Wamos Air - anyone flown them??

[juddles]

Hi all,

just on the off chance that someone has flown these guys -

Next week I fly SCL-BOG with Latam, which would have been a 787. I have just been advised by them that they are using a substitute aircraft due to delays in 787 engine servicing (they say this is a problem affecting the whole industry)

The substitute aircraft is a "Wamos Air" A330. The Latam website says the aircraft is wet-leased (ie with crew) and that a Latam supervisor will be aboard.

I am travelling in business, and see a new seat selection of 3K - but have been trying to locate either photos of this cabin or a seatmap. The only seatmap I have found for Wamos is for their 747's.

I understand these guys do regular scheduled services from their base in Spain to a few destinations, but also do mainly charter work.

Anyone flown them? Anyone have opinions on safety of such carriers??

 

[juddles]

"Bump"

I am a little concerned about flying on charters - should I be?

 

[Lynda2475]

If you uncomfortable with risking it, can you request a refund on that sector and see if there is availability on Avianca? Ive always had good experiences on Avianca, whereas sometime LAN have crazy routing (flying from Quito to La Paz had as stop in some tiny airport where we had to stay on board while others disembarked and were replaced with new passengers).

 

[juddles]

If you uncomfortable with risking it, can you request a refund on that sector and see if there is availability on Avianca? Ive always had good experiences on Avianca, whereas sometime LAN have crazy routing (flying from Quito to La Paz had as stop in some tiny airport where we had to stay on board while others disembarked and were replaced with new passengers).

I also like Avianca, but in this case (SCL-BOG) they only fly little A319's in the afternoon - cough onboard hard product.

 

[k_sheep]

Pretty sure that's who we ended up with JFK to BOG. Not what you want to hear, but actually one of the worst flights I've ever had. The seat (1A) was literally the most uncomfortable I've ever had, and I'm including economy (and I've flown a LOT of LCCs). The escape slide bulged into the foot well so couldn't extend the leg rest, so the back didn't recline. Zero room for storage. It was the redeye (midnight to 6am). I hadn't eaten so was waiting for a supper before going to sleep - but a full hour after the seatbelt sign went off, still no sign of any service starting.

Safety wise, they seemed incredibly disorganised. The crew had all been put together randomly, only one actually seemed to work with the company so knew where anything was. While still on the ground, one person decided to disembark as they felt ill (fair enough) but they were offloading her bag and the entire family basically stormed the front galley and were protesting because apparently they had all booked bags under her name - so they were all being offloaded. No one quite seemed to know what to do so a bunch of family members ended up slipping into the airbridge. Lots of yelling and people marched back in by gate staff and security.

If you just want to sleep, avoid 1A (probably all of row 1 actually, at least you'll have storage room with the seat back pocket. Make sure to eat beforehand!

 

[juddles]

Pretty sure that's who we ended up with JFK to BOG. Not what you want to hear, but actually one of the worst flights I've ever had. The seat (1A) was literally the most uncomfortable I've ever had, and I'm including economy (and I've flown a LOT of LCCs). The escape slide bulged into the foot well so couldn't extend the leg rest, so the back didn't recline. Zero room for storage. It was the redeye (midnight to 6am). I hadn't eaten so was waiting for a supper before going to sleep - but a full hour after the seatbelt sign went off, still no sign of any service starting.

Safety wise, they seemed incredibly disorganised. The crew had all been put together randomly, only one actually seemed to work with the company so knew where anything was. While still on the ground, one person decided to disembark as they felt ill (fair enough) but they were offloading her bag and the entire family basically stormed the front galley and were protesting because apparently they had all booked bags under her name - so they were all being offloaded. No one quite seemed to know what to do so a bunch of family members ended up slipping into the airbridge. Lots of yelling and people marched back in by gate staff and security.

If you just want to sleep, avoid 1A (probably all of row 1 actually, at least you'll have storage room with the seat back pocket. Make sure to eat beforehand!

k-sheep, can you recall what sort of aircraft that was?

 

[k_sheep]

I _believe_ an A330. 2-2-2 seating in business.

Oh I just remembered the blanket. Crusty, itchy, not at all clean blanket. And those covers over the headrest were sooooo dirty.

Gah bringing back bad memories!

Found a single photo from the flight. The side is a pocket that has the safety cards but can't actually get anything else in there. Eg those headphones kept spilling out. I think I ended just throwing them on the ground. Knee was hitting the slide.

 

[docjames]

A quick google suggests they were formerly known as Pullmantur Air and were set up to do charters for Pullmantur Curises (subsidiary of Royal Caribbean who still own 19.9% of the airline).

If they’ve got a European AOC then presumably they can’t be too bad safety wise.......not that is any guarantee I suppose but better than not having it.


You’d have grounds for asking for a refund or credit note with Latam, but whether Latam agree or whether the alternatives are any better......

 

[juddles]

This is the seat selection I get. Weird. But Latam did say in their email to me that the plane has 19 seats in business (and that they are lie-flat). Maybe the planes have been upgraded?

I have never seen a seat map like that. I almost feel like selecting that solitary seat in row 6, just out of curiosity

 

[juddles]

.....You’d have grounds for asking for a refund or credit note with Latam, but whether Latam agree or whether the alternatives are any better......

docjames, my problem is that this flight is sandwiched between arriving SCL on a separate QF ticket, and departing BOG on a separate Avianca ticket I only have a couple of hour stopovers at each end, with baggage collection and re-checkin required.

 

[k_sheep]

Okay that looks totally different to my seat map. My rant may have been in vain

 

[Must...Fly!]

Primer despegue en España del Airbus A330 de Wamos Air | Noticias de VIDEOS | Revista de turismo Preferente.com

Some internal shots there, it appears. Doesn't look super terrible.

 

[juddles]

Primer despegue en España del Airbus A330 de Wamos Air | Noticias de VIDEOS | Revista de turismo Preferente.com

Some internal shots there, it appears. Doesn't look super terrible.

Thanks for those! But they still don'y correlate with the seatmap and statement by Latam of "19 business class seats"

I am thinking I will do the flight, and also do a trip report

 

[docjames]

docjames, my problem is that this flight is sandwiched between arriving SCL on a separate QF ticket, and departing BOG on a separate Avianca ticket I only have a couple of hour stopovers at each end, with baggage collection and re-checkin required.

Ok, what happens if you mis-connect in BOG? Not that I can see viable options. Where’s the end destination from BOG? Can you take a refund from LA and then re-route the avianca fare ex-SCL direct to final destination?

I’m sure you’ve looked at this option so not meaning to tell you stuff you’ll have already considered. But may be useful for others reading this thread.

And yes a TR please if you go ahead.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I have never seen a seat map like that. I almost feel like selecting that solitary seat in row 6, just out of curiosity

That seat map looks like a bad display of a 1-2-1 seating arrangement as found on EK, TG and OZ. They've just omitted to show the true position of the aisle in rows 2 and 4 (rather than 2-2 it should be a 1-2-1 with the two aisle seats in the middle separated by the foot-wells of the seats behind).

Row 6 will just be a single seat, rather like QF has in the second cabin of their A332s at the bulkhead.

 

[juddles]

That seat map looks like a bad display of a 1-2-1 seating arrangement ....

Exactly - just found this when searching the flight via expertflyer: (seatguru, etc do not have Wamos A330's)



So far I cannot find any similar layout on any airline????

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Exactly - just found this when searching the flight via expertflyer: (seatguru, etc do not have Wamos A330's)

View attachment 123030

So far I cannot find any similar layout on any airline????

TG, OZ, EK, and others. All same same. Only difference is the solo seat in row 6 - if the map is accurate (there might be a 6H not showing). The solo seat can come down to the position of WCs, galley, coat closets, pursue work station etc depending how the airline has chosen to configure it.

 

[juddles]

TG, OZ, EK, and others. All same same. Only difference is the solo seat in row 6 - if the map is accurate (there might be a 6H not showing). The solo seat can come down to the position of WCs, galley, coat closets, pursue work station etc depending how the airline has chosen to configure it.

Yeah, there are a lot with a 1 - 2 - 1 config, but the thing that intrigues me especially is row 1 with only two seats.

And all photos I have found online show 2-2-2 configs, and even the airline's own website only mentions their fleet of 747"s!!

 

[juddles]

It has been fun researching - I discovered that Brussels Airlines runs J in an alternating 1-2-1,2-1-2 config, and Finnair has an alternating 2-2-1, 1-2-1 config.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yeah, there are a lot with a 1 - 2 - 1 config, but the thing that intrigues me especially is row 1 with only two seats.

And all photos I have found online show 2-2-2 configs, and even the airline's own website only mentions their fleet of 747"s!!

row 1is just two centre seats. CX has a similar set up with their A350 where the removal of a galley meant they have extra room in the centre, so they installed some seats but none on the sides.

On Wamos it may be that there is a WC installed on the side where 6H may have been.