We're booking a Fall trip to UK and are flying from Edinburgh to Birmingham and it looks like FLYBE operates this route. We never heard of the airlines -- anyone have any experience using this airline? Confusing on carry on luggage and checked luggage and various policies and charges by the different airlines, additional costs for seat selection, etc. do they usually leave on time? Any problems encountered?
Thanks for your help.
Standard budget airline. Reliable but make sure that you are aware of luggage policies and whether you need to print out a boarding pass or you can show it on your phone.
I've flown them London-Belfast and return and had no complaints except that it was a prop plane which got quite noisy in the cabin.
A coworker used them from Southampton to Amsterdam, and said it was fine. She paid extra (not a lot) at the time of booking for a ticket that included the maximum checked baggage as well as flexible ticketing. This came in handy - she was early to the airport (was coming off a cruise ship and so booked a later flight to be sure) and they put her on the earlier flight for no further fee.
"Confusing on carry on luggage and checked luggage and various policies and charges by the different airlines, additional costs for seat selection, etc"
When you are thinking of buying a flight anywhere these days, but especially within Europe, you should do a "dummy booking" - up to the point where you put in your credit card. This way, you can see all the rules and fees. Budget airlines follow their rules strictly, as this is how they make money. So, if there's a possibility your bag is too big or too heavy to meet an airline's carry-on rules, pay in advance to check it. If you don't do this and they stop you at the check in, they'll charge you more than if you had paid in advance. Some will charge you even more if you get past the check in with an "oversize" bag, but they stop you at the gate.
Flybe's rules are very clearly stated as you do a dummy booking (I know, because I helped my coworker book her flight!)
I would also consider going by train from Edinburgh to Birmingham (New Street is the downtown station). www.nationalrail.co.uk - pre-book ahead a specific train with www.virgintrains.co.uk
Flybe has been around for about 38 years so it is well established, although it has transitioned more or less entirely to a low budget model. It has the greatest number of flights between airports within the UK and to nearby territories such as the Channel Islands of any airline plus many more to continental European destinations, mainly from regional airports.
My family regularly use FlyBe. A good safe reliable airline.
I second the idea of the train. By the time you factor in the time it takes to get to and from the airports, and the two hours you have to be at the airport for security, you won't save much time flying over the train.
The train goes from city center to city center, is more comfortable, you can enjoy the scenery and you can walk around rather than be shoehorned into a seat. And....no luggage size or weight limits.
