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PatJordan flew bmi Economy (short haul), on a A319-100 (09/02/2012 13:53)

DUB-LHR-DUB (Economy Flexible)

Booking and check in

BMI do not charge for checked in baggage which gives them a competitive edge over their rivals on this route.

I hold Diamond Club Gold status, and decided to use my destination miles to get a reward flight. There was availability for the dates I wanted, and little trouble in making the booking. The total charges and fees were 56euro.

I later tried to select my seats on line, which is a feature of economy flexible tickets, however this does not apply to redemption bookings, Not a problem, a quick call to the Diamond Club call centre and my preferred seats were allocated.

On line check-in is available 24 hours prior to travel, and I used this facility to print my boarding passes for my same day return flight.

I arrived at Dublin Terminal 1 just after 8.30am for my 10.45am flight and proceeded straight to security. Since Aer Lingus and transatlantic operators have migrated to Terminal 2, there is a lower number of passengers using T1 which makes it far less crowded than heretofore. BMI economy flexible includes use of the fast track security lane which is useful. I was airside within less than a minute.

Lounge (Dublin)

The Diamond Club lounge is adjacent to the main shopping area and is furnished in the usual BMI manner: bright colour sofas with a business section for those who wish to work. Restrooms are outside the lounge and are shared with the Dublin Airport Authority lounge.

There is a limited range of food: biscuits, sweets and packaged pastries. The coffee is good and strong (perfect for early morning!) with a good range of soft and alcoholic drinks.

The lounge is a short walk from gates 301-313 (the old B pier) and makes boarding quite easy. We boarded from Gate 311.

Boarding

Boarding is through an airbridge and rearmost rows are called first to minimize delays. Diamond Club Gold and Silver card holders and economy flexible passengers are invited to board at their leisure. There is now a dedicated lane for economy flexible and Diamond Club Gold/Silver card holders.

Being in row 1 my hand baggage has to be stowed in the overhead bins, so if the flight is busy it can be worthwhile boarding early to ensure space is available close to the seat.

A new addition was the provision of a separate entrance to the boarding desks for Gold/Silver Diamond club members and those traveling in flexible economy. A nice tough, but one which might easily overwhelmed by a group of non elite passengers.

The Airbus 319 was immaculate and cabin crew warmly welcomed passengers.

This Airbus 319 was configured in full economy mode, all seats 3-3. The first rows were reserved for economy flexible. Seats were in the newer BMI brown colour, and very attractive.

Inflight

The Captain gave a brief welcome and details of flight times, followed by a safety announcement from the cabin crew. We pushed back shortly after 10.35am and were airborne by 10.45.

On mid morning flights, Economy flexible passengers are offered a cake slice and beverage. The Victoria sponge was quite tasty, but I still hanker for the old business class product.

We landed in Heathrow 11.40am , well ahead of schedule.

Return Check in and security

Having my boarding pass already printed, I went directly to security at Heathrow T1. It was quite busy and with almost half the lanes closed, it was slow getting through: almost 20 minutes.

Lounge Heathrow

The Great British Lounge is very big with plenty of natural light. However as it was after dark, the lighting was very pleasant and relaxing. Staff are very welcoming and tend to greet passengers by name, which is always a nice touch .

The food is soup, rolls, cheese, crackers, biscuits, crisps, nuts, good quality cheesecake and gateaux. I particularly like the jars of old fashioned sweets, always brings me back to my childhood!! There is a full bar service.

Boarding

Unusually the Dublin bound flight boarded at gate 8, almost beside the lounge. Heretofore it used to be gates 72-78, adjacent to the Aer Lingus departure area and quite a walk from the lounge. Using gate 8 for the evening flight seems to be the norm lately and is most welcome.

Boarding was by rows, and was quite efficient, with the usual invitation to flexible economy and elite diamond club members to board at their leisure. The Cabin crew were very welcoming indeed. As with Dublin, there is a dedicated lane for economy flexible and Diamond Club Gold/Silver card holders.

The Airbus 321 was a two class configuration with the front being 2-2. The large seats are upholstered in brown leather.

The seats themselves are wide and have a footrest/recline facility and are very confortable.

After a welcome announcement from the Captain, we pushed back at just before 8.00pm. However, we soon learned that due to a technical problem we would have to return to stand. The crew kept us fully informed, and we departed shortly before 9.00pm.

I was offered a hot wrap which was quite tasty, but somewhat small. It came with Pringles and a good red wine.

Conclusion

A very impressive return flight. Excellent service, and pleasant lounges make BMI a very pleasant airline to travel on the Dublin-London route

On both flights, the cabin crew were truly excellent. That they remain so friendly and professional despite the uncertainty they face at present is a testament to their excellence. I trust the new owners will appreciate this in the future.

PatJordan flew bmi Economy (short haul), on a A319-100 (18/01/2011 20:14)

DUB-LHR-DUB Economy.

I made this booking online, and unlike economy flexible & plus, seat selection is not available at time of booking, but can be done at check-in.

Online check-in is available from 24hours ahead of departure, and for a same day return, both legs can be checked in at the same time. The system automatically allocates DC Gold members seats nearest the front of the main economy cabin, in this case row 8.

I arrived at Dublin Airport at 6.00am for BD 122. I allowed extra time as this is a busy period, but there was a smaller crowd than I expected, partly due to the opening of terminal 2 and in part to the fact that fewer people were travelling. I was pointed towards the fast track lane where one scans the boarding pass at an unmanned gate and straight through to security. Within 10 minutes of arriving at the airport, I was in the BMI lounge.

BMI's Dublin lounge is beside the main row of shops and a short walk away from the departure gates: 301 to 313 (formerly known as the B pier). The range of food is less than that on offer in London, but the coffee is good and strong, just right for early morning.

The flight was called from the lounge, and I boarded at about 8.20am. Cabin crew were very welcoming an the Airbus A319 resplendent with blue leather seats. We pushed back at 8.30am and were airborne at 8.40am. The Captain announced that there would be no delays at Heathrow.

The service in economy i a very limited range of drinks and snacks. I hd a cup of Kenco coffee which was pretty good.

We touched down at 0940am, ahead of schedule and were on stand within a few minutes. As we had parked at a domestic stand, we had to take a bus to arrivals and deplaned from the rear of the aircraft. Not a major delay, but not great for pax who had paid a hefty premium or seats at the front of the cabin.

On the return, I took advantage of my SA Gold card and visited the SA lounge. This is a very large lounge with areas for dining, working, relaxing and very good showers. The range of food includes cold meats, salads, cookies, soup, sandwiches, fruit, crisps, hot snacks and a hot dish served with rice. On this occasion it was beef casserole with baby potatoes: very nice but a strange choice for rice. I asked one of the staff where the red wine was. The poor man was very embarassed that the delivery hadn't arrived. I told him not to worry: he wasn't to blame. But surely the management could have got a case ot two from the shop in T1??

I made my way to BMI's lounge at the UK & Ireland departure area. The London Room is in great shape after a refurbishment and is nicely decorated in grey, brown, beige. The walls are decorated with London icons: street names, phone boxes, routemasters, etc.

There is a good range of crisps, nuts, cheese, crackers, biscuits, brownies , fruit, and my favourite: jars of old fashioned sweets! A full bar is available with the added touch of tea/coffee to take away it time is short. I had a pleasant stay sitting on a sofa reading with a glass of cabernet.

The flight was called, and I began the lengthy trek to the departure gate. This is the one thing where Aer Lingus beats BMI: the Gold Circle lounge is beside the gates, though not nearly so comfortable.

I boarded BD 131 at 6.40pm. This was the scheduled departure time, and the Captain explained that there would be a short delay while baggage belonging to some delayed pax was being off loaded.

As usual the cabin crew were very welcoming and the A319 appeared to be new: dark brown carpet, matching leather seats with grey armrests. Very similar to the London Room colours, and very pleasant indeed.

We pushed back at 7.10pm and were airborne by 7.20pm.

I had a nice nap in my seat so missed the service, but having had a couple of coffees in the lounge this wasn't any hardship.

We landed in Dublin at 8.10pm and were on stand very shortly afterwards. It is a short walk from the gate to passport control and from there to the exit.

This was a very pleasant pair of flights. Good service, small delay returning, but this was beyond BMI's control. I personally would like to see a return to a bigger on board menu: I always enjoyed the sandwiches on sale. I would imagine it would generate additional revenue for BMI too. Well done BMI.

PatJordan flew bmi Economy (short haul), on a A319-100 (02/10/2010 22:10)

BD 131: LHR- DUB Flexible economy.

I booked this flight in economy and availed of an upgrade voucher. Diamond Club Gold card holders have four electronic upgrade vouchers, and as I was coming towards the end of my membership year I used one of my last ones.

I was offered a choice of seats and opted for 1F. This beng a bulkhead seat there is plenty of space to read newspapers, etc and no seatback in ones face. The sole downside to row 1 is that it is an exit row and all hand baggage must be stowed in the overhead bins but this is a small price to pay for the extra space, as well as priority boarding and disembarkation.

On-line check in is available 24 hours before departure and having printed my boarding pass, I was able to go directly to security at LHR T1 where there was little delay.

As a Diamond Club Gold card holder I can avail of the excellent Star Alliance lounge. There was a beef casserole on offer as well as sandwiches, salads, fruit and snacks, and a good range of soft & alcoholic drinks. There is a limited range of magazines & newspapers. However it is a good walk from the SA lounge to BMI Ireland departures.

I briefly visited the BMI domestic & UK lounge (on the way to departures). This has been recently refurbished and is very pleasant. There is a limited range of snacks available but a very good range of reading material. Good quality toiletries are in the restrooms.

The flight boardeg and on time. The crew were very welcoming and the Airbus A319 very clean indeed. The blue leather seats and carpets were spotless. We had a delayed departure, but the flight deck kept us fully informed.

Economy Flexible pax receive complimentary food and drink. I had an excellent egg sandwich and chocolate bar, washed down by a particularly nice red wine (14.5%!!).

As we were approaching Dublin Airport, the aircraft began to accelerate which was most unusual. The captain immediately informed us that landoing speed was a little too fast and we would approach again in a few minutes. This we did with a silky smooth touch down.

A very good flight with friendly professional staff and excellent value for money. Well done BMI.

PatJordan flew bmi Economy (short haul), on a A319-100 (26/06/2010 20:47)

DUB-LHR-DUB Economy Extra.

I paid for economy extra DUB-LHR and used a Diamond Club upgrade voucher for LHR-DUB. Unfortunately this can only be done by telephoning the Diamond Club call centre which was as problematic as usual. Lounge staff used to be empowered to accept the old paper vouchers: this was much more customer friendly. Surely more cost effective for the company too.

One of the benefits of economy eatra is the availability os seat selection just after purchase. I was also able to select my seat on the return leg after I had used my voucher to upgrade.

I was pleasantly surprised to note that Economy extra also entitled me to use the fast track security channel at Dublin airport. This was most welcome as Saturday morning is very busy at Dublin Airport.

BMI's Dublin lounge is quite close to the departure gate (the old "b" pier). The range of snacks is less than that on offer in LHR, but quite ok for an early morning flight.

Boarding was called on time, with the invitation for priority boarding extended to Diamond Club PAX and Economy extra ticket holders to board at one's leisure. This is most welcome when sitting in exit rows where cabin baggage must be stowed.

The Airbus A319 was immaculate, and configured in full economy, seats being 3-3. Economy extra and economy flexible pax are seated at the front of the aircraft, but do not have the extra width that the old 3-2 Business Class cabin had.

Push back was a little late but we made up the time on route. The flight deck udates were very good.

As always, cabin crew were very welcoming. Economy extra pax have a choice of hot panini for breakfast (cheese & ham or egg & mushroom) with hot drink and muffin. It's quite adequate but not in thesame league as the old business class cooked breakfast.

We landed pretty much on time at LHR with a short taxi to stand.

Returning, I was once again very much impressed with the refurbished great British Lounge at LHR. I remain amazed at how much better the lounge is! I particularly like the big jars of old fashioned sweets.....just like being a child again! All that's missing is a few copies of the "Beezer" or "Topper" (showing my age now!!).

There was plenty of fruit, biscuits, cake, cheese, crackers, savoury snacks with a full bar service. Sadly the range of newspapers and magazines in BMI lounges is less than heretofore, but this is most likely due to the need to reduce costs.

It is a longish walk from the Lounge to the departure gates: this is the principal advantage Aer Lingus has over BMI.

Again, when boarding began, Diamond Club members anf economy extra pax were invited to board at thir leisure. As I was seated in 1D, I boarded early to ensure a space for my shoulder bag in the overhead bin.

Cabin crew gave the usual warm welcome and the Airbus A319 was in excellent condition. We pushed back a few minutes late but as before made up lost time and touched down on schedule.

The catering choice was roast beef or cheese & salad sandwich. I opted for the beef which was pretty good. The beer I had to wash it down was nicely chilled.

The flight experience was excellent:: BMI's frontline staff are consistently superb. It's just a pity that the call centre staff are less so. As an alternative to business class, I have mixed feelings about the enhanced economy product. Priority boarding, advanced seat selection, fast track security are most welcome.

However the inflight experience lacks the feel good factor that the old business class used to have. That said, we are talking about a short haul flight (barely an hour) so it is entirely possible that I am in the minority in this opinion. Mind you, the range of food available to purchase in standard economy is also reduced, which I feel to be a backward step, as well as a lost revenue stream.

BMI has a lot of good points, but diluting the product any further would (in my opinion) be a mistake.

PatJordan flew bmi Economy (short haul), on a A319-100 (11/03/2010 21:48)

LHR-DUB Economy Flexible

BMI very kindly upgraded me from Economy as a goodwill gesture arising from some problems I experienced whilst checking in on line. I was curious to compare the new economy flex to the defunct business class.

Whilst waiting in LHR my wife and I enjoyed the facilities at the Star Alliance lounge. We enjoyed an excellent lunch (creamy mushroom soup, chicken tikka & rice, and sandwiches). We later moved to the BMI domestic lounge which is closer to the Dublin gates. The downstairs lounge is closed for a refit so all pax are directed upstairs which was quite full. Just as we entered a flight was called thus freeing up many seats. The range of newspapers and magazines isn't quite as lavish as heretofore but this is most likely due to cost cutting, something all too familiar these days. We enjoyed cheese & crackers which was sufficient to keep us going until boarding.

Our flight being called we went to gate 84 to find most pax already boarded, this meant a short wait till push back.

The Airbus 319 was very clean: blue leather seats and red patterned carpet. A most attractive combination. Cabin crew were very welcoming and later gave a good safety demonstration. The entire cabin is configured 3-3 so economy flex differs from business in having no extra personal space. However for a short flight this is no hardship. There appeared to be a high take up of economy flex seats which will no doubt have a positive impact on the bottom line.

The service consists of a sandwich, snack and drink. No hot meal is available, even to purchase. We had egg sandwiches which were of high quality.

The flight was very smooth and we landed 10 minutes early which was very welcome. My wife commented later that the take off and landing were the smoothest she has ever experienced.

On a strictly personal level, I miss the old business class food, drink and space. However I am aware of the need to maximise revenue in today's climate. Given the high take up of economy flex seats on this flight, BMI may well have hit the bullseye. I still feel that economy pax would like to option to buy a snack more substantial than a biscuit or crisps. Also it would generate additional revenue for BMI: not everyone has lounge access and for those in a hurry buying a (particularly early morning), buying a breakfast on the plane is quicker than on the terminal.

Overall a very pleasant experience, and well done to BMI.

sander1985 flew bmi Economy (short haul), on a A319-100 (23/02/2010 14:43)

Flight from London Heathrow to Amsterdam. registration of the plane was : G-DBCF Very correct flight. More then enough legroom and good seats ( not hard). The flight departed right on time, and landed 25 minutes ahead of schedule. Crew were friendly but I missed a little snack and drink.

sander1985 flew bmi Economy (short haul), on a A319-100 (22/02/2010 15:49)

I made a trip to London Heathrow for a couple off days planespotting. Our plane was scheduled to depart at 13.55 from Amsterdam ( Schiphol) We already checked in via internet. This procedure was de longest online check in I even had to do, but ik worked fine. We could pick out our preferred seats and print the Boarding passes. When we arrived at Schiphol we walked to a check-in counter to drop our bags. This was quickly done.

Boarding started at 13.30 and the plane was filled in no-time. We departed Schiphol around 14.00 via Runway 18C. The flight itself was short ( 40min). The seats on the plane G-DBCK where comfortable an not hard, as I read in some flight experiences. More then enough legroom is offered, I could fully stretch my legs. Further some snacks of drinks are NOT included in the standard economy tickets. This was confusing, the crew came by with drinks en snacks, but a lot of passengers thought it was free, but instead they had to pay for it.

After a very smooth landing at Heathrow we could leave the plane,and walk to the border for a passport control. This was fast and we just had to wait around 5 minutes for our luggage. So nothing to complain about.

For me this was a very good fligh with BMI !

PatJordan flew bmi Economy (short haul), on a A319-100 (11/02/2010 19:37)

DUB-LHR-DUB Economy. Online check-in was the usual breeze and being able to check in for both legs of the journey was very helpful. This was my first BMI flight since the introduction of the new flexible economy class.

I didn't take that opton but there seemed to be a good number of pax who did. The primary difference between this and business is that the seats (Airbus 319) are configured 3-3 throught the aircraft thus depriving pax of the extra personal space that went with business class.

The meal service is now only a warm panini or sandwich with snack and drink. Biggest surprise of all was the very limited range of snacks available for purchase in the main economy cabiin. The most substantial offering is a packet of nuts. I would have no difficulty in purchasing a sandwich as the only food available in lounges tends to be cakes , biscuits, crisps, nuts, crossaints, none of which are particularly filling.

Boarding was by row with the option of boarding at will for Diamond Club and economy flexible pax. It was very well organised at both airports. Both aircraft were Airbus 319 and had nice blue leather seats. Seat pitch was good and unlike some carriers, there is sufficient length in the seat belt to fit my girth with room to spare. The cabin was impeccable and crew gave all pax a warm welcome. There were no delays and the captains kept us well informed of flight times, progress, etc. Both flights landed on time and cabin crew bade us a warm farewell.

A very pleasant flight experience (albeit with a restricted level of catering) in clean well presented aircraft. Fares were excellent value too.

Why_use_a_silly_name? flew bmi Economy (short haul), on a A319-100 (01/04/2009 15:43)

A characteristically underwhelming flight from a once class-leading airline. Forty minute queue at VCE to deposit suitcase despite having checked in on-line; there being no fast baggage drop, or even a slow one. No food whatsoever available at any price on the flight; cabin crew said that a two-and-quarter hour flight sector was not long enough to serve sandwiches - and these are the people who used to serve a full cooked breakfast between LHR & GLA.

Why_use_a_silly_name? flew bmi Economy (short haul), on a A319-100 (01/04/2009 15:19)

A characteristically underwhelming flight from a once class-leading airline. Forty minute queue at VCE to deposit suitcase despite having checked in on-line; there being no fast baggage drop, or even a slow one. No food whatsoever available at any price on the flight; cabin crew said that a two-and-quarter hour flight sector was not long enough to serve sandwiches - and these are the people who used to serve a full cooked breakfast between LHR & GLA.