Has anyone heard of or used these airlines? Martainair or City Bird Airlines.
 

Looking for any information on these 2 airlines. The prices look really good. Any info would be most helpful. Thank you in advance for your time.

Hi Lisa. <BR> <BR>I haven't personal experience with neither of the two companies, but last year my cousin was flying "City Bird" and she still has bad dreams about them. She said that it was cheap, but you can't expect any service - what so ever - at all. She had trouble finding the flight in the airport when arriving - she had problems having her luggage and the flight was delayed. Of course this can be just "bad luck", but maybe you should check them out a little more before deciding.

Martinair is a subsidiary of KLM, the Dutch airline. We used them several years ago (because the price was right) and had a pleasant experience.

I've talked to 3 people who tried City Bird. All bad, bad, bad. I got stranded in Amsterdam once and almost made to back on Martinair. I spoke with others at the time who were fyling them and they said it was OK. <BR> <BR>

I did fly Martinair a few years ago and I found the staff to be very friendly. But you must not expect the service of a regular airline in business or first class. Martinair as well as City Bird aren't regular airlines but charter companies. They also often combine destinations, for instance when we fly Martinair from Amsterdam to Santo Domingo, we will have a stopover in some other Caribbean airport to pick up passengers for their return flight to Amsterdam. This of course envolves longer flight time but it also reduces the cost. <BR>I personally don't mind sitting 10 hours or so in a plane with little comfort and I would not consider to pay extra for a seat in business or first class. But this is just a matter of priorities. <BR>

I flew City Bird when it first began service a few years ago. I was attracted to the unbelievable rate of $199 round trip New York to Brussels, Belgium (it was in December). Had no problems at all. The check-in desk had a makeshift sign they would put up a few hours before the flight. Other than that, I had no problems with the trip and would use this company again, since price is my number one priority.

I flew on Martinair a few years ago and I think it was better than the big commercial giants. definitly better than KLM!

We have flown both airlines more than once. The price was right. But be aware that if there is a mechanical problem, for example, you can wait two days for your flight. We did with Martinaire. These airlines don't have big fleets like the major companies. They can't call up another plane right away to "fill in" <BR>for a plane they have to work on. This could cause big problems if you have a tour to join up with or an important engagement. Fortunately our itinerary was flexible, but it still got us off to a bad start. <BR>As far as safety, I have heard nothing negative.

I'm a Toronto travel agent. My clients use MartinAir quite frequently - they fly Toronto-Amsterdam and they provide a nicely priced alternative to the big airlines. Never heard a complaint. <BR>Hope this helps <BR>db <BR>YYZ