AirBaltic Airbus A220-300 Economy Class Review [TLL to OSL]

Airline: AirBaltic (BT)
Aircraft: Airbus A220-300
Flight #: BT815
Route: Tallinn Airport (TLL) to Oslo Airport (OSL)
Date: March 13, 2025
Duration: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Cabin and Layout: Economy class, 2-3
Seat: 23F
Cost: $33 one-way

For our third girls trip together, my friend and I planned a whirlwind trip to 3 northern European countries, which included a quick detour to Tallinn, Estonia. AirBaltic, the flag carrier of neighboring Latvia, connects Tallinn to most of Europe, and as a low-cost carrier, its fares are considerably affordable. When planning our itinerary, flights from Tallinn to Oslo, Norway, were only $33 one-way, so booking with AirBaltic was an easy decision.

Similar to low-cost carriers in the U.S., such as Spirit and Frontier, AirBaltic charges for most of its ancillary services à la carte, so I was concerned that checking a bag or reserving a seat would drive my costs up.

Experience my AirBaltic economy class flight, including how I booked, what I paid extra for, what the airport was like, and the flight from boarding to touchdown.

Booking AirBaltic Economy Class

I was able to find the cheapest fare directly through AirBaltic’s website. The airline offers 3 types of economy fares, from the Basic plan, which only includes carry-on bags, to Flex, which includes checked luggage and priority services.

Since we planned to travel light and aimed to keep expenses low, we booked Economy Basic for €63.98 ($66) for 2 one-way tickets.

I charged the fare for both tickets to my Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card to earn 2x Ultimate Rewards points on the travel purchase. The card has excellent travel insurance protections should I have had trip delay or baggage issues. Closer to the date of departure, I added a 23-kilogram (50.7-pound) checked bag to the reservation for $32.38, also charged to the same card.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

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A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

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Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

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Annual Fee

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Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
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Cons

• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

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Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 28.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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Chase Ultimate Rewards

I received a few emails encouraging me to upgrade to business class. The bidding options ranged from €65 to €215 ($74 to $244) and would have included a business class seat (a standard economy aisle or window seat with one of the seats in the row blocked), lounge access, and a meal and drinks throughout the flight. The flight was relatively short and already cheap, and with lounge access through my friend’s Priority Pass membership, I didn’t think upgrading was necessary or of value.

Hot Tip:

Our detailed guide covers everything you need to know about flying low-cost carriers in Europe.

Tallinn Airport (TLL)

We arrived at the airport about 3 hours prior to departure, and to say it was a ghost town would be an understatement. It did not appear that the AirBaltic desks would be staffed for some time.

While my friend explored a nearby coffee shop, I walked the length of the terminal and realized that the airport had unstaffed kiosks for passengers to check in their own bags. I added my bag to the scale, scanned my boarding pass, printed the bag tag, and sent the bag on its merry way down a conveyor belt.

As we were traveling within the Schengen Area, we did not have to clear immigration. We went through a standard security screening and headed to the lounge.

Airport LHV Lounge

After exiting the duty-free area after security, the Airport LHV Lounge is to the left. Signage and stairs direct you toward the second floor (an elevator is also available). The lounge is open daily from 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Access to the lounge is granted in several ways:

• Day pass: A 3-hour day pass is available for €45 ($52). Children ages 2 to 12 are €22 ($25), and children under 2 are free.
• Membership programs: Diners Club, DragonPass, DreamFolks, LoungeClub, LoungeKey, LoungeMe, Platinum Club, Priority Pass, SmartLynx, and TAV Passport.
• Business class: Aegean, AirBaltic, Finnair, LOT, Lufthansa, SWISS, and Turkish Airlines.
• LHV Bank cardholders: Reduced or complimentary access is available depending on the card.

The lounge had a smart, spacious layout dominated by various types of seats. A large buffet and beverage area was immediately after the check-in desk, though snacks and drink coolers could also be found throughout the lounge.

I couldn’t imagine feeling crowded here. The seating groups were thoughtfully arranged to accommodate various numbers of travelers without the feeling of encroaching on other passengers. The side tables between banquettes had open cavities for you to wheel your carry-on bag into.

Windows with views out across the apron ran the length of the lounge, with a mix of bar-height counters, dining-style tables, and window benches with stools.

Hot food is only served from 12 to 5 p.m. Since I arrived around 10 a.m., light snacks and a salad bar were available. I enjoyed a satisfying small plate of grilled chicken and vegetables.

The primary beverage area had a cooler with bottles of Coca-Cola products, self-service coffee, juice, wine, liquor, spirits, and Estonian beer on tap from Saku.

Additional amenities included an outdoor terrace, a small kids area, a private meeting room, a computer terminal, a phone booth, restrooms, and showers.

Hot Tip:

Check out my complete review of the Airport LHV Lounge for a more thorough look at the seating, buffet, and amenities.

Boarding

As our flight neared boarding time, we left the lounge and proceeded to our gate. I wasn’t able to narrow down when this terminal was most recently renovated, but it felt brand-spanking new and was in great condition.

As a mom of 3, I always pay attention to kid-friendly amenities, even when I’m traveling without my crew. I was really pleased to see this 3-story indoor playground inspired by an Estonian theme park.

Closer to our gate, there was a soft-play area that was perfect for younger children.

The flight boarded through gate 5C, which was down a level from the main terminal. Unlike some budget carriers, I did not notice staff policing carry-on bags with the sizer.

I was a bit disappointed to see that we’d be transported by bus to a remote gate, but this was very quick and efficient.

I’m not much of an AvGeek, but there is something pretty cool about being so close to the plane when boarding vs. entering from a jet bridge.

We walked across the apron and ascended a flight of boarding stairs to enter at the front of the aircraft.

On Board AirBaltic’s Airbus A220-300

AirBaltic exclusively operates a fleet of 50 Airbus A220-300 planes. These have a 3-2 configuration with 4 rows of business class and 26 rows of economy class. The seats are the same size across both classes, but business seats have the neighboring seat blocked.

The seats were clean and contemporary, with a light grey leather accented by a dark grey headrest cover.

I was assigned seat 23D on the aisle, and my friend was assigned the middle seat 23E. When it became clear that the seat next to her would be vacant (hurrah!), we swapped seats and arranged ourselves so that I could sit at the window, 23F, and she would take the aisle.

The seatback had an interesting design that I hadn’t seen before. The literature pocket was at the top, a standard fold-down tray table was in the center, and there were 2 netted pockets at the bottom.

A small hook was on the side of the seatback — I’m not sure if these are best for coats or headphones, but they always seem too small to be useful.

The netted pockets were appropriately sized for a phone or bottle.

The tray table had 2 indentations for drinks. I have a massive 15.6-inch laptop, so I don’t often bring it out on flights, but having an open seat allowed me to angle it a bit to work.

The seat had a standard reclining button built into the armrest.

Fixed button-operated lights, positionable air nozzles, and a small screen were above each row.

The screen primarily repeated the flight map and stats, though it also had a few advertisements.

The seatback pocket featured the Baltic Outlook inflight magazine, which also included the AirCafe menu with pricing. AirBaltic Club members get 10% off soft drinks and hot drinks when presenting their membership card.

The flight was not very full, so finding a space for my backpack was no issue.

Lavatory

The aircraft has its lavatories at the rear of the plane. What I found cool was that these 2 lavatories could connect to make a handicapped accessible lavatory.

As expected, there was not much space in the single lavatory. It had a baby changing table, hand sanitizer, and air freshener. The mirror was mounted on the wall adjacent to the sink instead of above it, which was a bit unusual.

Bottom Line:

AirBaltic is a no-frills airline, meaning you won’t get an economy refreshment service, inflight entertainment, or charging capabilities. Knowing this ahead of time so that you can plan to bring snacks on board and download entertainment to your phone can help make your experience more pleasant.

Service

Growing up in the South, I’m not sure I’ve ever actually seen a plane deiced, so it was a treat for me to get an up-close look at the man maneuvering the deicing truck. The kids on the plane enthusiastically waved to him, and he was happy to wave back.

I also had a laugh listening to the pilot’s opening remarks, which notably were in English, “for those of you not fluent in Estonian,” he said with a chuckle.

The service from the flight attendants throughout the short flight was brief and efficient, with quick passes of the refreshment cart, a pass to collect trash, and another pass of the duty-free cart. Their unobtrusive nature left me free to enjoy the amazing views.

Arrival

We touched down in Oslo about 10 minutes earlier than scheduled and were off the plane within 4 minutes. Since we were traveling within the Schengen Area, there was no need to clear immigration, so we headed straight to baggage claim.

Our bag retrieval took a little longer (17 minutes after deplaning), but given the number of ski bags we saw roll by, I suspect bulky winter sports gear might have slowed the process down. We later learned that the Holmenkollen Skifestival was happening in Oslo that weekend.

Final Thoughts

Not everyone is comfortable taking a $33 flight on an airline they’ve never heard of before, but I’ve had great success flying low-cost carriers worldwide and wouldn’t hesitate to fly AirBaltic in the future.

The on-ground experience at Tallinn Airport was enjoyable, from the Airport LHV Lounge to the contemporary, kid-friendly terminal. And once we boarded the aircraft, we were met with a cabin that was in great shape. With a “free” middle seat to stretch out in and an early arrival, there’s not much more you can ask for!