Panama-based Copa Airlines has boasted one of the world’s best hubs for connections, being such a convenient springboard to major cities and destinations across Latin America. At Copa’s home base (PTY), or ‘Hub of the Americas’, bags are checked directly to their final destination and travelers simply walk to their next flight without needing to go through customs or immigration. In most cases, a security check is not even required to board the next flight. With the return of the…
This is Part Three in a short series of trip reports aboard European ultra-low-cost carriers. To view Part One, click here, and to view Part Two, click here. As explained in the previous article, the plan was to fly DAT from Catania, Italy to Olbia, Italy then return to Pisa,…
This is Part Two in a short series of trip reports aboard European ultra-low-cost carriers. To view Part One, click here. I don't think I need to say much about Ryanair. The juggernaut of affordable travel revolutionized forever how people fly in Europe, defying legacy airlines and lowering fares significantly.…
One of the things I looked forward the most to once I moved to Europe was insanely cheap travel – in other words, flying the continents' ultra low-cost carriers (ULCCs). I always thought that was a myth and that fares were rarely low, but once restrictions started to be lifted…
Part of Paris-based Frenchbee's low-cost strategy is to eliminate business class. The company has instead opted for a two-class cabin with 376 economy seats and 35 premium seats. While its premium is not the luxury seen on a legacy carrier, it offers comfort and relaxation for an affordable price. Here…
This is Part One of a two-part series about Silver Air and its flights to Elba. Check back on AirlineGeeks for Part Two. More than a year after COVID-19 devastated its health system, apparently Italy is finally awaking after very difficult times with all the restrictions caused by the pandemic.…
Throughout the pandemic, people in Taiwan have led relatively normal lives. They went to work in offices, attended classes and ate in restaurants — all because Taiwan tightly controlled its Covid-19 case numbers. Although Taiwan has temporarily banned all non-essential travel, it has still been receiving returning nationals and eligible…
There is a reason that I opted out of Avelo’s media flight in late April, and my experience on the airline’s inaugural Phoenix/Mesa to Burbank flight highlighted that. Media flights are typically set up to go perfectly with an operational execution that does not match with reality. And sure enough,…
It is once again time for another Essential Air Service (EAS) trip report. While it is true that the EAS program connects small communities in the United States to larger cities, a select few are connected to two large cities instead of just one. What this means is that passengers…
This is Part Two of a two-chapter story about international travel during times of COVID-19. This article reports the second and third legs -- the transatlantic flight from São Paulo to Frankfurt with LATAM Brasil, and a hop from Frankfurt to Florence with Lufthansa CityLine. Part One is available here.…
