Note: Copyrights are saving to Yonatan Paz
Hello dear readers and flyers, and welcome to the beginning to my trip from Tel Aviv, Israel to Berlin, Germany with Astra Airlines.
So who are you Astra Airlines?
Astra Airlines is a greek ailrline that was founded in 2008 and based in Thessaloniki - Macedonia Airport, Greece. The airline operates, as November 2015 1* Airbus A320, 2*Avro RJ85, 1* ATR 72 and 2* ATR 42. They airline operates some flights in Greece with their ATR'S planes and International flights with their bigger planes, the A320 and the RJ85'S Planes. In the toursim seasons the airlines operate flight from TLV (Tel Aviv; Ben Gurion International Airport; Israel) to Rhodes, Herkalion, Berlin and Lujubliana by A320 with 180 economy class seats, and to Thessaloniki with their RJ85's with 115 economy class seats.
The day of the flight:
As the excepted flight time was on 12:35PM, I arrived to the airport at 10:00AM. Durning the Check-in that was too much long and bother we got a message about a delay to 3PM!!! We got angry because our first day will be gone and we will stuck at the airport. As the Airport was a bit busy I finished the checks at 11:00AM and I got another message that the flight will delay to 6PM! Jesus christ!!! WTH I will do here for more 7 hours? I will arrive to my hotel at 11:00PM! So i did some spotting as It was a busy day!
Air Sinai (EX-EgyptAir) Embarer 170 before flight to Cairo, Egypt.
Easy jet Airbus A320 landed from Basel, Switzerland:
Airzena (Georgian Airlines) Boeing 737-500 landed from Tbilisi, Georgia (Not in the USA, Georgia near Turkey!!!)
United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER leave the gate for departure to Newark, USA. I've ordered a ticket to my vacation in NYC with Lufthansa!
Travel Service Boeing 737-800 (Operated by Israir) before flight to Verona, Italy. One Easyjet Airbus A320 before flight to Berlin, Germany (Jesus!!!) and the other just landed from London - Luton, GB. Transavia Boeing 737-800 before flight to Paris - Orly, France:
Arkia Boeing 757-300 before flight to Rhodes, Greece:
Israir Airbus A320 before flight to Herkalion. Greece:
One more view of Air Sinai Embarer 170:
The most interesting plane that you will see in Tel Aviv: Air Canada Boeing 787-8 before flight to Toronto, Canada. I remember my flight with AC on their old 763ER!
Germanwings Airbus A320 before flight to Berlin, Germany. Jesus 2nd time!
Aegean Airlines Airbus A319 Before flight to Kalamata, Greece:
BlueBird Airways Boeing 737-400 just landed from Herkalion, Greece:
Transavia Airlines Boeing 737-800 just landed from Lyon, France:
Aegean Airlines Airbus A320 just arrived from Rhodes, Greece plus UIA Boeing 737-900ER before flight to Kiev, Ukraine:
At 2:30 PM we got a message that the flight will depart a 3.20PM and the planes is on the way from Rhodes to Tel Aviv!!! Boarding will be by bus instead by jetbridge as we lose our gate and slot.
Our plane arrived:
Finally, we bored to the plane at 4PM!
One of the best liveries that I've ever saw!!!
Cabin:
All Terminal 3 in one photo!
Easyjet A320(WL) just landed from Paris-CDG and American Airlines Airbus A330-200 landed from Philadelphia, USA:
Seat pitch was very tight as my 1.75m:
My seat recline bottom was broken:
Lufthansa Airbus A321 from Munich, Germany:
Taxi:
Take Off:
The cabin crew offered a drink and a snack 20 min after departure. That was all the service for this 4h flight:
Safety Card:
Over Kos Island:
Cabin:
Clouds over south Europe:
The Danbue near Budapest, Hungary:
Decsending:
A long taxi to the old and small terminal:
BB horrible flight!
Our flight route:
I hope that the flight was cheap, because the only nice thing about this flight is the aircraft's livery :(
Thanks for sharing !
Thanks for sharing. As Marathon said, only the livery is nice, all the rest is between bad and awful.
Just FYI: you can't put 115 seats in an ARJ 85 max capacity is 100 seats. Astra does not operates ARJ 85 but BAe 146-300, the old and streched model who can accomodate 115 pax
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
It's the first time and hear and read about Astra Airlines. The livery is nice but the cabin looks old and is worn out. Th snack for a 4 hours flight is ridiculous. They could at least offer by on board product for those who want something else.
Ugh.
Late flight
Little information
Old plane and cabin
No service for a 4 hrs flight
I even do not find the livery especially nice...
Thanks for sharing this flight, Astra is now on my personal blacklist.