Single Aircraft Airline Voted Third Best In The World

Many of us will book an airline seat with a brand that we know or trust, for many knowing that an airline has a large fleet of aircraft can also help make their mind up. However if it were to be suggested to you that you can fly on a 34 year old Boeing 737 with an airline that has only a single aircraft, would this put you off? If you say yes then you could be making a big mistake!

Palmair European has just been voted the worlds third best airline which it shares with Air New Zealand despite only flying 70,000 passengers every year. The results come from the consumer magazine Which? who asked passengers various questions about airlines they had travelled on. They were quizzed on aircraft cleanliness, leg room availability, catering and service received from cabin crew.

As a result of its third position Palmair beat both Virgin Atlantic and British Airways in the poll despite flying no more than two routes every day. Palmair cannot offer the service that some larger airlines offer such as a choice of DVD's to watch however if the personal touch is what you are looking for on your flight then Palmair will certainly deliver the goods.

Palmair were first created in 1957 by Peter Bath to fly passengers to Majorca. The money was not in place for them to purchase an aircraft and as a result they leased one. Purchase of their own aircraft came in 1991 in the form of a Boeing 737. This aircraft has served them faithfully since then and currently operates to 14 destinations in Europe. One of the experiences that set Palmair apart was that Mr Bath used to greet each passenger in the departure lounge of the airport before they took to the air. This occured until 2006 after which he would still wave each flight off from the airport tarmac at Bournemouth Airport.

Mr Bath unfortunately passed away and the senior role went to Teresia Rossello. The personal touch still remains however as Teresia draws up the seating plan for each individual flight on her kitchen table every night ensuring that whatever seat a passenger requires is given to them. Not only this but Palmair have removed some of the seats in their aircraft that could be used to make money just so that their passengers have some more leg room, a very rare move in todays profit driven aviation market. You will also find fresh flowers aboard the aircraft as these are replaced every day by the flight crew.

In total the airline employ 25 cabin crew and 25 office staff with a flight frequency of two every day in summer time and one-a-day in winter time. One interesting feature of the airline is that they do not offer any night flights as the late Mr Bath believed them to be anti-social. Mr Bath would never let his flights leave before 9am which has had to be ammended slightly to 8.20 am however it is unlikely the airline would make them any earlier. There can be no denying that Palmair are an unusual airline and a breath of fresh air for the traveller looking for that 'personal touch.'

Published by: Jon Vickery