Astreus Air

caveat_emptor

Flew to Ibiza with Astreus Air from Gatwick on 4th June and suffered a 5 hour delay. Told by cabin crew that 'plane had technical fault and they were trying to find a spare part. Fair enough I thought these things happen.
On our return on 11 June, with same carrier, the flight was 'rescheduled' 5 hours late which to me is same as a delay. This time we were told that the 'reschedule' was due to scheduled maintenance. Now if it was due to scheduled maintenance this would have been known about days or weeks in advance so that the flight times could have been revised.
It seems to me that these delays might be a regular feature of this airline on this route or and maybe other routes.
Has anyone else had experiences good or bad with Astreus?

ribenagirl

Well..... having flown to and from Jordan with them earlier this year, they're added to our 'never again' list along with Monarch!

The food was dire, my expectations are never high on charter flights but all the same, you expect to get something that you could actually eat and that isn't brown salty slop (aka Cottage Pie) and the staff were very unprofessional, and it felt a bit like they were there doing a Saturday job in Woolies! We were sat near the back, and they were all laughing and gossiping and giggling in the galley for most of the way, which is a bit annoying when you're trying to get some rest because you've got a long drive home at the other end.

Then, they started cleaning something out in the galley before we'd even got off the plane that smelt like rancid food and actually made me gag

Ah well, you live and learn!

lisyloo

Flew with them in April to Jordan.
Both flights were pretty much on time.
Small delay on the way back but not sure it was the airlines fault.
(The annual contract for fuel had ran out so there was extra paperwork).

We were on a 737 on the way out and it was a bit cramped for 4.5 hours.
Tall people had to sit with legs spread.
I was in the aisle seat and got knocked all the time (and I'm a female 36 inch chest so a lot less wide than most men).

We were on a 757 on the way back and it was massively more spacious.
Very nice.

Food was good both times (by airline standards).
Although would have liked a 2nd cup of tea.

Our suitcase was damaged (probably not Astraeus fault) and Astraeus baggage claims were fairly prompt about the refund which is on it's way.

Both smooth flights.

Virginie82

ribenagirl wrote:

and the staff were very unprofessional, and it felt a bit like they were there doing a Saturday job in Woolies! QUOTE]

Ribenagirl: I used to be a saturday assistant at Woolies. Don't think that I was unprofessional:mad: !!

Amys

This link should help if you want to read the regs

http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=304R0261

caveat_emptor

Amys wrote:

This link should healp ifnypu want to read the regs
http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=304R0261

Thanks for that but I didn't expect compensation. But I wanted to know whether this 'delay' was a regular feature of this particular flight because two delays are to me more than a coincidence. It has the 'let's treat the customer like an idiot (or worse)' about it and let's use the aircraft for another trip and make the customer hang around for 5 hours and give him some !!!!-and-bull excuse for the delay.
Once on the 757 everything was fine with more than usual legroom and reasonable service.
I won't be flying Astreus again unless I find this experience was an exception, which is why posted.
ps. This service is used by Thomas Cook so TC customers beware.

Markfd

Interesting.
We went to India earlier in the year through Jules Verne, who made a big deal about extra legroom on Astraus flights. Got to Gatwick and..... 5 hour delay. They said it was technical fault on the inbound flight from (I think) Tunisia.
The next problem was that they stopped in Ankara on the way to refuel, which seemed to take forever. To be fair, we were told about the refuelling stop but it seems a bit more of a problem when it happens, particularly on an overnight flight where you have to be woken up for landing.

lisyloo

let's use the aircraft for another trip and make the customer hang around for 5 hours and give him some !!!!-and-bull excuse for the delay

I would doubt very much that they were slotting in an extra trip inside 5 hours, but I agree that scheduled maintenance should have been known about beforehand.

I think with smaller airlines you have to expect delays because they simply don't have replacement aircraft available.

I've experience both ends of it.

Firstly going with a company called peach (anagram of cheap) and they only had one or 2 aircraft.
It's pretty obvious that it anything goes wrong then there are going to be holdups becuase they don't have a fleet on standby.

I have also experienced going with BA from Gatwick (where they kept all their spare planes at the time).
We had a problem but they just got another aircraft out.

It soundsl like Astraeus either didn't manage the problem well or communicate it well but essentially smaller airlines will have more delays simply because of the lack of spare aircraft (I'm pretty sure the no frills airlines don't have many on standby either).

With companies like Jules Verne you don't get a great deal of choice, so I guess it's a case of do you want the holiday enough.

Unfortunately I think technical delays are impossible to avoid with the best will in the world.
Personally I would prefer to have the delay and have high safety standards rather than fly on an aircraft with a problem, but I also understand what you are saying about management of problems and communication of the to passengers which is also important.

If you feel sufficiently agreived then perhaps write to the airline and the holiday company.

I thought they were fine apart from being cramped on the 737.

Saint_Chris

mum and dad just left manchester this morning bound for majorca flying with Astreus, flights left on time.

There holiday was booked through thomascook.