Airline Review: Flyme

Flyme is a subsidiary of Villa Air (Villa Group of Companies), a privately owned Maldivian domestic airline founded in 2011. The airline currently flies to two destinations across the Maldives, and although it operates from Velana International Airport in Hulhule, it also boasts its own airport, Villa International Airport (VAM) on the island of Maamigili in Alif Dhaal Atoll. Upon arrival at Maamigili, passengers are safely transported to various resort hotels in the region through swift speedboat transfers. Despite of the present political turmoil, the airline strives to represent the best of Maldivian hospitality, service, and safety in the Maldives at affordable prices and to sustain its contribution to the country’s economic growth. Here is my review and first experience with Flyme:

Date: 09 February 2018
Flight Path: Malé (MLE) – Dharavandhoo (DRV)
Seat: 07C / Aisle
Class: Economy
Length: 20 minutes
Fare: USD 56.75 (one-way)
Frequent-flyer program: N/A

PRE-FLIGHT
I checked in at the domestic terminal at Velana International Airport with no checked baggage. The process was super-quick and convenient, I received my boarding pass under a minute and a quick transfer to the Moonimaa Lounge located one level up from the main concourse, access is offered to members of airline and lounge loyalty programs and for passengers departing to resort hotels. The flight was scheduled to depart at 09.30 hrs and at 09.09 hrs, we boarded onto an ATR 72-500 aircraft, outfitted in an all-economy configuration of 68 seats.

THE FLIGHT
Two flight attendants, one female and one male, dressed in their official uniforms – clean white shirts and marengo trousers, welcomed us on board and directed us to our seats. The ATR 72-500 turbo propelled aircraft is the latest evolution of the ATR family and had an all-economy cabin layout of 2-2 seat configuration, with soft leather seats and the seat fitting in soothing blue making them feel cooler and inviting the feeling of freshness and cleanliness.

The aircraft featured 30-31 inches of seat pitch and a seat width of 17 inches. There was no in-flight entertainment – touch screen system, radio, music or even a USB input to charge the phone or any electronic lumbar support.

Soon after all passengers boarded the plane and took their seats, the crew performed their final checks and conducted the safety demonstration and the flight took off at 09.31 hrs.

DINING
With such a short 20-minute flight, no in-flight meals were offered. However, the crew distributed complimentary candy when the aircraft reached its cruising altitude. Anyone who has flown on an airplane has probably experienced the difficulties of altitude change on ears, and while they are usually simple, minor annoyances could result in temporary pain and hearing loss. In order to equalize air pressure by introducing as much air as possible via the Eustachian tube, chewing gum or sucking on hard candy stimulates frequent swallowing, hence this is one of the reasons why candy are distributed on many short-haul flights.

SUMMARY
While the flying time from Malé to Dharavandhoo is 20 minutes, we arrived on time at sharp 09:50 hrs, a short 19-minute journey. I would give this domestic flight experience a big thumbs-up, Flyme has kept its promises and knows how to provide its customers the best domestic air transport experience in the Maldives. The aircrafts are also ideal for Maldives because of its high maneuverability to land/take-off from short air strips considering the many number of such domestic airports across the country. A sufficient amount of leg room, a quiet and calm cabin on the flight with no rudeness from the flight attendants. I would definitely fly again and highly recommend it to anyone. I have absolutely nothing to complain about this airline.