RSU lecturer Aivis Dombrovskis shared his thoughts on Facebook about how airBaltic treats the people of Latvia. The company is owned by the state, which means it is supposedly owned by the people.
"I am preparing to fly to the UK. Unfortunately, British Airways no longer operates these flights. There are two options left: to fly either Ryanair or airBaltic. It's not a pleasant choice, but if I have to choose between two evils, I decided to go with airBaltic... As soon as I completed the online check-in for the flight, I realized that I needed to purchase additional kilograms of carry-on luggage. I had to pay almost 30 euros for an extra 4 kg. I thought everything was fine now, and I would fly comfortably with a small suitcase and a laptop bag… but no!
I decided to check the dimensions. The suitcase fit perfectly, but there was a problem with the laptop bag. According to the rules, it is considered a 'personal item' and must be significantly smaller than the suitcase. In any other airline, this usually doesn't raise questions, but I have a laptop with a 17.5-inch screen, and the bag exceeds airBaltic's limits by a few centimeters.
I contacted the airline and found out that I currently have three options: Fly without the laptop; Pay an additional 60 euros for a second carry-on (because of 5 cm!); Not take the small suitcase and replace it with the laptop bag.
This made me think. In the airline I always used (that is, the British one), there were never such problems! No one was running around trying to squeeze more money out of passengers. The British offered at least a small snack and water for free. And in airBaltic, you even have to pay for a glass of water to take a pill (friends told me)!
It's not even about the money, but about the attitude!
Every few years, the residents of Latvia pour tens of millions of euros into airBaltic through the government from taxpayer money. The company operates at a loss, while the management receives astronomical salaries for 'inefficient' management. At the same time, the state owns a stake in the company, which means: government representatives know perfectly well what is happening there.
Ticket prices are significantly higher — twice or more than what the British company charged!
I wrote all this just to emphasize one thought — the attitude. What kind of attitude does the company have towards the society that constantly sponsors it?
Everyone thinks and acts as they wish, but my personal decision is: it's better to fly through Lithuania or Poland, but far away from the 'national' airline!" he wrote.
By the way, many commented that they always try to choose another airline whenever possible, mainly due to the excessively high prices and lack of service.
