Germanwings A319 Best Seat

Published: 28/11/2011 - Filed under: Tried & Tested » Airlines » Tried & Tested » Tried & Tested » Airlines » Germanwings »

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS I arrived at Stansted via a bus transfer from the medium stay car park at 0630. I had already checked in, selected my seat and printed off my boarding pass online so I went straight to security.

To reach security I walked through the Germanwings check-in and bag drop area which is located at Zone E. The area is small and was quiet at this time in the morning with around ten people queuing. There were four desks open, two for checking in, one for express bag drop and one for online check in only, there were no automated check in machines.

I had pre packed my toiletries before I left, a good job considering you have to pay £1 for the little plastic toiletry bags here (well this is Ryanair’s UK base airport). Security is semi-automated with large trays working around a conveyor belt system. I was welcomed by the cheeriest security guard I had ever encountered at an airport and I was through in no time (shoes on, jacket off, laptop out).

Stansted has a good selection of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants airside including a Frankie and Bennies, Wetherspoons, Yo Sushi, Starbucks and Pret a Manger as well as high end clothes shops and all the usual airport chains. It was busy airside and I got in the long queue to buy a coffee from Starbucks. I found a seat and waited for my flight to be called, the boarding time on my ticket stated that gate seven would open at 0730.

BOARDING I took the transit to gates 1-39 at 0720, alighting at the first stop two minutes later for gates 1-19. Going up one escalator there is a Costa, World Duty Free and WH Smiths and behind me were gates 1-9.

On entering the departures area at 0730 an announcement was made that there would be a 15 minute delay to boarding so I took a seat by the window to read before being approached by a staff member of the airport to ask me some survey questions about the terminal. I obliged and was soon called to the gate at 0755. I boarded via an air bridge and was in my seat by 0805.

THE SEAT I had pre booked my seat as part of the Best Seat fare and secured seat 1F. This was a window seat and offered great extra legroom as well as early disembarkation on arrival. I had another passenger sat next to me in seat 1E even though 1D was empty and he could have moved to allow us both to share the added space of a free middle seat. However the flight was short and I had plenty of room so I didn’t want to cause a fuss over this. The added legroom also allowed me to easily pass in to the aisle without disturbing anyone.

Upholstered in grey leather there is no padding of note so the seat is very hard, especially on the back. The tray tables are not spring loaded so clatter back into place untidily.

On board this A319 (to see a seat plan, click here), the only aircraft that Germanwings currently operates, there were ten rows of Best Seat and the rest economy.

WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? Any seat in row one is certainly preferable but will cost extra as part of the Best Seat concept. If given the choice I would have opted for an aisle seat but these were unavailable when I tried to pre book, even though it was empty on the flight.

THE FLIGHT We took off at 0815 and food was brought around at 0840. In the Best and Flex fare brackets a voucher for a Happy Picnic meal is included in the fare (€6.00 when purchased on board). This consisted of a cheese or ham roll and one drink of tea, coffee, a soft drink or mineral water.

I chose the ham roll, which was a small sesame seeded ciabbata like roll filled with processed ham and a herby cream cheese spread which was delicious although not very nutritious. I also had a coffee that came with cream and sugar and was passable. If I had known it would be so small an offering I would have had something more substantial in the terminal. Rubbish was promptly collected and I settled in for the flight.

The Sky Bistro offers sandwiches, alcohol and soft drinks as well as other snacks and a small selection of duty free. The meal deal consists of a sandwich, a beer or soft drink and a free cereal bar for €6.50.

ARRIVAL We landed at 1025 and I was the first off of the plane and onto the bus back to the terminal. I was through passport control by 1045 and went straight down onto the S-Bahn platform from the terminal building where my next train to the central station was in 14 minutes.

VERDICT Not the most comfortable seat I have flown but a perfectly acceptable low cost service, with the added legroom making things even more manageable.

FACT FILE

PLANE TYPE A319

SEAT CONFIGURATION 3-3

SEAT PITCH 32”

PRICE At the time of writing a Best Seat for a midweek flight in January on the Germanwings website started at £39.99 each way

CONTACT Germanwings.com

Scott Carey

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