BS: Monarch Airlines

Subject: BS: Monarch Airlines
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 02 Oct 17 - 05:27 AM

Sad that we can't use Monarch Airlines to fly to Spain any more. I sincerely hope they are not swallowed up by "easypuke"!!

Subject: RE: BS: Monarch Airlines
From: Stu
Date: 02 Oct 17 - 06:59 AM

Life's a bitch.

Subject: RE: BS: Monarch Airlines
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 02 Oct 17 - 08:49 AM

Straight question, Boko, how much difference is there between the airlines?

I'm reasonably sure that parents liked Monarch when they had their Greek island holidays say early 90s. These days, I mostly seem to read of the ways of Ryanair, etc. and it doesn't always sound too good.

I've not been up in a plane or taken these types of holiday.

Subject: RE: BS: Monarch Airlines
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 02 Oct 17 - 09:55 AM

We have taken a scheduled Monarch flight to Alicante ever since GB Airways (which operated the Gatwick/Alicante route for British Airways) was taken over by easyjet in 2008. The big advantage of Monarch scheduled flights was the extra legroom seats which offered an almost Business Class sized seat space. Also, because they operated far fewer flights than easyjet, bag check in was very quick indeed, and we always found their ground staff, air hostesses and stewards to be most helpful and courteous.

I can't speak for Monarch charter flights, as we never used them.

So it will either be British Stairways or Norwegian for us next year!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Monarch Airlines
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 02 Oct 17 - 10:52 AM

We had a marvellous time last year with Iceland Air. of course, it depends where you're going (London => Niagara via Iceland)

Subject: RE: BS: Monarch Airlines
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 02 Oct 17 - 11:27 AM

Thank you, we'll look into that airline.

Subject: RE: BS: Monarch Airlines
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 04 Oct 17 - 05:08 AM

Last time we flew to Spain in 2012 we used Jet2.com: no problems with them. And prior to rhat it was Globespan (who also went bust.)

Subject: RE: BS: Monarch Airlines
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Oct 17 - 06:48 AM

When you live in Cornwall you're a bit limited as to where you fly from unless you are prepared to endure a marathon journey to Gatwick (ugh), Heathrow (ugh), Stansted (double ugh) or Luton (quadruple ugh), so we generally go from Bristol or, rarely, Exeter. It usually ends up being Easyjet (annoying but fairly reliable), Thomas Cook (avoid like the plague), Flybe (crap) or BMI Regional (best of that bunch by a country mile). If we want to continue to be able to afford our hols we have to go cattle class. We went Ryanair just the once years ago. When we landed at Stansted a triumphant voice, accompanied by a fanfare, came over the intercom bragging that yet another Ryanair flight had landed on time! Then we couldn't get off the plane for an hour because they couldn't find any steps, then we queued at passport control for an hour and a half because several planes had disgorged at once. We finally got home at five in the morning after a five-hour drive. Holiday? What holiday?! When we used Thomas Cook we waited almost two hours for our bag to arrive on the belt. There was almost a riot in the baggage reclaim.

Subject: RE: BS: Monarch Airlines
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 04 Oct 17 - 04:08 PM

Waiting to board easyjet plane at Alicante in 34C sun!!!

Those passengers were out in that midday sun for over 45 minutes!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Monarch Airlines
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Oct 17 - 04:31 PM

Well yeah. That reminds me. Coming back from Funchal last week, Easyjet got us all on the bus from the terminal gate to the plane suspiciously early, an hour before takeoff. Within a minute the bus stopped in the full glare of the sun. The plane wasn't ready. We were there for half an hour, a hundred human beings being melted down in the bus, most of us standing. There was a large contingent of quite elderly people on that bus. How no-one died is anyone's guess. As I said, cattle class.