TRIP REPORT | INDEX
But the seats looked like they had a recent refresh. The plane was actually comfortable. Its seats were a generous 18 inches wide and had 32 inches of pitch. When compared to the 28 inches of pitch you get in Spirit or 29 inches you get on easyJet’s A320, there is a noticeable difference. Even on a short two hour flight, this extra legroom really goes a long way.
After a long flight from Seattle to London, it was time to jump on my Croatia Airlines economy flight to Zagreb. I managed to snag this trip through an error fare for just $358 round trip with British Airways and Croatia Airlines so it was a fantastic deal. There must have been some strange error to allow me to book this on one ticket. However, whatever the reason, I am not complaining.
Boarding occurred in an orderly and timely manner. Boarding for this flight started right when my boarding pass said it would, and we were able to push back from the gate right on time. My flight to Zagreb was on 9A-CTK, which is 19 years old, and was definitely starting to show its age. Especially when its inflight video screens popped down for the safety demonstration. I feel like I haven’t seen pop down screens on a plane for a while, but in this case the one right in front of me was not functioning properly, and the video cut in and out. Luckily (as far as safety goes) the one across the aisle did work.
But the seats looked like they had a recent refresh. The plane was actually comfortable. Its seats were a generous 18 inches wide and had 32 inches of pitch. When compared to the 28 inches of pitch you get in Spirit or 29 inches you get on easyJet’s A320, there is a noticeable difference. Even on a short two hour flight, this extra legroom really goes a long way.
Given that these are older planes and Croatia Airlines really only fly short hops there isn’t any in flight entertainment to speak off. There is also no wifi. Generally this would bother me, but I just bought a new book so I was not going to use it anyways.
As far as service goes, Croatia Airlines was excellent. Its flight attendants were extremely friendly, and unlike British Airways short-haul economy, you actually get some refreshments. Shortly after we were in the air the flight attendants came through offering a choice of drink, including free wine, and a small Croatian snack pack.
I felt like this was a very nice touch. The little snack pack consisted of cheese and olives in Croatian olive oil and a small bag of crackers seasoned with herbs from the dalmatian region. It was like a culinary preview (an amuse bouche if you will) of the deliciousness that is Croatian food. As I always say about economy flights, it is the little things that can set you apart. The quick drink/snack service plus a comfortable on-time flight made for a delightful short hop experience.
Overall, a comfortable plane, a nice snack, and warm service. Croatia Airlines provides everything you could want on a short-haul flight, with the exception of in flight entertainment.
Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com
Nice report. I hope their finances on the route improved since they reduced flights.
ReplyDeleteHow was the LF? I saw some empty places.
While I understand that OU wants to promote croatian products, why for heavens sake such a weird choice like oily cheese? Beside that this is not very handy for eating, it may leave stinches everywhere, why don't they simply offer a sandwich with croatian ham or similar normal snack. Crackers with oily cheese is very weird....!
ReplyDeleteSandwiches with Slavonian ham make more sense since these flights are going to Zagreb and not Dubrovnik.
DeleteI agree - I was on a flight once where the woman next to me spilled the oil and the cheese all over herself and it was far from easy for her to get herself out of that mess.
DeleteWhat a fantastic fare you got! British sells tickets for many Croatia Airlines flights, but I never saw one that's so cheap. Virgin does really good rates out of Croatia to the US via London, but again not as cheap as that.
DeleteYou were really lucky that your flight was on time. That is truly exceptional - the last flight out of London (two days ago, Friday) left almost 4 hours late!! And their last flight out of Gatwick, also two days ago was 3.5 hours late. And these are not exceptions, this happens all the time.
Bravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteWhen were the Heathrow slots sold to Delta ?
ReplyDelete2017
DeleteJust came here to voice my disagreement over snack comments. I actually like this cheese / oil combination and in general I like the snacks that OU serves.
ReplyDeleteI also liked it. It represents Croatia as a Mediterranean country.
DeleteI guess some ham and
cheese would be better for winter schedule.
I also liked their Maraska cherry juice.
I do not remember what wine they served.