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Airline Geek review of airBaltic and the Airbus A220

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This shot shows the view from the side of an airBaltic airplane with the prominent green engine and tail contrasting with a clean white fuselage with the dark blue airline logo. Riga Airport has red safety lines on the ramp around the aircraft while the sky is blue with a few white puffy clouds.

It excites me to experience new airlines and types of aircraft. My life in the airline industry kept me pretty geeky that way. Learn more at The Airplane Geek in Me. On my recent trip from Berlin to Riga, Latvia I had the opportunity to experience a new airplane and airline at the same time. I’ll review my experience flying airBaltic as well and the fresh new Airbus A220.

Some information about airBaltic

Operations for airBaltic first started in 1995 and the airline is state owned by the Latvian government. Their primary hub is Riga, Latvia with focus cities in the other Baltic capitals of Tallinn, Estonia and Vilnius, Lithuania. The airline has grown to serve over 70 destinations from Almaty, Kazakstan to the east and Reykjavik to the west. Service to Abu Dhabi operates seasonally.

This airBaltic route map is located in the airline in-flight magazine. There are many dots on the map of various colors depicting the various destinations for the airline, including lines between the prominent hub of Riga, Latvia and each point on the map.
Route map for airBaltic as shown in the July 2019 in flight magazine. Not shown are Reykjavik, Almaty, Lisbon and Tampere.

The airline is known for their innovation and punctuality and was the launch customer of the Airbus A220, previously called the the Bombardier CS300. First revenue flight on airBaltic with the A220 flew in December, 2016 with 19 of them in the fleet today.

Also in the fleet, 8 Boeing 737-500/300 and 12 Bombardier Q400s.

Part I: Getting clicked in

The modern, sleek look of an airBaltic A220 waits at the gate for passengers to board in Riga, Latvia. The flight deck windows are oversized and shiny turbines of the round engine temporarily quiet.
I love the big bug-like windows on the flight deck. The A220 is a great, modern plane.

The low cost carrier (LCC) with a little more. The fares are very reasonable and the website efficient enough to display the options in a clear way. Select a base fare and get sold up to everything else like baggage, seat assignments, food, fast track and the hard, hard sell to buy travel insurance.

A page in the airBaltic in-flight magazine shows the flight schedules for the Latvia airline.
The entire airBaltic flight schedule can fit on one page! Quite something. This page came from the in-flight magazine.

Since I was traveling with my sister, I opted to purchase seat assignments together for around 3€ each, checked luggage and later on we pre-ordered a meal to try out the quality of this option. All in with the fees, our Berlin-Riga-Vilnius itinerary was about $150 each way per person.

Two passenger boarding cards for a flight from Berlin Tegel to Riga. The airBaltic tickets are on white paper with black lettering and a perforated edge where a stub could be ripped off upon boarding.
Seat assignments on our itinerary ranged from 3€ to 9€, based on location.

Also important to note that the base fares were lower on some other flights, starting around 59€ but we needed to travel on a specific day that required a little higher price.

An airport video display of flights highlights the hub at Riga Airport in Latvia. A wide majority of the flights are operated by airBaltic, which shows up in the signature chartreuse green against a dark blue background with white lettering.
Departure board in Riga showing the busy time of day at their hub. There are also two focus cities in the other Baltic States (Tallinn, Estonia & Vilnius, Lithuania.)

Regular emails kept me up to date on the flights and the option to buy trip insurance and food for the flight. I appreciate good merchandising, so no problem here for me.

I did, however, miss the email inviting me to check in online.

An airBaltic Airbus 220 pulls into the gate at Berlin Tegel Airport while an American Airlines 767 receives servicing on the airport apron. The new model of aircraft shines with the bright green engines and tail and prominent blue airline logo on the forward fuselage. This review of the experience reveals an efficient airline with modern services.
The A220 pulls into the terminal area of Berlin Tegel Airport. July 2019.

Part II: Berlin Airport check-in

The experience on the day of departure was a little wonky. Berlin has three terminals and it wasn’t clear on the itinerary where we should go. I googled airBaltic terminals at TXL and the information indicated terminal C.

The cab dropped us off at C but our flight actually flew from A. Not an impossible feat, we just walked about 1000 feet up and down chutes and ladders to get to the right spot. A little frustrating, but not the end of the world.

Two smiling passengers await their change to experience and review the experience on airBaltic Airbus A220. She is wearing a black top hat with glasses and red lipstick while he is taller with a salt and pepper beard and a blue checkered coat. In the background are out of focus airport gate furnishings.
Finally found the right place to check in. Low drama, no lines, easy breezy.

At check in the agent told us that she could push the “check in” button on her computer to get us going, but it would be a 35€ charge. I don’t know how I missed this one, but good information for the future. No problem to pull up on my phone and since the passport information was already entered into the system it was as easy as one click. I couldn’t find an airBaltic app.

We checked our bags through to Vilnius and went directly through security, which in Berlin is right at the gate. Easy, low drama.

Part III: Air to there, in-flight experience

A female passenger boards through the front main cabin door of an airBaltic Airbus A220. The outside of the fuselage shows a few different stickers highlighting the airframe type and a map of Latvia.
Kelly coming aboard! airBaltic lists their A220’s seating 135 people.

Everything seemed normal with boarding process and soon we were climbing on to the A220, which started out as the C-Series aircraft produced by Bombardier. In 2017, Airbus purchased a 50.01% stake in the manufacturer, presumably to one-up Boeing with a product line offering going down to around the 100 passenger sized-plane.

First Class section of the airBaltic Airbus A220 shows regular coach seats with a blocked seat next to it to allow for more space. the seat is made from leather and the large windows allow in abundant light.
Business Class section on the 3 seat side of the plane. Same seats but a blocked middle to allow for more space. Many of the other European airlines, like British, work in this same way on their inter-European markets.

Business Class seems to be the same seating configuration with the middle seat blocked out. The rest of the cabin is 3-2 seating.

First Class section of the airBaltic Airbus A220 shows regular coach seats with a blocked seat next to it to allow for more space. the seat is made from leather and the large windows allow in abundant light.
Business Class on the two-seat side of the plane. More room due to the bulkhead and the second seat also blocked out.

Meanwhile, back in the main cabin

The Airbus A220 is a modern airliner, and airBaltic adds their branding touch with green neon cabin lighting shown adjacent to the overhead luggage bins. The three seats leading to the large sunny windows are made from gray leather.
The green hue is on brand and sets a magical glow to the cabin. The large windows definitely open up the feeling of space.

The overhead bins were full sized and space bin type feel. Seemed to accommodate everyone’s stuff, but also the gate agents are militant about making sure it fits into the sizer or else there’s a fee to check the bag.

The windows are very large on the Airbus A220. In this shot the airline window is bright from the outside sun and the seat next to the window is made from grey leather with open seatbelt.
Windows are larger and higher.

My seat area had the feeling of space more aligned with an Airbus 320 or Boeing 737 verses a regional jet. But the best feature on the A220 is the window. Higher and larger. No more hunching over to try to look out the window.

This photo is designed to review the amount of legroom available on the airBaltic Airbus A220 aircraft. In this case, the knees of the passenger do not touch the seat ahead, indicating legroom is comfortable enough for a short flight.
Plenty of legroom for my 6’0 frame.

Legroom was ample for me, which I appreciated. Even when the man in the row ahead of me leaned back I still had a little clearance.

The Airbus A220 is a modern aircraft and this review reveals ipad sized screen behind each seat displaying in flight information, including safety features like this cartoon depicting buckling seatbelts, no smoking and no cell phones.
Overhead screens are about the size of a large iPhone and drum up information from the safety briefing to connecting flight information closer to landing.

The overhead screens were about the size of a large iPhone and ran through the safety demonstration pre-flight and then transitioned to the trip map. When it got closer to arriving into Riga, the screen also displayed connecting flights.

A view out the window of an airBaltic Airbus A220 shows a bright green engine with the airline logo prominently displayed while a green wing tip pops up. The jet is flying high above the clouds.
I’m a sucker for a good engine shot, and the winglets are an added plus. Engines were quiet and the plane felt powerful taking off.

Strong takeoff and all good. One flight attendant worked Business Class and two others in main cabin – crew of 3 total. Everything is for purchase, including water, so we bought beverages in anticipation of our pre-ordered meal.

A flight attendant in the aft cabin near the galley of the airBaltic A220 conducts accounting duties with an iphone. The review of the airline experience revealed friendly crews.
Full galley in the back and the flight crews sell everything from instant coffee to perfume in the Duty Free line up of products. I find that most European airlines can’t accept American credit cards in flight, so bring cash if you think you’ll be hungry.

The guy in front of me put back his seat immediately upon takeoff, but I appreciate that the tray tables are affixed to a different part of the seat that isn’t impacted by recline. Great tray table design to avoid having everything shift.

The tray table of an airBaltic A220 is beige colored and utilizes a unique metal bar, which is a new design.
The tray table is attached to that metal bar in the middle, which seems to affix to something underneath the seat.

The meal came and was well packaged. It was 9€ each and included a cheese omelette, yogurt, two breads, orange marmalade and orange juice. The food was good enough quality to match the price.

This review of the experience on an airBaltic Airbus A220 also includes focus on the inflight meal served for purchase. This kit contains an omelette, croissant and beverages.
We pre-ordered this breakfast among a menu of about 4 options. 9€ plus the coffee and water. The coffee is instant but not too bad.

I tried to see the rest room in the front of the plane, which I hear has a window, but the flight attendant shoed me back to coach. The lavatory in the back is very spacious. Also appreciate the wider aisles. Overall, people seemed comfortable on this flight.

The inside view of an airBaltic Airbus A220, from the aft cabin reveals a five across seat plan. Passengers read newspapers and work on laptop computers while the large open windows allow in lots of light.
Overall spacious feel in the cabin, which seems to be helped by the larger and higher windows.

Part IV: Changing planes in Riga, Latvia

We changed planes in Riga, which is a nice modern airport with all that you’d need for a quick connection.

Sleek new gate podium at Riga airport in Latvia. airBaltic operates their hub here and the blond colored slats that form the podium create a modern look and feel. A wall of glass allows in abundance of light as passengers wait in seating near the gate.
Riga airport was clean, fast and efficient.

Our next gate was literally across the concourse, so my sister bought a few souvenirs and soon we were boarding a Q400 for Vilnius. I’ve flown on a ton of Horizon Q400 flights, and this was an uneventful 40 minutes or so.

Part V: The second flight to Vilnius, Lithuania

This shot features a Bombardier Q400. The aircraft has two prominent black propeller turbines supporting the narrow fuselage tube while the green colored tail rises up in the background. There are several other Q400s in the background.
The Q400 is an important part of the airBaltic fleet. They operate 12, based on their in-flight magazine. Pretty standard configuration, with 76 coach seats. It looked as if they also had a few rows in the front dedicated to some sort of Business Class.

Hard stand arrival in Vilnius, which means you wait for a bus to arrive on the tarmac, and it isn’t my favorite. Since the Q400 only has 76 passengers it didn’t take too much time to be dropped at the terminal. Luggage was delivered very quickly by the time we made it to the carousel.

airBaltic luggage tag wrapped around a suitcase handle showing routing from Berlin to Riga to Vilnius. Part of this itinerary was flown with an Airbus A220 aircraft.

Part VI: In summary

Overall airBaltic is a straight forward experience on modern equipment. The fare was reasonable and all-in price okay for two hours of flying. The staff are friendly in an efficient way. Flights were on-time and baggage delivery flawless.

Although they compete with the ultra low cost carriers (ULCCs) like Ryanair, the experience is vastly better, with more room in the cabin and a variety of product offerings, such as pre-order food, that are much closer to the legacy European carriers operating today.

The A220 is a great regional plane! In the configuration of airBaltic I’d fly one any day.

A brightly painted airBaltic Airbus A220 prepares for departure at a gate in Riga, Latvia. The engine and tail is a chartreuse green while the fuselage is white and the airline name printed in navy blue.

Have you flown airBaltic and/or the A220? What were your experiences?