Review of Transavia flight Innsbruck Rotterdam in Economy

Airline Transavia
Flight HV6924
Class Economy
Seat 22F
Aircraft Boeing 737-700
Flight time 01:30
Take-off 31 Jan 20, 14:15
Arrival at 31 Jan 20, 15:45
TO   #11 out of 22 Low-cost airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 345 reviews
NewYorker
By 705
Published on 11th May 2020

introduction


Hello everyone, and welcome to my latest Flight-Report series! This series covers a weekend trip to Amsterdam that I took at the beginning of 2020, back when the Covid-19 pandemic was more-or-less localized within Asia, meaning that travel was still possible. Those were the days… Hopefully the crisis will be over soon, and the skies will re-open.


trip information


This trip consisted of two Transavia flights on two types of 737NGs: the short -700 to Rotterdam, and the 'regular' -800 back down to Innsbruck. This trip marked my first time flying with both Transavia and the 737-700.


Routing


On the Great Circle Mapper:


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Even though my destination was Amsterdam, I flew into Rotterdam on the inbound, due to the fact that an INN-AMS roundtrip was more expensive than buying two one ways. This INN-RTM segment cost €46, which wasn't bad at all.


the day of departure


Thanks to an early afternoon departure, I was able to start off my day just like any other. At around noon, I headed for the airport, but first snagged some shots of Innsbruck's famous shopping street, Maria-Theresien-Straße.


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I caught the F bus from the Anichstraße/Rathausgalerien stop. The F runs between the city and the airport every 15 minutes (in a pre-Covid world, at least), and costs €3 per ride.


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Arriving at the airport a short 10 minutes later.


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innsbruck kranebitten airport (inn)


Sunny skies mean that I'd finally have some good views on the departure, as the two other flights I've flown from Innsbruck were both on foggy days.


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Into the terminal building.


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The line for check-in was really long, but I checked-in on my phone and therefore bypassed it.


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As January is still part of the high season, there were quite a few flights departing that afternoon.


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Before heading airside, I stopped by the observation deck, which is the best thing about INN!


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Just two A320s, both headed to London-Gatwick.


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tyrol lounge innsbruck


Security was surprisingly quick considering the crowds, and I headed upstairs to the Tyrol Lounge as soon as I passed through.


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I really love the Tyrol Lounge. It's small, but never too crowded and offers fantastic views of the Alps and airplanes.


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Not to mention that all the seats are very comfortable, too, and the design is very cool.


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I grabbed a quick bite to eat. The food options aren't very expansive, but the cold cuts are always fresh, and there is always one hot dish. That day, it was some kind of Schnitzel with puree and peas, which tasted pretty good.


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INN isn't a silent airport and neither is the lounge, so as soon as boarding was announced, I headed to the gate.


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The only thing other than the Lounge that's airside is a duty-free shop, which I didn't bother to check out.


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boarding + initial impressions


As is with all flights except for the Austrian Q400 flights, we were brought to the aircraft with a bus.


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Unfortunately, by the time I got in, there weren't any places to stand by the window. The 737-800 in the foreground was operating one of the three Amsterdam flights of the day, while my 737-700 was in the background.


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Arriving at my bird a few moments later.


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My very first 737-700 was PH-XRD, an old bird, delivered directly to Transavia in June 2003.


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Up the stairs.


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Welcome sign in many colors and languages, which I find to be a nice touch.


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One last look at the tail before getting in the aircraft. Too bad the airstairs were covered, diminishing the beauty of a 737's tail, and creating that nasty glare.


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I was greeted by a very friendly attendant who was so young that she was still wearing braces! After turning left into coach (what a strange feeling ?), I was immediately surprised at how retro the cabin felt. The green seats were definitely added some color to an otherwise boring cabin, though.


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I was the first one to arrive at Row 22.


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Cabin during boarding.


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The legroom was tight but passable for a low-cost carrier. Much better than Wizz Air, anyway.


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Seatpocket contents, which included…


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…an airsickness bag…


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…the safety instructions card…


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…the BoB menu (which I forgot to take other pictures of, sorry! You can see a sample Transavia menu here)…


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…and Transavia's Enjoy! Magazine.


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Austrian Q400 'Eisenstadt' from Vienna.


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Another look at the cabin.


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transavia 6924 - innsbruck to rotterdam


Once everyone had seated, Captain Pascal welcomed us all on the flight to Rrrrotterdam (gotta love that Dutch accent) and said that our departure would be beautiful, starting with out takeoff from Runway 26.


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Shortly after that, our engines fired up, and we left the stand on our own power.


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Taxiing past the terminal.


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departure from innsbruck


Onto the runway.


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360 at the end of the runway.


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Rolling.


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Rotate.


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I'll let the breathtaking views speak for themselves ?


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A look back at the Inntal (Inn Valley) and Innsbruck.


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Cabin after departure.


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Zugspitze, the highest point in Germany, at 9,718 feet.


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Continuing the climb over less scenic terrain.


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By the time we were over Baden-Württemberg, the clear view of the land below had been replaced with clouds.


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buy on board service


The crew quickly leaped into action, and even though I wasn't terribly hungry, for the sake of the review I decided to buy a toasted Ham and Cheese sandwich for €4. It was delivered with a smile around 5 minutes later.


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The sandwich was actually really good and hit the spot for such a short flight. \


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mid-flight


Older Boeing PSU.


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Cruising at 38,000 feet.


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arrival into rotterdam


As we passed over Brussels, the captain came back on the PA to announce that we were beginning our descent. He also said that there were very strong winds in Rotterdam and that we'd land on Runway 24 to the southwest.


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Slight right turn.


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Flaps 10.


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Entering clouds.


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Hello Dutch weather! Very different than what we left behind in Austria.


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Bounced around quite a bit on the final approach.


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Over the airport.


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Flare.


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Touchdown at 3:31 PM, 14 minutes early, after being in the air for 1h13m. Despite the conditions, the landing was actually rather smooth.


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Slowing down.


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Vacating the runway.


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Taxiing to the apron.


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I bid farewell to the crew and made my way out into the miserable Dutch weather. On the bright side, there was a BA CityFlyer E190 right across from us.


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Winglet.


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Under the wing.


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Final glances at PH-XRD. Thanks for the ride!


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Into the terminal after a very short bus ride.


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routing of hv6924


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After taking off from Runway 26, we made a right turn and flew directly towards Belgium, climbing to our cruising altitude of 38,000 feet. We commenced our descent south of Liège and turned northeast over Leuven towards Rotterdam Airport, where we landed on Runway 24.


The journey to Amsterdam from Rotterdam Airport wasn't actually all that challenging. I took a bus to the Meijersplein subway station. From there I took a subway to the Rotterdam Centraal Station. After that it was a quick train ride to Amsterdam Centraal. I was at my hotel in Amsterdam around 2 hours after landing, which isn't bad at all. Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a comment below, and I hope to see you again in a few days for the return flight.

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Verdict

Transavia

6.9/10
Cabin6.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Buy-on-board menu8.5

Tyrol Lounge

8.4/10
Comfort10.0
Meal/catering6.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Services8.5

Innsbruck - INN

7.2/10
Efficiency7.0
Access8.0
Services6.0
Cleanliness8.0

Rotterdam - RTM

7.5/10
Efficiency8.0
Access7.0
Services6.0
Cleanliness9.0

Conclusion

I didn't know what to expect from a short flight with an LCC, but I was positively surprised.

+ Great Tyrol Lounge in INN (to be fair, it was accessed by Priority Pass)
+ Friendly crew
+ Nice sandwich and an extensive BoB menu
- Aging, tired cabin
- No enterntainment/WiFi

Based on this flight, Transavia seems like one of the nicer LCCs in Europe. Did they do as well on the return? Stay tuned...

Related

6 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 553919 by
    Rednacks TEAM 130 Comments
    Thank you for this report!
    Beautiful views of the alps departing Innsbruck.
    The Tyrol lounge also looks quite nice and comfy.
    I was at my hotel in Amsterdam around 2 hours after landing

    This is more than correct, RTM seems to be an interesting alternative if planes to AMS are too expensive.
    • Comment 553927 by
      NewYorker AUTHOR 194 Comments
      Hey Rednacks, and thanks for your comment! Yes, the views out of Innsbruck really are something special. I was very surprised at how quickly it took from RTM to Amsterdam. It definitely is a viable alternative, the only problem is that there aren't many flights to RTM. Thanks for reading!
  • Comment 554364 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    meaning that travel was still possible. Those were the days…

    Ah, travel...definitely miss that! In a way, being "stuck" in France might be a good thing as I can hopefully discover some places in my own birth-country that I hadn't seen, before going back to California, whenever this is over.

    Innbruck has got to be one of the most scenic airports in Europe surrounded by beautiful snow-covered alps! And the tarmac boarding definitely helps to take in the beautiful views along with some close-up planespotting ?

    The green seats were definitely added some color to an otherwise boring cabin, though.

    It adds something alright...not sure if it's good, though, lol. Interesting to see the Transavia Holland birds still have these old interiors. I believe all the Transavia France aircraft have new cabins, though not necessarily Boeing Sky Interior.

    BOB seems decent. 4 EUR for a hot sandwich isn't bad compared to other European or North American LCCs. Can't compare with Asian LCCs, of course, where you can buy a full hot meal for less than that.

    Transavia (whether France or Holland) seem to consistently receive high marks for friendly crew.

    Thanks for sharing!
    • Comment 554417 by
      NewYorker AUTHOR 194 Comments
      Hi Kevin, and thanks for your comment! France isn't the worst place to be stuck, I must say... Yes, Innsbruck really is a special place with a very special airport. Definitely one of the best places for planespotting, that's for sure. I wish I got one of the new cabins, but unfortunately both this flight and the return flight had the old cabin. Though the cabin was in much worse shape on the return flight -- check out that report for more. I was very impressed with the BoB options. Definitely better than US LCCs, and levels above Wizz Air's, too. The crew was the highlight of both my Transavia flights. Thanks for stopping by!
  • Comment 554420 by
    aussenrist 225 Comments
    Thanks NewYorker for the report! The landscape of Innsbruck airport is stunning and the Lounge view is very nice.
    Given it is a LCC I found your hot sandwich looks quite good and its price is not bad.
    From your report Transavia seems to be a decent LCC. Once I had a chance of flying them but I dropped it eventually. Maybe I should try it in future ;)
    • Comment 554472 by
      NewYorker AUTHOR 194 Comments
      Hi Aussenrist, and thanks for leaving a comment! Everything you've said above is completely true. I love living in Innsbruck, mostly for the views and the aviation. The sandwich was very tasty and exceeded my expectations. You should totally try Transavia in the future, though if you have to choose between them and an alliance carrier, I'd still choose the latter. Thanks for stopping by!!

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