Review of Transavia flight Innsbruck Rotterdam in Economy

Airline Transavia
Flight HV6924
Class Economy
Seat 21A
Aircraft Boeing 737-800
Flight time 01:30
Take-off 10 Apr 22, 18:50
Arrival at 10 Apr 22, 20:20
TO   #10 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 1636
Published on 2nd June 2022

introduction


Greetings Flight-Reporters and aviation enthusiasts alike, and a very warm welcome to part 3 of my ongoing series, covering a recent trip I took to the Netherlands! While the first two legs covered my journey from Vienna to Zurich, the main destination of this trip was the Netherlands, by way of a quick stop in Innsbruck. It was only a brief, two-day stay back in Innsbruck for me, but since I would be traveling with two of my Tyrolean friends for this part of the journey, it felt right to be reunited with my European hometown for a few days before heading north. To get from Zurich to Innsbruck, I rode the ÖBB Railjet. I'm not a huge fan of trains and the Railjet leaves quite a bit to be desired comfort-wise in Coach, but for 4 hours the journey was manageable.


On a funny note: longtime readers of my reports may remember that I flew this same flight - HV6924 - right before the pandemic struck, back in January 2020. The return flight from that trip was the last time I flew without a mask - and this flight was my first since the pandemic begun that didn't require masks to be worn. Talk about coming full circle!


Without further ado, let's head back to April 10th, 2022, and Transavia 6924 from Innsbruck to Rotterdam!


trip information


I'm revealing the routing of this trip with the addition of each segment, and here's where we stand at report #3/5:



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I booked this flight as a one-way ticket for €110. Not a great deal for a low-cost carrier, though I booked fairly last minute. Also, my friends booked a roundtrip ticket which didn't cost much more than my one-way, so it would have been a lot cheaper had I returned to Innsbruck.


the afternoon of departure


One of the things I love the most about Innsbruck is how close the airport is to the city. When I lived in Innsbruck, I'd take walks to the airport and back just for fun. This time around, I was staying at a friend's place close to the airport, so walking was the easiest way to get there. Cool!


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The mountains of Innsbruck always provide a great backdrop, whether you're flying or walking 🏔️


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After a lovely 20-minute walk, I arrived at Innsbruck Airport at around 5:40 PM, 40 minutes prior to boarding.


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innsbruck airport (inn)


Innsbruck Airport hadn't changed a bit in my absence. Landside, it was quite empty: the 5 flights that evening were ours to Rotterdam, another Transavia flight to Amsterdam, a BA flight to London-Heathrow, an EasyJet flight to London-Gatwick and an Austrian flight to Vienna. You'll see all those jets throughout this report 😉


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Since there's not much airside, we decided to head up to the spotting terrace until the departure time neared. The views were awe-inspiring as always!


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At 5:58 PM, our chariot arrived from Eindhoven.


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We headed downstairs and passed security to find a packed boarding area… a very different scene from the last time I flew out of Innsbruck, back in August 2020.


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boarding + initial impressions


Boarding was called a few minutes late, and all passengers were herded into busses to bring us to our aircraft.


Passing the Speedbird A320…


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…and the Austrian E195 that had just arrived…


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…before arriving at our bird - and the oldest active aircraft in Transavia's fleet - PH-HZE. Delivered new to Transavia in May 1999, Zulu-Echo was only the 277th 737NG off the assembly line. Apart from being wetleased to numerous airlines over the years, PH-HZE has been at Transavia for all 23-years of her life.


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The view from under the wing.


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Goedenavond, Transavia! 😄🇳🇱


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Looking west past the empennage…


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…and east towards Innsbruck one last time before heading onboard.


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2 chipper flight attendants were greeting passengers by the door, and as I turned left I was greeted by the very green Transavia cabins that I remembered from 2020!


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Unfortunately, this aircraft still had Transavia's oldest cabins, though unlike my previous 2 flights with the airline, they were in good shape this time around.


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I made a super rookie mistake of reserving a seat for €9 at booking. I thought that, despite my reservation, I would be able to switch to another seat at check-in to sit with my travel companions. That wasn't the case, and I was stuck at my pre-reserved seat next to total strangers. The horror! 😉 For what it's worth, seat selection at check-in is free at Transavia and you can also score an extra legroom seat for free then, so I would have been better off just doing that. Keep that in mind if you'll be flying with them.


At 21A, I was surprised at how generous the legroom was for a low-cost carrier.


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In the seatback pocket were the safety card…


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…the menu (forgot to take a picture of the menu itself, click here to see a PDF version)…


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…and Transavia's Enjoy! inflight magazine, which doubles as an inflight shopping catalog.


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Old-school Boeing PSU.


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Cabin during boarding.


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My poor decision to reserve a seat did slightly pay off though: the wing view from 21A was elite 😄


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transavia 6924 - innsbruck to rotterdam


Once the doors were closed, the captain came over the PA to announce that we were ready to go. We'd be taking off to the west from Runway 26, and our flight time would be 1h25m, slightly longer than usual due to some headwinds.


In the meantime, EasyJet's Gatwick flight had arrived, and the BA A320 was just airborne for its journey back to Heathrow.


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As we taxied to the runway, the purser announced that masks were no longer mandatory on board. Some passengers cheered, and I couldn't help but smile, though I kept mine on for most of the flight.


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As we made a 180 out of our parking position, I caught a glimpse of Transavia's Peter Pan 737, which was being loaded up for its flight to Schiphol.


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Due to the limited traffic and mostly calm winds, I suspect that the runway choice that evening was based on the pilot's discretion, as Austrian 902 took off to the east minutes before our westerly departure.


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departure from innsbruck


Making another 180 at the end of the runway.


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Rolling past the terminal.


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A bit of a tailwind on departure.


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Airborne.


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The views on departure were stunning as always, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.


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.


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Takeoff video:



buy on board service


For a turbulence enthusiast like me, our climb out was disappointingly smooth, and shortly after departure the seatbelt sign was turned off and the cabin crew sprung into action.


On this short flight, the service was conducted by two crew members from the forward galley and two from the aft galley. That meant that it was only a few minutes until my order was taken. I took off my mask to communicate with the crew members (all of whom were unmasked), which felt strangely weird and not normal at all. How things change in 2 years 😅


I ordered a ham and cheese toastie for €4.50. For a tasty hot snack, that's probably as good a price as you'd find on any airline. It tasted great! I also bought a bottle of water for €3. Not a great deal, but that's partially on me for not drinking anything before the flight.


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mid-flight


After eating, I decided to visit the lavatory and take a stroll around the cabin. The lavatory was very clean, and the cabin was packed. That's what we like to see!


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Once back at my seat, I dozed off for most of the flight and woke up again once we had already commenced our descent.


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arrival into rotterdam


The lighting outside was absolutely gorgeous, and I was glued to the window for the rest of the flight.


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Looking towards the sunset, with the Scheldt River near Antwerp right in front of the leading edge of the wing.


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As pretty as the Alps are, I was thrilled to see the North Sea appear in the distance. I love mountains, but water will always be my favorite backdrop.


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Passing the meeting point of the Volkerak and the Hollands Diep.


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Overflying the Oude Maas.


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Flaps coming down.


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Making a left turn with the Hollandse IJssel down below.


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The skyline of Rotterdam, with the North Sea visible in the distance.


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Turning final, with the airport visible in the first picture for those with a good eye 👀


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Short final.


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Over the airport…


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…and a firm asymmetrical landing on Runway 24 at 8:19 PM, 1 minute early, after being airborne for 1h19m.


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Vacating at the very end of the runway.


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Landing video:



Pulled in to our stand right next to the terminal.


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One last look at my surprisingly comfortable home of the past hour-and-a-half. I remembered these seats to be old and worn out but not particularly comfortable, yet this time around it actually I was actually able to make myself comfy for the journey.


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A parting shot with PH-HZE…


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…before heading into the terminal and beginning a Dutch travel adventure!


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routing + conclusion


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With no checked bags, we were quickly out of the terminal, though there was a bit of a wait for the bus that would take us to the Meijersplein subway station. The airport is pretty easily accessible via bus and subway, and the journey to Rotterdam is quick. Public transport tickets for Rotterdam and The Hague can be purchased in the airside section of the arrivals hall, which is how we bought our tickets. Though be advised: the Tourist Day Ticket is not, in fact, a 24-hour ticket. We learned that lesson the hard way 😉 Thanks so much for reading this report, I hope you enjoyed it and the special scenery I was treated to! Stay tuned next week for the most exciting review of the series. Believe me when I tell you that you won't want to miss it. Until then, be well and happy flying! 😃✈️

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Verdict

Transavia

8.0/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.5
Entertainment/wifi7.0
Buy-on-board menu8.5

Innsbruck - INN

8.5/10
Efficiency9.0
Access10.0
Services6.0
Cleanliness9.0

Rotterdam - RTM

8.3/10
Efficiency10.0
Access8.0
Services6.0
Cleanliness9.0

Conclusion

My first two Transavia flights back in 2020 exceeded my expectations, and the third time was even better, given that the cabins seemed to be in a much better state.

+ Old but comfy and clean cabin
+ Very friendly crew
+ Tasty sandwich for a good price
+ Fantastic views
± Inflight magazine, but no other forms of entertainment

Transavia left a very good impression on me, and since my flight I learned that you can even earn Flying Blue miles with them. From the European low-cost carriers that I've flown, they are hands down my favorite, and I look forward to flying a lot more with them in the future.

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1 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 642760 by
    Jetset 52 Comments
    Hi there,
    well that's a very nice coincidence!
    I worked at Innsbruck during that particular winter season as ramp agent and April 10th was actually my last day. I now checked my pictures on my phone, as I took some at almost every of my turnarounds and yeah... in fact it was really me who prepared your flight. :D That's my bike parked right next to the forward stairs.
    Right thereafter I headed to the Peter Pan 737 parked just next by to prepare it for its flight to AMS, and then I was done. :(

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