Disclaimer: In exchange for a one-way HiSky New York to Bucharest ticket, I am writing this review.
In January, I wrote about a flight from the United States to Eastern Europe. More accurately, it was the resumption of a nonstop route last flown by a U.S. carrier nearly 15 years ago. Recently, I was able to try out this new service, HiSky New York to Bucharest, Romania.
HiSky is a Romanian/Moldovan LCC (low-cost carrier) with hubs in Bucharest OTP, Chisinau ROM, and Cluj-Napoca CLJ. In addition to this unique Transatlantic route, HiSky also offers connections from Bucharest to Bordeaux BOD, Brussels BRU, Frankfurt FRA, and Málaga AGP, among other places. The airline’s first flight was only in 2021, but its route network has steadily grown since then.
Although its bread-and-butter comprises a small fleet of Airbus A319/A320/A321, an Airbus A330, the aircraft used for the New York route, is HiSky’s sole widebody jet.
On that note, let’s dive in to see what my HiSky New York to Bucharest flight was like.
Check-In
The flight’s ETD (estimated time of departure) was 13:25, but I only made it to check-in around 12:10. Normally, I’d be less cavalier about checking-in for international flights, but it’s Terminal 7, after all.
There are no compliments about Terminal 7; hopefully, the new terminal building will be a much more welcoming home.
Anyway, there was no queue, and the check-in agent was nice.
In case you wondering about the booking classes — it is an LCC — here’s a screenshot for another JFK-OTP reservation:
Notice how checked bags only enter the picture from Premium and thereafter.
Furthermore, all booking classes on the JFK routes include a meal and a snack. More on the eats later.
Standard issue security took around 15-20 minutes. There is TSA PreCheck, but HiSky isn’t party to it. Not to mention, there wouldn’t be lounge access. Anyway, why would someone want to rush to enter Terminal 7?
Boarding
Here’s where problem #1 of 2 appeared.
There were no announcements nor updates. For once, I joined my fellow gate lice (a sarcastic term for those who line up way too early to board), as I heard nothing about a boarding process. What further dehumanized things was that the HiSky gate was next to the ANA flight to Tokyo Haneda, along with its streamlined embarkation procedures and boarding groups.
It turned out that my flight was going to leave from the gate almost 70 minutes after the ETD.
But again, without feedback from gate agents, I wasn’t about to leave my spot relatively close to the door. There is a food court, and there are some “newsstands,” but I always take snacks and a bottle from home.
In-flight
Following the childish safety video, the flight was finally on its way to cover the eight hours and 30 minutes to Romania’s capital.
Surprisingly, all passengers received an amenity kit, which included an eye mask, toothbrush, and headphones:
Problem #2 was much less tolerable than problem #1, aka inefficient boarding. Simply put, the interior of the aircraft was incredibly dry and warm; within 30 minutes from take-off, I got a headache. The dryness really made for an unpleasant flight. It’s a shame, too, because I found the flight attendants to be helpful, and the food edible.
But I would recommend bringing your own form of amusement, as the HiSky IFE (in-flight entertainment) was expectedly lacking.
I appreciate that they did have a fair amount of Romanian programs, but no in-flight map was the biggest disappointment.
Food
As highlighted earlier, all passengers get meals.
Knowing a little about Romanian cuisine, I was crossing my fingers for something with pork and garlic.
Whoops.
Huh? Kosher? Why are you doing this me?
Remember when I listed a few other HiSky destinations? I deliberately left out Tel Aviv (TLV) for this photo. Considering the vast market between select U.S. cities and TLV, I suppose the airline could carve out a niche here. Besides, those particular meals don’t come cheap, so I guess the gambit is already working well for them.
Sandwiches were offered about two hours prior to landing; they included turkey and cheese, and a vegetarian option (Romanian cașcaval cheese).
Arrival in Bucharest
Even though the flight left ~70-80 minutes late, it still landed a few minutes early. That’s why a lot of flight times seem longer than expected; they try to incorporate short delays/taxi times. Don’t forget something else — planes could fly faster, but that just burns fuel faster.
As most Bucharest flights are from within the Schengen zone, I barely had to wait at immigration. Full disclosure: I did scamper there before just about anyone else.
Fortunately, airport trains are running at that time, so within 25 minutes I was at Gara de Nord station in downtown Bucharest.
In all, my HiSky New York to Bucharest flight was a mixed bag. Staff were easy-going, check-in went without a hitch, meals were served, and the plane did land a bit early. On the other hand, boarding was a mess, and the plane was extremely dry. Still, I’m glad to know that there’s a new connection to Eastern Europe from the United States, and that Bucharest is an underrated spot for architecture fans.
Eric says
You noted it was the sole widebody, but (unless I missed it) you didn’t include the aircraft type? A330?
NoWorkAllTravel says
Hi Eric, thanks for the comment!
Indeed, I will update it to reflect that the aircraft was an Airbus A330. Although it was visible in the photo with the amenity kit and safety card, I forgot to write it in the copy.
Danielle says
Thank you for your review. I am about to go this exact route round trip next week and was searching for information. Were the seats comfortable?
NoWorkAllTravel says
My pleasure, Danielle. The seat wasn’t particularly comfortable, but I didn’t expect it to be. It was lucky that the adjacent seat was unoccupied.
However, the two biggest issues were the boarding process (a real rugby scrum), and the incredible dryness of the aircraft interior. I’d certainly recommend bringing a nice big drink, and perhaps some headache medicine, in case you’re prone to those issues.
Stan says
I flew a round trip in June right when they started. My sister flew in July. For people that want to get to Romania or Bulgaria without a layover this flight is priceless. I would pay double just to fly direct and avoid Lufthansa, British, Air France, etc. New plane, good service, boarding was a breeze and since it’s not a known flight yet there were so many empty seats. Most people had at least 2 seats. For $700 round trip including carry on and a checked luggage, this flight is a steal. I hope they continue to fly and more people learn about them.
NoWorkAllTravel says
Thanks for your comment, Stan!
I think it’s known in that part of the world, but yes the word isn’t quite out yet on this side of the pond.
For me, the worst part about the flight has nothing to do with the airline; rather, it’s the dank Terminal 7 at JFK, and the same dank at OTP.
DX Boon says
Likewise, rather hot and dry air in the plane on my flight, making my trip rather unpleasant.
Armen says
Just flew it from JFK to OTP for my second time. Again only around 40-50 passengers. The visa waiver is pushed back to April of 2025. Im not sure how they will continue flying this route. They must be losing alot of money right now. What do you think might happen? In your opinion 😀
NoWorkAllTravel says
Hi Armen, thanks for your comment. Was your flight on-time? Did they still have in-flight meal service?
As for my thoughts on the route, this isn’t exactly the high season. If it were seasonal, then for sure late spring/summer could come back…after all, it’s their only widebody service. I suppose that same plane could fill up to TLV, but that’s another story.
Armen says
Yeah it was ontime and they had the meal services. For sure TLV would be great with the A330. Im flying with them again in January. We’ll see what happens