Company Air Arabia, reviews of which among passengers are quite diverse, has become known for its regular flights to the UAE. Most often, people using its services have problems with luggage. Especially many claims against this company regarding lost things were observed in 2011. Now the situation has improved a lot. Reviews about Air Arabia are mostly positive. It is especially advantageous from other air carriers due to its relatively low cost of tickets.
Company Information
This airline was founded almost thirteen years ago - in 2003. For those passengers who are accustomed to flights with luxury service, before using its services, you need to understand that this air carrier is a budget airline. The airline Air Arabia, reviews of which are sometimes ambiguous, has chosen the concept of low-cost service for itself. Its main bases are located in the UAE (Sharjah) and Morocco (Casablanca).
The fleet of this carrier is made up of the same type of aircraft,Thanks to this, the company manages to save a considerable amount of money. The air carrier does not incur material costs associated with the need to constantly train personnel and crew for servicing aircraft of various types. And largely due to this, Air Arabia's ticket prices are much lower than those of competitors. Such internal policy causes various responses. Air Arabia is described as a cheap-and-cheap carrier.
Regular flights
Bilateral flights to the UAE and Morocco are operated from Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. Also, this company makes passenger flights from various airports in Alexandria and Sharjah to the countries of the CIS, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. This air carrier has a practice of connecting its own flights at the Sharjah airport (an intermediate transfer from one aircraft to another, flying to the final destination). In such cases, when purchasing a ticket and checking in, the airline's system issues boarding passes immediately to the final destination.
If you paid with a credit card when purchasing your ticket and you plan to transfer during the flight, then after arriving in Sharjah you will need to obtain a boarding pass for the second flight at the local check-in counter, designed specifically for transit passengers.
Information about connecting flights
Among those who flew on such connecting flights, there are various opinions regarding this practice. Air Arabia, for its part, is trying to minimize the difference intime between such flights. But as in any work, inconsistencies can arise in such planning.
Upon arrival in Sharjah, it may turn out that, for example, due to weather conditions, the departure of the next aircraft, which should deliver passengers to their final destination, is delayed or postponed. It is for this reason that before deciding to fly in this way, you need to understand that, for reasons beyond the control of the carrier, you can spend much longer time at a foreign airport than originally thought. In addition, some people find it difficult to navigate a foreign airport and quickly find a check-in counter for transit passengers.
Despite these difficulties, there are some positive reviews about Air Arabia regarding connecting flights. Reviews of customers who have already used the services of this airline indicate that employees are making every effort for a comfortable waiting. Most often, upon arrival in Sharjah, people who need to re-register are already met by airport staff. If the flight was delayed, customers can be sure that the second plane departing from the airport will definitely wait for them.
The company is very responsible in escorting such connecting flights. Many passengers say that before the departure of the second plane, employees walk around the airport on their own and look for their customers by name, thanks to which they receive their well-deserved positive reviews. Air Arabia understands that such flights can be problematic, so the carrier makes every effortefforts for their proper implementation.
Carrier specifics
The consumption of alcoholic beverages is strictly prohibited on board these airlines. This rule applies to absolutely all passengers. Alcohol is not sold on planes, which often causes resentment on the part of Russian-speaking passengers and gives rise to negative reviews. Air Arabia is a budget carrier of a Muslim state and does not make an exception even for customers from other countries. This must be remembered, because in case of violation of this rule, passengers drinking alcohol on board, upon arrival in Sharjah, may be met by local police officers.
Reviews about Air Arabia ("Air Arabia")
For people who make their first flight in life and do not have the opportunity to compare the service of different air carriers, flying with this company's aircraft may seem quite comfortable. Many passengers on various sources leave quite positive reviews.
Air Arabia does an excellent job with its direct duties: to deliver a person to the desired destination. The flight is carried out according to all the rules, but without frills. People who are used to flying first class, drinking alcohol during the flight and enjoying free overseas delicacies, this company will not work.
Meals on board
One of the budget airlines that does not provide free meals on board their aircraft is Air Arabia. Reviews,regarding this rule, there are ambiguous. Many passengers feel that a light lunch should be included, especially if the flight takes a long time. Other customers realize that food is not included in the ticket price, which creates a great opportunity to save money.
For those who are flying with children, or just fundamentally want to eat during the flight, it is possible to pre-order and pay for lunch when booking tickets. If such an order was not made in a timely manner, then you can order food on board itself, paying for it in cash. But you need to be prepared for the fact that the flight attendants will first of all feed those who ordered their lunch in advance, and only if there are extra portions left, others can buy them.
Airbus status
Despite the budget type of the company, most customers are satisfied with its aircraft. Many reviews and comments note the cleanliness and tidiness of the salons.
An important fact is that the rows of seats are located from each other in quite good condition. And this means that passengers do not have to rest their feet on the back of the seat in front of them. Air Arabian customers report that there are no electronic screens in the back of the seats for private movie viewing (like on more expensive aircraft), but entertainment magazines are offered free of charge.
Staff work
Almost all customers leave good reviews,regarding staff performance. Passengers note their politeness and good manners, which the flight attendants of this airline try to keep as much as possible in the event of any conflict situations.
This sets Air Arabian staff apart from our airlines. An additional pleasant moment is that a Russian-speaking employee is almost always present on board an aircraft flying to the CIS countries.
Book tickets online
To facilitate the check-in procedure, the company announced the possibility of online check-in for a flight using the Internet. This innovation was intended to significantly improve the image of Air Arabia. Feedback from buyers of tickets from the CIS countries soon changed from positive to dissatisfied. It turned out that such a quick online check-in can only be carried out when boarding flights departing from Sharjah, no later than a day before departure.
The resentment of customers was mostly caused by the fact that there was no information about the restrictions on the official website. People tried to fill out the registration form online for a long time, the system kept giving some errors. It all ended with the fact that, having lost a lot of time in vain, people were forced to go through the usual standard check-in at the airport.
Problem moments in the work of the air carrier
In 2011, a lot of negative feedback about the work of this company related to the loss of luggage began to appear. Of course,such unpleasant incidents can happen with any, even the most expensive airline. But judging by the numerous complaints from customers, there was a period in Air Arabian when this problem became systematic.
The difficulty was that, for example, having arrived in Russia and not finding his suitcase, a person had to look for representatives of the carrier at the airport. He, in turn, had to contact the central base in Casablanca or Sharjah. Naturally, the search for things and their further shipment took quite a long time.
Apparently, the number of negative reviews has become too high, and the company has taken serious measures to eliminate such situations. To date, there are claims for lost luggage during flights with Air Arabian aircraft, but they are isolated.
Pros of using company flights
Of course, the main advantage of this airline over its competitors is the low cost of tickets. This company is ideal for those who consider the main criterion for evaluating a flight to be a successful arrival at the final destination. Passengers who do not expect additional prerogatives and excesses from the flight, as well as those who want to save money, leave positive reviews for Air Arabia ("Air Arabia").
For those people who value personal attention from staff, are accustomed to flying in superior comfort and love toall possible needs and whims were originally included in the ticket price, it is better to choose other, more expensive air carriers.
