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Taken 28 September 2006 from London (Stansted) - STN to Glasgow, Scotland (Abbotsichn) - GLA

It is hard to believe that Air Berlin markets itself as a "low-cost" airline along the same lines as Ryanair and easyJet considering that the service they offer is far superior, whilst the prices are comparable, and sometimes even cheaper.

There were no queues at check-in (about five desks open for probably as many flights) and it was a surprise to be allocated a seat, thus avoiding any scrum at the gate. There was a short delay, but we were kept well-informed by the ground staff. On boarding, we were offered sweets and there were a selection of newspapers and magazines available, although they were in german. The senior crew joked with me that I could at least look at the pictures!

The flight was operated by a Fokker 100 and whilst the interior did look rather tired, it was clean and comfortable and the seat pitch was great. The crew were friendly and efficient, conducting their duties professionally. I was sat at the rear, and whilst it was quite a noisy place to be (right next to the engines!) it wasn't unbearable, and we were offered the option of a seat nearer the front by the crew.

After take-off I was very surprised to be offered a complimentary sandwich (there was even a choice!) and a complimentary soft drink (including tea/coffee). This was great for a short flight like this, and even beats the service you get with bmi and sometimes even BA on the London-Glasgow routes.

I really can't fault this flight at all. Excellent service and excellent value for money. I really hope that easyJet and Ryanair don't shunt them out of the market, as they seemed to do with flyglobespan on this route.