Thomson Airways » User reviews

holidayoften flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (12/02/2012 09:43)

I have flown Thomson Airways many times over the last couple of years on board their Boeing 757-200, Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A321-200 aircraft, My review is general as I feel my points are the same regardless of the aircraft type.

If you are less than 5 foot 5 inches tall, less than 10 stones in weight with a waist size less than 30 inches and you have a neck like a giraffe (to view the screens) then you may find flying Thomson Airways a comfortable ride.

The vast majority of the UK adults and indeed some children are not, take a look around the high street for an overview of size and height. I am amazed by the flight producted offered by a company with the experience of Thomson, surely they can see from the people visiting their shops what the customers look like?

I have no problems with their aircraft selection, the age of their fleet or their safety record my complaint is soley based on their onboard comfort.

For the last 20 years I have been completing onboard questionaires and for 20 years I and everyone I know have been saying that the seats are too cramped yet companies such as Thomson have ignored these comments. 28 inches of leg room is less than the crampest train or bus seat so why they feel its acceptable in an aircraft I don't know. If a company like Thomson truley believe in their Customers opinions or a Holiday with YOU in Mind as per their TV advert then why are they treating us worse than cattle on their planes.

Thomson, Your loyal customers are deserting you for the increasing choice of low cost airlines who are offering cheaper deals to our favourite holiday destinations and will take us there in a much more comfortable seating configuration, the extra couple of inches of leg room that the low cost airlines provide makes all the difference and locking the seats upright reduces any conflict between passengers over reclining, which is really not required on short haul flights.

Thomson, wake up and smell your overpriced coffee !!!!

thomson???? flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B737-800 (06/02/2012 18:11)

As others have said on here boarding was a free for all, in the past they have called row numbers but not this time.

The flight attendants spent that much time selling that you could'nt get to the toilets because of the trollies.

The worst thing about the return flight from Las Palmas Gran Caneria was the check-in, for some reason they tried to check 6 flights in at the same time through 7 desks, so when you did eventually get to the front of the queue (after queuing for 75 minutes) people were then pushed in front by the staff because thier flights were boarding.

The seats are not too bad but we pre-booked extra leg room having flown with them before and knowing how bad the normal leg room is.

Attilathehun flew Thomson Airways (03/02/2012 03:10)

AngelaMacGuinness flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (19/01/2012 17:16)

The flight to Jamaica was very comfortable, I slept for a good few hours inbetween having dinner, afternoon tea and an icecream at some point.

The staff were not so accomodating did not serve after dinner drinks and when requesting some more nibbles appeared to be put out and came back and said there weren't any more.

I know it is a minor thing but they did not make you feel the same as the staff on the return flight which was absolutely brilliant and I cannot fault the service at any time. I would travel with them any time service was excellent from check in crew, flight crew and arrivals.

annageneharrison flew Thomson Airways (17/01/2012 19:07)

Oh dear! Torn and worn seats, no TV, although you could rent a hand held entertainment system for £7.50.

No longer the option to buy pre order a hot meal but there is a menu of snacks and drinks.

Be warned - don't order the chips - they arrive in a brown paper bag having been microwaved to extinction!

James999 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (10/01/2012 20:06)

I travelled to Gran Canaria in Sept. 2011 and was appalled at the state of this plane. Cramped seating, herded onto the plane like cattle, disgusting food, staff only interested in selling you something, uncomfortable throughout flight, even though I had payed for extra leg room. In flight entertainment was ancient and awful and difficult to see from our seats, what's the point of buying headphones. Unfortunately going to Egypt 2012 and dreading that we get this type of plane again. Come on Thomson, spend some cash and get new planes

speedbird1 flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul (08/01/2012 20:36)

the service was good tv's were small and earphone slot wold'nt work properly this is really annoying on a 5 1/2 hour flight! :l

rsutton669 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul (05/01/2012 11:38)

Boarding was a shambles, every man for himself as the entire flight was called to the gate at the same time. This meant when boarding, that people at the front or back of the plane, were having to wait for people who were heading to the middle.

No control over cabin bag sizes, some people appeared to have hold size bags as cabin bags. End result, the usual bun fight for space in the overhead lockers.

Seating was amongst the worst on a plane for a long time. Very cramped conditions, no leg room, and no chance of reclining the seat, unless you did not mind cutting off the blood supply of the passenger behind !

Food. In flight meals are no longer served by Thomson on short haul flights, not that I feel 6 hours qualifies as short haul !

I never thought I would find myself wishing for the return of in flight meals, but this would have been good by comparison to the disgusting muck being sold, we had bacon roll and out of curiosity, the bag of chips. Whoever sanctioned the food trolley, is surely in the wrong job and clearly does not care what the passengers receive, or has not tried eating it.

A number of fellow passengers demanded a refund - good work head of onboard food selection. Who employs these people ?

Nicko24 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a A321 (01/01/2012 15:56)

sandrab flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (17/12/2011 19:20)

The flight was cramped, not enough legroom. Seats uncomfortable. No in flight entertainment for the 6 hour duration which is poor. Smelly toilets. Air hostess's appear to be sales staff nowadays and could not get a simple drink order correct.

lbarker flew Thomson Airways (15/12/2011 09:36)

We travelled from London Gatwick to Holguin on outward journey TOM 094 in standard long haul and sat in 26 AB and the seats were very roomy, the 33 inch pitch is the best ever for long haul I’ve ever experienced.

The food was pretty good and it’s nice to have a choice of menu, the drinks you had to pay for but no big deal, there were about 5 – 7 films to watch as we wanted to have the premier choice so paid another £5 for play, pause etc and a few more films I guess. All in all very good and was punctual as well.

On return we upgraded at our resort with the Thompson rep and got a BOGOF for premier class on flight TOM 083 and that was splendid!

Everything was served in glass and china and that really counts, we sat in 10 GF and on a 2 config, the seats I think didn’t recline to the most potential but good nethertheless.

We had drinks served for about four hours or so and the dinner was lovely. Slept like a baby as the seats was so comfy as it was very quiet.

Would definitely travel with Thomson again.

hudson2000 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a A320 (13/12/2011 15:12)

We have flown with Thomson several times and this flight was as good as our previous experiences. Flight went out and returned on time. Staff were helpful and courteous.

TINACALLISTER flew Thomson Airways (11/12/2011 22:04)

Long haul flight to Dom Rep Punta Cana Nov 2011.

The outward bound flight from Manchester was delayed but premium seats were boarded first when they started to board the flight.

Pre flights drinks ok, meal good wine with meal & after dinner drink offered of baileys or brandy. On the return journey it was a free for all premium seating was called but within 20 / 30 seconds they had already started to take tickets from non premium class passengers.

Whhat exactley did we pay for to be boarded first or so we thought. There was also a US Airways plane on the tarmac next to our flight that we had to walk past to get to our plane health & saftety no where to be seen.

Pre flights drinks were rushed as the onward bound flight was late arriving no after dinner drink offered on the return journey again what did we pay for as the service we received did not live up to expectations.

The complimentary headphones are not complementry only for use during the flight again the brochure / website states complimentary!! if Thomson airways want to charge so much for their Premium Cabin they need to make sure both the outward bound & inward bound flight attendents produce the same image we did not find this.

I have marked the boarding lower because we were not given priority boarding on the return journey.

stidworthycarole flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul (07/12/2011 15:32)

Flying to Egypt with Thomson airways and back, found the flight cramped to say the least. The aircraft are to small for a five and a half to six hour duration, also meals have been discontinued, the menu to buy on board is nothing but junk food not enough variety, and expensive. On our return journey drinks were only served once during a six hour flight!

sylviaweishaupt flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (02/12/2011 19:10)

sylviaweishaupt flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (02/12/2011 19:10)

gallybin flew Thomson Airways (01/12/2011 10:59)

I pre booked seats for my wife and myself on Thomson flights 732 and 733 the flight out was fine the return flight was miserable to say the least.

We were in seats 13a and 13b close to the door for convenience it was very cold as the aircondition was blowing in cold air. When asked if they could do something about it we were told no if they put the heating up in the middle section it would become unbearable for those in the front and rear compartments but they could sell us blankets at 5 pounds each.

I was in touch with Thomson airways and was more or less told tough luck.

flyingsam flew Thomson Airways (29/11/2011 18:07)

Well the seat was a bit uncomfortable but the service was magnificent the punctuality was perfect the plane was actually early!

The plane was very appealing I would have appreciated a bit more space on a 5 and a half hour flight but you don't get everything you want.

elaineblondabe flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (29/11/2011 10:49)

We went to Cyprus on this plane. The seats were so comfortable and the legroom was amazing my husband is 6 ft 4 and he had plenty of legroom.

We have 2 holidays a year and look forward to the flight, when we boarded this plane I was shocked how big it was and that each seat had a tv screen to watch telly, play games, which passed the time away, even the children were happy none saying i'm bored.

We are booking again to go to Cyprus next July. I'm taking my mother and father in law. I hope they put this plane on as it will make travelling a comfortable experience and I love flying and planes any kind, so could you put the 767 300 on please.

Savoygirl flew Thomson Airways (28/11/2011 09:22)

I had only ever flown long haul with Virgin Atlantic before so was a little sceptical about the quality of the long haul flight with charter airline. Because of this, I decided to upgrade to Premium Economy and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was only around £200 for the upgrade, all in.

First of all, you get priorty boarding which is good because you're hanging around less. Added to this, the flight attendants are almost immediately ready with a tray of welcome drinks the minute you sit down. The leg room is fantastic, it's probably the first time I've ever sat in an airplane seat where my knees weren't banging against the seat in front of me and I could actually stretch right out (then again, I'm only 5'4"). The IFE was truly excellent, you have total control over what your watching so you can pause something, rewind it, forward it, etc, without having to be at the mercy of the timed schedule of other airlines' IFE.

As for the food - well, we were given a choice of what to eat and considering it was airline food which is difficult to excel in at the best of times, I have to say that the quality and the quantity of the food was the best I have ever experienced. Even the quality of the cutlery was better and you are provided with your own personal mini salt and pepper pot which is a nice touch. We were fed twice going out and twice coming back. In Premium you are also given a free reign of drinks so you can have whatever you want whenever you want it.

All in all, I would say that choosing to upgrade to Thomson Premium Economy was excellent value for money not least because we were on a 9 hour flight and because of the excellent service from the cabin crew, coupled with the extra leg room and entertainments, this made the flight go so much more quickly. It was the 'easiest' long haul flight I have ever experienced. Highly recommnded if you have the means and inclination to do so! Truly excellent - Virgin, I hope you are taking note!

Savoygirl flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (28/11/2011 09:09)

maspolamas flew Thomson Airways Short-haul (25/11/2011 15:45)

arnieg2 flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul (21/11/2011 16:17)

michellebc flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a A320 (21/11/2011 08:06)

petey123 flew Thomson Airways (17/11/2011 16:01)

Hi to all.

Thomson has done away with flight meals and the tv on the plane for flights under 7 hours. I dont think this is right at all so you have to buy on the plane so it will cost more and when your on a plane 4half hour with no tv as well its not great. Thomson what are you doing, I dont think your cheap please bring them back, love flying Thomson but not when its costing a lot more money.

petey123 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (02/11/2011 11:22)

757 200 is very good plane but on good if you are a bit over weight cant move in your seat and cant even put aims up other wise hit other person

badders flew Thomson Airways (01/11/2011 11:23)

Flew for 1st time.

No fear, am disabled. Support given @ Birmingham and Paphos embarking and disembarking. Seats were close to front of bulkhead, bit of squeeze for I am a big lad, my son, 6' 5", seasoned traveller fitted comfortably.

Staff at airport and cabin crew very helpful. Flight TOM 7662 OUT, TOM 7663 IN.

Enjoyed flight if a bit boring, not knowing what to expect. Will fly again, probably see about wider seats?

andymgriffin flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B737-800 (30/10/2011 09:20)

Pleasantly surprised.

I'm 6' 4" and I managed quite easily to sit comfortably with my legs stretched out under seat in front.

I was amazed to be honest. Don't have any complaints about the flight both outbound and inbound. Food was also good, and no need to buy headphones for TV as normal mobile headphones fit the socket.

All in all very good. Both journeys also on time.

caron63 flew Thomson Airways (28/10/2011 17:17)

Marilyn22 flew Thomson Airways (28/10/2011 11:53)

robertson642 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (27/10/2011 21:22)

flight delayed 8 hrs going out, flight delayed 3 hrs coming back with no premium seating

Spikemorgan flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (25/10/2011 15:08)

We traveled from BRS to SFB on 9th October 2011 and could not fault the service. The aircraft was an ex First Choice plane for both inbound and outbound flights.

On boarding we were offered drinks, the staff were very helpful and friendly and nothing was too much trouble during the flight. The seat was comfortable with good leg room. My husband is 6ft 2in and he was comfortable. The on board entertainment was good, there was a good selection of films, TV programmes and music.

I would highly recommend Thomson, the overall service was excellent.

leighdavenport flew Thomson Airways (24/10/2011 06:55)

AntonyMercer flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (23/10/2011 11:10)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS As we are both over 6’ tall, we had paid extra £240 each to fly in the Premium Economy cabin. This included a dedicated check-in and we were quickly checked-in having reserved our seats two months earlier online. There was no queue at the North Terminal security and just had to remove the lap top from my hand luggage. We were airside within 5 minutes of arriving at the airport which I was very impressed with on this Sunday morning.

BOARDING When Boarding commenced, they initially called persons requiring extra time such as those with children, and then the Premium Economy passengers were called.

THE SEAT Once on board it took some time for everyone to take their seats. Although the Premium Economy passengers were called first, as there were 9 rows of 7 seats, it took some time for all 63 to be seated. Thomson used the former First Choice Boeing 767 on this route, and had dedicated Flight Attendants for the Premium Economy.

Premium Economy is configured the same as Economy on this plane, but with 36” of leg room which was helpful on this 10 hour flight. In terms of the best seat, Row 1 seems to have more leg room but is by the toilet and galley. The plan is configured 2-3-2, so the middle seat in the centre section is to be avoided unless you know your fellow passengers!

Before the doors were closed, passengers in Premium Economy were offered a choice of Pink Champagne or orange juice. The plane pushed back on time at 10.30am and was airborne within 10 minutes.

MENU About an hour into the flight, a round of drinks was served. This was done by ordering in advance and the cabin crew then bringing the drinks with a small bag of pretzels to your seat. About 40 minutes later the meal was served which was chicken or beef! I had the chicken roast which was very tasty. A choice of wine was served with this. After the tea and coffee were served, a choice of liqueurs was offered.

Passengers were able to go to the galley throughout the flight for more drinks and they never refused! They always served you with a smile.

About an hour before landing, a snack of sandwiches and scones was offered with tea and coffee.

ARRIVAL The flight arrived 30 minutes early and we then walked to Passport Control. Each passenger has to pay a fee on arrival of $20 and there is a queue for this before Passport Control. This can be avoided by purchasing in advance on line from the Dominican Republic Embassy in London. There were 4 windows open so we were processed quickly before reaching the baggage carousel. The bags were delayed as an American Airlines flight from New York had arrived just ahead of us and their bags were unloaded first. After a further 20 minutes the bags appeared.

VERDICT A superb, professional and very friendly service by Thomson Airlines. The service was equal to a good business class service and the on-board team should be congratulated for that.

I returned two weeks later on a similar plane for the over-night flight back. Again the level of service was superb.

I would definitely fly with Thomson Airlines again in Premium Economy, though I would like a couple of more inches of leg room. I very much look forward to the arrival of the Boeing 787 and how they plan to configure that.

jacewiczkevin40 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B737-800 (21/10/2011 13:35)

When it came to boarding I thought it was handled in a very bad way, everyone just stormed pushing past and pushing over little children to get to board first (although everyone had assigned seats), Thomson should start boarding by rows, for example rows 1-15 first then the rest.

As we boarded the Thomson 737 interior immediately stands out with the lovely leather seats. The cabin crew were very friendly and smiling.

I sat in seat 6A which impressed me with the legroom, the 737 seats had at least 50% more legroom than their competitors at Airbus such as the A319 and A320.

About 15/20 minutes after takeoff the cabin crew came around with meals for the people who pre-booked them, I was confused when the cabin manager (who was giving out the meals) gave meals to people in rows before me, and then missed me out, and went straight back to row 26, I couldn't quite see why when the meals are all the same. But anyway, the meals were very nice but I would expect something much better for the amount that they cost.

Half way into the flight cabin crew offerred us duty free, which consisted of a very good selection considering we were flying short-haul, you could even compare it to some large airlines duty free collections.

Landing at Ibiza on RWY 06 was very smooth by the two Captains, and disembarking was prompt and proffessional. I liked how a member of the cabin crew stood outside on the air stairs saying goodbye to you as well as the member of cabin crew inside.

Overall it was a great flight and I give it 8/10.

Penfold flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (19/10/2011 17:54)

We were looking forward to our honeymoon in Cape Verde, having booked with 1st Choice and promised the extra legroom of 33'' as this was classed as a long haul flight.

The 757-200 isn't suited to the 6.5 hr flight if you are of a heavier build and over 6', legroom is painful (not 33'') and the seats were narrow.

The flight we were on was full and it was cramped..even for shorter passengers (my wife is 5'2" and she found it difficult). Food was very poor (and only one paid for meal for such a long journey), school meals were better.

The duty free was pushed as the aircraft wasn't restocked in Cape Verde (so get it now while you can..).

Return flight was late, much the same cramped wise..the meal consisted of a small amount of pasta (more of this would have been better than....), sausage & mash, and a square of carrot cake.

The remainder of the duty free (from the outward flight) was pushed (and since there are limited chances to spend your money in Cape Verde...this was the last chance..)...

Next time we fly we will check aircraft.

westside flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a A320 (15/10/2011 11:42)

hsouthworth82 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (09/10/2011 15:48)

Manchester - Dalaman Return September 2011. 757-200 Aircraft

We had pre-booked seats and meals which means that you get a choice of seats from the first 10 rows of the aircraft. Seats pre-bookable online about 12 weeks before departure. We sat in seats 7c and 7d. These were chosen specifically because my mum prefers the aisle seat and I hate the middle!

Outbound flight from Manchester did leave slightly late, but it seems that hardly any flights I go on recently ever seem to leave on time we always make it up on route. The same occured on the inbound, flight late in taking off from Manchester departed Dalaman over 30 minutes late, but arrived on time.

Seats were cramped as we have come to expect from all 'package' holiday flights these days. 757 aircraft seem to be by far the worst they pack them as tightly as they can get away with.

Cabin Crew friendly enough on both legs, although there was an accident during the meal service involving hot liquid. The stewardess involved was clearly very stressed but dealt with the incident appropriately. The cramped conditions on aircraft also affect the staff.

Food was usual fare, nothing really that edible. Thomson will not be offering pre-cooked meals from 2012 but will have a larger selection of sandwiches etc. on board to purchase. My advice go to Boots, buy a meal deal and eat that on the plane. As for water, an announcement was made that Dalaman airport is very expensive and we were advised to purchase water on board before landing as most people have long transfer times. Good advice - in theory bur for £1.60 a bottle, to then be offered water on board the transfer bus for 1 Lira a bottle (roughly 40p) I was a little peeved. Oh and they want you to buy all your alcohol on the outbound flight as they say they don't stock up upon arrival in Turkey and there is limited availability on inbound flights.

Inbound aircraft was old First Choice 757, space seemed even more limited, no comfort whatsoever for night flight, head and neck position on seats is awful. Who on earth designed the seats? A car seat gives higher levels of comfort.

Would I fly with Thomson Airways again? Probably, as we are all looking for the cheap deal on our holidays in the current climate and this is the price we pay. Is it right to treat people like cattle? No but for £535 11 nights 4* All Inclusive in Turkey I cannot complain too much.

danilees flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (05/10/2011 20:11)

Our flight was great although it was only a 2 hour flight & the plane had a few empty seats so as we were travelling with a toddler & a baby it made our life a lot easier.
The plane was clean & seats were comfortable, the flight attendants were lovely & offered their help when our toddler felt unwell.(he was fine just very tired)

Tracey61 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (30/09/2011 12:18)

We flew on an ex first choice 767-300er to Male, check in was quick, as was boarding, entertainment good with lots of choice, food excellent both outbound and inboound, staff were helpful and friendly. We would highly recommend Thomson, both flights were on time.

terry85 flew Thomson Airways (30/09/2011 08:54)

We were due to fly home from Paphos to Doncaster at 18.00 hours only to be told that due to the crew running out of hours we would have to wait until 01.30 the next day (we took off at 02.00)

Not happy why send a flight out with a crew that do not have enough hours for the return flight

KevinHuntley flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (26/09/2011 07:38)

Having pre-booked seating, on arrival at check in at both airports, Gatwick & Paphos, we were allocated completely different seats which we then had to go through the rigmarole of getting changed.

This was particularly most annoying at Paphos where we were told that the reason for changing our seats was so that a family group could sit together. If they wish to sit together, then they should pay like we had to. Why should we be inconvenienced. The check in clerk then managed to find us seats across the aisle from one another with, allegedly, extra leg room. This was only the case for one of the seats as long as you didn't mind other passengers tripping over your feet on the way to the toilet.

Baggage retrieval at Gatwick left a lot to be desired. 20 or so cases came off in the first 5 minutes then nothing for 15 minutes. Just what you need at 3 o'clock in the morning!!

bobbyJDtombo flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (23/09/2011 15:12)

LGW-Puerto Plata-LGW

My partner, my nine year old son and I chose Premium due to the length of the flight. We were in 4A, 4B & 4C - good seats not too near the loo but near enough to the Galley for service to be quick.

Entertainment was very good and started immediately after take-off. The complimentary noise cancelling headphones in premium are very good.

The Gatwick crew going out were very professional, meals were not served on a trolley, but brought individually. The drinks service basically did not stop for the whole flight and we all really enjoyed the food. A nice warm meal with warm rolls and wine followed by a clotted cream tea and sandwiches before we landed.

On the way back there was dinner followed by a full english breakfast before landing. My son was especially pleased with the Kids meal we pre-ordered which was Sausages and Smiley faces on the way out with sandwiches and cake for his snack and sausages and mash on the way back.

Coming back the crew were a little less professional and friendly but the service was still good and definitely worth paying the extra for, I would always recommend it. We flew with Virgin to Orlando last summer on a holiday that basically cost the same and were treated like cattle, kids meals were forgotten, drinks were not offered and the crew were rude.

We would always choose Thomson for a long-haul holiday flight over Virgin now.

CharlesMilligan flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (22/09/2011 06:49)

Flew to Rhodes from Cardiff on 21st August and returned to Cardiff on 15th September. Good flight both ways with early arrival on both legs. Comfortable flight both ways with attentive cabin crews

bobcaz2001 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B737-800 (19/09/2011 07:22)

CarolDarnbrough flew Thomson Airways (18/09/2011 22:04)

The flight was very good we left on time and service was very good.

We paid to choose our seat which was good so no need to rush to check in. My only complaint was the meal has not enough choice so I was very hungry with nothing to eat, it would be a good idea to carry some sandwiches for people who dont like the meal. 10 hrs is a long flight with no food to eat and staff did not seem interested when I said I didn't like the chicken tikka, I was not offfered anything in its place. But overall a good flight.

sueleetiggy flew Thomson Airways Short-haul (16/09/2011 07:06)

Why is it that Thomson charge you £15.00 for each seat you select and then you cannot have the seats you want?

Surely this is wrong.

TravelAlot flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (15/09/2011 15:53)

Flew Luton to Rhodes & back on one of the most uncomfortable seats, completely cramped and with no personal space, even less when the seat in front reclines back, it was impossible to sit without your knees apart an not have them pressing against the seat in front.

If you put your legs in the aisle, the crew rammed their trolleys into your legs, as they were concerned about selling, snacks, headsets, drinks etc. As we were sitting down the front, pre-booked seats together (we across the aisle as that was the only option available), row 7, there was no room in the overheads, as the crew placed their baggage there in preference to the customers baggage, other overheads had the old entertainment equipment in (rows 1-3) so no room furhter up the plane. Nice one Thompson

The on board pre-paid meal going out was supposedly BBQ Chicken, the smell was awful, the small piece of chicken breast was one that KFC wouldn't use as it was too small. The BBQ sauce was a strange colour, and that with the smell made it completely unappertising. The piece of chicken was like rubber. The starter, supposedly potato salad, was a lump of uncooked potatoe in mayo, the desert a dolop of lime jelly.

The return meal was even worse, I couldn't make out what the starter was meant to be, the main sausages & mash with onion gravy was tasteless and the desert was far too sweet to be edible, a complete waste of the £15 (each).

The on board entertainment was on old drop down screens with extremely fuzzy picture, repeatedly interupted by crew announcements for what they could try and sell you next.

The toilets were not cleaned between outbound and return journey, and they only provided limited towels so a couple of hours into the flight there were no paper towels left.

jil2822 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (15/09/2011 11:00)

Gran canaria Aug/sept flight, was a little worried as I had put on weight since my last flight, would the seat belt fit? would my hips fit i the seat? would the person next to me think god shes fat & splllng over, im a size 18 & there was no need to worry, the flight out was great the seats were very comfortable.

I had 6/7 inches over in the seatbelt, we had bought extra legroom & were boarded first lovely but this doesnt happen all the time as we found out on our return journey, we were just behind the toilets this did not effect us on the way out.

We took off about ten minutes later than expected so pretty much to time & it was a nice flight, childrens film for those who wanted to watch, we took our own drinks but bought a bag of maltesers £3.00 a little on the expensive side! Don't like the inflight meals so didn't purchase them, smell put me off.

Baggage arrived safe & sound in very little time. NOW coming home, the dreaded night flight , was different, smaller seats, smaller belts although thank god they still went round me, the seats were a little snug & I heard many people comment that they were smaller. Again though a comfortable flight,on time take off, we put the stewards chair down & put our feet up & went to sleep although had to have something over our eyes as the light from the toilet kept shining in ours eyes & it did get a little smelly!.

Again a film was on can't remember what it was as all I wanted to do was sleep. Landing great, baggage took forever to come out & both my cases were damaged, I know this can occasionally happen but both!? I intend to take it up with thomsons as they were both new.

Still fully recommend thomsonfly though, usually on time, reasonably comfortable, sort them small seats out on some of their planes, nice staff, would like first boarding to extra legroom seats all the time great idea!. All in all a great holiday.

Scoundy_UK flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (12/09/2011 21:29)

Travelled from MAN-SFB on 27 Aug 2011. Ex-First Choice plane G-OOAN and believe it was seat plan version 1. Returned SFB-MAN on 10 Sept 2011 on another 767 in First Choice Livery, but I didn't get to find out its registration number. The seat plan doesn't quite match any of the versions here.

Both ways, travelled in Premium Cabin, seat 9B (which I prebooked). Service in the Premium Cabin was really good, with plenty to drink from a very efficient cabin crew, including pre-take off juice or sweet wine, although inbound it was served immediately after take off. The reason being that everyone (Premium and Standard) boarded through the front door which meant that the Premium crew had no hope of serving drinks to the people at the front!! Inbound crew were Glasgow based, and a good bunch they were too. I'd read some reviews for Thomson where the inbound crew have given a lower standard of service than the outbound - not the case for this great crew. But outbound was also very good. Pretty good and tasty meals too. Not going to win any awards, but certainly better than you expect.

Seat configuration was 2-3-2 in both premium and standard cabin. There was lots of leg room outbound, but on the inbound flight, row 9 had no windows, and on the aisle seats there was something bolted to the underside of the seat in front which restricted leg room a little. My seat also didn't seem to recline quite as much as the one in front.

The seat base did feel firm, but at least it was a decent size and decent amount of underthigh support (I'm 6'3").

These planes have seen better days and the cabins are looking a bit dated and in places a bit tatty. Thomson's replacement 787s can't come soon enough.

Other bonuses of Premium were that there were dedicated check-in desks, priorty through security at MAN and use of the Palms Lounge at SFB. Upgrading to Premium effectively costs £10 per hour. Bargain if you ask me.

deadmemories flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (11/09/2011 16:30)

Manchester - Sanford 25th August 2011

Out-bound

TOM 168 (767-300ER)v2 (with winglets) (row 19)

Check in was quick and easy, the pre booked seats came up straight away without any problems, very polite. the plane was an ex first choice livery, the legroom was perfect and also the personal in flight entertainment was a real bonus.

Boarding was easy even though we were last to board, the pre booked seats were excellent and the row behind was the extra legroom seats, therefore nobody behind was kicking and jolting your chair. However, if sitting near the window on this row, beware it can become very cold as is located next to the emergancy exit door near the wing. Take off was smooth.

Soon after take off the cabin crew ask if you wish to upgrade your inflight entertainment for £5, for this you recieve 3 extra movies and the ability to play/pause/fast forward, i did not bother witht the upgrade as i was happy with what is available, the in flight games passed the time. Headphones were free outbound. My radio did not work on my outbound flight, however, my neighbour was obliged to me let me use theirs. Around 2 hours into the flight, the hot meal was served, a choice of steak stew or bbq chicken, both served with a potato salad and a key lime pie desert. The meal was okay nothing spectacular. In my opinion the meal was served too early.

The seats were comfy enought to sit however, I found it impossible to sleep, it was far too awkward. Around an hour and a half, the second meal was served, it was a small cheese and pickle sandwhich, i found this extremly dry and bland, it was very small, frankly i would not have been bothered if i was served this or not, very disapointing. The flight was very bumpy, with a lot of turbulance, however, it was the same time as hurricane irene was about to hit the usa coast. The landing into Sanford was very bumpy as we seemed to hit the runway and bounced back up and down again, the pilot apologised and blamed 'unexpected wind'. The flight took off and landed on time and the crew were polite and helpful.

Inbound - (without winglets)

Check in was very slow at Sanford, however, Thomson staff were not checking us in, it was sanfords own staff. We were offered premium upgrades for £75pp, we refused as we did not find it nessicery. Looking at the plane from inside the airport, it looked very tacky and it had no winglets, i was very cautious about the interior was going to like.

We boarded early and found out that the flight would only take 7 hours 40mins back to manchester. My doubts were quenched when we boarded, i found the interior better than the outbound journey. We were given a free Daily Mail when we boarded the plane which i thought was a nice touch. We departed ten minutes early and once again take off was smooth.

On the out bound journey the headphone packet said 'take me on holiday with you and use me again on the reurn flight' however, at the end of the outbound flight, the headphones were collected by cabin crew. On the return flight the cabin crew announced that headphones would be £2.50pp which was not very pleasing, once everybody explained the situation the cabin crew gave out headphones for free. My full in flight entertainment was working and i found the radio entertaining and llistened to it for most of the journey.

Two hours into the flight our hot meal was served which was a choice of cheese and spinarch pasta or grilled chicken, each served with a very appatising looking salad and a very sickly chocolate cake, i chose the pasta, i found it very bland and could only eat a small amount, The meal was very disapointing. After the meal the pilot annouced he was going to turn the cabin lights off for people to rest, however, the flight was very bumpy as we flew over the atlantic and he kept turning the cabin lights on as the seat belt sign kept going on and the cabin crew needed to check the belts were on and had to wake people up to see if they had their belts on, as soon as the crew finished the seat belt sign was removed and once again the cabin lights were turned back off, however, within a couple a minutes, the process was repeated, it occured around 4-5 times, it was very difficult for people to rest. At this time hurricane katia was turning in the atlantic.

Around a hour and a half before landing, our second meal was served which consisted of a croissant and a cherry youghurt. bearing in mind it was around half 4 - 5 olock in the morning, it was very unnessicrery and many tired passenged refused it. Once a again it was very bland and tasteless. We landed very smoothly compared to the arrival in Sanford, we were half an hour early than arrival time.

Overall I think Thomson airways is a very good long haul flight with the legroom and personal in flight entertainment and also the little gestures such as the newspaper. However the in flight food was very disapointing, but punctuality and service is top notch and i would definatly recomend this company to anyone travelling long haul.

deniselittler flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (02/09/2011 11:39)

Travelled in Thomson premium economy on ex-First Chice which I believe is more spacious than the ex-Thomson.

We paid extra for premium economy and were sat in the front of the plane (sectioned off by a curtain) in a 2-3-2 config. I was on the aisle of the 3 row 6. The seats are slightly wider than the normal economy and there is is a little more leg room and a footstool and you can recline slightly more than normal.

Upon boarding we were given a welcome drink and some twiglets, a goodie bag that was an eye mask, a miniature toothbrush/paste, miniature salt & pepper. Also on the seat was a neck pillow and soft blanket. There was a toilet to use at the front of the plane.

About two hours into the flight we were given our meals (which we chose previously from a choice of two - chicken or beef). It was the usual plane food - a starter, roll, meal and desert on plastic tray and in plastic dishes - the same standard as usual airline food.

Drinks - when we were first asked we received two drinks each (obviously this is done by the air hostesses to save everyone ringing their buzzer all the time and them having to respond!). With the meal we ordered wine and then after the meal they came round with a choice of baileys or whiskey - again we got 2 each. I asked for a further drink about an hour from landing and was told they had to keep the stocks for the return flight passengers! It is not worth paying extra for premium economy if you are mainly intererested in the free drinks as you won't get your money's worth.

About 2 hours before landing we were served sandwiches and a cake and then a tub of ice-cream. We had friends who had flown out the week before and they got exactly the same in economy (without the free drinks)!.

We flew home economy and yes the seats are slightly less in leg room and not as wide and I really felt the difference when trying to sleep but that could have been down to the night flight and being tired and uncomfortable. We had the food choice again, pillow and blanket but the entertainment choice is less in that they do not show the 2 main films or have the cd choices (but you can pay £5 to upgrade this and then you receive them).

I would say economy is fine on these ex-first choice flights if you can't get them discounted as £259 is a lot to pay- just buy your own alcohol in the airport! I definately didn't have a problem flying back economy.

jp141155 flew Thomson Airways (02/09/2011 10:03)

SHAUNking flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B737-800 (01/09/2011 18:37)

EXCELLENT SERVICE FROM START TO FINISH. CABIN STAFF VERY GOOD, FLIGHT MEAL NOT TO GOOD.
BOOKED EXTRA LEG ROOM WELL WORTH THE £50
WILL USE THOMSON NEXT YEAR FROM BOURNEMOUTH

jakeylewis2011 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v5 (30/08/2011 00:26)

FANTASTIC

Flew on there G-OOBF and G-BYAP This year, fantastic flight, fantastic service, Gatwick to alicante and back on an 757-200 = Fantastic
G-OOBF was ex FCA Delivered in 2004, very nice aircraft,, Extra leg room seats were very nice.

G-BYAP was built in 1994, lacked aircon units in the PSU's but had the recaro seats, very nice for extra leg room, its a shame we didnt have a TV right in front of us like we did on G-OOBF but it was a nice flight, we had 2 medical emergencys on the way back and the crew dealt with the fantasticly by the looks of it.

jakeylewis2011 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a A321 (30/08/2011 00:15)

FANTASTIC
Flew on there G-OOPE and G-OOPH last year, fantastic flight, fantastic service, Gatwick to alicante and back on an A321 = Fantastic

rocotrosh flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (29/08/2011 14:12)

Having boarded our flight at Birmingham we were extremely disappointed to find that the plane had been changed and there was actually no Premium seating.

The staff were more than apologetic and couldn't do enough for us, they were professional in every sense of the word. During the 9 hour flight I never once had a dry glass...... they were attentive and very polite and even though disapponted we thoroughly enjoyed our experience minus the extra seat pitch.......

On our return journey we were lucky enough to go into the Palm Lounge pre flight boarding which is nice to relax that little bit more before the flight home.....On boarding the plane we were happy to see that we were in Premium seating which was nice but to be brutally honest I personally would not pay for an upgrade again we had no problems with leg space on our flight out and only really gained from the free drinks..... Yes it was nice to experience it but you really do not gain anything coming home on a night flight, you are just too tired to want lots of drinks.... So no I wouldn't upgrade again although it was a lovely experience it really isn't worth the extra money.....

I should add that when we got home we were refunded the cost of premium going out....If you are taking long haul to Florida that upgrade cost is the cost of your theme park multi-tickets so give it a good long think about it cost us £1025.00 for five that is a big hike on top of the cost of your holiday..

I would not hesitate to travel with Thomson again they are by far the best Airline out there so well done Thomson keep up the good work! Your staff are a credit to you....

rocotrosh flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (29/08/2011 13:57)

funkysam123 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (28/08/2011 11:31)

We flew from LGW to SFB on Thomson, Premium Class.

Check-in was fantastic with our own desks for premium customers. We arrived in plenty of time so had a wait in the departure lounge. On arrival at the boarding gate, we were boarded first, as premium customers, followed by economy customers rear to front.

We were surprised by how much legroom there was, loads! We had on-demand entertainment, something you had to pay a fiver extra for in standard. The crew gave us complimentary Orange Juice before departure. After take-off, the cabin crew took our lunch orders, a choice of pasta, chicken or fish, i think, and served us drinks, all without a trolley. I watched films a slept a while, which the seats are excellent for. Food came around and it was far better then the economy experience we had with Thomson a while back. Three course meal, served piping hot and was cleared away immediately when we were finished, without a trolley. Before arrival the crew came round with snacks and drinks, without a trolley. Baggage arrived promptly and was all OK.

On the return, the flight was similar and we also got Ice Cream before departure. The only complaint is the bags took a very long time upon arrival at Gatwick, but that might have been the airport and not the airline.
Excellent flights, I would highly reccomend.

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (27/08/2011 12:54)

Last year, I commented on the appaling state of the "veteran"Thomson B757,s which transported me to and from Croatia.

I have just returned from a similar trip and must say that I am disturbed by the dripping aircon and the apparently regular occurance of unusable toilets. For a company that provides top class reliable holidays, someone must realise that these over-used 757,s are well past their sell by date. Yet again, I had the pleasure of being jammed in, next to an obese woman, whose hips covered the armrest !!

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (27/08/2011 12:44)

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (27/08/2011 12:43)

smirky2004 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (12/08/2011 20:53)

Flew Thomson Airways 757-203 short haul Manchester to Dalaman TOM 628
The plane was old just been moved from Tui Nordic 28" pitch cramped and very uncomfortable. This I must say has to have been the most unenjoyable flight ever. I am not a giant but I struggled for leg room.

superman flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (11/08/2011 13:03)

Birmingham/Cancun 26th July preium class, quick book in and boarding. Quick flight out, very good, on time, well looked after by staff, plenty of drink offers food good.

Entertainment good choice of films and so on, return flight boarding not quit as good, standard class had to board same door. Apart from this all good, staff very friendly and well looked after again, not easy to sleep not due to seats or staff mainly a male passenger sat close by not thinking of overs banging a drink mixer stick on his tray all the way home.

Apart from him well worth upgrading to premium class, would use again.

superman flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (11/08/2011 12:48)

mutmit07 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B737-800 (04/08/2011 19:39)

I travel with Thompson airways on a yearly basis as I book my holidays through their sister company, first choice!

We usually go in and around europe, so a flight no longer than 5 hours! so short haul!
when you get onto the plane, the cabin crew are extremly friendly and take you to your seat if needed, they are great with kids, sitting them towards the front of the plane to make toilet trips easy, and also so kids dont get blocked by the trolley when needing to go to the toilet.

During the short haul flights there are overhead luggage stores, for good storage room, also there is up to a 26" leg room, as standard, the most i have had is a 35", but we sat at the very front of the plane as allocated, we diddnt have to pay any extra!

There are overhead TV's to every 5 rows of seats, hard to see in some circumstances, but find the right position to sit in and seeing will be easy. Sleeping is hard, as the seats do go back, but only a little and when they go back the people behind dont have much room and sometimes complain!

As for entertainment, there are in seat radios and a movie on each way, after the movie a TV show such as friends or the simpsons comes on for the remainder of the flight! great entertainment.

As for safety, for fifteen minutes before you take off the cabin crew go through safety to a vigourous extent, and they show a rather funny video of kids showing safety procedures, the aim of this is to entertain people, and make the safety regulations stick in your head, also there are safety leaflets in the seat compartment of the back of the seat in front of you.

Food is good, great for the price, and considering the conditions, the food and drinks form the cart are great, bit pricey but what do you expect! also the shop, you will find a catalog in the seat wallet which takes advantage of non tax items and exchange rates!

Staff are so friendly and do a great job, great with kids!!!

Only ever one problem, four toilets, only two were working after being blocked, which meant having to go to the back!!! but not to problematic!!!

Great flight, I reccomend. people who rate them bad must have had a very bad experience!!! or are just very hard to impress! its not the Hilton in the sky, but definetly not far off!

DevonRob flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a A320 (01/08/2011 16:26)

Very poor experience, from arrogant lack of service at Exeter airport to poor seating on aircraft. Given you have to pay for the food the least they could do is try to make it edible. Unfortunately they are the only choice for EXT/MAH. So next year we will choose a different holiday destination

DaveHobson flew Thomson Airways (30/07/2011 08:09)

The palnning and the booking of the trip was made in April 2011 through one of the Thomson offices (Mansfield) and they were superb. The outbound leg on TOM118 went according to pland except there was some concern expressed by others that they had learned the day before that the "for opertional reasons the inbound aircraft was to be changed" but we had heard nothing. This may be due to the fact that we were not at our home 24 hours before departure. On arrival at Sanford, we located a rep and they had no idea about the return flight information. Rang my booking office the next day from Florida, at our expense, and was told that any changes made would not affect our return. Checked during the holiday and was told the same thing from another source. On our arrival at Sanford we were told by the checkin staff that our aircraft type had changed and there was no premium economy seating on the replacement.

We were to afforded the facilities of Premium Economy but not the very thing we wanted, the extra leg room. Dont get me wrong the staff on the aircraft did all they could for us, they were polite, efficient and professional but that did not overcome the very thing we wanted - THE EXTRA LEGROOM.

If we had known we would have just flown from NCL without a complaint. So far they have not responed to my email message or the complaint letter nor made any offer of a refund. I am pterry sure they knew long beforehand of the issues but only advised premium economy passengers 24 hours before they left. What could they do - nothing. The management of Thomson should be ashamed but they wont be cos it was for operational reasons, neither I suspect will they answer any questions to my satisfaction. Thomson - you really screwed up by not informing your cusomers early enough for it to make any difference - have the guts to ring me and apologise - I shall not wait with baited breath.

jp141155 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (29/07/2011 11:58)

One of the best airlines around for holiday destinations, particularly the premium class section. The staff are both professional and friendly and are always willing to help.

jp141155 flew Thomson Airways (29/07/2011 11:55)

Thomson Airways are, in my opinion, one of the best holiday airlines in the market. Their service is excellent, food is generally pretty good and the staff are always helpful and friendly.

Hunny01 flew Thomson Airways (27/07/2011 06:45)

We has always upgrade to Premium Cabin with First Choice when flying long haul, however service has deteriorated since they joined with Thomsons.

Flew in July on Thomsons arilines in Premium Cabin and was very disappointed. Yes, there is more room, and the seat back TVs are larger, however we could have purchased extra leg room, upgraded the entertainment package and bought drinks for at least half the price of the Premium Cabin seats.

Staff were not attentive and that extra pampering that used to be there is now missing. Will not be wasting our money next year!

gazman64 flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (25/07/2011 20:33)

maggiemaygerent flew Thomson Airways (24/07/2011 21:22)

Premium class are you joking. I have just returned from Kenya 22nd of July and never had such a uncomfortable journey in all the time i have been flying.

I thought as we were flying for over 9 hours I would pay the extra for priemium class , I wish I hadnt botherd , the seats were hard and the seat arm could not be pulled up so could not get comfortable at all so could not sleep at all and as was on a night flight going out to mombassa so arrived very tired and grumpy. The stewards on that flight were not interested ,breakfast you were not given a choice and so never ate any as not everyone likes tomato over there eggs, the flight coming back 22nd july 2011 was better service but stil the terrible seats, just not worth it and i have booked them for our holiday to Aruba in September so hopefully I can change them even if I have to lose the money paid for them.

Flyingwithbaby flew Thomson Airways (05/07/2011 16:13)

Flight from London Gatwick to Palma de Mallorca. Our baby is 10 months old and crawling and standing. When pre-reserving seats with an infant you cannot select your seats online you have to call up. I expect this is to prevent you trying to select a seat with wide leg room such as at an emergency exit as they do not allow children under 14 in those seats (despite the fact your baby doesnt have its own seat and is in your lap). I guess they feel that looking after a baby you wouldnt be able to open the exit..even if you are flying as part of a couple!

I wanted to warn people that although you think you would be able to select the exact seats as you paid £24 for the priviledge you cannot. The aeroplane is three seats to one side and three to the other (no middle column). They will not let you book an aisle seat and a middle seat together (which we wanted so we could sit together with our baby on our laps and not have to disturb someone to get out to change the baby or walk her if she is crying). They will only, as a couple, let you book the window and middle seat (so you are effectively pinned in by a stranger) or two aisle seats (which is hardly condusive to pass a baby in between or being able to let her crawl between us.

Apparently you only pay to guarantee you are seated together and not the actual seats you want. Helpful - not. Especially if the way they allocate the seating is to ensure families are together anyway. So why pay if they wont leave a window seat free? If I was flying on my own I would rather have a window seat than have to get up and down to release an aggravated baby to the toilets every two minutes.

And they wonder why people get annoyed on flights with screaming babies when they dont actually permit parents with babies to be seated in places which are going to be easier to placate and comfort those infants.

GraceHeuchan flew Thomson Airways (27/06/2011 12:56)

I was in sest 37E, there was at least 8 children all around not counting the others in the cabin and they were all screaming 98% of the journey it was horendous, I had upgraded for my entertainment but did not use it as I could not hear for the screaming and crying, may I suggest that you put all parties with children at the back of the aircraft, and people without children further down towards the front, so that people travelling without children can enjoy the flight, we tried to upgrade seating at the airport but there was none available.

This was the flight from hell we left Sanford on the 17th June arriving in Glasgow on the 18th June

pcannon flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (17/06/2011 10:05)

My wife and I have just flown Premium with Thomson Airways for the first time.

We left from Glasgow on the 27th May (2011) flying to Sanford in Orlando and came back two weeks later.

I have to say overall it was worth paying the extra (£150 each) to sit "up front". The service on both flights was excellant, we were well looked after, pleanty to eat and drink.

The inflight entertainment was good, touch screen controlls, pause re-wind etc on the movies and TV options. Included in the price is free access to the Palm Lounge in Sanford airport for your return flight, where you get two free alcholic drinks each and all the soft drinks and snacks you can eat/drink. Not the most comfortable seats to try and sleep in for the return journey though but hey other than start paying for upper class what can you expect.

Would I use them again, yes without hesitation and would I recommend them to others, well yes, that is why I am writing this.

I have flown often in Premium with Virgin, now they are not that good but then again they do not charge their prices. Try them I think you will be pleased. Cheers....Pat

holsetc flew Thomson Airways Short-haul (13/06/2011 12:32)

Hello, I am new to this site after searching for seat plans for our upcoming holiday to costa blanca in August. However I felt that I should say that me and my husband have never had anything other than first class service from Thomsons with all the holidays we have booked. We book holidays in the traditional way at the travel agents and only venture to the spanish costas but there has never been a time when we didnt have excellent service and seating. The flights have only been a couple of hours so I cant comment on longer flights but our seating has always been comfortable and the Thomson service exceptional.

matthewlovesplanes flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (13/06/2011 06:25)

Here is a correction from your review DurhamLad the boeing 767 is called the Luxury Liner the boeing 787 is called the DreamLiner

Review:
We was on a flight from Manchester - Cape Verde
(Bad) (G-BYAY) and (G-OOBH)
No 1. There was no AVOD Systems in the back of seats on a 6 hr flight.
No 2. The overhead screens were very hard to see
No 3. The 2 toilets in the front was blocked so we had to go right to the back of the plane to get to the toilets.

Good
No1. The kids are seated in the front of the plane rather than the centre which means its faster to get to the toilet
No2.By getting the kids in the front of the plane it is more easier to escape in a emergancy.
No3. Hardly any Turbulance on any of the B757's I have been on with thomson.

DurhamLad flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (01/06/2011 20:56)

My wife and I have just returned from the Dominican Republic travelling from Newcastle to Punta Cana in one of the ex-First Choice 767 aircraft. This was called the Dream Liner and it still is.

The flight in both direction was perfect no bumps in either direction even though the Captain warned that we may have some on the return but there was not even a ripple.

Both legs of the journey departed and arrived 20 minutes early.
It was First Choice all the way.

samuelmorris flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (19/05/2011 00:34)

Flights were TOM138 MAN-SFB 18-Apr-11 and TOM159 SFB-MAN 03-May-11.

Flight was planned to be the seatplan selected (283-seat v3 767) on the outbound flight, and the 258-seat v2 on the return journey.

At check-in we were informed that due to a fault with the allocated aircraft we were allocated a small plane and thus had to make a fuel stop in Maine, additionally that the flight would be delayed by 1 hour.

Realising that the only aircraft in the Thomson fleet smaller than the 767 are not long-haul, I knew we were in for an uncomfortable flight. Upon reaching the gate my suspicions were confirmed - the aircraft outside was G-BYAY, a short-haul 757-200.

Additionally, we were told for 'safety paperwork' reasons (ETOPS perhaps?) we'd have to wait longer at the gate. The flight ultimately set of 2h30 late, and we would much rather have spent the extra hour and a half in the departure lounge.

Including a 53 minute stop in Bangor, ME, the total flight time to Sanford was 10h23. A long time for what could only be 28" seat pitch. However, despite the cramped conditions for a long flight, the flight crew were friendly, and the in-flight meals good (for me at least. For my friend the vegan main was fine, but seemingly they forgot to pack any vegan supplementary snacks)

Return flight was aboard the correct aircraft, G-OOBK, and on-time, and quite comfortable. I certainly appreciated the cabin lights being dimmed and being surprisingly undisturbed by duty free offers as I usually am on night flights.

No complaints about the return flight whatsoever, as despite having been on 30 flights in the last 12 years, this was my first with seatback IFE!

However, although not directly related to the intended aircraft, the inadequacy of a maximum capacity 757 for a 10 hour flight, plus the unforecast delay at the gate, in addition to the far worse situation for those who booked premium class and didn't get it, or the 48 people who had to fly out the following day due to the smaller capacity, mean I have to downrate the class for our trip.

Lastly a heads up for the IFE - the headsets provided are single-jack earphones with an adapter, meaning you can take this off and use it with your own headphones.

matthewsavah flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v4 (18/05/2011 19:13)

Me and My wife and my 2 children have just returned from Cape Verde.

The flight was alright and it was really great service because first we did not know we had prebooked seats but it turns out on every flight with thomson now have free prebooked seats for kids so very great service.

We came from Manchester Airport I would have thought that it would have been cramped and we would have been somewhere in the middle of the plane so really great service!

ClareWilliamson flew Thomson Airways (09/05/2011 17:22)

On arrival at the airport on 22nd April for our flight to Florida my husband and I were very disappointed to learn that there were no Premium seats, as booked, available on our flight to Sanford, Florida. The assistant at the check-in desk was less than helpful and merely shrugged her shoulders. Not wanting to cause a fuss we accepted our fate and our standard apology letter and hoped for the best.

On boarding the plane we were horrified to see that this plane was not even a standard long haul plane, but a aircraft normally used for short haul journeys meaning that the seat pitch was somewhere in the region of 28”, considerably less than the 33” economy seating promised on the Thomson website, certainly not more than BA, Virgin as detailed.

To add insult to injury after boarding the plane, the flight was delayed by 40 minutes, meaning that my husband was uncomfortable before we had even left the ground. After sometime the pilot made an announcement detailing that this plane could not hold enough fuel to fly to Florida and that we would need to stop in Bangor, Maine information that should have been provided from the outset. After takeoff we were further disheartened to learn that the audiovisual equipment on the plane was broken, fixing it would have meant a ‘long delay’ I must say I found this somewhat farcical since the cabin crew had made a big show of handing out headsets for a flight with no entertainment.

The plane was truly not fit for purpose; row one being used to store food during the flight, the front emergency exit filled with rubbish bags. Around an hour and a half before arriving in Bangor all the toilets had blocked. I am horrified that Thomson find this an acceptable standard of service.

In total we were aboard the awful plane for 12 hours, several hours of which my husband spent standing as it was preferable to sitting. After boarding on time we eventually arrived in Sanford over two and a half hours late.

Thomson should be mortified by their lack of customer care!

beckf65 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (26/04/2011 08:59)

My husband and I have just returned from a holiday in Kenya. We chose to fly Premium class with Thomson Airways. This cost us another £186.00 pounds each.

The flight out was delayed by two hours and the return flight was delayed by three hours.

The seats were really awful, they were so hard we had to sit on our cushions... this didn't actually help much.

On the return flight there were no Premium seats available. At the check in at Mombasa, we were handed a standard letter about apologies and refunds etc. etc. So we didn't make a fuss. The in-flight entertainment was broken and all the films were in Swedish, this is fine if you are a Swede!

The majority of the staff on the plane were perfectly nice, marred only by one particular 'Jobs Worth' who was obviously trying to get the 'Steward of the Year Award' and had been watching 'Come Fly with Me'!! The only thing good that I can mention is the food... it was really good and very hot.

Please be aware that if you have booked Premium seats and they are not available for your flight, they will not refund the tax you pay. So we were charged £186 for our return seats, which we didn't get, only to be refunded £111.

The Premium seat temptation is a COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY! Take heed and don't be conned. Economy is just the same.

albion65 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (25/04/2011 10:59)

We have just returned fron a trip to the riviera maya. Although we booked with Thomsons we were allocated a First Choice plane. We had only flown with First Choice once before to the Dom Rep but it was memorable for the seats in Premium class, they were terrible.
It felt like you were sitting on a park bench,, and that was the experience we had both ways. The Mexican trip was a repeat performance of our trip to DR, the premium class seats that had absolutely no softness at all.

The service going out was fine, coming back on the other hand was quite different, a two hour delay followed by service that I would describe as poor. we were offered drinks from the bar twiceand we we were told that if we wanted any more we would have to go to the galley at the rear of the plane.
I pointed out to the stewardess that we had been told to remain buckled up because of turbulence and not to move out of our seats until we were told to by the Captain.
It seems on reading the reviews that the standard seems to drop on RETURN trips it certainly seemed that way to us.
Don't waste you money on premium class seats.

JaniceWood flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (18/04/2011 08:09)

We flew from London Gatwick to the Dominican Republic in January 2011 where we spent two weeks. Service on the outbound flight was excellent, but service on the inbound flight was rubbish, absolutely rubbish.

Watch out when you book a holiday with Thomson/First choice as they change planes and seats without informing you and then come up with some cock and bull story that the plane has a fault! Fair enough, but why don't they inform you as soon as they are aware of that fact! It’s not difficult to just tell customers in plain English what the problem is.

We arrived at the airport to check in the day before to be told we couldn’t. Five minutes after this, another couple arrived and were allowed to check in - they were on same flight and same hotel, how do you make that one out then??? Turns out the computer hadn’t clicked into action when we tried, but then just as the other couple arrived the computer clicked into action. The computer said YES!!! The girl on the check-in desk didn’t even have the dignity to look embarrassed! The staff on the information desk, where we had asked about the problem in the first instance, had lied to us. They told us that the flight to La Romana had never been allowed to check-in the day before - what big fat liars. Don’t go with Thomson!

strathmore flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B767-300ER (328 seats) v4 (11/04/2011 18:50)

We flew from Montego Bay to Gatwick on a Thomson 767 having paid for premium seats . We were seated in row 2 which has a bulkhead immediately in front of it providing less legroom than in an economy seat. An uncomfortable fight and a waste of the extra cost.

chevymech flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (03/04/2011 18:56)

Booked with Thomsonfly for our vacation to Clearwater,Florida,USA on 23/5/2010. Flight left on time from Bristol and checkin was faultless. Fight attendants were very helpfull and attended to everyone very quickly. First Choice plane could have been cleaned better inside though, as there was dust and rubbish down by the sides of the seats and on the floor. Other than that the experience was good.

Outbound flight from Sanford, Orlando,Florida was on time although we were told we had to go back on an old Thomson aircraft and there was no Premium Class section on this aircraft, so there were alot of disapointed customers. For some unknown reason our original First choise aircraft had to be used for another destination so we were told by one of the attendants. Strange as the captain later told us on route that the original aircraft had a fault?!! In flight enterainment was faulty on the Thomson aircraft as it was old so we were told, plus there was a concern on whether we had enough fuel to get back to the UK to add to out troubles.

aliflower flew Thomson Airways (03/04/2011 18:19)

Thomson to Male - outbound on 17 March there was a problem with the original plane, so a substitute was sent, this had no inflight entertainment and not enough premium seating which obviously didn't impress those who had booked it, but in my opinion was pleased to get off on holiday on time rather than 5 hours late waiting for a plane that had these.

Service was fine, food not bad I just wish they would give an additional meal rather than such a lot of food in one meal (why do they still give out those rock hard rolls?!) and then a tiny snack, is not a lot for an eleven hour flight and you end up eating sweets and crisps to fill the void which isn't great.

Seat pitch was excellent, lots of leg room although that did feel hampered if the person in front reclined. Seat itself however rather hard and I had to use a pillow behind me (we were given pillow and blanket) to make it comfortable.

IFE on the return journey was excellent - selection of very current films, some tv shows and games (you can also upgrade for £5 each way so that you can pause/rewind etc if you want to but was no need, each film went round on a sep channel on a loop).

Overall pretty good flight!

RichardDavies flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a A320 (03/04/2011 11:53)

My wife and I booked on-line for a Thomson flight from Exeter Airport to Madeira Airport in March 2011 and paid for reserved seats and meals.

Check-in at Exeter was quick and trouble-free, except that the seats we were allocated were not the seats we had reserved - the seats we were given were a few rows further back, over the wing.

Seat-pitch was minimum - knees hard against the seat-back in front.

Push-back and take-off were on-time and the flight was smooth with very little turbulence.

Cabin-crew were young, smiling and helpful, with a lot to do.

The meal was quite good - small pot of ice-cold chopped mango; small tub of orange-juice; omelet and tomato with mashed potato; roll and Flora; small tub of chocolate pudding; tea or coffee.

Entertainment - a film to watch, with purchased earphones.

Interesting and helpful flight commentary from the Captain.

The four-hour flight-time seemed to pass quickly; to the pre-landing safety announcement, a curving descent, and a firm landing on the short and "challenging" Funchal runway.

Summers flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (19/03/2011 07:25)

Just flew back from The Maldives to Gatwick with Thomson. Very disapointed. We paid to upgrade with First Choice and we flew out on a First Choice plane which was fine but then coming home we were told that the Thomson plane was not premium and the inflight entertainment didnt work. The seats I booked 90 days before departure we didnt get so a sad close to our long awaited holiday. Thankyou Thomson. We were sold a product that could not be honoured.

phicounty flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (07/03/2011 19:36)

Whilst the flights were punctual - outbound and inbound that is the only positive aspect of this flight.
This must have been the MOST UNCOMFORTABLE FLIGHT I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED.

The flight was to/from Manchester - Sharm El Sheik and took 6+ hours in the most cramped conditions.

There was no option to upgrade to 'more comfortable seating' as apart from extremely limited Exit Seats there was no Premium Economy seating available on the flight as presumably they were more interested in CRAMMING AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE INTO THE AVAILABLE SPACE regardless of PASSENGER COMFORT.

herrybirch flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (06/03/2011 09:40)

19/04/11 going to Costa Rica and very looking forward to the flight as told on the website we would be going on 767-300ER 283 seats where as we are going on the 258 seat Ex-FCA version. And also heard about £5 in flight tv upgrade so sure the 11hours will fly by, literally!

IslandHopper flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul (26/02/2011 12:05)

I have recently booked and paid in full Thomson for a Premier A la Carte Holiday destination, this Thomson package was advertised with free Seat selection included in the package, however when I attempted to book my seats I was requested to pay an additional £50.00 to select a standard seat, I attempted to call Thomson on the premium rate telephone number and was left listening to music at 10p per minute with no indication of how long in a queue, This is the 2nd time this has happened when booking with Thomson’s premier selection.

IslandHopper flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (26/02/2011 11:58)

I flew with Thomson and upgraded to Premium an a return flight from Gatwick to Male (Maldives). The drinks are included But the stewards only served us drinks on only 3 occasions, The seating was better and the service overall was better, however I do not think the Premium is worth the extra cost, I do not feel this was value for money for this upgrade, that is my opinion and although I will fly with Thomson I will not be paying the extra for this upgrade.

easytraveller flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (24/02/2011 15:38)

Flew premium class, and though due to fly at 19.50 on 28th January to Mombasa, we did not take off till 1.30 the following morning.

When we checked in at 9 that evening (we were aware of the delay) there was only one member of check-in staff based at the premium check-in desk. She was probably the most officious person I have ever dealt with - might have been something to do with being tasked with dealing with the late arrivals, but hey that was her company's problem, not ours.

There was nothing to do once we went through security, basically Gatwick was closed from 10 onwards!!

Once on the flight things got a lot better. The food was prompt and hot, and I was able to sleep but that was probably due the two brandies I'd had after the meal, though I only asked for one.

What made it for me was the crew on the way back - though it helped that the plane was on time. I'm a southerner born and bred so this is not biased: The crew was Manchester-based and were quite frankly brilliant, the head guy - sorry didn't catch his name - kept his eye on everything and all crew members, and some of his messages were funny and original.

I've flown with both BA and Virgin in premium cabins and there is very little difference apart from the price.

In summary.....

Check in staff, remember the delay was your company's fault - don't take it out on the paying public.

Good seats, like the foot rests as I'm only 5 foot so sometimes my feet don't touch the floor. My husband likes the pitch as he's 6 foot.

Food/drink plentiful and of good quality.

Nice touch with the pillow/blanket & pack.

Entertainment was extensive and worked.

The Manchester crew - hopefully you will be able to find out who they were and thank them.

lilhas123 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (13/02/2011 15:31)

Flew Manchester to Varadero 02/02/2011 Premium class. Own check - in, Fast lane thro' security and priority boarding. Service was excellent. Drinks on demand. Choice of food. Entertainment system good as able to pause and rewind and fast forward. (good when you need to go to the toilet!!). Seat very comfy with lots of legroom and a foot rest. Toilet situated at front so only premium passengers can use it - saves a lot of queuing.
Flew back 09/02/2011. Nearly 2 hrs late but it didn't matter as we had paid for VIP room in Varardero Airport. Separate check in again. Same aircraft on way back - different crew. Again good service and food. Seats not the best for sleeping but it was much quicker on the way back ( about 8 hrs).
Definately worth the money for upgrade.

manicb2b flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (31/01/2011 20:34)

Booked to travel premium. OK on the way out but on the return flight there was a change to the aircraft and we were not told that we had been downgraded. We only found out when we boarded. Thomson had known about the change in aircraft 3 days earlier and claim to have informed our rep but that message never reached us. Cabin crew were very surly with all the passengers who had been downgraded and told us that we should be grateful that we were being flown home on time. So no premium seats, meals, drinks or entertainment. Have been told that i will be refunded for the extra money i paid for the premium seats on the return journey but they do not pay compensation or apologise in writing.

FreddyFBL flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (30/01/2011 12:32)

Travelled Premium class Manchester to Cuba 5th Jan 2011. Do not expect business class as on scheduled airlines because it isn't, but having said that, for the extra price one pays, it is well worth it, and much less than one pays for business class on other airlines. Apart from extra leg room, there is priority check in and boarding, and the service we got from the flight attendants was equally as good as anything we have experienced in true business class. The main drawback is sleeping quality of the seats which do not recline very far. We were however supplied with blanket and pillow which are not necessary for the daytime flight out but very useful for the night flight back. The food was excellent with a choice of four different main courses, and all served with a smile.

The in flight entertainment with films, music, route map etc. was more than adequate for the ten hour flight. Just a word of warning, row 9 in premium class does not have a window so avoid this if you want to view out. As you can pre-book your seats some 2 months before, this need not be a problem. Taking all into account, these were good flights we would be happy to repeat.

andreas07 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (24/01/2011 18:18)

We had a great time in Cyprus last year folllowing my last review and this May will be flying with Thomson to Corfu from Gatwick Airport. I'm sure it will be great. I'd just like to thank www.seatplans.com, because of this website it has straightened out confusion and is a great asset to any holiday!

ArwynDavies flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (13/01/2011 14:50)

It seems that Thomson have studied the needs of passengers on long haul flights, and have given economy passengers what is most important , ie more leg room. Food & Drink on our flight was really good, as well as top draw flight attendance. Top Marks to them. If other brand Airlines want to improve then study Thomson ,perhaps they could learn from them. WELL DONE THOMSON keep on flying

ArwynDavies flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (13/01/2011 14:48)

It seems that Thomson have studied the needs of passengers on long haul flights, and have given economy passengers what is most important , ie more leg room. Food & Drink on our flight was really good, as well as top draw flight attendance. Top Marks to them. If other brand Airlines want to improve then study Thomson ,perhaps they could learn from them. WELL DONE THOMSON keep on flying

thefirstchild flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (03/01/2011 13:04)

I was travelling on a B757 from London Luton, to Lanzarote Arreciffe.

The airline had properly crammed in the max number of seats. Even though there were still spaces for toilets and kitchens.

The plane didn't have air vents, that's a big problem in Lanzarote as it's boiling, especially in the winter compared to English weather:

Weather in England -7 degrees, heavy snow falls.

Weather in Lanzarote 25 degrees, some very sunny spells

Another problem was the currency exchange on board:

Thomson's answer £10 or EUR15 Right answer £10 or EUR11.50

But good recline, comfortable seating, friendly service, OK value for money, (apparently), good toilets and nice food.

The B757 was the most suitable Boeing, maybe even of any sort of aeroplane to fly on to the Canary Islands.

Globetrotter_Mike flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (28/12/2010 14:40)

JAMESBALDWIN flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-200ER (21/11/2010 16:36)

i Found the seating very good. All the cabin crew were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Entertainment was good all up to date films lots of choices in music games etc. have booked premium long haul for my next trip. Also faster to check in. no queuing cases so much better all round

Chappers. flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (10/11/2010 11:58)

LGW-MLE-LGW 24/10/10-08/11/10

Outbound - 767-300ER (258 seats) V1 - G-OOAN

The flight was delayed by just over three hours. This was not relayed to passengers until less than an hour until the initial departure time had elapsed. To be fair to Thomson, this was due to a technical issue with the plane and sourcing a replacement part, and as soon as the delay was known, they kept us informed (both by text message and in the airport) and issued all passengers with a £5 voucher to be spent in the departure lounge. The delay was one of those unfortunate things and couldn't be helped.

As soon as they could, the passengers were called to the departure gate, with those of us in Premium being boarded first. Due to the outgoing flight being the V1 plane, everybody boarded by walking through the premium cabin, however, again this is just a peculiarity of this one aircraft and no great problem, it just made the cabin crew's job of serving the pre-flight drinks a little more difficult!

As soon as all passengers had boarded, the captain spoke to everyone over the PA, again apologising for the delay, but also informing us that they had managed to negotiate a more direct route at a greater speed to attempt to claw back some of the lost time. No time was wasted in taxiing and on take off, and as soon as we were up to cruising the cabin staff were around again for drinks and snacks. In fact, the staff were great throughout the whole flight – very friendly and cheerful and extremely helpful. The meal was served approximately 1 ½ hours into the flight – and both myself and my wife were amazed by the quality and size. For a charter flight they were amazing. In fact, more praise is needed for the cabin staff – even for a night flight they worked extremely hard throughout, and the supplies of drinks etc were plentiful throughout. The “snack” about 2 hours before landing was in fact a full breakfast – again very tasty and plentiful. This was followed shortly afterwards by the cabin crew coming round with hot towels.

The interior of the plane is starting to show some signs of age now though, however, this is only a very minor criticism that I have observed from looking very closely at some of the seats. The plane we were on had two WC's at the front of the Premium cabin, both on the port side, and this could lead to some queues forming. However, I have to say that overall, the comfort levels are quite good – I am 6'3” and quite large build, and I remained comfortable throughout – in fact, you can fully stretch your legs out underneath the seat in front of you. The IFE was quite good, however I am not much into films so listened more to the CD collections – but that is an entirely personal choice.

Overall I have to rate the flight, aircraft, staff and service as being top-rate. The crew couldn't do enough to help and although many of the individual items that come as part of the Premium package can be bought separately for less in economy, the whole package was in both mine and my wife's opinion well worth the extra money – however with the added cost of APD I would have to seriously consider it on any future flights.

Inbound – 767-300ER(258 seats) V2 – G-OOBL

The flight was on time, which considering that the incoming flight was 20 minutes late landing and a turnaround of approximately 1 ½ hours was quite amazing. Again, priority booking in and boarding at MLE was appreciated as it cut out all the queues. Being a V2 plane, boarding was by the door in front of the wing so Premium was kept as just that. Again, the cabin crew were friendly and soon came around the cabin with the pre-flight drinks. The flight crew also kept us updated on the flight plan and before long we were taking off for the return journey.

The story was quite similar to the outbound – friendly staff, however they did not seem to be quite as eager as the outbound crew – but I still had no complaints (and it is really more of a credit to just how helpful the outbound crew really were). The meal was served approximately 2 hours into the flight – wine being served in a proper glass. Duty-free was offered afterwards, but there was no hard sell from any of the staff. The flight was fairly uneventful apart from some turbulence just over halfway through which necessitated the seatbelt signs being illuminated for about 30 minutes, however the captain managed to climb and get above it.

The snack was a Panini, (with associated desert etc) served about 2 hours before landing. Again, very tasty.

The landing was very smooth. Again, some signs of ageing of the seats are becoming evident, however they still have quite a bit of life left in them yet. This aircraft being the V2, only had the one WC at the front of the Premium cabin – yet somehow the queues did not seem to be as bad.

I would recommend the Premium upgrade. The product is very good. In fact, it has converted an extremely nervous and rare flyer into a long-haul fan! Well done Thomson!

johngorry flew Thomson Airways (06/11/2010 07:14)

WARNING : Do not book your flight / holiday early. I did and it is now £150 cheaper. Thomson (TUI) are not interested in customer care so don't think about contacting them with any form of complaint. Good luck if you choose to use this company (you will need it)

peterSH flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (05/11/2010 17:23)

Newcastle to Larnaca Sunday 05/09/10

Boarding prompt by Bus from gate. flight ready to push back 15 mins early, no problems with finding pre booked seats.

Cabin crew helpful, pleasant and efficient. Seating cramped but good ergonomics helped make it bearable.

More room on Easyjet and Flybe but infinitely better than the awful Thomas Cook short haul option.

Pre-ordered meal was poor, worse than expected, although our 3 year old grandaughter seemed to enjoy hers

Cabin service good although the single aisle layout is a pain if you need to use the toilets. 757 seems rather dated now.

Overall better than I had anticipated but 4.5 hours is just about the extent of toleration of this format. Bring on the "Dreamliner" although I doubt it will never be used shorthaul from Newcastle.

Chiefchester flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (23/10/2010 09:03)

Flight Punta Cana- Gatwick. Aircraft company First Choice. Service of Cabin crew are still at a high level. Highly qualified pilots. Extensive weather front was expertly passed and practically no inconvenience. Overall very good impression of the flight spoiled a little- no folding seat back of 19 rows, to sleep without unfolding back generally failed, but it was a night flight. In addition, the plane delayed for almost an hour to land. It is also difficult to attribute to the advantages. Otherwise, all is well- recommend.

Chiefchester flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (23/10/2010 08:23)

Flight Gatwick- Punta Cana. Aircraft company First Choice. High service level. Friendly and sociable staff. Every minute from several hours of our flight in the cabin was someone from the cabin-crew ( fly different companies, so have something to compare). Overall very positive impression spoiled a little not adapted for sleeping chairs and used passenger seats.

Julia512 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (22/10/2010 19:46)

TOM312 flying from Newcastle (NCL) to Dalaman (DLM) on a First Choice 757-200 in seat 15F. Boarding was very punctual, the cabin crew looked a bit bored to be on the flight. We got a meal of chicken, mash and veg, some pasta, a lemon cheesecake and a bread roll with butter with a choice of tea or coffee and a small chocolate. Thomson's 'snack boxes' are very good, they have hula hoops, chocolate fingers, crackers, water biscuits, pate and cheese. There was TV's in the cabin, not on the seatbacks. Leather seats, not the most comfortable.

ericmiles flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (17/10/2010 15:58)

Checking and boarding was good but once on the plane it is a different story. I am 6ft 1in and of a large build both outbound and inbound were extremely uncomfortable no leg room,table cutting into stomach,. There was a constant queue for the three toilets and the overworked cabin staff were having to go backwards and forwards to let people through. This was a five and a half hour flight so i think they should look at upgrading this flight to a larger more roomy plane

JoanneMuddeman flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (10/10/2010 19:44)

My partner and I have just returned from Dubrovnik, flying outbound and inbound on a B757-200.

My partner is 6 feet 5 and so he found the seating extremely cramped. As it is a short flight, we didn't feel it was worth the £50 to buy 'extra space' seats, but the normal seats really were cramped.

I am 5 feet 6 and although I had enough room I still felt 'hemmed in'. We were in seats 35 A and B outbound and 35 E and F inbound, which made leaving the plane at Gatwick long-winded, as we disembarked through the front of the plane.

Generally, service-wise, Thomson Airways are fine - boarding was on time and speedy at Gatwick and also fine at Dubrovnik. We had one drinks service, one meal service and one Duty Free service as the flight is only 2 hours 30 minutes.

There was a fair amount of traffic up and down the aisle however as we were near the toilets, and with only three toilets for approximately 240 passengers they got a lot of use!! As ever, snacks and drinks over-priced and fairly mediocre in content.

julesmarie flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (06/10/2010 14:30)

This was the fourth time myself and family paid extra for premium seating, we were all sat in the middle seats, as you now don't have to pay for seating. A lady sat next to me was seated for nothing, due to having no space, I can understand that, but seems very unfair when you have paid £180.00 per person.

Everytime the cabin crew ( which were great) go round asking which meal you would like on the menu, do not sit at the back as there is never enough food to go round, and you end up with what everyone sles on the plane gets. Thompson have changed the menu and the sandwhiches were terrible, very very dry unable to eat, and they looked like hampsters with warts yuk.

Do not think it is worth the money, as no vip lounge from Dominican, we were told there was, and no help from any thompson staff at airport, just have to queue along with everyone else. The only reason I mention all this is why pay £180.00 when you really don't get much differant from any normal paying customer, please go back to the other menue, and please provide enough selection for all the premium paying passengers, once not bad but four times to not have what you want is beyond a joke.

Also made a purchase off the duty free used my yorkshire bank debit card and was charged 73p, not much at all but have been told by Yorkshire bank that this should not have happened, so how many other passengers have been charged.????

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (22/09/2010 13:10)

Just back from Croatia on a 24 year old B757(AT). 235 seats and just 3 toilets, just ain't enough ! The seats didn't seem too uncomfortable at 28 in pitch, but there seems to be a lot more "well padded" people flying these days.(Always sitting next to me !) How they would get out in an emergency, I cannot guess. The flight crew were very busy and efficient and fed and watered a full plane very well. Generally, Thomson are still a good company, but surely its time to invest in some 757 replacements. If Mr O'Leary can, surely Thomson can.

bazzsmith flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B737-800 (19/09/2010 10:50)

Hi, as a family of four we went to Gran Canaria from Luton on 30th August for a week. When we checked in i asked what plane it was and when they told me it was a Boeing 737-800. Being over 6'2" i thought i would be in for a uncomfortable flight but was really surprised with how much room there was. The crew in and outbound were 1st class and apart from some numpty having a fag in the toilet on the way out, the flights were excellent. Thomson Airways.......consider yourself recommended. The Smiths

connorclusker flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B737-800 (28/08/2010 23:44)

Hey guys : )

We flew out from London Gatwick (LGW) to Sharm el sheikh with Thomson airways for a week. We flew out on a B737-800 which was very roomy. The flight was half full which was a bonus! At the Airport we paid that little extra for more leg space and we were seated at the very front behind the front galley. And to be honest what a disappointment. It was basically a wall blocking you from the crew which left you unable to stretch your legs. As the flight was half full we were able to move around the cabin and sit with friends. our friends were in the down behind us and to be honest they had more leg room than us and we paid for extra! The crew were extremely friendly and offered us food and drink and duty free regularly. Boarding was swift and quick and we will definitely be flying with Thomson again!!

Jazznoz flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (21/08/2010 21:21)

Recently, I went to Spain with my family, and had to travel with Thomson Airways. I was dreading the fact that the flight was going to be cramped, tiring and uncomfortable; this was because of the review I had read on this website about the airline.

But having travelled with Thomson Airline and being a 6ft passenger, it was roomy and I had enough space to feel comfortable. The seats are also leather, with is an added bonus :)

On the other hand, the staff continually travelled up and down the aisles, continually asking us to purchase something from their beautifully crafted catalogue with sophisticated, innovative and awe-inspiring items, which would delight you in many ways, that would be correct if they had it in stock; this was a great disappointed to the passenger.

On the brighter side, there was decent entertainment with TVs, which were located above the aisles, which was unlike the sophisticated TV's behind your seats with individual you see on other airlines, but for a short haul flight it wasn't bad. What’s more, don't forget to bring your own headphones, as they will charge you to use one of theirs - just remember, it’s ‘Thomson Airways’ who are known for charging for everything, so they can get their hands on your money.

But on the whole, Thomson Airways are a great airline to fly with, especially if you're flying short haul.

lindylou42 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (17/08/2010 15:41)

The seats were cramped and providing you are a midget you will be okay.

Comfort non-existent and in flight meals absolutely rubbish and entertainment no longer on seat backs.

Very poor quality to fly in and animals are treated better in transit. Bring back the bigger legroom and stop charging for comfortable seats and extortionate prices. If you become budget then charge budget prices.

Short haul flight to Turkey? 3hrs in the air I do not class as short haul.

lindylou42 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (17/08/2010 15:34)

sapper786 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (15/08/2010 10:49)

First Choice (Thomson/Tui) from Glasgow to Cancun. Generally very good and well worth the extra money to travel Premium Class (seats 6A & B) Service onboard better outbound. On time both legs. Premium seating personnel last to board on return from Mexico for some reason. Have flown to America, Cuba and now Mexico with this company and, touch wood, have never had any major problems so far. Will always be my first choice of travel agents.

peoplesonrules flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B767-300ER (328 seats) v4 (22/07/2010 13:09)

Boarding of the flight was slow and innefficiant, it took about 20 minutes to board. However, once we were aboard, we didn't have to wait long for the push back. The seats, are stupidly small, the boeing 767 is meant to be in a 2-3-2 configuration, but Thomson have the configuration at 2-4-2, so the seats had no width, and it had no legroom. The cabin crew were unusually useless, they didn't take a blind bit of notice of you, and I had to chase one for some headphones half way up the aircraft!!!! Prices were very expensive, you had to buy headphones for the IFE for 2 pounds 50, and you couldn't even use your iPod headphones, as the socket was different. The IFE, however, was very good for a 4 hour flight. They had personal T.V's, but without AVOD. It had about 10 movies, severel T.V channels and games. so at least I was entertained. Overall, I wouldn't fly Thomson aain

InterestedObserver flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (20/07/2010 14:01)

This time we were seated in row 8, at the front half of the aircraft. The leg room seemed the same as we had in row 13, but the seats were nicer cream-coloured leather. The food was good - obviously you only get it if you are flying with one of the operaters that offers it as part of the package price or have pre-paid, but the kids seemed happy with their meals (macaroni cheese, kit kat, yoghurt, apple juice drink).

InterestedObserver flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (20/07/2010 13:58)

We flew with Thomson on a B757-200 to Preveza from London Gatwick. The seating was 3-3 beginning at row 2 at the front on the right and then row 3 on the left, with the emergency exit coming after row 11. We were seated after the first emergency exit (ie: the door through which you board). The version 3 plan here looks to be the closest to it. The reason why it;s important is that if you are sitting in the rows immediately aft of that doorway (ie: rows 13 like we were), you can immediately tell that the seats in row 13 ABC have more leg room than 13DEF. We noticed it because we were swopping to look after the kids. The rows then go back all the way to row 32 which is the last row. The flight was on time, the staff were good and we had no complaints (apart from the lack of leg room, but then, it was less than three hours. The inflight entertainment is on a screen overhead and you have to buy the headphones we didn't). It was the Sherlock Holmes film, which is pretty good (both the film and the fact they were offering it).

d_onions flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (10/07/2010 20:07)

Travelled LGW-SFB-LGW Premium (G-OOBL and G-OOBM). At time of travel (June 2010) Row 9 has no window, it is a blank panel. Seats uncomfortably low on padding - personally suffered minor backache and found it difficult to sleep), legroom, IFE and on-board service good. Beware - Customer Service staff are not all aware of the lack of windows at 9A and 9G. Seats do recline as normal even though row 9 is the last row.

charleyfish flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (28/06/2010 21:37)

Flew with First choice/Thomson from Gatwick to Taba and vice versa. For a flight of over 5 1/2 hours they really should lay on a more spacious plane. The seats were tiny and so cramped, I thought I was being shoehorned in!! The seats are very narrow; I saw lots of passengers (especially the larger/taller ones) having to rise the dividing arms for more room. However these armrests don't go up 90 degrees, but to just about an 85 degree angle so they stick into the top of your shoulder causing more discomfort. Reclining was a nightmare, as if you are watching the tv in the seat back in front, and that person in front reclines their seat, you end up with the screen about 8 inches away from your face.

The depth of the seat was odd too, I have longish legs, and found that I wasn't quite sitting fully on the seat; I kept having to push myself back in the seat a few times. The FAs were a nuisance in pushing the duty free stuff. The trolley was up and down the aisles so often that it seemed like a tube station timetable, ie "there'll be another one along in a minute"

Food was mediocre, and because of the poor organisation of the FAs; many meals were long finished (or left) before the tea/coffee was brought around. I for one like a drink with my meal, not 15/20 minutes after!

Apart from this apology for a meal, other food/drinks had to be bought; at a typical airline overprice! The customer satisfaction surveys they bring around are not worth bothering with. "Win £1500 off your next holiday" they shout!

But to be in with even a smidgeon of a chance, you have to give them absolutely the highest praise that is on a par with God; PLUS... ALL the details have to be filled in, right down to what toilet paper brand you use (that last bit I made up, but it's not far from the truth) Cue much junk mail/ spam/ unwanted cold calls from the companies involved. I didn't bother, being a private person I like to keep my details the same.

Unenjoyable trip 1 out of 10. The 1 for speedy check in and boarding only.

Chiefchester flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (20/06/2010 08:47)

zakynthos flew Thomson Airways (05/06/2010 21:58)

We flew to Zakynthos on 18th may 2010-although we had chosen seat numbers' 18a & b for outward and return journey this was ignored and we were given original Thomson selection of 32 right at the rear -uncomfortable hard and cramped seats.nobody seemed to care about this oversight-on outward or return flight except for an extremely nice Thomson rep at Zante airport on the way home.

Having travelled on first choice airlines in the past-where we could even pay for premium service-we were used to much more comfort and personal service.we were very disappointed.

shirleyvalentine flew Thomson Airways Short-haul (01/06/2010 12:35)

We booked last minute to go to Zantes on 18 May 2010. No trouble booking in at Stansted on outbound journey (apart from booking-in lady cocking up the boarding passes).

Arrived at airport in Zantes to fly home. Man on desk could not find our booking, even though we all had the return papers from Stansted! Eventually found our party. Details had not been entered on correct part of the computer. That sorted out, he then gave us 6 boarding passes, 2 each for 3 members of our party and none for the other 3!. By the time he had sorted that out, we were not sitting together as requested. An English lady working on the check-in helped him to give us the right boarding passes, but we had to wait till we were on the plane to be seated together. The man on the check-in didn't know what he was doing, and a saying comes to mind - he couldn't organise a p**s up in a brewery!

starfish87 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (25/05/2010 13:45)

One word: awful.

OUTBOUND We were lucky enough to fly to Luxor on an Thomsonfly longhaul 757-300, which was a real bonus as we were only meant to have a 757-200. This was a very nice plane with a good standard of service. The flight attendants were regually seen and were helpful. Only criticism was that it was 45 mins late to depart.

INBOUND We found out this was an ex-First Choice plane. It was very very cramped. I am 5'1" and my partner is 5'6" and we felt trapped...I felt very sorry the taller people. The air conditioning system was not working correctly and began to drip on me. all of the toilets were broken.

I complained to the cabin crew who told me that we were meant to be flying on a long-haul plane, but because everyone who was flying was economy they didn't need to send the bigger plane.

boxingclever flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (14/05/2010 11:56)

London to Dalaman May 7th 2010

Wow where do I start?

I have just returned from a holiday to Turkey, I booked a last minute package deal via Thomas cook, cheap and cheerful just a quick getaway, therefore my expectations were not hugely high. Despite this the Airline Thomas cook are easily the worst I have ever seen in dozens and dozens of flights in my lifetime.

I paid £30 for extra legroom seats, which to be honest was more out of necessity than just a requirement for a bit of extra space. The seats are so closely crammed together that I would go as far as to say its impossible to fit in if you are anywhere over 6.4, I am 6.7, so you can only imagine.

Once on board I saw something I have never seen before, the cabin crew constantly going up and down the aisle non-stop trying to sell things, 3 or maybe even 4 times might be acceptable in 4 hours, but I am amazed to say it was more than 30 times! Queues were building while access to the toilets was blocked with the trolley making it impossible to pass. In fact so much was made of selling as much alcohol as they could that two over-zealous customers actually were picked up by police at the end and escorted out of the airport, hardly surprising really though is it?

While the Cabin crew were friendlyish it just looked like a complete mess, I am surprised they hadn't found a way to charge for breathing!!!!!

kamdriver flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (10/05/2010 13:58)

kamdriver flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (10/05/2010 13:57)

alexblfc flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B767-300ER (328 seats) v4 (04/05/2010 16:34)

I flew TOM652 LGW-SSH on the 11th May 2009. The flight was due to leave at 13:55 but was delayed for around 45 minutes because of an engine worry. The boarding was excellent, the cabin crew showed us our seats and were very helpful.

Unfortunately, i couldn't enjoy my flight very much as there was a very loud group just behind us, of which one of them was sleeping with their bare feet poking out from underneath my seat; which isn't the nicest sight you can see at 35,000ft.

I felt slightly disappointed with the cabin crew as they seemed to just ignore it even though these people were letting their kids through yoghurt pots around and colouring on the side of the plane, and for some reason didn't seem to take much notice when one passenger decided to down a pint of beer and spilling it on other passenger's laps. Apart from that though the flight was ok, except for the heavy turbulence we encountered over southern italy.

The flight back was much more relaxing though, as we had a night flight and luckily the loud passengers were all fast asleep!

andreas07 flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (14/04/2010 21:30)

I have flown with thomson quite a few times now and am constantly impressed by the service and effeciency of the cabin crew and the staff at London Luton Airport. This year in May I am again flying with a Thomson 757-200 Outbound and a Thomson 737-800 Inbound, and to be honest with you, can't wait!!!!!

FrequentGolfer flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (05/04/2010 08:21)

Hurghada to Manchester (return to the flight just reviewed). Happened to be in a good queue at Hurghada. The other queue had a lot of snorkelling equipment, all of which had to be paid for as excess baggage, which held up that queue. The check-in staff have to hand you a visa card to leave, which no one explained, but had to be filled in and taken to the immigration people. Fortunately our tour rep waited and told us what to do.

You had to force your way through other queues waiting for other check-ins to get to the immigration booth. Once there it was quick, probably because people didn't know you had to do this.

You went through security twice, but you were whizzed through so fast they couldn't care less what you are bringing on board - I carried through bottles of water, toiletries etc....

We had buses out to the aircraft and took off a little late. The pilot got mixed up with the times in the UK and panicced everyone about when we were going to land.

We were sitting in the middle of the plane and again, had to wait ages for service, everyone ordering double because the trolley would only come twice, but at least the problem of going either forward past one trolley or back past another was simplified as the toilet forward was out of order.

We had booked through Saga which meant we had pre-paid for food but was told that it hadn't been ordered. They went off to check, and realised there were lots of us on board. So they gave food to those others who had pre-paid and then came back to us. They were very apologetic and it wasn't their fault. They were exhausted but didn't lose their tempers. The food was quite good - sausage and mash and sticky toffee pudding.

You buy even soft drinks - a gin and tonic is £4.50. Duty Free also is an added stress on the crew (though I imagine they make money from this - and some people were spending £60+)

The landing was 25 minutes late and was very heavy (like crashing, but without injuries). We were parked miles from the baggage reclaim at MAN and none of the travelators weren't working. You want to see the old sufferm hang around here. When we got to the end, we saw the wheelchairs just being taken out to the plane so they would have still been waiting on board.

Worst thing: very little leg room. Best thing: on time(ish) and bags not lost.

FrequentGolfer flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 (05/04/2010 08:03)

MAN to Hurghada. Boarding at Manchester was quite slow. The seating was very tight. The flight was full. We asked if we could buy seats with extra leg room but the lady said no.

We were seated in the middle of the aircraft with service coming from both the front and the back. That means you get served last and you are always trapped between these two trolleys if you want to leave your seat. It's a five and a half hour flight and because the service was so slow there was an announcement to the effect that since it was unlikely the trolley would have time to make a second run, we should buy everything we need in one go. Of course this then slows the process down further, as does people trying to go to the toilet but unable to pass the trolleys as they inch their way along an incredibly narrow aisle. You don't expect a lot for a flight like this yet the reality manages to underwhelm even these low expectations.

The service was pretty indifferent on the way out. We would not fly Thomson again if we could void them.

stone0701 flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (29/03/2010 02:29)

ValerieDavies flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (19/02/2010 23:10)

busterbill flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (14/01/2010 12:47)

Corporate-gal flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (12/01/2010 16:28)

LGW - MLE - LGW

Check-in: Swift and efficient at both LGW and MLE. Especially quiet and quick at LGW as we flew out on Christmas Day (quietest I've ever seen Gatwick).

Boarding: Premium seating was given priority boarding at LGW. We didn't experience the service at MLE as our seaplane transfer was late and we had to rush through to get the flight, as they had boarded everyone else already!

Seat: We had pre-booked our seats online a few weeks before and plumped for row 9 (F&G on the outbound and A&B on the inbound) as we wouldn't then have people sitting behind us . Unfortunately on the outbound leg we have a 767-300ER (v2) and row 9 does not have a window; the one saving grace was that it was a night flight so we never saw anything anyway! On the inbound leg though, we had a 767-300ER (v1) and row 9 does have a window (2 in fact). The seats are quite comfy and the legroom is pretty good (36"); recline is sufficient even in the back row, to get some sleep and relaxation.

IFE: Excellent choice of music, films and interactive games - kept me busy for 10 hours!

Food: Good choice of meals and drinks. Service: Pretty lack lustre on the way out with very little care given to the service provided. Completely different story coming home - the crew were cheerful and the drinks service was excellent.

Overall: Worth paying the extra for Premium on a long-haul flight.

highflyerJake flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (25/12/2009 19:59)

Manchester - Luxor - Manchester in the middle of the summer season. Outbound seating was 3-4-3 which made things a little cramped onboard the 767-300ER. FA helpful and friendly. Return seatng was 2-3-2 on a 767-300ER. FAs not to be seen for nearly 4 hours out of the 5hr 45min trip.

morley_tripper flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (08/12/2009 03:36)

Cancun to Manchester 6/12/09. What a difference from the outbound flight. Plane was delayed two hours on the inbound flight so boarded remotely by buses which was chaos. Once onboard was in seats 2A, and 2B, would not pick these again as the bulkhead wall meant you actually had less space to stretch out than seats behind, also if you want to play any of the games its quite a stretch to reach the PTV.

Cabin crew while not unfriendly were lazy on this flight, drinks offered once about an hour in, no more drinks offered for the whole flight. The whole service, meals duty free etc seemed very rushed so they could dim lights and sit in the galley for remainder of the flight. Meals were tasty again, two hot meals served, an evening meal about 90 mins in and a hot breakfast before landing. Entertainment was turned off nearly a full hour before landing with no explanation given. Arrived into manchester 1hour and 45 mins late, and then had to wait 35 minutes to actually get a stand due to passport problems on another thomson plane on our stand, in this time watched 3 other jets taxied to other stands on the terminal!

The flight crew were very apologetic for the delay to our flight, on boarding and later with the issues in manchester. The main gripe was the cabin crew who just did not seem interested in really doing much, a problem I might add I have always encountered on Thomson flights when it is crew from london. The flight itself was pleasant and again I ill use them again as they are competitive on price for what they offer.

morley_tripper flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (08/12/2009 03:10)

Flew Manchester to Cancun 22/11/09. Used the day before check in which was excellent. Boarding was quickly done for premium off an airbridge.

Had seats 3A, and 3B. On boarding there was a blanket, pillow and amenity kit already on the seat. Not a lot fo space in the overhead lockers due to the crew storing items including there own luggage, which meant the last few people into the premium cabin strguggled to store items.

Seat was narrower than I expected (2 on each side with 3 in the middle) but compared to the standard seats (2 on each side, 4 in the middle!) was more than comfortable. Legroom was excellent and could stretch out fully even with seat in front fully reclined.

Entertainment was with a 9" PTV with full AVOD, especially liked the extensive CD collection function. Cabin crew were excellent and made the flight, both extremely friendly and offered drinks several times through the flight. Served a hot meal a couple of hours into the flight which was very tasty, offered red or white wine with the meal and several top ups which were gladly taken! Given a little tub of ice cream about half way into the flight and served a snack about 90 mins before landing.

Flight crew kept us updated on the routing and progress of the journey as we travelled which was nice. Flight was very pleasant and arrived in Cancun feeling quite relaxed which is good as it is a very busy airport! For a charter service Thomson really are leading the way, it is not a scheduled airline so do not go on expecting that, this is reflected in what you pay for the premium upgrades I felt I got treated really well and would use this again.

Casualflyer flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (29/10/2009 19:54)

June 2009 Cancun - Manchester. Premium Class but not worth the money.

Flight announcement on boarding that the IFE had been playing up on the flight over but they though the had fixed it. Oh no they hadn't. So 9 hour plus with nothing to do. This is an ongoing problem with this flight, see previous reviews on Skytrax site. Sleep out of the question as the seats are not that great. Crew not that good and just wanted to sell duty free.

Couldn't wait to get off.

Casualflyer flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (29/10/2009 19:49)

June 2009 Manchester - Cancun. Sat in Premium class front right side of cabin next to forward bulkhead.

This meant although service was good as we were so close to the galley the seats were narrower due to table in the armrest. First time on charter for sometime and probably the last. Too cramped, dark, uninterested crew. IFE was OK with reasonable choice

alexblfc flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (28/10/2009 14:38)

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (05/10/2009 08:42)

Just been to Pula from BHX. Outbound flight in ex First Choice B757 (G-OOBI) row 22. I am only 5ft 8ins, but the legroom was far to cramped. (28").

On return flight Thomson B757 (G-BYAH) legroom in row 18 still tight but the seats were shaped to give more room.

Cabin Crew service was ok but be aware, if you buy an gift item on the way out and it is found not to work, the crew will not exchange it on the return flight. It has to be sent to Customer Services.

nancywaring flew Thomson Airways (29/09/2009 20:32)

We have flown 3 times now with thomson premium class to dominican republic. We have booked again for 25th may 2010 - the price we pay is very good for the quality service we get.

We have always been made very welcome on board the entertainment is very good enough to occupy for 9 hours. The food is always warm and delicious, and the staff we have encountered are very hard working and always been smiling and happy.

Nothing is too much trouble for them - the comfort of the seats is brilliant. Roll on next may, we cant wait. At manchester and dominican the boarding and booking in has always been spot on - well worth paying the extra for you only get what you pay for so save up to pay the extra - you wont regret it, not with thomson, you know you're getting quality.

UflyRight flew Thomson Airways Short-haul, on a A320 (13/09/2009 16:07)

This A320 was the most comfortable A320 I have ever been on. There is more room on it than the ones operated by Thomas Cook and Monarch airlines. The ex-First Choice crew were funny and friendly to everyone. The sevice was great too.