Small charter airlines offeringtickets for their customers at a price of 20-30% lower than on international scheduled flights, make overseas travel for our compatriots much more accessible. In the field of budget travel, Azur Air has already managed to recommend itself well.
Feedback on the quality of services provided by thisair carrier, quite easy to find on all travel sites and even on social networks. And this is not surprising. According to official figures, last year alone, over 2.3 million passengers traveled on Azur Air flights. What impressions do Russian tourists most often share about this carrier? What do people say about the service and, most importantly, about flight safety, who leave feedback on Azur Air on forums and in groups of social networks?
About company
Passenger airline Azur Air - one ofthe youngest airlines in Russia. Established in 2014 through the legal department of Katekavia LLC, the transport company for some time was part of a subsidiary of the largest domestic aviation corporation UTair. In 2015, the newly-formed airline received the corporate 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, owns the right to exerciseinternational passenger flights on a regular basis. Currently, Azur Air is the main carrier of the popular tour operator Anex Tour in Russia. Aircraft of this airline produce flights from 30 cities of our country to the most popular and popular resort areas: Thailand, Spain, 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 Airowns 16 aircraft. At present, the air fleet of Azur Air is the Boeing (Boeing) class 767-300, 757-200 and 737-800 aircraft that replaced the TU-134 and other domestic aircraft. The average age of transport is 18-19 years, as with most domestic charter carriers. The condition and health of the aircraft are carefully monitored: the only drawback, according to the passengers, is the noisy operation of the engines during the flight.
Condition of the cabin and comfort level
As with any low cost airline, the costtravels on the Azur Air planes are reduced due to the increased number of seats. Therefore, passengers are immediately warned: having saved a lot on airline tickets, they will have to make a flight in cramped quarters. Narrow aisles and the small distance between the seats - the main disadvantage, according to most passengers. It is especially difficult for very tall or fat people. What else can Azur Air customers' reviews say about the level of comfort during a charter flight?
- Often referred to the cleanliness and good condition of the cabin of the aircraft, the ideal hygienic condition of the toilets.
- In addition to a cramped seat, some passengers may get a nasty surprise in the form of a faulty folding table.
- Each passenger is issued a set before the flight,which includes candy, earplugs and sleep dressing, hygiene bags, pillow. Upon request, a flight is issued during the flight, but judging by the reviews, quite often they are not enough for all passengers.
- Temperature is not always regulated correctly.air in the cabin during the flight. Quite a few tourists express dissatisfaction with a too cool interior, which is aggravated by the aforementioned situation with the lack of warm rugs. Separate negative reviews, on the contrary, talk about the heat in the cabin and poorly operating air conditioning.
- Lack of TV in the cabin.
- Because of the cramped passenger cabin, the passengers eithernot fully recline, or not recline at all. With flights of up to four hours, this deficiency is almost not noticeable, but the customers of the airline, who are forced to fly in such conditions for six or more hours, often express their indignation.
- One of the common problems of all without exceptionairlines operating "holiday" flights, is that there is a big risk to be on the plane along with the 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 crew of the aircraft, but the behavior of stewards in such situations significantly affects the reputation of the air carrier. Often, feedback from passengers characterizes the behavior of the crew towards the “drunk companions” on the positive side: flight attendants tend to behave with restraint, politely, making every effort to prevent conflict situations on board.
Meals on board
Quality food for passengers Azur Air -the subject of the most heated debates in social networks and forums. Clients of the airline, depending on the duration of the flight, 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 carbonated and drinking water.
Feedback from airline customers satisfiedstandard menu, about the same as negative statements on this topic. In general, many passengers recognize that lunch and dinner are quite consistent with the budget prices for a charter flight, and all the food on board is nourishing and quite tasty. Of the negative reviews can be identified stories of poorly cooked or insufficiently heated dishes, because of what travelers were hungry. Sometimes there are complaints of indigestion or indigestion of the gastrointestinal tract, which passengers associate with one of the dishes in the aviation menu.
It is worth noting that the airline is constantlyworking to improve service aboard aircraft. To date, the social networks posted a few news related to changes in the field of food for passengers. In the official group of the airline there is information on the availability of services for the choice and pre-order a special menu. Unfortunately, while this service is not available in all directions. Meals from the children's or vegetarian menus can be ordered on flights departing from Domodedovo, Pulkovo, as well as the airports of Yekaterinburg and Krasnoyarsk. The list of flights where passengers can try hot buns baked on board an aircraft during the flight has also been increased.
Crew and staff: what the passengers say
Customer reviews about Azur Air almostunanimously assert: the pilots working in this airline are real professionals, perfectly performing themselves even in difficult weather conditions. Often in the reviews there are thanks to the crew members for a calm and safe flight, fascinating stories about the area over which the flight route lies.
No less a good impression is made by the stewards andflight attendants. Most travelers who leave Azur Air reviews refer to flight attendants as polite, attentive, beautiful, and extremely positive people. According to the passengers' stories, the company's employees readily answer questions and are always ready to assist.
Delayed departure, passenger compensation
Air carrier punctuality is importantindicator when buying a ticket for a particular flight. Of course, for those who go on vacation, a small delay in departure will not be able to significantly affect the journey. But for business trips or flights with transfers, the delay of the aircraft can be a serious problem.
Unfortunately, we have to admit that the delaydeparture is the most common complaint from Azur Air passengers. Guest reviews are full of stories about delayed departures and delayed flights for a period of 15 minutes to 10-12 hours. This fact is confirmed by statistical studies. According to the rating of Rosaviation, in 2016 the airline was among the “three leaders” in terms of delayed charter flights.
Representatives of the airline themselves bind the lionthe share of delays is not with technical malfunctions of air transport. The main reasons are called unfavorable weather conditions and a huge load of take-off and landing seats at airports. At the same time, the airline will use all available facilities to provide passengers with the services required by law: drinks, meals, short-term hotel accommodation.
Features of check-in
Для удобства клиентов, кроме личной регистрации on the flight at airports, now check-in via the Internet is available. This service is provided in a special section on the Azur Air website. Check-in for the flight online (hereinafter - OR) is available for most passengers, but this method has its own characteristics and limitations:
- The PR starts 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 Domodedovo, Aazur Air's base airport, check-in online is available in another 25 cities. You can also clarify the list of airports with an OR on the airline's website.
- Услугой ОР не смогут воспользоваться клиенты, obliged to fly with accompanying persons: minors, people with disabilities and others. Also, personal registration at the airport will have to pass pet owners traveling with pets.
- ER is not allowed for passengers traveling in groups of more than 9 people.
- Boarding is carried out on a boarding pass printed on the site after conducting the PR, no additional treatment is required for check-in at the airport.
Security level
Репутация той или иной авиакомпании в сфере Flight safety is assessed including statistics on emergency situations in which corporate aircraft became participants. During the period of existence of Azur Air, no aircraft crashes have been registered. Of the emergency situations that arise during the flight, the emergency, far from “soft” landing in Tashkent (February 2016) was the most famous.
In addition, there are three more cases whenthe aircraft of this company made emergency landings, including one incident that occurred because of a bird that accidentally got into the engine. To the credit of the flight crew, all of the above cases ended successfully.
