Today I’m reviewing my return flight back from Luxembourg to London City Airport after visiting on a short work trip. The flight was much busier than my outbound flight and was due for departure at 15:05 local time. So please read below to find out what the experience is like or watch my Youtube video below for the full Luxair Flight Review!
Luxair is the flag carrier of Luxembourg. It is a pretty small airline with just 20 aircraft operating services to 85 destinations.
Luckily for all the Lufthansa fans out there, Luxair is a partner of the Miles and More program. This means you’ll earn miles flying on Luxair, redeemable on Lufthansa and codeshare flights. For the return flight here I earned 1,125 miles. Not bad considering my company is paying for it!
Luxembourg Airport
Luxembourg Airport was a pleasant surprise. Construction of the main terminal was finished in 2008 and it still feels pretty new. In 2019 it served an impressive 4.4 million passengers but, at least when I was there, it felt almost deserted. There were no queues at check-in, we basically walked straight through security and the departures area felt like a ghost town. There are only 2 cafes in the main departure zone, one of which was closed. The sole lounge was also closed and shopping options are limited with just a duty free shop, gift shop and food shop.
Despite the lack of things to do it was probably the most efficient airport I’ve been to. The only downside was that due to its small size they don’t have many departure gates attached to the terminal so we had to get a bus to take us to the plane. I much prefer just walking straight from the terminal onto the plane. Also border control for UK flights only opens 1 hour before each flight. As we were the only UK flight leaving for a few hours we had to wait a while before border control actually opened. No real issue but does go to show again how empty the airport was.
The Aircraft – Bombardier Q400 (Dash-8)
Our flight today was on a DeHavilland Canada Dash 8 (Bombardier Q400). It is the workforce of the Luxair fleet and they currently operate 11 of them. Luxair also operate a few Boeing 737s for longer range and higher demand routes.
The Dash 8 has just 76 seats in a 2-2 seating configuration. I was in seat 7A for this flight which is just ahead of the engines and offers a good view out the window. And speaking of the engines, they are loud, especially on takeoff. Throughout the flight I also noticed a lot of vibration, so it’s not the comfiest of flying experiences.
The small size of the aircraft also has a few downsides. Lack of room in the cabin being one. But also compared to a typical jet like the Airbus A320, the Dash 8 flies low and slow. With a cruising altitude of around 25,000ft and cruise speed of 300 kn+ it takes longer to travel. That’s why it’s only popular on short regional routes like the one I’m flying today.
Finally, the aircraft’s small size means you really feel every bump and turbulence is more noticeable. I don’t really mind and in fact find it quite enjoyable. However, coworkers I was flying with did not like it at all. So if you’re a nervous flyer, maybe choose a bigger aircraft.
The In-flight Experience
Unlike my previous flight from London City to Luxembourg which was less than half full, this flight was very busy. I even had to sit next to someone!
The seats themselves were comfy, with plush leather cushions. Seat pitch was ok too with plenty of length for my (not very long) legs. However, due to the small airframe of the Dash 8 the seats were rather narrow. What’s more the window seats specifically had terrible leg room as the curvature of the fuselage means it cuts off some space. There were also two inflight magazines which I haven’t seen on a short-haul airline in years. It gave me something interesting to read for a few minutes at least.
For such a short flight the snack service started surprisingly late. We were only served about 25-30 minutes into the flight and rubbish was cleared away just after starting our descent in to London. I must praise Luxair for actually providing a drink and snack though, unlike a lot of other European short haul carriers. The chocolate muffin was average in a good way, and they offered a range of hot and cold drinks, I got orange juice.
Here the British Airways offering is a marginal winner. British Airways use the Embraer E190 on this flight rather than the Q400. This means a slight larger cabin with more spacious seats and less overall cabin noise. The food offering on British Airways isn’t as good though. Just a packet of crisps and bottle of water.
Final Thoughts
Besides the small aircraft size leading to a slightly cramped seat I really can’t fault Luxair on anything here. Everything was perfectly on time, service was friendly and efficient which I appreciate on a business trip. They even serve a drink and snack which is nice to have on a one hour flight.
I would be happy to fly Luxair again if I need to visit Luxembourg, I may even splurge for their business class offering! It will be interesting to see if it’s worth it considering the seat is exactly the same. I think Luxair provide a pretty comparable experience to British Airways so definitely worth it if you can find a cheaper deal.
More from me…
If you want to visit Luxembourg (or anywhere else for that matter) and want somewhere to stay, please consider using my Booking.com Affiliate link.
- My early morning outbound flight with Luxair from London City to Luxembourg
- Click here for my review of the London Heathrow Terminal 5 Club Galleries Lounge
- British Airways Club Europe London Heathrow to Geneva Flight Review
American Express Referral Links:
- The Platinum Card – You Receive 35,000 Membership Reward points after spending £4,000 in the first 3 months: https://americanexpress.com/en-gb/referral/fREDEGgRA5?CPID=100493012
- British Airways Card: You Receive 12,000 Avios after spending £1,000 in the first 3 months, I receive 8,000 Avios: https://americanexpress.com/en-gb/referral/fREDEGuUeO?CPID=100493012