Most Obscure Commercial Airline That You have Flown

[BCons]

For me it would be Onur Air on a flight from London to Dalaman in Turkey on an A300. Walked in on the cabin crew smoking in the Galley.

Ahh, smoking in the galley - similar memories of a flight with the late, unlamented Olympic Airways (greek govt sold them in 90's, now they are Olympic Air) - cabin crew gathered in the galley picking at food, smoking and arguing and not pretending to offer anything resembling service.

 

[Cossie]

Those were the days, (not). Smoking section separated by an imaginary line, glad that is all gone, although probably not in the PRC.

 

[BCons]

Those were the days, (not). Smoking section separated by an imaginary line, glad that is all gone, although probably not in the PRC.

This is getting a bit off-topic, but... Smoking in the coughpit - did a Gulfair Bah/Amman flt the day after Peter Abels died in 1999. Broad Aust accent from the flight deck, so I enquired thru the boss steward if I cud say hi to the driver. There he was with an older Dutch check capt who was smoking.. I asked how he came to be flying with GA and he said it all stemmed from a strike gone wrong back in Aust. Junior readers might not know the details of the great 1989 Pilots' strike, in which case look here https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&...ispute&usg=AFQjCNHTUjAGPzzk-6McoKBSJ_t2tJp0Yw

Following an ambit claim for higher salaries and a strike, the govt and domestic airlines (excl Qantas who were then only Intl) shut out their pilots and began hiring from all over the place. That resulted in displaced Aust pilots taking up jobs overseas, including this guy. I gave him the grim but he said satisfying news that Peter Abels (then boss of Ansett and mate of PM Hawke) had died.. The Dutch check capt then lit another cig..

 

[Skyring]

Fokker 28 from Tehran Mehrabad (THR) to Shiraz (SYZ) on 22 April 2017. Iran Aseman Airlines. Hijab enforced for females, make-your-own halal snackpack, ashtrays in the armrests.

This thing may be fifty years old, our guide said, but look at the legroom!

And it was. plenty of room.

We had to travel to a remote stand by bus, and on the way we passed a graveyard of decrepit cannibalised airliners dating back to the Sixties. Old jumbos, Boeing 727s, planes with no engines, hangars full of odd birds.

Now that the sanctions have been lifted, they'll probably take a bulldozer to all these museum pieces.

Flight was unremarkable. I refrained from taking photos of any other aircraft - photography is strongly discouraged - but I did get some aerial shots of bomb craters in a nearby field just after takeoff. Will include more details in my TR.

 

[Beehelp]

A month ago I was to fly from Frankfurt to Kiev, as usually, I was looking for the cheapest tickets and found some at https://au.lowcost.club. When I saw the plain it seemed to a plain from some fairy tale. . In A few minutes I discovered that we had to harry up to take a seat, like in a city bus I also wonder how old was the "flying tool" was, but we finally landed in Kiev

 

[Boris spatsky]

I flew Wizzair a few years back from Paris Beauvais to Prague. Thought it was good except Beauvais was a million miles from Paris!

 

[Virgin Bart]

I flew Wizzair a few years back from Paris Beauvais to Prague. Thought it was good except Beauvais was a million miles from Paris!

Big thing to remember about Wizz and their prices is that they do NOT include carry on allowance, at all.

 

[purma]

Biman Bangladesh

 

[donovan301]

Only obscure in a local sense I guess?

First ever flight was on a SeaBee Air flight, Mechanics Bay to Pakatoa Island, Auckland.

In a Grumman Widgeon in , best I remember 1976.

Amphibious plane, Totally cool,...
Took off by driving down ramp to water, waterborne take off,... Water landing at Pakatoa Island...drove from the sea , up the Beach to parking position.

Disembarked,....Rockstar at Age of 5.

 

[Wanderlust_tim]

Biman Bangladesh

What were they like? I almost flew them last year but took Bangkok Airways instead (which might be obscure in its own right).

 

[Rigs]

Air Koryo. Peach tea was a plus, burger is actually famous now.

 

[Tiki]

Air Austral from TNR-RUN-MRU 2014
Liat - several flights in the Caribbean 2016, in the 90's I went to lots of islands on a Liat Pass which was good for unlimited flights in a month iirc
TAAG Angola Sao Tome-Luanda-Windhoek in the 90's
Biman Bangldesh in the 90's
Iceland Air LHR-REK-JFK in the 90's
I can't remember what it was called but I flew from Gabon to Sao Tome on some obscure airline in the 90's
Druk Air KTM to Bhutan
Kish Air Sharjah to Kish Island, Iran
Don't remember the name of the airline MIA-Bahamas in the early 80's, it was my first ever international flight.

 

[scallops]

Air Namib (Now Air Namibia) 1991 WDH to JNB. Nice airline, clean and comfortable.

 

[DalyWaters]

Bizjets from Smithton(?) to Melbourne in 1975 or 1976.
It was a nine seat Cessna if my memory is correct. The pilot was the complete Biggles, handlebar moustache and leather jacket.
Cost $40 when the regulated fares for TAA or Ansett Fokker flight was about $45.

 

[jenaand]

Akdeniz Airlines (1995)

A charter from UK to Istanbul. The airline collapsed during the 10 days we were there.

Arrived back in IST after an overnight bus trip on Xmas Day. Called to re-confirm our flight the next day and was told "they do not fly". Took a while to work out that they meant 'do not fly at all... ever again' rather than just our flight had been cancelled.

Have just checked on Wikipedia. Apparently they operated for 6 months only

 

[BAM1748]

Charters are fine, I didn't want to include military type flights.

In fact one of the more obscure airlines I flew with was DanAir, well at least now it is, a charter company, long since gone.

Thought I remembered them from somewhere, are you being served Mr Lucas....

youtube dan air - Bing video

 

[Deleted member]

A month ago I was to fly from Frankfurt to Kiev, as usually, I was looking for the cheapest tickets and found some at Cheap Flights: Find Cheap Tickets, Flights & Airfare - LowCost.Club. When I saw the plain it seemed to a plain from some fairy tale. View attachment 97713. In A few minutes I discovered that we had to harry up to take a seat, like in a city bus I also wonder how old was the "flying tool" was, but we finally landed in Kiev

So it was a plain plane? And who is harry?

 

[docjames]

Not super obscure but most interesting of mine:

Air Zimbabwe VFA-HRE.
Click Mexicana CUN-HAV (were booked on Cubana but flight cancelled and rebooked on Click)
Fly Pelican SYD-NTL

 

[Cossie]

Akdeniz Airlines (1995)

A charter from UK to Istanbul. The airline collapsed during the 10 days we were there.

Arrived back in IST after an overnight bus trip on Xmas Day. Called to re-confirm our flight the next day and was told "they do not fly". Took a while to work out that they meant 'do not fly at all... ever again' rather than just our flight had been cancelled.

Have just checked on Wikipedia. Apparently they operated for 6 months only

So how did you get back to the UK? As long as you don't mind me asking......

 

[jenaand]

So how did you get back to the UK? As long as you don't mind me asking......

We had to scramble on Christmas Day and buy a new ticket on BA. Fortunately, everything was open, and I don't remember it being a big deal at all. (Other than 2 poor backpackers having to hand over more than they'd spent the whole trip).

But we did eventually get a refund. I think through some UK compensation fund.