Having recently flown from Gatwick to Lanzarote in a party of 7 adults 1 child and 2 babies I feel qualified to write a review on Thomas Cook Airlines.
Flight tickets can be purchased either online direct from the Thomas Cook website or from just about any tour operator. Due to our party size our tickets couldn’t be purchased online but we were able to buy them over the phone through the phone number listed on their website. The sales service was excellent, the tickets arrived in ample time and came with plenty of baggage labels.
We arrived early to check in for our flights and most of our party rushed to check-in with luggage on trolleys and babies in buggies wanting to get near the front of the queue whilst the drivers went off and parked the cars. As we hadn’t pre-booked seats we thought if we arrived early then we might be able to get seats fairly close together, I wanted to sit with my husband as my daughter would be sitting on my lap and my sister-in-law who is 6ft2 tall, and pregnant, had her baby with her and has a history of dvt was desperately hoping not to get seated by the window next to a stranger. To our surprise though there was no queue to get in, there were more counters open than there was people checking in. The check-in staff were wonderful, they managed to get us all seated together, they gave us labels for the buggies which were to be handed in as we boarded and directed my husband to hand his golf clubs in at another counter where they could be handled appropriately.
Security was quite tight whilst entering the departure lounge, which I find very reassuring, yet they were quick and efficient with it, and again we didn‘t have to wait.
We boarded the airbus first as we had a baby and the attendants were very helpful, holding my baby while I got myself seated and buckled in and then showing me how to buckle my daughter safely onto my lap. They offered me two empty seats further back in the plane but I declined because I wanted to stay close to my husband. They also asked if I needed a bottle warming up for my baby. They had an empty row of seats which they gave to my sister-in-law which really helped her as she had real difficulty squeezing her tall frame plus bump into one small seat area.
The captain introduced himself over the tannoy, sounding very cheerful and friendly and the flight attendants went through the usual safety procedures. We took off exactly on time and had a very smooth journey.
It was a four hour flight and within that time beverages and a selection of sweets were offered for purchase twice, duty free was offered once, the meals were given out and headphones were offered on sale. I was a bit disappointed to discover that the headphones needed to be purchased in order to watch the movie, I think they were priced just over two pounds. I decided they would be a waste for me as I wouldn’t have time whilst entertaining an eight month old, but the people who were watching the movie were laughing lots so it must have been a good one. I read the in-flight magazine which was full and informative and my daughter ‘read’ the laminated safety sheet which kept her occupied for ages.
The toilets cubicle doubled as a baby change room with a pull down tray positioned above the toilet, as anyone who has ever flown will know that the toilet cubicles are extremely small so trying to change a nappy in one is very difficult, with such little floor space I couldn’t sit my daughter on the floor while I used the toilet and I couldn’t use the toilet with the change tray down which resulted in me needing two trips, one to change the nappy and one for me. However the cubicle was clean and well stocked with tissue, toilet rolls and soap.
Our arrival in Lanzarote was a little before our expected arrival time and the captain cheerfully wished us a good holiday and the staff were all smiles and good-bye when disembarking. The luggage always seems to take ages but it certainly wasn’t a longer than average wait and it is always a relief to see your bags safely in one piece.
Our return journey went in a very similar fashion and we all agreed that we couldn’t have expected a better service.
There is only one thing that particularly annoyed me and that was to do with the meal arrangements. Meals were to be ordered and paid for when buying the tickets and at the time we decided that we would eat in the airport before flying therefore we were not require a meal on the plane. However when the time came and the meals were brought round we wished we had preordered . The flight attendant offered us meals but we politely declined on the grounds of having not ordered. On the return journey again we could smell the meal cart on its way and wished we had ordered meals, again the flight attendant offered us meals and as honest as we are we explained that we hadn’t ordered or paid for any meals, the flight attendant then checked her list and said that we were down for having meals so we said that we would like to have meals and if there were any left we would have them. I was annoyed that we might have been entitled to meals and didn’t have them. There was nothing that had arrived with the tickets indicating that meals were included, the reason we thought they were not was because when purchasing the tickets we declined paying the extra to have a meal so whether our names were on the meal list by mistake or we paid for meals unknowingly I don’t know but I wished it had been clearer on the flight information that was with our tickets.
All in all I felt Thomas Cook Airlines offered a good service, they were accommodating with my husbands golf clubs and very helpful with the babies, as with all small planes the seating was quite cramped but they found extra space for my very tall sister-in-law. Both the outward and return flight left promptly and we did not queue or wait unnecessarily for anything. As with regards to the baby changing area this was sufficient for an emergency change but as with all flights I’d advise changing nappies and dressing appropriately before boarding the plane. I hope we get the chance to use them again.
Having just written this review I thought I’d find the website from where the tickets can be purchased online but after several searches on google I just can’t find the right site so this may be a negative factor for anyone wanting to book their tickets now. I will keep looking though as I know I visited the site a few times last year and will update here as soon as I do.
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
Very safe
How well does it cater for disabled people
Don't know
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