George Nugent Travels

Regional airline Flybe resumed flying in April 2022, after the airline collapsed in 2020 due to financial difficulties.

I was booked to travel with the original Flybe in March 2020 from Glasgow to Birmingham, this was ultimately cancelled when the airline ceased trading, however, when it was announced the airline was returning to the skies I knew I had to try again.

Therefore, I booked a one-way ticket from Belfast City to Glasgow in order to sample the new Flybe and their iconic Dash 8 aircraft.

Booking and Check-in Process

The Flybe booking process can only be done on their website, at the time of writing they do not have an app for passengers to use.

Their website is straightforward to use and allows you to easily see what routes are available. I was given a choice of two flights for my date of travel, and I settled on the evening flight, departing at 1910.

When booking I was given the option to select and pay for a seat, with seat prices starting at £3. I did not book a seat and decided to have one allocated at check-in.

Check-in opens 36 hours before departure which is normal for a domestic flight on a small carrier. I did not have any issues checking in and was allocated seat 20A.

My Discovery during Check-in

When I checked in for my flight I discovered that Flybe would not be operating my flight. Rather a company called Marathon Airlines would be operating it on behalf of Flybe.

I had never heard of Marathon, so a quick Google search showed they are a Greek airline, and I would be travelling on one of their Embraer 175 aircraft.

I felt two ways about this, on the one hand I was getting to fly on an airline I had never heard of before, however, I was also disappointed that once again I was not able to fly with Flybe.

Belfast City Airport Experience

Despite being a small airport, Belfast City (BHD) was very well organised and efficient. Security took less than 5 minutes, and I was soon sitting in the departures lounge.

The airport was busy when I arrived, however, this was due to a delayed Flybe flight to London Heathrow and a delayed British Airways City Flyer flight to London City (stay tuned, I have a review coming soon).

Retail options for food and drink are limited within the airport, however, the airport has provided multiple vending machines, and a bottle refill station to address this.

The gate for my flight was announced 25 minutes before departure and gate staff were ready to board us as soon as we arrived.

Boarding and Safety Demonstration

Upon boarding the aircraft both cabin crew members were standing greeting us (remember, day hello to them, do not ignore them).

I quickly found my seat and placed my bag under the seat in front of me. Unlike my flight that morning with Aer Lingus Regional (click here to read it), I had somebody in the seat next to me, or at least did.

The cabin crew asked either me or my seatmate to move to the row in front to help with weight distribution, my seatmate moved so she could get a window seat.

Marathon play music throughout boarding which is apparently meant to be calming (it sounded like somebody gave a child a piano for Christmas if I am honest). This stopped when the door was closed so the crew could give a safety demonstration.

Marathon uses a pre-recorded announcement, and by now you should know I massively prefer these to live announcements from the crew. Once this was completed I took a read of the safety card as this was a new aircraft type for me.

Inflight Service

Before I give details of the inflight service you should note that the flight time was just 23 minutes!

On this flight the crew offered all passengers either water or orange juice, as well as a packet of biscuits. I took a cup of water and skipped the biscuits as I have not heard great reviews from other people who had travelled with Flybe.

I should point out that everything offered on this flight was free! The crew then passed through to collect any rubbish. Whilst doing this, the crew made a point to interact with everybody and make them feel welcome.

Glasgow Airport Arrivals Experience

Thanks to the short flight time and favourable wind conditions we landed into Glasgow 18 minutes early.

We arrived onto our stand and had to wait a few minutes for the ground crew to arrive, however I was out the airport less than 15 minutes after landing.

However, now onto the bad part. When I exited the airport I had 55 minutes until my train, however the next bus to Paisley was not for 45 minutes. If I waited for it I would miss the train.

Furthermore, there were no taxi’s and already there was a queue waiting for them, I decided not to wait.

Therefore, I decided to walk from the airport to Paisley Gilmour Street station, this takes me around 30 minutes, however, I was doing it in the dark and I would not recommend it for most people.

It concerns me how poor public transport is to the airport from surrounding areas, and I hope somebody in the airport reads this and reaches out to help address the issue.

I have included a feedback form below for you to share your experiences, I can hopefully use these to feedback to the airport teams.