Flew on the XLA6016/6017 Friday night service from Bristol to Corfu for a two week holiday. Flights booked with Freedom Flights via charterflights.co.uk at a reasonable price. Check-in was easy however they did charge us excess on bags at £5 per kilo over. I feel this is the norm for airlines who are trying to claw back some of the cash lost to lo-cost airlines.

Boarding at gate 7 nearly an hour before departure ensured that we pushed back of stand 25 minutes early. Aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 (G-XLAN). Crew were exemplary given the very demanding service expected on this 2hr 53 minute flight. We had a headset service, followed by drinks and snacks, a hot meal was also included which was a tasty Chicken and Mushroom Casserole. More drinks and finally a tax free service before landing into Corfu. I can say they worked very hard and the passengers on the flight were very excitable so I could appreciate what hard work it was whilst being very professional and polite.

The seating on board was adequate for the duration of the flight. The seats were blue leather and fairly comfortable, though if the person in front decides to recline then things can be a bit cramped. The film on the way out was Blades of Glory and there were also 9 audio channels to choose from.

We landed in Corfu well ahead of schedule due to a very early departure from Bristol and a good tailwind. Luckily we were the only flight on the ground so the facilities were not overstretched and we got out bags very promptly.

Returning on the same aircraft two weeks later we were served by a very competent crew again. Same service levels as the outward flight, however they also sold sleep sets for £5 on the way back which contained pillow, blanket and eye shades. We left Corfu just about on time and the flight was planned to be 3hrs and 1 min. The meal we were served was Bangers and Mash, at 2am! It was very nice all the same. We commenced our descent at 0330 and due to fog in the local area we had to go-around after nearly touching down. The captain did explain the reasons for this and no one was alarmed. We arrived only a couple of minutes late and very impressed with XL.com. I would definitely fly with them again.