed out, followed by pea and cardamom soup which was frankly excellent. It was served in paper cups, as was the tea and coffee, but this did not detract from the novelty or the taste. The soup was served with a small but dense cheese pastry, and rounded off with a tiny but tasty vanilla and chocolate mousse. All the food was offered a second time. Although the portions were small, the food was exciting and novel and left me wondering what on earth would come down the aisle next.
As it happens there were enough empty seats on this flight to move to one and put up the middle arm rest for a little more space. The chap I was sitting next to decided to do just this and catch 40 winks, which the cabin crew did not object to.
The flight was a little bumpy but very short, and with all the food and drinks handed out and wonderful views of the Alps, before I knew it we had started our descent. By 1330 we had landed in a fog-covered Venice, well ahead of schedule.
ARRIVAL I was off the plane by 1345 and at passport control within a few minutes. It should be noted here that security at Venice Marco Polo was less stringent than at other airports, with one immigration officer handling two queues of passport holders. Identity checks consisted of a glance at the relevant page which seemed more out of courtesy than duty, with the occasional question to check that all the passengers had arrived on the same plane. Not that I’m complaining as it meant no waiting time at all - efficiency, Italian style. As I had only hand luggage I could have been out by 1210, however I hung around to see how long it would take to collect suitcases. As it turns out not long, because it costs more to check luggage in and the resulting few suitcases were quickly collected.
VERDICT A little bumpy and noisy being such as small plane with two rather large propellers, but the food and service was excellent and helped create an exciting atmosphere.
PRICE A mid-week return in January from Baboo’s website starts at £108.
CONTACT flybaboo.com
Andrew Gough
