The first time we took a family holiday to Florida we flew with Monarch Airlines. The holiday package we had booked was with Airtours and naturally we expected an Airtours plane but we were reassured by our travel agent that Monarch was just the same.
We were travelling in February and boarded the plane at our local airport for the 9 hours flight. Inside the plane was so cramped and a queue to board was soon formed from the steps of the plane because passengers were trying to squash themselves and their belongings into their allotted space and this took time. Having only travelled to Europe for our holidays, the flight hadn't been such an important factor. 2½ - 3½ hour flights do not really compare to a transatlantic flight. On European flights you seem to have no sooner boarded, had a drink, eaten, then you've arrived at your destination. The flight fades into insignificance.
This journey was much, much different. When we finally took our seats we were appalled at our lack of space. We had two seats on the window side and two across the aisle of a row of 4. During the flight when possible, we swapped our seats with each other in an attempt to stretch legs. We felt so confined, almost claustrophobic. It was impossible to walk down the aisle without knocking the seated passengers. The cabin crew continually bumped passengers as they went about their duties. When they came around with their "trolleys", it was such a tight squeeze, everyone had to make sure no part of their body was protruding into the aisle - but where to put these overhanging bits was a quandary.
The food was acceptable but this is the best compliment I could award to it. The in-flight entertainment was abysmal. It was almost equivalent to watching the repeats of the BBC. We had to pay for headphones - cheap rubbish things with bright orange sponge on the earpieces. You could not see the overhead monitors from certain seats in fact I think they were only visible from the aisle seats or if you were able to see above the heads of those in front of you.
The cabin crew reacted to passengers' requests with an air of contempt and they were so discourteous. The 'fasten seatbelts' sign was displayed for almost the whole flight because of turbulence and because of the severe conditions we had to make an unscheduled landing to refuel. We landed at Goose Bay in Canada. This was a spec in a sea of fir trees. The ground crew had to clear the runway in order for our plane to land. It was hair raising. When we did touch down we could see a handful of men dressed in parka type jackets and mounds of snow reaching over 12feet at each side of the runway. After refuelling we took off again to continue our journey of torture. We finally reached our destination after 12½ hours. The thought remained though, "Oh no!, we've got to travel back with this airline"
More details
Class flown most frequently
Economy
How often do you travel with this airline
First time
Where did you book
Travel Agent/Tour Operator
Safety
Satisfactory
How well does it cater for disabled people
Don't know
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