sn26567 wrote: ↑21 Aug 2018, 19:18
Another opportunity has been missed by Norwegian: they could have pre-empted Primera's flights by launching their own flights by B787-9.
But also to create a Belgian subsidiary would have been long to receive an AOG (AB, VLM,...)
Norwegian doesn’t need a Belgian subsidary to operate out of BRU!
Norwegian has never looked into flying 787 out of BRU, 737 Max like Primera could have been an option though.
It won’t be BRU based aircraft, but W patterns out of STN ( 6 day trip for the crew STN-USA-BRU-USA-STN)
In general I am disappointed that most of the commentaar are negative, is this an aviation forum or a fanclub for one airline?
One can be skeptical, the seats are really small if you want to fly over the Atlantic. I googled "Primera Air review" and got the following results on spot 1 and 2:
Tripadvisor: 1,327 people rated the airline 2,5/5
Trustpilot: 429 reviews, average score 1,6/5
.
Never Again.
I have read a few other reviews and it looks like if the plane actually takes off then you're probably okay. But if you have to deal with Primera Air when they mess up then it is going to be a terrible experience.
I am going to make a very long story short. We began our journey and had a mechanical issue so we had to return to the airport. After hours in the airport we were emailed that the flight was cancelled. We were told we would be refunded for the original flight and reimbursed for new tickets to our destination. Keep in mind this meant that we needed to purchase same day tickets from New York to London which was around $3,500.
The refund did come within a week. However I still haven't received the reimbursement. The flight was almost 2 months ago and I email pretty much every day asking for the reimbursement. I have been told it has been sent to the accounting department but I have no way of contacting them. The customer service is absolutely HORRIBLE. I get the same responses and don't actually get any answers.
I would rather spend the extra money to fly in comfort and know if something goes wrong, I won't be dealing with a company that obviously doesn't care keeping their customers. The whole ordeal has been my #1 worst travel experience.
Definitely the first and last time I will try Primera Air.
This is without a doubt the worst…
This is without a doubt the worst company i've dealt with. There are a string of issues i faced when making a booking:-
1) Return flight was cancelled 3 days before outgoing flight. Was redirected to a different airport 100 miles away from original destination.
2) Return flight was delayed by 9 hours, no food vouchers issued, no hotel accomodation. Nothing.
3) The only means of contacting them is by email, their quoted SLA is 30 working days but in reality its more like 90 days. The operatives on the phone line cannot do anything and the call times are around 2-3 hours.
To finish this review off they almost certainly don't have the cashflow to payout everyone's compensation claims/refunds and so are stalling, dodging, not answering calls and doing everything in their powers to avoid paying out legitimate claims. Do not ever use this company.
But also to create a Belgian subsidiary would have been long to receive an AOG (AB, VLM,...)
Norwegian doesn’t need a Belgian subsidary to operate out of BRU!
Norwegian has never looked into flying 787 out of BRU, 737 Max like Primera could have been an option though.
It won’t be BRU based aircraft, but W patterns out of STN ( 6 day trip for the crew STN-USA-BRU-USA-STN)
In general I am disappointed that most of the commentaar are negative, is this an aviation forum or a fanclub for one airline?
One can be skeptical, the seats are really small if you want to fly over the Atlantic. I googled "Primera Air review" and got the following results on spot 1 and 2:
Tripadvisor: 1,327 people rated the airline 2,5/5
Trustpilot: 429 reviews, average score 1,6/5
.
Primera Air review.png
Never Again.
I have read a few other reviews and it looks like if the plane actually takes off then you're probably okay. But if you have to deal with Primera Air when they mess up then it is going to be a terrible experience.
I am going to make a very long story short. We began our journey and had a mechanical issue so we had to return to the airport. After hours in the airport we were emailed that the flight was cancelled. We were told we would be refunded for the original flight and reimbursed for new tickets to our destination. Keep in mind this meant that we needed to purchase same day tickets from New York to London which was around $3,500.
The refund did come within a week. However I still haven't received the reimbursement. The flight was almost 2 months ago and I email pretty much every day asking for the reimbursement. I have been told it has been sent to the accounting department but I have no way of contacting them. The customer service is absolutely HORRIBLE. I get the same responses and don't actually get any answers.
I would rather spend the extra money to fly in comfort and know if something goes wrong, I won't be dealing with a company that obviously doesn't care keeping their customers. The whole ordeal has been my #1 worst travel experience.
Definitely the first and last time I will try Primera Air.
This is without a doubt the worst…
This is without a doubt the worst company i've dealt with. There are a string of issues i faced when making a booking:-
1) Return flight was cancelled 3 days before outgoing flight. Was redirected to a different airport 100 miles away from original destination.
2) Return flight was delayed by 9 hours, no food vouchers issued, no hotel accomodation. Nothing.
3) The only means of contacting them is by email, their quoted SLA is 30 working days but in reality its more like 90 days. The operatives on the phone line cannot do anything and the call times are around 2-3 hours.
To finish this review off they almost certainly don't have the cashflow to payout everyone's compensation claims/refunds and so are stalling, dodging, not answering calls and doing everything in their powers to avoid paying out legitimate claims. Do not ever use this company.
You can also look to the bright side of the story.
First there is an evening flight to New York,two there is a new flight to Boston.
Sure it's a lowcost but they also offer premium economy at a sharp price,anyway it's a new opportunity for Brussels Airport.
If I can chose between a Premium Economy(looks closer to a business light than a Premium Economy ) at 1000$ instead of a economy from a main airline at 650$ I chose the first one.
And for younger people it's not a problem to travel light and small.
Like People Express,Capitol etc ...in the past but let's hope it last longer.
But also to create a Belgian subsidiary would have been long to receive an AOG (AB, VLM,...)
Norwegian doesn’t need a Belgian subsidary to operate out of BRU!
Norwegian has never looked into flying 787 out of BRU, 737 Max like Primera could have been an option though.
It won’t be BRU based aircraft, but W patterns out of STN ( 6 day trip for the crew STN-USA-BRU-USA-STN)
In general I am disappointed that most of the commentaar are negative, is this an aviation forum or a fanclub for one airline?
One can be skeptical, the seats are really small if you want to fly over the Atlantic. I googled "Primera Air review" and got the following results on spot 1 and 2:
Tripadvisor: 1,327 people rated the airline 2,5/5
Trustpilot: 429 reviews, average score 1,6/5
.
Primera Air review.png
Never Again.
I have read a few other reviews and it looks like if the plane actually takes off then you're probably okay. But if you have to deal with Primera Air when they mess up then it is going to be a terrible experience.
I am going to make a very long story short. We began our journey and had a mechanical issue so we had to return to the airport. After hours in the airport we were emailed that the flight was cancelled. We were told we would be refunded for the original flight and reimbursed for new tickets to our destination. Keep in mind this meant that we needed to purchase same day tickets from New York to London which was around $3,500.
The refund did come within a week. However I still haven't received the reimbursement. The flight was almost 2 months ago and I email pretty much every day asking for the reimbursement. I have been told it has been sent to the accounting department but I have no way of contacting them. The customer service is absolutely HORRIBLE. I get the same responses and don't actually get any answers.
I would rather spend the extra money to fly in comfort and know if something goes wrong, I won't be dealing with a company that obviously doesn't care keeping their customers. The whole ordeal has been my #1 worst travel experience.
Definitely the first and last time I will try Primera Air.
This is without a doubt the worst…
This is without a doubt the worst company i've dealt with. There are a string of issues i faced when making a booking:-
1) Return flight was cancelled 3 days before outgoing flight. Was redirected to a different airport 100 miles away from original destination.
2) Return flight was delayed by 9 hours, no food vouchers issued, no hotel accomodation. Nothing.
3) The only means of contacting them is by email, their quoted SLA is 30 working days but in reality its more like 90 days. The operatives on the phone line cannot do anything and the call times are around 2-3 hours.
To finish this review off they almost certainly don't have the cashflow to payout everyone's compensation claims/refunds and so are stalling, dodging, not answering calls and doing everything in their powers to avoid paying out legitimate claims. Do not ever use this company.
How is this a reference, you can do that with Any airline. In fact: Brussels Airlines has an even lower score on trustpilot at 1,3/5
I flew from cotonou to brussels with the rudest staff ever. The crew was unhelpful, didn't care about the passengers and cleanliness of the aircraft. I even had to get water the whole flight by myself because your stewardesses didn't have time for me. I got sick because the food served on Brussels Airlines flights is not fresh and disgusting. My flight was cancelled before I landed in Brussels and I was given a new itinerary brussel-moscow-st persterburg instead of brussels-st Petersburg. When I arrived in moscow at 14:45, my luggages were missing. I was said to recheck them for my next flight to LED. I had to go to the lost and found office of DME to report it. While I was filing the form, my connecting Siberian Airlines flight gate closed at 15:55. I was given a new ticket for Siberian Airlines for 19:45. My original arrival time in St Petersburg was 13:45. I arrived in St Petersburg at 20:45. My luggages are still missing on this day 10/08/2018. I got no answer on where they are. I got no clothes, no medication, no personal items. I suffer from sickle cell anaemia and dermatose, I'm on physical and emotional distress because of their incapacity to handle passengers luggages well and fly them without problems. I'm very disappointed by this company and will never fly again with you or recommend it to anyone. I'm waiting for compensation and my luggages.
sean1982 wrote: ↑22 Aug 2018, 08:12
How is this a reference, you can do that with Any airline. In fact: Brussels Airlines has an even lower score on trustpilot at 1,3/5
That's indeed correct, I was too quick writing.
Then ... we will have to experience it ourselves with a little trip report
Nice addition to the portfolio of airlines for BRU, and also another dot on their map: BOSTON.
A little bit unsure about the timing of their flights though!
Ok, it's somehow a unique selling proposal to offer the only evening transatlantic flights out of BRU, but aren't they aiming at mostly city trippers and backpackers as customers?
Not exactly the best times then: your first day is already wasted upon arrival in the US…
But I understand it's probably because they want to use their planes in the most efficient way possibly and BRU is in a combination with a UK destination...
Looking at their destinations, I think they stand a good change on Boston!
There should be sufficient demand for this destination - also on the premium side which they need to capture too in order to pay their bills - as they're the only one on the route, so enough people now going on BA and others will forgive them their inconveniences like bad time, low frequency, not being known in the market, etc just to be able to go directly, especially at a competitive price.
New York, well, I suppose like we were told here numerous times by flanker, you'll always find a taker of a cheap ticket over there, but not sure the market is really waiting for them: with non-stops at better times on United, Brussels, Delta, as well as numerous connecting options on British, KLM, Air Lingus, Air France etc, you can find a ticket to New York at a very similar price or even below their lowest all-in return fares on pretty much any day of the year already!? Just yad a look, and in April, you can find tickets for €347 return including both hand and checked luggage, meals and drinks in flight...that's actually cheaper than Primera's best launch deals if you also pay for their options to match it!?!
And if you are after just a seat alone, remember Icelandair and WOW Air have also entered the market at BRU! Okay, they stop over in Iceland, but if you're a backpacker looking to scrape the last 30 euro off the simple ticket fare, you don't care about that, I'd suppose?
Washington, I suppose they just added it to their launch offer to create sufficient volume and to keep their second plane occupied the whole week, but I fear it's not going to work well for them….
It's a route between 2 major star hubs, with most of the much needed premium traffic under (government) contract probably. On top of that, it's also their longest route from BRU, so the most expensive one to run.
Didn't Brussels start off with an evening flight there, only to bring it forward to make it work well, even though it's now timed almost together with the code shared flight of United? It should tell us something about how important convenience, schedule and frequency is for the traffic on that route....
It's probably no coincidence Washington only gets 3 flights a week: IMHO, they're giving it a prudent try and might pull out quickly if indeed it's a bloodbath like I fear it will.
They could have tried something else instead however: why not Philadelphia? Is it too far out?
Very interesting city to visit for backpackers and no competition from BRU: a bit in the same league as Boston, so I would have added that iso Washington, but they clearly didn't.
I fear they may have been a bit blinded by the idea that they can take a significant part of the premium market too between the 2 most important political capitals in the world, next to just the cheap charlies which won't pay for the flight on themselves: I doubt they will.
Definitely the most risky of their 3 routes, hence it also getting the lowest frequencies.
Last edited by Inquirer on 22 Aug 2018, 10:05, edited 2 times in total.
KriVa wrote: ↑21 Aug 2018, 17:29
Seems pretty much like the exact same passenger experience one could have on AA’s 757 a few years ago.
I flew that one to JFK. It wasn’t too bad, honestly.
But I'm sure you had more than a 30-in pitch on the 757.
True, 31 in.
However, I can't find the claim that Primera's MAX will have 30 in of seat pitch anywhere. The lowest seat pitch Boeing quote on the MAX 9 is 31 in, which seems to be enough to fill the aircraft up to the legal allowed capacity. If 31 in would be the reality of it all, then this would mean the exact same space in a more modern, less noisy aircraft when compared to that 757 "nobody" complained about.
Boeing767copilot wrote: ↑22 Aug 2018, 10:22
Two based aircraft in BRU
Brussels Airport Company confirms that two Primera Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft will be based at Brussels Airport.
Earlier on, somebody mentioned these 2 planes will actually always fly in a W-pattern with the UK, with their crews on a 6 day trip away from home...
I know it's buying a foreign company additional goodwill if they talk about creating a local base rather than just coming in to drain the market so to say, but just how much of a base do they really plan to have in Belgium if their foreign registered planes do not simply fly up and down between our country and their destination all the time, but just happen to pass through?
SLM wrote: ↑22 Aug 2018, 10:29
Operated by Belgian cockpit and cabin crew?
I guess Primera will recruit some staff in Brussels to operate those flights.
That's definitely the suggestion given, but given the fact they will actually run a W pattern they could very will all be on non-Belgian contracts too and just be enjoying a stop over here, like they'll also be doing on the US side...
Not saying they're lying, but I won't buy all their PR stuff too soon: some companies add the usual 'we support X amount of local jobs' as their base line, others try to suggest they are going local in other ways…
Being seen as supporting the local community does give you a more positive image and is a must these days. Only time will really tell for sure if they indeed start recruiting all the staff needed for these flights here in Belgium, and also have their staff pay their taxes here then, but my hopes aren't too high after reading the comment about the transit pattern and linking it to the schedule published.
As to their pricing: how does it compare to others, both nonstop as well as connect, according to the readers? My take is it is quite average in fact: nothing special at all?!
Of course you'd have to see the exact dates, but at present I can find a return to any of their destinations for less at competing lowcosts (WOW air for instance) if you just want a seat, and similar to theirs if you go for a full package at the network airlines around their launch period?
Seems to me like it will be un uphill battle on any of the 3 routes, with Boston probably standing the best change.
some members claim their timings are bad... I tend to disagree… I prefer this schedule over the morning departures.
You can complete a (almost) complete working day in Brussels, arrive in the evening on the East Coast, Über to the hotel, double Scotch, to bed and wake up in th early morning and start your working day / vist.
On the way back, you have the whole day to work / visit, go to the airport, have dinner there, hop in the plane and arrive in the afternoon in Belgium, chill a bit, go to bed and start working again the day after.
Back when Sabena had the late evening rotation to JFK, I took it every time... on the outbound and inbound
Actually, this is literally the first time I've heard of Primera Air (Primera who?). I assume they'll have to go heavy on branding and advertisement. I'm not sure how the market tends to react, and whether passengers tend to get choosy about their airline. Of course, demand is largely driven by price, but I assume some also like to fly 'reputable' brands? Dunno.
Also, how will this impact on Air Belgium? Haven't seen this discussed much!
According to the current version of the manual, Rev B issued June 2018 :
And how to achieve this ?
Yes, it says for single-class config : 28" pitch.
Now this may later be presented by an airline as being about 30" .
Thanks but no thanks.
H.A.
PS : Oh, almost forgot. 3 Lavs. If each Pax uses the loo for 3 minutes that gives an occupancy of 3h40 or half the duration of the flight. A "load factor" of 50%
Homo Aeroportus wrote: ↑22 Aug 2018, 16:53
Mr Boeing said : "You want it?, We build it !".
According to the current version of the manual, Rev B issued June 2018 :
Pages from 737MAX 201806.jpg
And how to achieve this ?
737MAX 201806_Page_028.jpg
Yes, it says for single-class config : 28" pitch.
Now this may later be presented by an airline as being about 30" .
Thanks but no thanks.
H.A.
PS : Oh, almost forgot. 3 Lavs. If each Pax uses the loo for 3 minutes that gives an occupancy of 3h40 or half the duration of the flight. A "load factor" of 50%
This is an example given by an aircraft manufacturer.
In the end, it is each airline which decides on the cabin configuration (seat pitch, type of seats, number of lavatories, size of overhead bins, etc...)
OK if you have the 32" pitch (but that's only at the emergency exit rows). Good luck if you have the 29" pitch for 9 hours! And anyway, 17" width is too little. On an Airbus, you have 18".
A little off topic, but nonetheless interesting: The inaugural Primera Air Scandinavia London Stansted to Washington Dulles service, #PF47, is en-route, with Airbus A321neo OY-PAA.
Again, what's the likely impact on Air Belgium's planned services to the US? who knows whether they were looking at Boston, but surely this will increase competition, no?
domtom wrote: ↑24 Aug 2018, 09:15
Again, what's the likely impact on Air Belgium's planned services to the US? who knows whether they were looking at Boston, but surely this will increase competition, no?
I don't think that the new Primera Air flights will affect Air Belgium's US activities. Air Belgium asked for a US licence essentially to operate ACMI activities.
