Andromeda Aviation (Relaunch now from Abu Dhabi)

[Carde]

Andromeda Aviation



Who are we?:

An airline in case you had not figured that bit out. Seriously though we are an hobby project that grew out of hand and well we kind of roll with it as it seems that our customer base likes us quite a bit. We fly a mixture of planes from those from the dawn of the jet age to somewhat more modern examples. We simply cannot afforth to buy these state of the art jets and do what we like to do which is offer the best service in the industry without needing to charge you as our customers a penny more for it. Now for those of you who wonder about safety, no to worry the planes might be old and we might be an odd bunch, but we aint no cowboys and we take our 'hobby' extremely serious.

So yeah that is who we are a hobby grown into a business in the middle east (cause you know cheap fuel, kind of helps flying old jets) and by the looks of it we aint slowing down anytime soon.



Frequent flyer program "The pathfinders"



People seem to love and I mean LOVE getting benefits and discounts in exchance for their privacy these days. However you see we do vallue our privacy, but we also like discounts and benefits, cause who doesn't? So we have a frequent flyer program for all you pathfinders out there. The best thing is that all it does is keep your name and how many points you got and that is it, no creepy spy stuff from our end. O yeah those points can be used for discounts of flights, upgrades and if you want safe up enough and you can fly for free on a trip. Also look out for special offers and last minute deals which can be hed truly for pennies with points. (Editior note: Stop calling them points we agreed we would call them units....)

Beside this the program offers the following benefits:
*Priority boarding.
*The option to change your menu choices up to 24 hours before departure (normally 48 hours).
*The option to cancel or re-book any ticket up to 24 hours before departure at no cost (Normally 72 hours).
*Discounts with affiliated hotel brands. (For a full up to date list of hotel brands and discount figures please check the website or app).

To sign up form the program simple create an account on our website, fill out the form and a pass alongside with 2 high quality fabric patches will be send to you within 3 working days, delivery times are dependent on the location of the shipping address (naturally it takes a bit longer to send it to Antarctica than to the person living a few blocks away, but if you want it we sure will ship them there).


Fleet:

We already said we do not fly the most modern jets around, but not to worry they are safe and on the inside they are space age levels of modern and comfortable.

Currently we operate:
3 Concorde (for when you really are in a rush to vissit that Esports event in Korea)
4 Vickers VC10 (Cause we love the VC10)
2 Vickers super VC10 (It is a VC10 that is super, what is not to like!)
7 MD11 (3 Engines and looking stunning, also allows us to seat a few more people)
4 A340-600 (For those long haul journies)
3 A340-500 (Cause when long haul is to short)


List of features per class:

Economy:
*12 inch full HD touchscreen IFE display with access to major streaming services like NETFLIX and Amazon on demand.
*3.5mm headphone jacket for the IFE (headphones can be borrowed from staff, please ask before your flight departs at the gate only a limited number are onboard).
*Heated & cooled seats to main you at your most comfortable temperature.
*Sturdy fold out work space trays.
*1 Power socket selectable 100-120V/220-240V & 50/60 Hz to match your electronics
*2 3A USB charging ports
*Free encrypted wifi 20Mb/s down, 2Mb/s up.

Economy comfort:
*12 inch full HD touchscreen IFE display with access to major streaming services like NETFLIX and Amazon on demand.
*3.5mm headphone jacket for the IFE (headphones can be borrowed from staff, please ask before your flight departs at the gate only a limited number are onboard).
*Heated & cooled seats to main you at your most comfortable temperature.
*Sturdy fold out work space trays.
*1 Power socket selectable 100-120V/220-240V & 50/60 Hz to match your electronics
*2 3A USB charging ports
*Free encrypted wifi 30Mb/s down, 3Mb/s up.

Premium Economy:
*14 inch full HD touchscreen IFE display with access to major streaming services like NETFLIX and Amazon on demand.
*3.5mm headphone jacket for the IFE (headphones can be borrowed from staff, please ask before your flight departs at the gate only a limited number are onboard).
*Heated & cooled seats to main you at your most comfortable temperature.
*Sturdy fold out work space trays.
*1 Power socket selectable 100-120V/220-240V & 50/60 Hz to match your electronics
*2 3A USB charging ports
*Free encrypted wifi 50Mb/s down, 5Mb/s up.

Business class:
*16 inch full HD touchscreen IFE display with access to major streaming services like NETFLIX and Amazon on demand.
*3.5mm headphone jacket for the IFE (headphones can be borrowed from staff, please ask before your flight departs at the gate only a limited number are onboard).
*Heated & cooled seats to main you at your most comfortable temperature.
*Full flat folding seats and privacy shields.
*Slide out work space with enough room for your notebook and a note pad.
*1 Power socket selectable 100-120V/220-240V & 50/60 Hz to match your electronics
*2 3A USB charging ports
*Free encrypted wifi 100Mb/s down, 10Mb/s up.

First class:
*20 inch 4K touchscreen IFE display with access to major streaming services like NETFLIX and Amazon on demand.
*3.5mm & 7.5mm headphone jacket for the IFE (headphones can be borrowed from staff).
*Heated & cooled seats to main you at your most comfortable temperature.
*Full private cabin with flat folding seat with adaptive cushioning to provide the best comfort either when seated or laying down.
*Full slide out work space
*2 Power sockets selectable 100-120V/220-240V & 50/60 Hz to match your electronics
*4 3A USB charging ports
*Free encrypted wifi 200Mb/s down, 20Mb/s up.

For all classes:
*Select your meals in advance and change them up to 48 hours before your flight departs. Our menu choices are extensive and cover kitchens from many regions and all recipes are made by local high end chefs to be used exclusively onboard Andromeda Aviation flights.
*Free to cancel or rebook tickets up to 72 hours before departure, can just be done online within minutes.
*Access to all Andromeda Aviation lounges and those of code share partners or other affiliated brands. (for a full up to date list please check the website or the app).
*No added charges, you pay for your ticket and everything we offer is included in that ticket. (Please note that there are naturally some sensible limitations to everything, use common sense failing that ask us, you know we much prefer to clear things up before hand)

Staff:

TBA

[Carde]

Onboard wit Andromeda Aviation flying from London to Sydney.

Yes it is time again for an other trip report, this time I have to fly from one end of the common world to the other, as always at the generous expense of my employer which I shall still not name. However to make things interesting this time around I decided to book some tickets with Andromeda Aviation. Now while my employer is generous there are limits so I am terribly sorry I will have to take a rain check on telling you all about their Concorde flights. No instead we start of on the all British Vickers Super VC10 and then transfer at Abu Dhabi to a McDonnell Douglas MD-11. I shall spare the you the dreadful rail journey to heathrow and start there.



Check in:

I arrived 2 hours in advance and the que is dealt with in just a few minutes as a young fellow takes care of things behind the sole open desk. Now as Always I do travel with my gear so 2 large suitcases to check in and my carry on. I will say it is clear they recruit people to match the light heartiness of their company messages and with a quick joke and some words my bags and myself are checked in and he drops me some advice on where to get some refreshments or food if I desire. I am of course well familiar with the airport, but I do like a little extra touch of service.

The lounge:

The lounge of Andromeda Aviation is shared with some other airlines, though it is clear they are the ones who run and operate it. It has a very futuristic appeal to it and the staff is again easy going, but professional. They simply ask for my ticket once and that is everything dealt with as they serve me up what I ordered and I have to say they serve high quality produce well prepared. Seeing it is quiet I get to chat with the staff and bit and ask them about the airline. They state that they got hired a while back and had been send all over for training which had been great and that now they started to work things where getting even better. When I asked about the group of people in charge I got a smile and a few remarks along the lines of they are crazy, but in a good way. Now I am not sure what to think about it, but some more people arrive and work resumes for them and I decide to get some done as well and open up my laptop.

At the gate:

It is an odd feeling sitting at a gate with just over 60 people for such a long flight and you may arc an eyebrow at that number and wonder if their load factors are that bad. However that is not the case while some of their planes have economy class seats not all are configured with them. In case of the Vickers Super VC10 they only have 22 premium economy class seats, 42 business class seats and 12 first class seats. I think it is fair to say their pricing reflects this all, as well they are without question not the cheapest way to fly, but they claim they make up for it in ease of use and service which so far seems to work out.

Boarding:

Seeing an 50 year old jet is an odd sight, truly something you think belongs in a museum and yet here I am boarding it for a scheduled line flight which happens every day. There is something to be said about keeping these old birds flying and doing what they are designed for, but part of you do wonder if it is truly such a good idea to get onboard one. Anyhow that is of course exactly what I do and the process is easy, with so few people it happens calmly and relaxed, no rush rush feelings here. I find my assigned seat, store my carry on and lean back being wonderfully supported in my seat. Sitting there I reflect on the contrast of the space age interior vs the fact that I did very much look at a 50 year old jet just moments before.

Take off:

Well take off surely reminds you that this is not a modern turbofan airliner, holy shit the noise of those jet engines is staggering when they go full throttle. I mean not to say it is to loud, but you can clearly notice the difference. That said she gets in the air quickly and the climb is steep and fast and before you know it we are on cruising altitude and the staff get's to work. Believe it or not despite caring less than 70 people on this flight there are 4 stewards onboard, it seems you see where your money is going to.

The trip:

At one exactly I get my lunch served, I like a hot meal at mid day in more ways than one, I mean not to cater tot he stereo type to much, but yes I love my curries. Seeing you can select your meals when you book your ticket you can at least choose what you eat, of course the fact if it is good or not depends. Now of course despite the best will in the world the pressure inside the VC10 is a bit lower than we are used to and this affects your taste, but it is clear they have worked with these facts and I did enjoy my lunch. With it over with I decide to get some more work done and when I feel like a drink or a snack I press the service button and one of the stewards is with me shortly to take care of it. I have to say I do like the concept they simply wait until you call them over so you are only disturbed when you want to.

Now for my work I am glad for the power outlets and the free wifi they offer, which is shockingly fast for onboard a plane, I wonder how it will hold up if everyone tries to get everything out of it, but I guess it is build with the idea in mind that such scenarios are unlikely to happen.

We had a choice of selecting an early supper on the plane, or to have one at the airport which being their home base has lounges on both sides of security. I opted for the later option when I booked my tickets, but seeing some food going by I did feel a desire for a bite and I inquired if there was anything on offer for a lighter bite and to my surprise I had a small selection and I decided to go with some Sushi. The Sushi was quite decent, but I think the low cabin pressure really is hard to deal with when you considers foods like Sushi.

Arrival:

Over 6 hours in the air before we finally touch down in Abu Dhabi. The landing went smooth and soon we where parked at our gate and it was time to say goodbye to the VC10. I went to collect my suitcases and it took me a moment to remember at check in I was asked if I needed both my suitcases for my overnight stay and I told them I only needed one. So they keep the other one waiting for my flight tomorrow to Sydney leaving me only with the suitcase I needed. Suitcase in hand I checked in at the airport hotel and headed out to the Lounge for my dinner which was late by local time standards, but of course to me it was just early evening. After my meal I decided to get some rest after all, tomorrow I could perhaps spend a few hours looking around seeing my flight to Sydney would depart at 2 in the afternoon. The downside of Andromeda Aviation is the lack of a well connecting flight schedule at this time, but perhaps as they grow they will sync things up better.

Anyhow I will see you tomorrow for part 2 in this 3 part series as we fly to Sydney and I know I normally I only cover 1 leg of the trip, but this time I got something special for the final part. I give you a hint if you read this all you will understand the hint: "British weather"