Flying on a plane is probably one of my most favorite things to do. We take for granted that we can fly from one side of the world to the other in a matter of hours. But I think it is pretty amazing and one of the greatest inventions ever. It has become so easy to travel, to go on a sunbathing holiday, to visit friends and family or to do business abroad. I have been on so many different flights with so many different airlines and I certainly do have a few favorites by now. Depending on where I go Turkish Airlines, EgyptAir and KLM are definitely a few of them. Especially for distances that are not too long but where you still want some comfort and luxury for a reasonable price.
I loved to fly with AtlasGlobal
Though, for a flight of a maximum of 3/3,5 hours, I do prefer low-cost flights. I am usually sleeping all the time anyway and why would you want to spend more money if not necessary? You can go on a holiday twice just by saving money on your flights, you know. I mostly travel between The Netherlands and Turkey and for a long time I flew with Transavia. But because the company is on my list of worst airlines in the world (mainly due to their service), I lately I have mainly used Pegagus (really great low-cost airline) or Turkish Airlines. But then I met AtlasGlobal, formerly known as Atlasjet; a Turkish low-cost airline headquartered in Istanbul. And I loved to fly with AtlasGlobal!
Atlasgblobal: the company
Atlasglobal first began to operate with just two aircraft in 2001. Today the company has a global fleet of Airbus A319, A320, and A321s operating its network of scheduled flights throughout Turkey, North Cyprus, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. The airline offers flights at affordable prices including benefits such as comfortable 30-inch leg-room, complimentary food and drinks, free online check-in and seat allocation, and generous luggage allowance on all flights.
Strict rules, but a great service
Although Atlasglobal is very strict about their rules and they will not allow you to make any changes after booking, they still are very helpful. I have contacted their customer service several times and I think they have a great service. If you send an email they respond very fast and kind. They are very friendly and go beyond necessary to help you in any possible way. I think this is definitely a big plus since most of the big companies nowadays do not care about their costumers at all. Atlasglobal definitely makes an exception here. This also applies to the cabin crew by the way. During both of my flights with Atlasglobal, everyone has been very lovely. Personally, this is very important to me. But of course, it is the flight itself that matters most.
The best company if you have a lot of luggage
Luggage for me is the most important I guess. Whenever I go on holidays I prefer to travel light. But when I travel between The Netherlands and Turkey, I always lots of stuff one to another country. If you fly with Atlasglobal your hand baggage can have the maximum size of 25x45x56 cm and may not exceed 8 kg. You can carry 20 kg luggage if you fly economic and 30 kg luggage if you fly business on domestic flights.
If your flight is international, you have a 30 kg luggage allowance. And if your flight is economic and you fly business class, it is even 40 kg. I think this is pretty good because with most airlines you have to buy your luggage nowadays. However, the downside is that you can not buy extra kilos in advance. So if you have overweight it is going to cost you a lot of money at the airport.
Flying Chef
During both times that I flew with Atlasglobal, there was no entertainment offered, but we had a ‘Flying Chef’. This basically means that you get a meal, a snack, and a few drinks offered during the flight. You can choose between chicken and meat or have a vegetarian meal. The variety of drinks is great and includes beer and wine as well. Atlasglobal offers this service for free and it is no problem if you ask for something extra or even a second meal. By the way, sorry for the crappy photos. I took them with my phone.
Different than any other low-cost airline
The planes are not very special or provided with any luxury. The aircraft are clean, there is enough space, and overall they are very comfortable. Other than that, they are just like any other low-cost planes. Which, to be honest, is fine by me as Atlasglobal is a low-cost airline after all. I truly like Atlasglobal as they are quite different than any other low-cost airline I have ever flown with. They even have a shuttle service between the airport and the city center in some cities which is free of charge.
