BE VERY CAREFUL! This is kind of a public service announcement regarding Air Europa . I'm 25 and have been flying since I was born. I've been pretty lucky with service and such on MANY different airlines. Even when things happen like when they loose your luggage, well, these things happen from time to time and you do your best to deal with it. However, NEVER in my LIFE have I been so upset with an airline the was I was with a flight from Air Europa last August.

Some info: Our flight to start, was delayed (this was leaving from Madrid to New York City). No big deal. Then we started to get announcements... There is mechanical difficulty.... the plane has not arrived... no wait, there is mechanical difficulty.... (can we PLEASE make up our minds??!) Still, no big deal... well, 6 in the evening rolls around (we were supposed to leave at 4!) and still no plane, no clarity.

Now our plane was ready to go. We took off, and had to make an emergency landing and turn around and go back to madrid (now me at this time, knowing we'd land ok, was not too upset by having to go back! jejej )

Finally, around I think it was nine or something, Ladies and gentleman, we're sorry but there is a mechanical difficulty and the piece needed to repair the plane has to be flown in from London on a flight that will be arriving at around 11pm.!!!!

Well, even before this people were mad... but now, and it only got better. Since it was so late, all of the other airlines' planes had taken off and nobody could get any other flights... we stayed in the airport another hour while it was debated what they would do with us, leave later that night if possible and it was fixed (it would mean taking off at 3 or 4 in the morning) or send us to a hotel and put us up for the night and leave at 8 or 9 am the next day. People (myself included) were already going to miss work, they wouldn't pay for our phone calls home to the people waiting for us either, so our plane in NY should have landed and no sight of us (let's not worry anyone, right?!) ...

So they shipped us off to a hotel, still with no word as to what time we would leave. Now lucky me, I have family in Madrid and could call so they would call my mom and also my roomate in NY.. ad I had a cell phone to which I loaned to a couple of different people so THEY could advise their loved ones... At the hotel, NO rep. from Air europa, it was the blind following the blind. We did get dinner, but were refused rooms, even to rest awhile So, tired, and stinky we ate what we could and waited. We were carted back to the airport.. turns out that it wasn't the problem they thought after all... and were sent on our way to New York.

FINALLY in NY, 5 am... I lived in Hoboken New Jersey, several other passengers having to go to CT, NJ, PA... and guess what? Do you know that at that time of the morning there isn't much public transportation to ANYWHERE! Unless its a taxi!? Forget about the people who had to get to the Port Authority or lived outside of Manhattan. Well, tired and pissed, I wait and wait and wait for an Air Europa person, after getting information to call their offices.. do you think anyone was around? No. Well, another girl who decided to wait with me and I FINALLY got 2 of the air europa stewardesses and upon their advice, took a taxi home and get a reciept that the airline would remburse us for it. For me that meant a $78 dollar cab ride. I sent all the info necessary in and in the end got paid $20 bucks for my phone calls (I let them know I had to pass my cellphone around) and a Sorry, but no cab $$.

That's insane! And their customer service dept. is in Palma de Mallorica, so calling and speaking to someone there was a whole new can of worms. ( I did manage to get their NY office to conference me so at least THEY paid for those calls).

Sorry this is so long, but there were many upset angry people on that flight. I tried to take it with a grain of salt, but feel that the treatment they gave us was horrible. I wouldn't give that kind of treatment to a cockroach! True, the tickets may be cheaper, but you know, if they're going to leave you exhausted and stranded in the middle of nowhere, I'll pay an extra $200 for a more reputable company who will at least treat me with a little respect and let me call my family to let them know I'm ok. (oh, and did I mention there was a car bomb that morning at the Barajas airport?) A month later Sept. 11 happened.

Many of the people on that plane were people who travel to spain often, I know they lost a lot of business that day. My trip to spain went off without a hitch. But when something bad happens if they're not even going to TRY to help you.... well, frankly life is short and needs to be lived well. If you choose to fly with Air Europa after this, I wish you the best. But know that you were warned. I've found that with some of these less expensive airline companies it really does pay to do some research before you purchase. I wonder what they would have done if they lost my luggage?!
Your trip starts and ends on the plane, I don't
wish ANYONE such a negative experience!

Take care and good travels!
Espe