A return flight from Prague to Bangkok 432 eur looked great. However, there were a few snags. No checked-in luggage, no meals and, most importantly, two flights of about six hours each on an Airbus A320.

Special offers with Air Arabia pop up frequently. As well as Thailand, they often have good prices to Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives or Nepal.

So I wanted to find out for myself whether a long-haul journey with a low-cost airline is really such an ordeal, or whether we’re just needlessly fretting, mainly because of the words ‘small Airbus A320’.

Would I fly with Air Arabia again? Yes.

But not at any price. You’ll find the specific threshold at which Air Arabia makes sense to me at the end of this review.

My trip in a nutshell

	My journey
Route	Prague – Sharjah – Bangkok
Return ticket price	432 eur
Price including two meals	approx. 452 eur
Checked-in luggage	No
Aircraft	Airbus A320 on both flights
Flight duration	6 hours + 6.5 hours
Connection in Sharjah	2.5 hours
In-flight internet	No
In-flight entertainment	Free via on-board Wi-Fi
Charging	No sockets or USB ports

Right at the start, one important confession. Both flights were half-empty and each time I had the whole row of three seats to myself.

That made my experience much better. On a completely full flight, I’d probably rate the comfort more harshly. Perhaps. Although, in the end, the legroom remains the same either way.

How much did the ticket actually cost me?

I bought the ticket directly from airarabia.com. The base fare 432 eur included hand luggage, but not checked-in luggage or meals.

I didn’t need a hold-bag. However, on the flight from Prague to Sharjah, I pre-ordered a baguette, and on the longer leg to Bangkok, a hot meal. In total, the return flight cost me about 452 eur.

When comparing prices, therefore, don’t just look at the first price shown on a search engine. Add in the cost of checked-in luggage with Air Arabia, meals and any seat selection fees. Only then does it make sense to compare Air Arabia with Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways or Emirates.

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Prague–Sharjah flight: a classic low-cost option

The night flight departed from Prague at 9.30 pm. I arrived at check-in two hours early.

There was absolutely no one ahead of me. The whole check-in process with Air Arabia took exactly one minute.

I waited until departure in the Erste Premier lounge, which I gained access to via Revolut.

Then I made my way to one of the rear rows of the Airbus A320.

The interior feels pleasant. It’s certainly better than on standard European low-cost carriers such as Ryanair or Wizz Air.

I’m sitting in row 23, where the seat pitch is 71 cm – exactly the same as on Ryanair, for example. And 7 cm less than on Qatar Airways or Etihad Airways, for instance.

The flight was half-empty and the whole row of three seats next to me remained free. On a night flight, that’s obviously almost like winning the lottery.

About 45 minutes after take-off, the pre-ordered snack arrived. The baguette was absolutely dreadful. Not just average, nor even ‘good for a flight’. Just dreadful. :)

I was also given a small bottle of water. That’s definitely not enough for six hours, so after going through security, buy or fill up your own larger bottle. Or order the standard meal, which – spoiler alert from the second flight – was, in fact, very good.

Food and drink can also be purchased during the flight. Pre-ordering gives you a wider choice, and the crew hand these out first.

But after the meal, it’s time to say goodnight!

Otherwise, the whole flight went without a single hitch. Both the departure and arrival were on time, and thanks to the empty row of three seats, I managed to sleep through most of the journey.

We land in Sharjah whilst it is still pitch dark, just before 5 o’clock in the morning local time.

The views of the cities at night are brilliant, though. That’s one of the reasons why I always choose a window seat:

Changing planes in Sharjah: the shorter the layover, the better

I had 2½ hours for the transfer. Sharjah Airport is old, small and very basic.

You have to go through security when transferring. In my case, everything went very smoothly and the actual walk between the gates took only about 5 to 15 minutes.

If both flights are on the same ticket, I wouldn’t be put off even by the shortest connection that Air Arabia offers.

The airport has a single terminal and the signage is clear. We describe the detailed procedure in our guide to transferring at Sharjah Airport.

In my opinion, Sharjah is the easiest transfer airport in the Middle East that I’ve flown through so far. I’d much rather transfer here than at the huge airport in Dubai.

Paradoxically, the downside is the longer layover. There aren’t many places to sit in the terminal. There’s quite a wide selection of restaurants and several duty-free shops, but I wouldn’t want to spend several hours here.

I headed to The Lounge. I gained access via Revolut Ultra and was pleasantly surprised by it, given it’s a low-cost airport. The lounge is spacious and offers plenty of hot and cold food. The only thing missing is a shower.

It’s significantly more pleasant than the publicly accessible lounge in Abu Dhabi, but at the same time considerably worse than Al Maha in Doha.

I describe how I use lounge access and when the expensive plan pays off in the article ‘Revolut Ultra and airport lounges’.

Sharjah–Bangkok flight: seat 6A and, at last, a decent meal

The second flight took off at around 7.30 am and landed in Bangkok at around 5.45 pm.

Boarding was quick and very orderly via the jet bridge.

Once again, I was lucky to find a half-empty plane and a free row of three seats.

This time I tried the front seat, 6A, which has a seat pitch of 32 inches, or about 81 cm. Compared to the standard rows, the difference is really noticeable.

Incidentally, the very first row always has the most legroom, so if you’re tall, consider paying extra for these seats:

The meal arrived again about 45 minutes after take-off. After my experience with the baguette, I wasn’t expecting much, but the chicken biryani was the exact opposite. A generous portion and a really tasty meal.

Once again, I was only given a small bottle of water. In Sharjah, however, I passed through security between the central hall and the gates without any problems, even with a bottle of water holding more than a litre. Take this as my experience on a specific flight, not as a guarantee for every day and every security check.

On arrival at Suvarnabhumi, I got through passport control quickly this time (the queue was about 15 minutes long) and then set off on the free shuttle bus to Don Muang Airport. But more on that another time...

I describe the various options, prices and my recommended choice in the guide to transport from Bangkok BKK Airport.

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Is an Airbus A320 a problem for a six-hour flight?

Both my flights were operated by an Airbus A320. Air Arabia also has extended-range A321s in its fleet, but it still only uses narrow-body aircraft from the Airbus A320 family.

No Boeing 787s, Airbus A350s or other conventional long-haul wide-body aircraft.

And honestly: so what?

Each of the two flights takes around six hours. During that time, I go for a walk at most once. One aisle instead of two is no problem for me.

What’s more, when I’m travelling on my own, I always choose a window seat. I like looking out, and it gives me something to rest my head on when I’m sleeping. On an A320, I have to step over two passengers to get to the aisle. But it’s exactly the same on most long-haul aircraft with a 3–3–3 or 3–4–3 seating layout. There’s no difference whatsoever.

Exceptions include, for example, the Airbus A330 or the Boeing 767, which have two window seats.

Less legroom, but a surprisingly wide seat

The standard row pitch on my A320 was just 28 inches, or 71 cm. That’s the same as on Ryanair or Wizz Air. Taller passengers will notice the difference.

It’s worth emphasising that my positive rating is also because I’m only 175 cm tall, so the lack of legroom isn’t a major issue for me.

On the other hand , the seat width is 18 inches, or about 46 cm. That’s roughly 2.5 cm wider than the seats on some of the long-haul Boeing 787s operated by Qatar Airways or Etihad Airways.

A narrow-body aircraft does not, therefore, automatically mean a narrower seat. Knee room is somewhat limited, but shoulder room is, on the other hand, very decent.

The seat reclines by about 3 inches, or 7.6 cm. This is less than in standard long-haul economy class, but still better than the fixed backrests found on some European low-cost carriers.

A big plus is the adjustable headrest, which helps me sleep more than a few extra centimetres of recline ever could.

The 174-seat Airbus A320 has only three toilets. That works out at one for every 58 passengers, and queues can form on a full flight. On my half-empty flights, however, I didn’t have to wait even once.

The in-flight entertainment system works well. There’s no way to charge your devices at all

There are no screens in the seats. After take-off, however, you can connect to the in-flight Wi-Fi using your phone, tablet or laptop and access the free SkyTime service.

It features films, TV series, music and other basic content. The selection is significantly smaller than that offered by Qatar Airways or Etihad Airways, but it’ll keep you entertained for a few hours. It worked flawlessly for me.

Please note that this Wi-Fi is not intended for connecting to the internet.

The biggest real drawback for me was charging. On neither flight was there a power socket, USB port or wireless charger. Yet watching films on your own device drains the battery quickly.

So make sure you charge your phone fully before the flight. Power banks are not permitted on Air Arabia flights.

Download your own films or TV series in advance. SkyTime may be enough, but it’s not worth relying on it alone.

Don’t expect to find a pillow or blanket on your seat. For a night-time flight, I’d take my own travel pillow and a warmer jumper.

Air Arabia vs. Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways

Air Arabia isn’t a full-service long-haul airline offering lower fares. It’s a low-cost carrier and should be judged as such.

Compared to Qatar Airways or Etihad Airways, what I found lacking most was:

• meals and a wider selection of drinks included in the fare
• a screen with a significantly wider range of films
• a power socket or USB port
• a pillow and a blanket
• more legroom in standard seating
• the option to earn miles with partner airlines

Air Arabia has its own AirRewards programme, but points cannot be transferred to another airline’s programme.

With Qatar Airways or Etihad Airways, I have more options for where to transfer my miles. RevPoints can also be transferred to both programmes.

On the other hand, I didn’t mind having just one aisle, and the seat was actually more comfortable in terms of width than on some long-haul aircraft.

For a direct comparison, please also read our review of Qatar Airways Economy on the Prague–Doha–Bangkok route and our review of Etihad Airways on the Bangkok–Abu Dhabi–Prague route.

When would I choose Air Arabia again?

I would choose Air Arabia if:

• it is at least 82 eur to 123 eur cheaper than acceptable competitors, after factoring in meals, luggage and a seat
• it offers significantly better travel dates
• it has a short stopover in Sharjah
• the only alternative is an inconvenient stopover in Dubai

Conversely, I would not choose it if:

• the difference compared to Qatar Airways or Etihad Airways is only around 41 eur
• I need a checked-in bag, two meals and a paid seat, which would cancel out the price difference
• I need to work online or charge my laptop during the flight
• I am tall and there is no seat available with extra legroom

Overall rating: I’d happily fly with them again, but I’m not tall...

I’m 175 cm tall, so the slightly less legroom didn’t really bother me.

The seat was quite wide, the adjustable headrest was comfortable, and I managed the two flights of around six hours each, with an easy connection in Sharjah, with no trouble at all.

The biggest drawback wasn’t the Airbus A320 or the single aisle. It was the lack of any charging facilities.

Taller passengers will also be much more aware of the seat pitch of just 71 cm.

I’d like to point out once again that I had a whole row of three seats to myself on both flights. You can’t expect that every time.

For the return journey to Bangkok, 452 eur , Air Arabia makes a lot of sense.

It isn’t as good as Qatar Airways or Etihad Airways. Nor does it need to be, provided it’s a few thousand cheaper or offers a better travel date.

I’d therefore buy the same ticket again. Just not that baguette, though.

Where to go next when planning your trip

• Connections and terminals at Sharjah Airport
• Transport from Bangkok BKK Airport
• What to see in Bangkok
• Where to stay in Bangkok
• A practical guide to Thailand