Moonlit flight deck adventure on the airBaltic A220!

In this video we join up with the flight crew for airBaltic's longest flight, from Tenerife South (TFS) to Riga (RIX). Come along as we go on a tour of the A220 cabin, sit in the jumpseat for takeoff, try out the business class service in seat 2A, and then head up front again for a beautiful moonlit flight deck experience and a lovely descent and landing into Riga.
This flight runs around 6 hours most days and the A220 is perfectly comfortable for such a long sector. What's more, we found that the front row seat on the left side of business class might just be one of the best "euro business" setups out there. Watch the video to find out why. And there's one very unusual ATC transmission in there toward the end - listen out for it and tell us if you hear it.
SECTIONS:
00:00 Welcome to Tenerife South Airport
00:34 Meet FO Edgars Burtnieks
02:15 A220 cabin tour
03:38 Flight deck pre-flight
07:02 Taxi
08:01 Takeoff
12:54 Business class review
15:42 Nighttime flight deck
16:33 About the new RNAV approaches
18:01 Thoughts on flying the A220
19:22 Prepping for descent
21:43 Dropping below the clouds
22:38 Landing in Riga
25:35 Taxi to gate
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About Flightradar24
Flightradar24 is a global flight tracking service that provides real-time data on thousands of flights around the world. Our service is currently available online and as an app for your iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) or Android device. Flightradar24 has the largest ADS-B network in the world with over 25,000 connected receivers and sees 2+ million users per day.

[@nathanielgirma8265]

That flight deck at night is simply perfection.

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

So true!

[@nickrubiano5460]

Damn the FO’s English is amazing. I thought he was native!

[@christianeduardo1]

I have seen a few videos so far and can’t seem to stop coming back for more! This is a channel created by real aviation lovers and that’s very commendable. Please keep on flying and taking us along, what a treat!

[@gogabego]

Thanks for the comment Christian. Much appreciated!

[@TigersharkAirlines]

Dear Flightradar24-Team, I always enjoy watching your videos! Just wanted to say thank you for uploading such informative content and behind the scenes footage. The videos are really relaxing to watch. Keep up with that great work and thumbs up for it! :-)

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Really glad you like them, and thanks for the comment!

[@chugwaterjack4458]

The real pleasure od this video is so much flight deck and so little cabin amenities. The descent under full moon into the cloud deck sure took me back to my days in the air. WELL DONE!

[@McAero08]

Airbus buying that whole program für 1$ was the most genius move in aviation in the last 30 years. The A220, I was flying the Air Baltic when it was still called C-Series, is such a beautiful modern aircraft - for both, crew and passengers.

[@KonaMan62]

I'm really enjoying your content and the video is crisp. It's fantastic that you can get cockpit access, I remember days of old, as a young teen when I was allowed to ride jumpseat for most of a couple cross-continent commercial flights before the dramatic changes in security. That opportunity was key in my pursuing flight training at a very young age. I logged my first duel at only 14 (almost as soon as I had learned to drive) and the OLD former Military pilots seemed to really enjoy sharing their knowledge peppered with some great stories. The moonlit descent and approach you captured is nothing short of aviation artistry, it's almost "pilot pornography," yet wholesome and I can respect myself in the morning 😋

[@rmyerscmi]

I really want to fly on an A220. It looks like an amazing aircraft. Air Baltic seems to really have their act together.

[@steveh5005]

Good airline good leg room, good food, good service.

[@happybohappy]

Super, vielen Dank, wenn man schon nicht Reisen kann!

[@naturallyherb]

Love this! The A220 is really my favorite plane around! I will never forget that moment on the Air Canada A220 when the pilots let me in the cockpit at the end of the flight and take some photos. It was in January 2020 and C-GROV had flown for barely 10 commercial flights when I went on it the first time between Montreal and Toronto. It was also the first time the A220 has operated into Toronto, and so we were treated like a celebrity and I saw planespotters on the fence taking pictures and video of our aircraft, and some ground crew also doing the same.

[@drewcanton235]

Love it too. I'm a bit biased as I do feel some pride that it was developed in 🇨🇦...

[@bulk04]

My daughter is an FO on the A220 for Air Canada. She was based in Toronto, but is now in Montreal. She absolutely loves the aircraft. She was a captain on the Embraer E190, but AC retired them and she switched to the A220.

[@naturallyherb]

@@bulk04 I've been on their E190 only twice in 2013 and the difference in cabin space compared to the A220 is very noticeable. Though the E175 has almost the same cabin, just shorter.

[@user-ci7vu7eo9w]

​@@drewcanton235 it's not developed in canada.canada can't build anything

[@Kreicss]

airBaltic will be huge after riga airport expansion ends.

[@USATFJUMPER]

when I see airbaltic I see latvija🥰 get to see my inlaws

[@YummiMoney]

Thank you so much for these videos, my mother and I watch them together and learn so much. Very professionally done and a joy to watch. Thank you.

[@nickaston2468]

Excellent video. Tremendous aircraft. I hope more airlines add the A220 to their fleets. Thank you.

[@paprika2952]

BEAUTIFUL A220

[@JNK1337]

Damn i was waiting for video from bcs! Im so glad it came on fr24 covered by gabriel.

[@dirks1982]

Thanks for the great video! I really appreciate how much room you give the cockpit/ATC action when you have the chance to capture it 👍🏻 Keep em coming…

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

That's great to hear - thanks for the comment!

[@ByT1mothy]

Those videos are so professional and high quality, I wonder how they are for free😳

[@lennartolsson4215]

Nice Job! Really nice to follow. Thank you!

[@Danny_Roman.]

Loved this video. The aircraft is spot on, its getting more and more futuristic. We'll done FR24

[@Banditt42]

Amazing aircraft

[@gilliantracy7991]

Excellent video. Thank you!

[@j.lang87]

Well done on all of these type of videos. Gives a real good insight. Great job.

[@LinkinLoris]

Beautifully made as always, thank you for sharing.

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Thank you very much!

[@ahahm]

awesome report!!

[@kinorowicz]

Pure joy watching. Thank you.

[@davidwebber8636]

Great piece of work. Thanks for posting.

[@skarabraeranch2093]

Nice flight ... thanks!

[@ncarnaiz]

thanks for sharing the experience

[@benjajaja]

Amazing video, thx!

[@zerberus500]

FANTASTIC video👏 GREAT Job!👍

[@calpal9983]

Another great one.

[@richardpathy-barker1175]

Lovely aircraft. Great video also!

[@rcooze1]

Another great FR24 video. Keep them coming. Thanks!

[@tomclyne3320]

What a very cool video!! Thank you!!

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Glad you liked it!

[@N1611n]

Fantastic, thank you!

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

You're very welcome!

[@Makeh78]

I just found your channel. You guys have great content! And this video was amazing! I just love A220! It's so advanced aircraft! Keep up the good work guys! And thank you!

[@pabloglez1711]

Very nice report. I live in Tenerife

[@jnrfalcon]

Apparently at around 17:50, 2 Air China Cargo flights were using the frequency for intercom using Chinese... Is it even legal...? And then sounds like they headed to 121.5, which is emergency frequency... Feels like that's not legal either...

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Very interesting!

[@Wabster]

Another enjoyable informative and detailed video, thanks so much FlightRadar24 :-)

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@andreraposo72]

Everyone seems unanimous that it's a great aircraft. I'd like to proudly point out that it's a Canadian aircraft program by Bombardier before idiots gave it away to Airbus....

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Indeed, the Canadians did a fantastic job with this one and it's a shame Bombardier's aviation division is now so diminished!

[@malcolmm.741]

Nice video, very interesting and professionally put together. Some interesting insights from the A220 pilot. One small cosmetic point, I found the music a little too prominent, perhaps the volume could be reduced a touch? Otherwise, keep it up!

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Thanks for your thoughts! Sound mix can vary quite a bit depending on speaker type/headphones, so difficult to get it just right for all viewers, and then there are different personal tastes too - but we'll certainly keep that in mind!

[@dannycnoble]

Is this route being axed? Flight connections has the route ending in may.

[@AlfaGiuliaQV]

You should try Finnair´s´"lomalento" Tenerife - Helsinki, that´s even longer (inter- EU)

[@yummysatay]

Are the side sticks on A220 connected? In other words, if one pilot moves the stick does the other pilot know what has occurred? The yokes on Boeing aircrafts are both in sync. Awesome video.

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

They're not linked as far as we know.

[@McAero08]

@@Flightradar24DotCom They are actually! And also the have force feedback.

[@CoasterGuy787]

@@McAero08 They aren't linked. Plenty videos show one stick moving and the other doesn't. Flightglobal tested the A220 when it was the C Series several years ago and confirmed the sticks aren't linked. They do indeed have artificial force feedback though since it's a C*U FBW that is speed stable in the pitch axis, requiring manual trim and therefore requiring an artificial feel system, unlike C* path stable FBW on A318-321 & A330-A380 aircraft, giving Airbus the choice not to put an artificial feel system in.

[@nah95]

Is it just me or is the audio out of sync when the FO is talking in the beginning ?

[@gustavs6998]

I wonder, why the pilots allow him on the flight deck? No hate just wondering.

[@lume.3887]

I haven't done any research on this plane, so forgive me, but does the a220 inherit any airbus-specific flight computer logic or is it a bombardier with an airbus badge?

[@LinkinLoris]

I can’t say I know a whole lot about ‘airbus,’ but the A220 has similar “control laws” (normal, and several direct law sub modes), envelope protections, 3 primary flight control computers etc. - similar but not identical. As far as I know most fly-by-wire aircraft have similar systems to ensure redundancy in case of failure. (Similar to how most modern aircraft have several hydraulic systems with backup pumps, electrical systems with several power distribution and generation units etc.)

[@jnrfalcon]

Recaro is probably the biggest winner in seating in recent years... Look how many slimline seats they've sold.....

[@mulletpunker666]

These are not Recaro seats. The seats on the A220 shown in this video are made by ZIM aircraft seating.

[@jnrfalcon]

@@mulletpunker666 oh ok... Somehow I thought they ordered Recaro...

[@nairolf2377]

Did the same crew fly the inbound flight, meaing riga to tenerife?

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

No, they came in a couple of days prior.

[@daily8150]

I could not make out what was being said at 26:00. I believe that is what the unusual transmission from the ATC is.

[@LinkinLoris]

“Line up and report rolling.” Presumably the traffic asked if they could do an engine run-up after they had received takeoff clearance, and ATC instructed them to line up and report when they’re finished with their runup, and they have commenced takeoff.

[@daily8150]

@@LinkinLoris thank you for the clarification!

[@KOUKAROS-GR]

12:30-12:50 do you agree with that???

[@stevehamilton3181]

I am guessing you are exposing for the highlights otherwise the screen brightness for the pilots seems like it would be overwhelming and fatiguing at night.

[@LinkinLoris]

The screens are dimmed, and you are correct- it’s not easy on the eyes if you don’t. It’s the camera that makes them look bright.

[@stevehamilton3181]

@@LinkinLoris thanks!

[@nickgregory5543]

Did anyone else ears pop when it got down to 500 ft?

[@MrMaenambeach]

Canadian technology.

[@x1achilles99]

Oh God. 6 hours in a commuter jet! No thank you. I'd be interested to hear the 1st officer's story. He started as a flight Attendant! And he speaks with an American accent.

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

It really doesn't feel like a commuter jet at all though! Good point re the FO - maybe we'll do a follow-up video with him. Stay tuned!

[@Altenholz]

Something is terribly wrong with the paint scheme-sorry!

[@attben]

Literally the worst airline I've been with. I was all giddy about being on their cseries the first time, they then barked at me and told me to stop taking photos. They were also super anal about luggage in general and me taking my guitar despite buying a seperate seat. All super unfriendly throughout, from check in staff to FAs. Avoid avoid avoid.

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

That's too bad you had that experience! We've always had nice flights with them.

[@krebssfish9370]

I'm surprised how so many people still don't know that even the best airlines sometimes have a bad flight. There is a thing called second chances, you know? From what I've seen on the internet, bad flights with AB are rarities.

[@MartinsVilcins]

I'm not familiar with Airbaltic rules, but music instruments are a nuisance on most airlines, you cannot just buy a seat for your tube, bass or guitar.. you need a name and ID for a seat!. So that already tells me you were following some I'll advice, music instruments go into hard case and in the baggage hold. PERIOD!

[@uldislavrinovics]

As we all know for every rule there's exception. In this case seems the exception happened to be you. Otherwise - I never had a bad service with AB. 50+ flights.