As some of you may remember, I wrote a pretty scathing review of my experience dealing with Elite Airways’ customer service back in 2017. The Cliff Notes version is that my flight was canceled due to a snowstorm and they not only refused to refund me but were very rude about it.
You can read my original review of dealing with Elite Airways’ customer service here.
This experience left me with over $300 in flight credit on Elite. Out of my home of NYC, Elite only flies from Newark to Vero Beach, Florida (where my parents live) and Bimini, Bahamas. Since I couldn’t get my money back, I decided to give them another try and book a flight to Vero Beach.
Using the credit was fairly easy. I could book a flight for any date as long as it was booked by the date the credit expired. If I decided to change the flight for any reason, I would lose my credit since it was after the date of expiration.
To use the credit, I went through the normal booking process while logged into my Elite Airways account and at the time of payment, I just selected to use the credit. My sister didn’t have enough credit for the whole flight and I was able to easily transfer credit to her for free. This caused her to have trouble booking but she was able to get help from Elite over the phone without a problem. Probably the best thing about this airline is that someone answers the phone within seconds of you calling. No waiting on hold for hours like with Delta, American or another large airline!
All the reviews I read on TripAdvisor about flying with Elite Airways were pretty critical. One was from a guy who was supposed to be a non-stop flight to Sarasota, Florida but the plane stopped in Myrtle Beach to refuel, Melbourne to let some people off and then finally Sarasota. You could probably DRIVE to Sarasota faster than that. So I was expecting the worst before boarding my flight.
Just like every other airline, check in for Elite Airways started 24 hours in advance. I went through the process on their website as normal and it asked if I wanted my boarding pass printed or emailed. I chose to have it emailed but it never came. And again and again but the boarding pass never arrived. This was a strike for Elite for me. I was going to have to wait in line at the check in desk to get my boarding pass and that’s always annoying when I’m not checking a bag!
Luckily, the check in process at Newark for Elite Airways was pretty effortless. Elite flies very small planes (only about 60 seats) so there weren’t many people waiting to check in. You do get a free checked bag since the overhead bins on the plane aren’t full size. You can also choose to gate check your bag and pick it up plane side at your destination.
A lot of Elite’s TripAdvisor reviews mentioned incredible delays so I was pleasantly surprised when we boarded on time. Elite boards by row and because it’s such a small plane, it doesn’t take long. We took off about 20 minutes late because we were waiting for last minute passengers that never arrived.
The plane is tiny but the seats are standard size and legroom was fine. It’s definitely more legroom than Virgin which I hate flying because I always feel cramped!
Once in the air, the flight attendants immediately brought around a basket of snacks. On my flight there were regular size bags of pretzels, Lays potato chips or Chewy bars. And they were all free and unlimited! After that came the drink cart, just like every other flight. Alcoholic beverages cost $5.
The plane did not have WiFi which is a pain in 2018 but obviously not the end of the world. There aren’t any entertainment amenities (other than the free snacks of course!). But for a 2 hour and 10 minute flight, I was fine with just my book.
I’d say Elite Airways won me back a little on this flight. I was saying some not so nice things about them after my first experience dealing with their customer service. But the easy boarding, on time departure and free snacks won me over in the air.
I’m flying with Elite Airways again in a couple weeks for a girls trip to Bimini because I had some leftover credit. We shall see if Elite Airways can continue to perform!