‘Is the engine still there?’ This airline has a one-star safety rating

The airline: Wings Air

• Route Tambolaka Airport (Sumba Island) to Denpasar, Bali; flight number IW1835 at 3.25pm
• Frequency Twice daily
• Aircraft ATR 72-500 twin-engine turboprop
• Class Economy; seat 15C
• Flight time One hour, 40 minutes (we depart 23 minutes late)

Checking in

Luggage, what’s that? Having spent the past four nights at Indonesia’s exclusive resort Nihi on Sumba Island, the check-in is oddly non-existent. Once I exit the car, I’m handed a boarding pass and escorted straight to security. A last-minute jolt of common sense compels me to check on the whereabouts of my belongings. The staff member points to the queue at the Wings Air check-in counter, where my suitcase is now someone else’s problem. I don’t ask questions and enter the VIP lounge, as I’m told.

Baggage

The ticket, booked via tiket.com, which seems to be the only way to actually purchase a seat on this airline, includes 7 kilograms of carry-on. Cabin baggage starts from $12 for 5 kilograms. I’m travelling for three weeks, so pay $48 for 20 kilograms.

Loyalty scheme

While Wings Air, which is a subsidiary of Indonesian budget carrier Lion Air, has no official loyalty program, it does have a loyal following of people who are terrified to fly it. It’s a running joke among expats in Bali and beyond. And with good reason; the airline consistently scores one star (out of seven) for safety on AirlineRatings.com. The less you know about this airline beforehand, the better.

The seat

There are 72 seats in this dated all-economy propeller plane in a 2-2 layout. I’m in 15C, an aisle seat, and lucky for the guy next to me, the wall panel is still attached to the window. (A post that went viral on Instagram recently showed a tourist sitting next to a panel that was completely coming away from the window.). The seat is hard as a rock with a pitch of 29 inches (74 centimetres) and a width of 18 inches (46 centimetres). It reclines two inches (5 centimetres), but who’s got time for that? I’m on high alert.

Entertainment + tech

There is nothing to distract me from my own potential demise other than my own phone. It’s uncomfortably stuffy on board, but the AC eventually kicks in after take-off. This is the bare bones of flying, but I don’t care; I’m just thankful we get there.

Service

The two cabin crew are friendly and seem relaxed, which takes my anxiety down from a nine to a six. We don’t see much of them throughout the flight, but they do apologise for the late departure, which is due to “operational reasons”.

Food

Nothing is served on board, not even water. There’s a QR code to a menu on the seat back in front of me, but it doesn’t work.

Sustainability

Lion Air, which owns Wings Air, is planning to use a percentage of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on all its flights by 2030. Last year, the airline adopted non-cash payment methods, which they describe as a step to “environmentally friendly movements”.*

One more thing

This feels like the longest flight in the world, I’m a nervous wreck throughout. It also takes almost an hour longer than its competitor on this route, NAM Air, which is just 50 minutes. Whoops.

The price

From about $380 return from Denpasar, Bali.**

The verdict

The flight is uneventful, but any small bump and my heart races. I’ve flown all over Indonesia, and I still can’t relax on domestic flights. I’m not alone. The last time I flew this airline, I was sitting across from the chief executive of a top luxury hotel. There was a loud bang as we descended and, visibly frightened, he asked me to check if the engine was still there. Spoiler alert: it was.

Our rating out of five

★★½

The writer flew at her own expense.

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.