Reader reviews. How to fly, from Foggia to Milan, aboard Lumiwings
Whenever we receive reader reviews-whether these are of a flight, lounge or [...]
LIN
Whenever we receive reviews of the readers - whether these are from a flight, a lounge or a hotel - we publish them with great pleasure: today it is the turn of a young reader - Frederick, whom we thank - who takes us aboard the Lumiwings.
In this article:
I already knew Lumiwings, but what convinced me to try it was the very positive testimony of an acquaintance of mine. And so, I decided that my traditional flight of the month would be with them. But let's get straight to the point: between going (LIN-FOG) and back (FOG-BGY) I spent about 200 euro, while for a few euros more there was the option of landing at Linate. Mine was the basic fare, which includes an 8kg carry-on bag, choice of seat and onboard snack. Was it worth it?
The outward flight
At Linate, it is immediately clear from the small queue at the gate that the flight will not be very crowded. 24 people, I hear, a fifth of the capacity of theEmbraer E195LR, (brands SX-LWD), the only aircraft in the Lumiwings fleet along with a 737-700 (which, however, does not fly to Italy).
My place was the 4A, chosen free of charge when checking in. All seats, in fact, are free, except for the first three rows and the emergency row reserved for passengers who purchased the premium fare. Pleasantly greeted by the flight attendant, I quickly realized that the level is definitely high. The seats, in the normal 2-2 configuration of the Embraer E-Series, were wide, well padded and soft, and most importantly, it was plenty of space for the legs.
To be clearer: I had difficulty retrieving the backpack I had put under the seat, so much was the space. Only flaw, the seat did not recline much; nicely solid and large, however, was the table. The plane was not, however, spotlessly clean.
The boarding process proceeded smoothly, and in no time we were in the air, on time at 11:35 a.m.. After a few minutes, the flight attendants began with in-flight service. Lumiwings offers a snack - on the outward journey it was sweet (a package of chocolate wafers branded "Amaretti") and on the return it was salty (tomato-flavored chips) - and a beverage of your choice. As usual when I fly I asked for a glass of Coke, which turned out to be a respectable big glass (ITA, take notes...). Other passengers asked for juice (whole bottle), water, or both. A poster on board advertises two labels from a farm in Foggia, which, however, on the outward journey were not available, while on the return journey they were, and I must say. the white was not bad.
The flight proceeded smoothly, the flight attendants passed by with the cart (not the bag!) for the garbage, but in general they were not very present during the flight, which is also short and therefore does not require particular diligence on their part. We landed and upon disembarkation Lumiwings offered us a mint candy, the last treat of a flight much more premium than you find among big companies these days.
Foggia's "Gino Lisa" airport.
At this point it is worth spending two lines to talk about the Gino Lisa Airport in Foggia. The airport is connected with cab o bus, which employ 10-20 minutes To get to the center: cab costs 9 euro, while the bus only €1,00.
The airport is really small, in the ground area there is parking and, inside, a small bar and three check-in desks, as well as toilets and Police station. The security checks take place in a second and give directly onto the gates, which are three in number and also reduced to the bone. The airside area has two rooms, one with waiting room for about 50 people and gate 1 and the other, adjacent, with gates 2 and 3, tarmac access, toilets, reserved seats, departure board, coffee machine and vending machine.
The airport proves itself, in short, suitable for passenger traffic it has to handle; despite this, I wonder if it is equally valid in peak season. If an airplane were to be full, in fact, more than half of the passengers would have nowhere to sit, and the seats reserved for the elderly or disabled are only four. The staff, however, was friendly and efficient.
The return flight
The return was a bit troubled: first there was a technical problem, which delayed our departure by about forty-five minutes (we took off at 6:35 p.m. instead of 5:50 p.m.), and then problems with air traffic forced us into a long holding pattern straddling Veneto and Lombardy. The flight was all in all very similar to the previous one, except for the presence of wine Of the Masseria del Sole - naturally offered - of a beautiful sunset and a nice neighbor with whom I chatted for a while.
Of note is the flight attendant Francesca who was very amenable to my enthusiastic request to stop by the cabin to say hello during disembarkation. In the end, however, I decided to give up because I didn't want to create additional hassle for the cabin staff who already had to manage a substantial delay (let's talk about of about an hour).
In conclusion
Ultimately - for Foggians who have to travel to Turin, Milan or Venice - what I feel like saying is that flying is the best choice: forget about Trenitalia! For a few (50) more euros, you save tremendously on travel time and gain just as much in tranquility, comfort and service. This has been my experience with Lumiwings, little gem of transportation between northern and southern Italy.
Do you also want to share a review with TFC readers? Write to us! We will be happy to publish it.
