When you are about to start a two hour flight there are a couple of things you do not want to hear. One would be the captain forgetting to turn the intercom off and then discussing the 12 pints of lager he consumed for lunch, you also would not want to hear the air steward uttering the words "You are sitting next to this gentleman Ms Wax (substitute your own celebrity / BB contestant if you actually like the annoying American)".
As a prelude to our flight to Italy we heard none of these phrases however we were informed that the three hour delay to our two hour flight was due to the fact that overnight repair work had been delayed hence the late arrival of the plane at Gatwick. It left me with the uneasy feeling that what exactly had needed a repair in the first place and why did it take so long.
This was the first time I had used Monarch airlines and the kids and I were looking forward to our trip to Italy flying out of Gatwick airport. Earlier in the year we had used Ryan air to fly to Rome and had enjoyed a cheap and cheerful flight. Having booked through a package travel company I had not had any choice in the airline and my experiences of charter airlines have been limited but usually good.
Because we booked though a travel company I'm unable to offer an opinion on the quality of the booking process with Monarch although flights can be booked direct from their website.
Check in was efficient helped by the fact that we arrived a full hour before the advised check in time and there was no one ahead of us in the queue, there was an initial problem with our seats as we were placed in a row where no children were allowed however this was quickly resolved without and changes to our seats providing that I sat in the aisle seat something I had no problem with as the kids were already arguing about who got the window seat (Stress level now at factor 1 below average).
After breakfast and an hour checking out the shops and buying all the things I forgot to pack we settled down to stare at the departures board for our boarding gate. After another hour (Stress level now at factor 2 following the "It's my turn on the game boy" debate) I noticed the rather worrying "More information at 10.00" message against our flight number. Given that this was supposed to be our departure time the omens were not good. Eventually we were informed of a two hour delay which eventually stretched to three. It was at this point that Monarch showed it's money pinching ways when they refused to provide passengers with any refreshments despite EC rules stating that delays of 2-5 h ours airlines to provide refreshments however Monarch tend to take advantage of this time frame and only provide refreshments after a 4 hour delay, hardly generous when the cause for delay is clearly one of their own making.
By the time we boarded the stress level was at factor 4 having sailed past factor 3 with hardly a backward glance, my little ankle biters get impatient waiting for a Happy Meal so a total of 7 hours in departures is purgatory.
As expected seating on the flight was cramp but this is to be expected on a charter flight, not that I condone it but it is just a fact of life, at least at 5ft 7 I was not as inconvenienced as taller passengers. You can book seats on Monarch that provides extra legroom and for my flight this cost an additional £10 per passenger an expense I did not feel was justified. An additional expense which I strongly object to was the facility to pre-book your seats; this is advertised as providing you with piece of mind to ensure that you all sit together. Personally I find this a bit of a cheek and never bothered as it was an additional 9 euro per passenger. Already at stress factor 4 I would have welcomed the peace and quiet of my offspring being seated somewhere else however there was always hope for the return journey.
The condition of the plane was rather shabby and the seat cover in front of me looked in need of a good wash. The toilets were clean and spacious enough and the cabin crew were very pleasant however on a two hour flight they were very busy attempting to cram in, the renting of headphones (£1 and helpful in reducing the stress factor to level 3), a drink run, serving the meal, selling in flight goods and finally selling scratch cards plus all the associated cleaning up, by the end of the flight I felt tired out for them.
As you will see from the list above with the exception of the meal everything else is geared up to creating revenue for the airline. Prices were high for drinks and the like however I would say they are probably in line or just above those of service station prices. The meal itself was free and uninspiring in the form of a heavily salted cottage pie with no alternative option however to my disappointment my youngest proclaimed it delightful.
The in flight entertainment was good with two comedy shows and then a light entertainment programme and a full range of radio stations. One annoying feature was that with all the announcements of the next available service or flight progress it was hard to enjoy some of the programmes with all of the interruptions.
The return flight was a similar experience without the three hour delay and with heavily salted sausages replacing the cottage pie (still delightful according to my 10 year old, where is Jamie Oliver when you need him?).
I would certainly not recommend Monarch if there is a choice available, I found there lack of regard for passengers a concern and the fact that they choose to ignore or at best twist EC regulations to their own benefit disappointing. I appreciate that with a charter flight you are getting a cheap flight but as part of a holiday package this was not a cheap trip and at least with the true budget airlines like easy jet and Ryan air you know what you are getting.
Thanks for reading my review.
More details
Class flown most frequently
Economy
How often do you travel with this airline
First time
Where did you book
Online Travel Agent
Safety
Satisfactory
How well does it cater for disabled people
Don't know
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