Airline review
SampleKestrel Airways
A mid-sized carrier that flies into the airport you actually wanted: secondary terminals, short transfers, and a business cabin that is honest about what it is.
7/10sensible short-haul choice with fair fares and few frills.
The cabins
Business is a recliner shell, not a bed, on every aircraft in the fleet, which caps how good this can be on a fourteen-hour flight. Economy is tight at 30 inches of pitch but the seats are thin and firm rather than plush and sagging.
Seats
Book the front of economy or the exit rows at the time of booking, not at check-in: the airline sells them and the good ones go first. Avoid the last row on the A330s.
Food and drink
The included meal is adequate and the buy-on-board menu is better than it should be, with hot dishes from a real galley. Bring your own snacks for the middle of the night regardless.
Service
Efficient and friendly but stretched: on our flight the cabin was one crew short and the drinks service took an hour. Nobody complained because nobody was waiting for anything fancy.
Network highlights
It flies into the secondary airport in most of its cities, which cuts an hour off the journey to the centre and turns a connection into something you can actually walk.
Loyalty
There is no programme worth having. The value here is the fare and the airport, not the status.
Who it suits
Travellers who are happy to trade a lie-flat bed for a cheaper fare and a shorter walk to the train.
Questions
Is the business cabin worth it?
Only if it is under 800 over economy. It is a very good recliner and not a bed, so on a long overnight sector we would rather have the extra money for a lie-flat elsewhere.
Which airport does it actually use?
The secondary one in every city on the network, which is usually a twenty-minute train ride from the centre instead of an hour.
Do I need to buy the extras?
The seat selection and the meal bundle are the two worth buying. Baggage is cheaper bought in advance than at the desk.
Last updated 30 October 2026
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