Direct Air any reviews!!!??

[nkkilala]

Ok so my local airport (Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International in Michigan) just announced Direct Air as its new carrier.

They will be offering direct flights from Kalamazoo-Orlando/Sanford. I know that this isn't MCO but its close enough for me, and about the same price of flying out of Detroit (204 including taxes). I actually look at it as a savings becuase I don't have to drive the 2.5 hours to Detroit, pay for a hotel the night before, and pay to park my car.


I'm just wondering if anyone has flow with them and can give me any information about the airline.

I know you have to pay for luggage (15 on-line).


Thanks for any information you can get me!!

 

[bavaria]

There are at least a half dozen threads (if not more) here from the past week; check pages 2 and 3 of this board.

http://www.google.ca/search?q=disboards+directair&hl=en&filter=0

There are conflicting reports that Virgin America and/or JetBlue and/or another company will be operating flights. The business model apparently is similar to Skybus, which does not bode well (why anyone would form a business model on an airline which ran into the ground after just a few months aloft is beyond me)

Someone did report a decent experience on a flight, but do be aware that the chances of this airline surviving many years are not that great. And by the time all fees are added in, some readers were finding cheaper fares elsewhere (the taxes and fees for the tiny airports used by Direct Air are higher than other airports, apparently)

 

[pumpkinboy]

On the airline's website, it says that the flights are operated by Virgin America.

I agree with Bavaria to be wary buying these tickets well ahead of time. Within a month, maybe, paying on a credit card, but any earlier and I'd be very cautious. I hope it works though. It would be great for folks in Worcester, MA and Kalamazoo, MI to have non-stops to the Orlando area.

 

[Foladar]

It looks like a good deal, my aunt was paying ~350ish roundtrip with fees from Kalamazoo to MCO, however this one would be right around 200, and we'd drive the extra to pick her up which isn't a big deal. I hope it works out, she won't need tickets until right around when they're starting .. I read the current rates are discounted though for 79 hours. If they kept these rates the same, it'd work for us .. otherwise it would only work in terms of non-stop but I'd rather have her come in to MCO if it was the same price.

 

[CarolA]

On the airline's website, it says that the flights are operated by Virgin America.

I agree with Bavaria to be wary buying these tickets well ahead of time. Within a month, maybe, paying on a credit card, but any earlier and I'd be very cautious. I hope it works though. It would be great for folks in Worcester, MA and Kalamazoo, MI to have non-stops to the Orlando area.

Flights are operated by Virgin under contract to Direct Air.

The passengers contract is NOT with Virgin but with Direct Air. ANy issues, flight delays, etc must be worked out with Direct.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Flights are operated by Virgin under contract to Direct Air.
The passengers contract is NOT with Virgin but with Direct Air. ANy issues, flight delays, etc must be worked out with Direct.

This is an important distinction! I might take a punt that Virgin America would be around several months down the raod, but a small charter firm like Direct Air would make me nervous , unless the flight were in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for clarifying, CarolA!

 

[CarolA]

This is an important distinction! I might take a punt that Virgin America would be around several months down the raod, but a small charter firm like Direct Air would make me nervous , unless the flight were in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for clarifying, CarolA!

I agree. I cannot imagine a WORSE environment to start an airline in! And the very reason Virgin has these extra planes to rent to people like Direct and Skybus is that they have held off on thier expansion plans becuase of the combination of a soft economy and the cost of jet fuel......

Direct appears to be doing the "big jump". They appear to have had a successful business doing "charter" flights for golfers and beach goes from the NE to Myrtle Beach and now they want to "grow" Lots of others have "stumbled" down that path.

 

[Terry G]

We booked in Sept 08 and flew on 3/08/09 from AZO to SFD. The flight was very good and on time. BUT!!!! We paid the $5.00 charge for seat selection for 2 seats each way so an additional $20.00. We had chosen seats 5A&5B both ways. Going was great. Returning wasnt. They stuffed us back in row 17 with no explanation and there were empty seats on the flight. To date they have failed to reply to my emails as to why this happened. For warned is for armed. You may want to think twice about flying DirectAir

 

[PlutoPony]

Actually, I'm getting concerned about Virgin America. Their 2 major investors (not Branson et al) controlled a majority of the airline, and in recently returned their stake back to the company in exchange for their initial investment $$ (a real sweetheart deal negotiated at the beginning). VA Group can't hold onto the entire airline as that violates foreign ownership rules so they need other investors to take it off their hands pronto .... not exactly a great time to be looking for $$. They reported a $27M loss for Q4 but that's not terribly bad for an airline these days (sad isn't it). We're looking at them for a trip this summer to the west coast but I'm waiting a bit longer to pull the trigger......

 

[goofy4tink]

We are hearing good reports from those who have flown it out of Worcester, Mass. But, their schedule isn't all that great. Only a few flights each week, each way. And it isn't inexpensive to fly them. Then, I have to factor in the cost of transportation to WDW from Sanford. It would end up costing a ton more to fly with Direct Air for me.

 

[Stu Black]

The Family TIes promotion offers great prices, but horrendous service. Flights must be booked by phone, but after over 2 hours I had to call customer service number and wait for them to call me back.

Very long check-in lineups reveal that you get what you pay for. After the trip from Niagara Falls we were not surprised by the hour and a half line at Punta Gorda, but we were not prepared for the 10 hour flight delay.
It's been noted in other reviews that Direct Air doesn't have any staff on hand at the airport and that's certainly the case in Punta Gorda. It's also a big problem if things go wrong, and with their fleet of older aircraft, my guess is that this is not an isolated situation.

The most frequently asked questions by our entrapped passengers:
When mechanical breakdowns occur, does Direct Air have an active back-up plan in place?
Apparenlty not. Beside our plane another Direct Air jet sat idly on the tarmac all day. It must have been experiencing issues too, or presumably they could have used it to fly us home. Makes one wonder how serious the problems are with their aircraft.

Why isn’t there a representative from Direct Air on hand at the airport that is empowered to make proper decisions in case of emergencies?
Passengers respect that the airline cares about safety, even if it means delays. The airport staff and TSA officials made every attempt to help us, but let’s face it, it isn’t their problem - it's an airline issue. It also seems reasonable to ask why the replacement plane had 5 less seats on it than the original. As for the 10 hour encampment, provision of a slice of pizza and a can of soda is a pathetic response.

Passengers can deal with the truth; why did you lie to us?
The announcements made at the airport and aboard the aircraft were misleading at best, and lies at worst. Here’s what we were told:
• “There is a mechanical problem with the plane, but we’ll have you in the air shortly.”
• “The problem with the plane is more serious – it may take an hour or so.”
• “We can’t get the part in time, so we’ll arrange for another plane.”
• “You’ll be on your way in a couple of hours.”
• “Your flight will leave shortly.” (Scheduled to leave at 2:30, we boarded around 9 o’clock and took off at 10:20). On-board, we were first told from the flight deck that they needed time to add fuel because of turbulent weather in the Niagara area The next delay was attributed to 3 missing passengers who didn’t match up with the manifesto ???.
• References to weather in Niagara Falls were announced in flight, but they didn’t tell us we were actually heading to Buffalo. After landing they said the weather in N.F. was not suitable. Word on the street says the NF airport is not staffed at that time of night. What so hard about telling the truth?
• From the flight deck after landing at 1 a.m: “We’re going to arrange some busses to take you to Niagara Falls. By the time you pick up your baggage – the busses will be ready.” One of the bus drivers told us that they had been called at 10:30, and had been waiting for us since 11:45 pm”

With such an extended delay, doesn’t management care about implications to passengers and their families?
Some were able to cash vacation time the following day; others had no choice but to report to work with only a couple of hours sleep. Our daughter at home was frantic. Her whole family was aboard that flight but nobody to answers the phones at Direct Air and there was NOTHING on the web site.

We were influenced to travel with Direct Air based on comments by friends. We heard about direct flights between small airports at very reasonable prices. It sounded too good to be true, and you know what they say about that.

The answers from this airline are anything but direct, and when we speak to our friends now about this airline it is accompanied by clear advice: great caution is advised.

It's hard to put a price on peace of mind.

 

[TomD]

I have flown them without a problem out of Worcester Mass last August and would fly them again.

 

[goofy4tink]

I know many people that fly Direct Air out of Worcester Mass. Is it a perfect airline? No. But, we as travelers, must become knowledgable about what we are doing. With airlines like Direct Air, my biggest concern is what the heck happens if we can't leave ontime, or even on that day??? There is such a small fleet and so few flight times that there is no way they can move you out later in the day or even in the next day or two. This is common knowledge and one reason I won't fly Direct Air in the harsher winter months here in NE...way too much room for error.
It has been said that Direct Air didn't post any info on their website regarding delays, or make any move to provide personel to take phone calls. Probably so. But, why didn't anyone, on that flight, call home themselves??? In this day and age the vast majority of people have cell phones. Or you could make a call from the airport phones.
We must take responsibility for ourselves. Knowledge is essential when flying. If an airline only flies out on one or two days each week, then you have to realize they may have an issue if a flight runs into trouble.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have flown them without a problem out of Worcester Mass last August and would fly them again.

Cool!!! I love flying out of Worcester. Only a short drive for us and the parking is so cheap. Dandy little airport. Now...if they can just keep it up and running.

 

[nkkilala]

Just wondering if there are any more reviews of Direct Air.

I am thinking about purchasing a flight down to the World for the WDW 1/2 marathon.

I am concerned about weather in January in Michigan! What happens if the flight is canceled? I would be leaving on Thursday which gives me until Friday to get down there for the race on Saturday. I'm wondering what accommodations would be made to get me to the race on time?

Would trip insurance cover a new flight for me down to Orlando?

Happy 4th and thanks for your answers!

 

[goofy4tink]

I just booked them for April 2010 out of Worcester to Sanford. I'm really looking forward to flying with them. But, I would be nervous if it were bad weather time....with the few flights they have, you could be stuck if they have to cancel due to weather.

 

[Alexander]

Just wondering if there are any more reviews of Direct Air.

I am thinking about purchasing a flight down to the World for the WDW 1/2 marathon.

I am concerned about weather in January in Michigan! What happens if the flight is canceled? I would be leaving on Thursday which gives me until Friday to get down there for the race on Saturday. I'm wondering what accommodations would be made to get me to the race on time?

Would trip insurance cover a new flight for me down to Orlando?

Happy 4th and thanks for your answers!

I imagine trip insurance would cover the cost up to what you've paid for your original flight--but I've never used it, so I am not speaking from experience, just an educated guess. Finding a flight at the very last minute would be mucho expensive compared to what you would have paid on DirectAir. I think I would be skeptical booking such a small airline when you are on such a tight schedule. Even with Delta we had a 24 hour delay and they have a huge fleet with many people on staff at the airports.

 

[smacky1]

Im tempted to book them for our upcoming Sept trip. I have never flown out of Worcester. Wondering what the parking is like as well. After reading that bags are $20 each and strollers checked car seats are subject to standard baggage fees and allowances, its just now worth it for us to even try it out. Parking is $7/day if anyone is interested.

 

[nkkilala]

I opted to NOT use them for my January trip. When I called to ask about their weather delay policy I didn't like it, it was something along the lines of... "we'll get you there if we can, or bus you to another airport, or put you on the next flight that flies out"

I would fly out Thursday and the next flight isn't until Saturday which would NOT put me there for the 1/2 Marathon early Sat morning. I opted to go with Delta out of GRR using my frequent flier miles. Only bummer was I had to fly out a day earlier!!!! I look for any reason to spend more time at WDW!!

I hope to try Direct Air at another time when I'm not on such a tight schedule and at the call of the weather gods!

 

[pjopie]

I have flown with Directair several times now from Worcester, MA to FL.
I must say I DO NOT feel safe on these planes.
The rides are always bumpy, the landings so hard I'm surprised the landing gear has not broken off yet.
Three times at booking we had assigned seats, on arrival at Sanford, FL airport we were put in different seperate seats and all the girl could say was to call Directair, nothing she could do.
I have a bad feeling about this airline and won't be useing it anymore.