Small charter carriers, offering their customers tickets at a price 20-30% lower than on international scheduled flights, make overseas trips much more affordable for our compatriots. In the field of budget travel, Azur Air has already managed to establish itself well.
Reviews about the quality of services provided by this airline are fairly easy to find on all travel sites and even on social networks. And this is not surprising. According to official figures, more than 2.3 million passengers traveled with Azur Air flights last year alone. What impressions about this carrier are most often shared by Russian tourists? What do they say about the service and most importantly - about flight safety people who leave feedback on Azur Air airline on forums and in social networking groups?
About company
The passenger airline Azur Air is one of the youngest airlines in Russia. Created in 2014 through a legal branch from Katekavia LLC, the transport company was for some time part of a subsidiary of UTair, the largest domestic airline corporation. In 2015, the newly formed airline received the brand name Azur Air (not to be confused with the name of the popular Bel Air Azur Resort 4 * hotel complex in the resort city of Hurghada) and began to carry out independent activities.
Since 2016, has the right to operate international passenger flights on a regular basis. Currently, Azur Air is the main carrier of the popular in Russia tour operator AneksTur. Airplanes of this airline make flights from 30 cities of our country to the most popular and popular resort areas: Thailand, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Vietnam.
In February 2017, Azur Air was awarded the SSA (Skyway Service Award) industry award for winning the “Best Russian Airline” nomination among international charter carriers.
Transport fund
According to the beginning of 2017, Azur Air owns 16 aircraft. Currently, Azur Air's fleet consists of Boeing aircraft of classes 767-300, 757-200 and 737-800, which replaced the TU-134 and other domestic aircraft. The average age of transport is 18-19 years, like most domestic charter carriers. The condition and condition of the aircraft is carefully monitored: the only drawback, according to passengers, is the noisy operation of the engines during the flight.
Interior Condition and Comfort Level
As in any low-cost airline, the cost of traveling on Azur Air aircraft is reduced due to the increased number of seats. Therefore, passengers are immediately warned: having significantly saved on air tickets, they will have to make a flight in cramped conditions. The narrow aisles between the rows and the small distance between the seats are the main inconvenience, according to most passengers. It is especially difficult for very tall or overweight people. What else can Azur Air customer reviews say about the level of comfort during a charter flight?
- Often referred to the cleanliness and good condition of the cabin, the perfect hygienic condition of the toilets.
- In addition to a cramped seat, some passengers can get an unpleasant surprise in the form of a faulty folding table.
- Each passenger is given a set before the flight, which includes sweets, earplugs and a bandage for sleep, hygiene bags, a pillow. Upon request, a blanket is issued during the flight, but judging by the reviews, quite often they are not enough for all passengers.
- The air temperature in the cabin is not always correctly adjusted during the flight. Many tourists complain about the too cool interior, which is exacerbated by the aforementioned situation with a lack of warm rugs. Some negative reviews, on the contrary, indicate a heat in the cabin and a poorly functioning air conditioner.
- The lack of a TV in the cabin.
- Due to the cramped interior, the passenger seats either do not recline fully or do not recline at all. When flying up to four hours, this drawback is almost not noticeable, but airline customers, forced to fly in such conditions for six or more hours, often express their indignation.
- One of the common problems of all without exception airlines carrying out “resort” flights is that there is a big risk of being on the plane with a tipsy company. Such fellow travelers sometimes come across on Azur Air flights. Of course, the presence of such companions does not depend on the desire of the aircraft crew, but the behavior of the stewards in such situations significantly affects the reputation of the carrier. Frequently, passenger reviews characterize the crew’s behavior towards “drunken companions” on the positive side: flight attendants, as a rule, behave with restraint, politeness, making every effort to prevent conflicts on board.
Food on board
The quality of food for Azur Air passengers is the subject of the most heated debate on social networks and forums. Depending on the duration of the flight, the airline’s customers are provided with 1-2 meals, one of which is a standard hot lunch. The Azur Air menu includes a complete set of products: meat dish (optional), side dish, sauce, vegetables, cheese, sausages, dessert, pastries. In addition, in unlimited quantities you can get drinks: coffee or tea, sweet soda and drinking water.
There are about the same reviews from airline customers who are satisfied with the standard menu as there are negative comments on this topic. In general, many passengers admit that lunch and dinner are quite consistent with budget prices for a charter flight, and all the food on board is hearty and quite tasty. Of the negative reviews, one can single out stories about poorly prepared or insufficiently heated dishes, which is why travelers remained hungry. Sometimes there are complaints of malaise or indigestion of the digestive tract, which passengers associate with one of the dishes in the airmen.
It is worth noting that the airline is constantly working to improve service on board aircraft. To date, several news articles have been posted on social networks regarding changes in the food sector for passengers. The official group of the airline has information on the availability of services for the selection and pre-ordering of a special menu. Unfortunately, while such a service is not available in all directions. Meals from the children's or vegetarian menu can be ordered on flights departing from Domodedovo, Pulkovo, and also the airports of Yekaterinburg and Krasnoyarsk. The list of flights has also been increased, where passengers can try the hot rolls baked on board the aircraft during the flight.
Crew and staff: what passengers say
Customer reviews about Azur Air almost unanimously state: the pilots working in this airline are real professionals, perfectly showing themselves even in difficult weather conditions. Often in reviews there are thanks to the crew for a safe and secure flight, fascinating stories about the area over which the flight route lies .
An equally good impression is made by stewards and stewardesses. Most travelers who comment on Azur Air describe the flight attendants as polite, attentive, beautiful, and extremely positive. According to the stories of passengers, the company's employees readily answer questions and are always ready to provide assistance.
Departure delay, compensation for passengers
Carrier punctuality is an important indicator when buying a ticket for a particular flight. Of course, for those who go on vacation, a slight delay in departure will not be able to significantly affect the trip. But for business trips or flights with transfers, delaying the plane can be a serious problem.
Unfortunately, we have to admit that delayed departure is the most common complaint from Azur Air passengers. Reviews of tourists are full of stories about delayed departures and flight delays for a period of 15 minutes to 10-12 hours. This fact is confirmed by statistical studies. According to the rating of the Federal Air Transport Agency, in 2016 the airline was among the “three leaders” in terms of delayed charter flights.
Representatives of the airline themselves associate the lion's share of delays not with technical malfunctions of air transport. The main reasons are called adverse weather conditions and the huge congestion of the take-off and landing seats at airports. At the same time, the airline uses all available opportunities to provide passengers with legal services: drinks, meals, short-term hotel accommodation.
Features of check-in for a flight
For the convenience of customers, in addition to personal check-in for flights at airports, passenger check-in is now available via the Internet. Such a service is provided in a special section on the Azur Air website. Check-in online (hereinafter - PR) is available for most passengers, however this method has its own characteristics and limitations:
- The PR starts in 24 hours and ends 1 hour before departure.
- The OR service is available exclusively for flights whose starting point is one of the cities on the territory of the Russian Federation.
- In addition to Domodedov, the base airport of Aazur Air, online check-in is available in 25 more cities. You can also clarify the list of airports with OR on the airline’s website.
- Clients obliged to fly with accompanying persons cannot use the PR service: minors, people with disabilities, and others. Also, owners of pets traveling with pets will have to go through personal registration at the airport.
- The PR is not allowed for passengers traveling in groups of more than 9 people.
- Boarding is carried out according to the boarding pass printed on the website after the PR, no additional application for registration at the airport is required.
Security level
The reputation of a particular airline in the field of flight safety is also assessed by the statistics of emergency situations in which corporate aircraft became participants. During the period of existence of Azur Air, not a single plane crash was recorded. Of the emergency situations that arise during the flight, the most famous was the emergency, far from "soft" landing in Tashkent (February 2016).
In addition, three more cases were recorded when the planes of this company made emergency landings, including one incident that occurred due to a bird accidentally falling into the engine. To the credit of the flight crew, all of the above cases ended successfully.