IB Express vs BA Euroflyer

[Londonsteve]

Considering these airlines are sister companies, I was shocked at the difference, IB Express is like night and day compared to BA Euroflyer. The IB aircraft was modern and fresh, the crew were jovial and immaculately turned out. Euroflyer ran out of GnT on the outbound leg (to Malaga, in summer!). The plane was an old crate in desperate need of a deep clean, I could barely operate the lavatory door it was so stiff and the sink was blocked. The crew looked like they hated their jobs and had faces like thunder, which I’m not surprised when you’re trying to survive on 20k in SE England. I came to the conclusion that but for my BAEC Silver status, I’d rather fly Wizz Air than Euroflyer on a route like Malaga where there are a slew of alternative daily flights to transfer to in the event they do the ‘Wizz thing’ and cancel, it’s just a much nicer experience on board. I’d be very glad to fly IB Express again, a nice experience.

[yonasl]

I was very impressed with a IB Express 321Neo flight recently. Plenty of legroom, USB chargers, extra wide overhead lockers.

If you check here (https://www.aerolopa.com/i2-airbus-a321-neo) you can see all the rows up to 19 have extra legroom.

[Londonsteve]

That would certainly explain why the plane felt so comfortable in comparison to the Euroflyer plane that flew me down.
Incidentally, I was blown away by the AVE I used to go from Malaga to Madrid. Quite simply the most comfortable way I’ve ever travelled in Europe. Felt like riding on a bed of air while travelling at 300 kph.

[Blair Waldorf Salad]

Londonsteve wrote:

That would certainly explain why the plane felt so comfortable in comparison to the Euroflyer plane that flew me down.
Incidentally, I was blown away by the AVE I used to go from Malaga to Madrid. Quite simply the most comfortable way I’ve ever travelled in Europe. Felt like riding on a bed of air while travelling at 300 kph.

Does it tilt like the Pendolino trains here in the UK? They make me terribly sick

[yonasl]

Londonsteve wrote:

That would certainly explain why the plane felt so comfortable in comparison to the Euroflyer plane that flew me down.
Incidentally, I was blown away by the AVE I used to go from Malaga to Madrid. Quite simply the most comfortable way I’ve ever travelled in Europe. Felt like riding on a bed of air while travelling at 300 kph.

Very few people know there is a very cool Renfe pass you can buy to take a certain number of Ave / high speed trains in the country: https://www.renfe.com/es/en/viajar/prepare-your-trip/abonos-ave-y-largadistancia/renfe-spain-pass

4 journeys is EUR 195 and 6 EUR 275 I believe (you can also buy 10 or more)

There is also now competition in some routes like MAD-BCN with very cheap tickets to be had if you buy in advance.

I am quite amazed the A321N from IB express is much superior to the A321C IB uses (meaning Express is not synonym with a bad cabin).

[yonasl]

Blair Waldorf Salad wrote:

Londonsteve wrote:

That would certainly explain why the plane felt so comfortable in comparison to the Euroflyer plane that flew me down.
Incidentally, I was blown away by the AVE I used to go from Malaga to Madrid. Quite simply the most comfortable way I’ve ever travelled in Europe. Felt like riding on a bed of air while travelling at 300 kph.

Does it tilt like the Pendolino trains here in the UK? They make me terribly sick

They are like the TGV or Eurostar.

[Londonsteve]

yonasl wrote:

Blair Waldorf Salad wrote:

Londonsteve wrote:

That would certainly explain why the plane felt so comfortable in comparison to the Euroflyer plane that flew me down.
Incidentally, I was blown away by the AVE I used to go from Malaga to Madrid. Quite simply the most comfortable way I’ve ever travelled in Europe. Felt like riding on a bed of air while travelling at 300 kph.

Does it tilt like the Pendolino trains here in the UK? They make me terribly sick

They are like the TGV or Eurostar.

Indeed, i.e. they don’t tilt. The idea behind the Pendolino is to ensure higher running speeds on track that isn’t to ‘high speed’ grade. The AVE runs on dedicated tracks that are super smooth with very low radius curves (that will have a natural tilt built into them), therefore there’s no need to hydraulically tilt the carriages. The wonderful floating ride of the Siemens AVE might however make some people sick, it felt a bit like an old Citroen but not to the point where I saw anyone reaching for a sick bag.

[NorthernLass]

This sounds like witchcraft to those of us who have the misfortune to (occasionally) have to travel on TransPennine Express (not that there’s anything express about them).

[Londonsteve]

NorthernLass wrote:

This sounds like witchcraft to those of us who have the misfortune to (occasionally) have to travel on TransPennine Express (not that there’s anything express about them).

I’ll confess to thinking about the wretched state of UK rail as I was gliding past the sun drenched scenery with a coffee in hand. At full price the 500 km journey would have set me back 50 Euros had I bought only the train ticket from Renfe.

[Londonsteve]

yonasl wrote:

Londonsteve wrote:

That would certainly explain why the plane felt so comfortable in comparison to the Euroflyer plane that flew me down.
Incidentally, I was blown away by the AVE I used to go from Malaga to Madrid. Quite simply the most comfortable way I’ve ever travelled in Europe. Felt like riding on a bed of air while travelling at 300 kph.

Very few people know there is a very cool Renfe pass you can buy to take a certain number of Ave / high speed trains in the country: https://www.renfe.com/es/en/viajar/prepare-your-trip/abonos-ave-y-largadistancia/renfe-spain-pass

4 journeys is EUR 195 and 6 EUR 275 I believe (you can also buy 10 or more)

There is also now competition in some routes like MAD-BCN with very cheap tickets to be had if you buy in advance.

I am quite amazed the A321N from IB express is much superior to the A321C IB uses (meaning Express is not synonym with a bad cabin).

The combined Rail & Fly ticket I bought from Iberia was so cheap I didn’t really pay anything for the rail fare compared to either the cost of a direct or transit flight from Malaga to London, or just flying from Madrid to London with IB or BA. I’m sure than Renfe was paid a negotiated rate that’s much cheaper than public fares, the rest going to Iberia. Renfe got some business when people would otherwise fly the whole way and indeed, some people will decide flying it too much hassle in the future and they’ll stick to using Renfe. I certainly would if I was seeking to get from A to B within mainland Spain.

The Iryo Frecciarossa trains run by Trenitalia look amazing. like a Ferrari for the rails. No surprise really, they’re also designed by Pininfarina!