Review: The Airline That, Until My Flight, I Had Never Heard Of

by joeheg

The first two flights on our three-flight journey from Luang Prabang, Laos, to Siem Reap, Cambodia, were on Lao Airlines. We had a great flight on an ATR 72-600 and a disgusting trip on an A320.

When we arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, our final flight was on Cambodia Angkor Air. While this is the national flag carrier of Cambodia, unless you’re knowledgeable about all airlines in Southeast Asia, you’re probably like me and never heard of this airline.

a large airplane on the tarmacWe were flying on an A320, so after our Lao Airlines experience, I wasn’t expecting much. I’m happy to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

While our last flight had janky seats, Cambodia Angkor Air’s seats were spotless.

a row of blue chairs with white sheets on them

a seat belt on a planeOnce we got to our seats, there was adequate legroom.

a person's legs in an airplane

Sharon had more legroom than I did (Note from Sharon: You’re 6′ tall. I’m 4’6″. I always have more legroom than you).

an airplane seat with people sitting in the back

The cabin was spartan in design with no fancy mood lighting as you’ll find on some A320s.

people sitting in an airplane

There was no IFE or power outlets. But since this airline doesn’t fly on longer flights, it’s not a problem.

a group of people sitting in an airplane

According to the inflight magazine from 2022, the fleet consists of three ATR 72-500s, two A320s and a single A321.

a poster of a plane

The airline supposedly offers items for purchase, including models of its A321 and ATR-72s. While the prices were reasonable, we had limited room in our carry-on bags.

a magazine with pictures of airplanes and luggage tags

Final Thought

Before we arrived at the airport, I had never heard of Cambodia Angkor Air. I wasn’t expecting much but the airline made an excellent first impression. Unlike the Lao Airlines A320, which needed some love, the Cambodia Angkor Air A320 looked brand new, which it wasn’t. When I looked up the airplane on Airfleets.net, the aircraft was over 6 years old.

So it doesn’t always matter how old a plane is, but how much pride an airline puts into presenting a quality product to its passengers.

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