I'm Ki, and I'm a student at the University of Sheffield. I'm in my final year, studying for an Eco...
I'm Ki, and I'm a student at the University of Sheffield. I'm in my final year, studying for an Economics BA. In September, I start working for M&S on their Graduate Management scheme in London.
Member since:11.04.2005
Reviews:8
Members who trust:1
As a student, holidays are a once every-three-years affair. And after our last journey, flying with Thomsonfly will be a once-in-a-lifetime affair. Cheap flights, yes - punctual flights...ah, no.
Our flights were booked on the internet, from Doncaster to Amsterdam International Airport, departure February 23rd and return flight February 27th 2006.
Booking Flights - Internet
We booked our flights via the thomsonfly.com website. The site is incredibly easy to use. It's a matter of putting in the dates you want to fly, where you want to fly from and to, and how many people are flying, all using drop down menus which are on the front page.
The site then brings up a list of available flights, showing both departures and returns (if you're flying return.) You choose the flights you want, and the next page shows you the total amount of the flights (inc. airport taxes). You're then asked to confirm your booking, input
the passengers' details, and input payment details. Once your flight is booked, the confirmation email is your ticket, so must be taken with you to the airport.
The actual booking process is very simple. Our flights were £1.99 outbound and £6.99 return, with airport taxes making the total £57 each. I have no complaints about the price; it doesn't get much cheaper than that.
Our departure times were also pretty good, considering how cheap the flights were. Outbound left at 18.20 and our return flight at 21.30, both times when public transport and/or taxis were easy to get hold of.
Outbound Flight
On arriving at Doncaster airport two hours before our flight was due to leave (it was supposed to depart at 18.20) , we went to the check-in only to discover our flight had been delayed by four hours. This meant we wouldn't be departing until 10pm, and wouldn't arrive in Amsterdamn until midnight. Fabulous.
No one at the check-in desk could give us an explanation for why the flight was delayed, nor were we given any explanation when we finally did board the plane. To this day, I remain baffled.
Check-in itself is incredibly easy; you hand over your passports and your email confirmation and get them back with a ticket. Your luggage is sent off at the same time, and then its just a matter of waiting to board.
One of Thomson's nicer policies is that they allocate you a seat when you check-in, so you have the option to choose a window or an aisle seat.
As compensation, we were given £6 of Thomson vouchers, which could only be used in Doncaster airport or on the plane. If you've ever had to pay airport prices, which seem to work on the Centigrade-Fahrenheit conversion rule (double it and add thirty), you'll know £6 doesn't go far. However, I suppose we should count ourselves lucky to get compensation, as they are not obliged to give us anything.
On the plane, the staff weren't particuarly friendly - one of them snapped at my other half for having the temerity to ask if he could get a cup of tea with said Thomson voucher - and performed their jobs in a perfunctory manner. The range of food / drinks on the flight was disappointing - there was very little choice, and they seemed to be out of most food and snacks.
There's no in-flight entertainment, of course, so you'll have to amuse yourself. Not really a problem on an hour long flight, though.
The safety video was about what you'd expect; it covered all the basic safety routines and told you what to do in case of emergency.
The flight itself was mercifully brief. As expected, there wasn't much legroom, and the cabin was tightly packed, but that's about par for the course on a budget flight.
On landing - and landing quite smoothly - we were quickly offloaded, and our bags got to the baggage area very quickly. They were undamaged, with all our items intact (pretty good considering my rucksack had a hole in it).
Return Flight
There was - happily - no delay on the return flight. The check-in process was identical, and on the way back, the staff seemed a lot more cheerful. The pilot also came on the radio now and then - letting us know how long the jounrey would take, the height and speed of the flight, a little about the machinery used in the landings. As a customer, it's good to feel like the company takes an interest in you.
However, I have to say the pilot landed that plane with all the grace of an elephant divebombing into a swimming pool. The landing was terrible, we hit the ground pretty hard, and I think that's the first time I've ever appreciated my seatbelt.
Our return flight did in fact land early, so I have no complaints on that score. Once again, our luggage came off the plane in record time.
Summary
When it all goes right, Thomson are a great company to fly with. However, when it goes wrong, the company is close-mouthed, and its staff seem to take out their stress / tiredness on the passengers. We are lucky in that we were given compensation, and that our trip was for leisure purposes so the four hour delay was irritating, but not a crisis (though it obviously does put a dampener on your holiday.).
However, I wouldn't choose to fly with Thomson again - not when there are other equally cheap airlines who keep to their timetable.
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sue.51 01.08.2004 (01.08.2004)
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Mar 10th, 2006
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