Thomas Cook Airlines (powered by Condor) > Reviews > Holiday to Crete Review 1 - The Airline

Author's product rating:   

Food Quality	Satisfactory
Customer Service	Friendly and attentive
Punctuality	Always on time
Space	Uncomfortable
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Light and Bright, Good Reputation, Friendly and extra smiley crew !
Disadvantages:	Little legroom, OK Meals

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I have recently returned from my lovely holiday in Crete for two weeks and I have found Ciao and thought I would let you know! I am also in the process of writing reviews of the resort and hotel that we stayed at during our stay.

Myself and an old school friend were planning a holiday and we stumbled across this lovely resort set in Crete and the next minute was we were in the Thomas Cook Travel shop and buying the tickets for a fortnight.

BACKGROUND

As part of the Thomas Cook package we were departing from our chosen airport, London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and were flying with Thomas Cook, a new experience for me but I have heard great things about them, none to be doubted.

We arrived three hours before departure (very early, and I thought it was only long-haul flights that had three hours, but this was stated on the itenary) and we were checked in and had gone through passport control within the hour that we had arrived which left us two hours to spare. So we did the usual airport duty free shopping, eating expensive but indulging foods and drinking very hot coffee from Costa.

And the time seemed to fly by, and then an hour before departure we were called to make our way towards Gate 56, and the south terminal of Gatwick is not the easiest of places to here the gate number being announced, but we got there with 40 minutes to spare after visiting the toilets and passing more duty free shops.

BOARDING AND TAKE-OFF

And the next minute was that our boarding passes had been checked and we were walking onto the plane, half an hour early, which was pleasing because seen as it was a five o'clock in the morning flight we could arrive in Crete and soak up some sun!

We were greeted formally by two cabin attendants and directed to our rather cramped seats, but they would suit us for the four hour flight. In the next twenty minutes we were checked that our seat belts were fastened and that our window blind was up and the arm rest was down and the table was folded away, which we were checked for five or six times. And the safety demostration. Thomas Cook have there own safety demonstration of which they play on the TV screens and afterwards run through the dull but meaning full explanations of what to do if the oxygen in the air cabin fails and if we have an emergency landing in the water, lets face the facts guys, we are likely to die!

So far so good! The safety demonstration was indepth and very thorough and the cabin attendants seemed happy and smiley! And we were in the air ten minutes before scheduled take-off time! Things were looking good!

AFTER TAKE-OFF

About ten minutes after take-off the captain spoke to us and gave us details of expected arrival time and the temperature and altitude, all of these meaningless but informative facts that they like to give you to keep you interested! And with that, the head of cabin attendants, whose name was Laura, as she repeated everytime she picked up the cabin announcement phone, repeated the whole of what the cabin had just said and in the background while she was repeating the useful facts we heard her crew getting the refreshments and snacks trolley being put together.

And within twenty minutes of being airbourne and being told the same meaningless facts again, the Thomas Cook Crew do not hang around in indulging us in some light refreshements with a heavy price tag and a small bag of cheddars with a big cost. But I am sure they meant well, after all they are only trying to earn their commission.

So far things were looking up, as we increased the altitude.

IN-FLIGHT

After the refreshments trolley and snack bar had finished passing and the rubbish box passed round we were set for a film, Bend it Like Beckham, which I am sure over half of the passengers had seen before, but for one of the attendants who was based at the rear of the plane hadn't. Which was quite obvious as he was staring at the picture screen while passing in-flight meals around.

So, we were about a quarter of the way through the four hour flight and we were just settling down to the film when an interruption from the captain announced that Thomas Cook have a range of duty free goods on board, and then two minutes after the dear head of cabin attendants, Laura repeated and then said that in-flight meals should be coming around shortly.

And with that the smell of in-flight meals were coming from the back. My legs at this point were starting to hurt and I needed to move them, because of the lack of legroom available in the economy class seats. So after disturbing my mate and another passenger I headed to the toilets to exercise my legs and on the way bumped into the attendants serving the meals, both ends, blocking the route for the loo!

So, after dodging them, I was in the toilet! They were not the most co-operative of crew! And by the time I had returned dodging more trolleys my meal was on my table and it consisted of the usual bread roll and butter, a plastic cup which had sugar and a little pot of milk, a fruit cake, and a very hot plastic container of English Full Breakfast, well for starters it wasn't full, and it only consisted of a rather wide sausage, mushrooms, a type of bacon, beans and a potato substance!

But whatever it was it tasted alright!

Inflight meals are not the best on Thomas Cook, neither the legroom, neither the cooperation of the crew, even though they are friendly and want to earn their commission!

BEFORE LANDING

And before we knew it the crew had asked "Any more tea or coffee" for about fifty times each way up and down the aircraft, asked "duty free sir?", asked "Would you like a raffel ticket?" for the remainding hour of the flight.

And that was it! A smooth landing at Crete and then we disembarked with a smile as the crew smiled back at us!

So, overall, Thomas Cook was a pleasant experience excpet for the legroom! The crew can not help their job, as it is to serve from the trolleys but hey, they smiled which is better than some flights I have been on! We arrived twenty minutes prior to expected arrival and on return we were an hour early so we were very pleased with the punctuality of this airline.

Good Return journey as well!