- By Niko Suominen
- 27 April 2018 - 6 min read
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Transavia is a low-cost airline coming from Holland. In April we flew among other first customers on their new route from Amsterdam to Helsinki. We didn't have any expectations but we were really happy with the quality of the flight with them. Read our review to know more.
Covered in the Article
- Transavia - A Dutch Low-cost Airline
- Our Flight from Amsterdam to Helsinki
- Perfect Quality in the Low-cost Class
- Transavia Luggage Policy
- Hand Luggage
- Rating
- Customer Service and Professional Skills
- Cabin of the Plane
- Ticket Price
- On-board Catering Services
- Price to Quality Ratio
- Overall Rating
- Why Do We Recommend Transavia?
Transavia - A Dutch Low-cost Airline
Transavia is a low-cost airline coming from the Netherlands. The airline may not be familiar to many travellers but actually, the airline is already more than 50 years old. Transavia has a small short-haul fleet and it flies mainly inside Europe.
Nowadays, Transavia is owned by Air France-KLM. Its main hub is located in Amsterdam Airport and Transavia is concentrating especially on holiday routes departing from the Netherlands.
Our Flight from Amsterdam to Helsinki
We flew from Amsterdam to Helsinki by Transavia. The route was newly opened and so it is the first time that Transavia has had its route to Helsinki. Transavia's parent company, KLM, flies between Helsinki and Amsterdam too, but Transavia offers much cheaper tickets. Even though Transavia is a low-cost airline, there are no huge differences between Transavia and KLM when it comes to service quality.
Our flight departed in the evening from Schiphol Airport. Schiphol is the main airport of Amsterdam and also one of the busiest airports in Europe. Our flight was operated with a new Boeing 737-800, which means the plane is in really great condition. It had also the new livery of Transavia.
The plane arrived at Helsinki Airport almost on time. The departure from Amsterdam got delayed about 30 minutes due to traffic restrictions, a common incident for flights leaving from Schipol Airport one of the busiest airports in Europe.
Perfect Quality in the Low-cost Class
The quality was perfect in the low-cost class. The plane was really clean, brand new and it had a relaxing green colour theme. The crew were working professionals and there wasn't any kind of over-marketing about in-flight services in contrast to other low-cost airlines like Ryanair is doing. To be honest, we felt that we were flying by a traditional airline even though Transavia profiles itself as a low-cost airline.
The ticket was cheap and it included only the flight. However, by checking in online, we were able to choose standard seats freely. Better seats were to be sold.
Transavia Luggage Policy
Hand Luggage
Be careful with your carry-on when flying with Transavia. The limits are quite ordinary: 1 item weighing a maximum of 10kg is allowed with max. dimensions of 55 x 40 x 25. However, if the hand luggage is larger than 45 x 40 x 25 cm, it may end up as the aeroplane's cargo because overhead bins get easily full. That is quite common will all airlines.
Transavia is checking the weight of your hand luggage at Schiphol Airport. Be sure it does not weigh more than 10 kilograms. If the luggage is too big and the plane is full, they will be asking you to check in your hand luggage free of charge. Transavia seems to be strict with its luggage policy.
Strict luggage policies are not uncommon among low-cost airlines. However, many low-cost airlines allow one piece of hand luggage and also one small personal item. Transavia does not offer free personal item but they didn't seem to have any strict control at the gate like Ryanair and Wizzair have, whereas their staffs check every single passenger meticulously before boarding.
Rating
Our Transavia review includes ratings from 1 star to 5 stars.
Customer Service and Professional Skills
According to our experiences, the cabin crew were working professionals and they were also friendly. On-board service started soon after the take-off and it was handled well and fast. It is difficult to evaluate pilots' professionalism but the pilots of this Transavia flight gave informative speeches and the plane was operated smoothly from our point of origin to our destination.
Cabin of the Plane
The cabin was clean and new and it had a nice green colour theme. Because Transavia is a low-cost airline there was not much legroom.
Ticket Price
Our tickets were extremely cheap. Ticket prices vary a lot so it is impossible to say what is the average rate. At least the lowest fare class seems to be low.
On-board Catering Services
Transavia does not offer any free snacks or drinks during the flight. You may buy light meals and drinks from their small selection. Low-cost airlines' catering selection is very similar and Transavia does not make any exceptions. They have the same kind of products available as all other low-cost airlines have, not any better or worse.
Price to Quality Ratio
The quality in the low-cost class is high and the ticket price is quite low. Hence, the Price to Quality ratio becomes high.
Overall Rating
If you are looking for a decent and cheap low-cost airline, Transavia may be your choice. There is not any reason to pay more by flying with KLM because KLM as a traditional airline does not offer anything more. However, the ticket price of the KLM flight is much more expensive.
Common Questions
- Is Transavia a low-cost airline?
- Yes. You have to pay extras for seats, hold luggage, snacks and other similar services.
- Can I take a personal item into the cabin in addition to my normal hand luggage?
- No, it is not allowed by Transavia.
- Does Transavia weigh hand luggage?
- At least our hand luggage was weighed.
- Is KLM much better than Transavia?
- Even though KLM owns Transavia, we feel that there are not many quality differences between these two companies.
- Is Transavia a good choice?
- According to our experience, Transavia is a much better choice than many other low-cost airlines.
Why Do We Recommend Transavia?
The answer is simple: We got a good quality flight experience with a cheap price tag. Everyone understands that low-cost airlines do not offer business-class quality, but no one should expect it. If you are just looking for a basic connection from points A and B, we recommend you consider flying with Transavia whenever they are offering the route.
Have you flown with Transavia Airlines? Please comment below.
Tags: Transavia, review, airline
Destination: Netherlands
