XL Airways review by Steve Roberts

21 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick to Grenada return XL One. The seats had plenty of leg room, but weren't terribly comfortable compared to Virgin or BA Premium Economy. But it was significantly cheaper than BA or Virgin (a factor when there's 6 of us). XL One prices were not much different to BA / Virgin economy.

XL Airways review by L Dickson

18 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Arrived at Manchester Airport 3 hours before our Excel Airways flight to Sharm El Sheikh was due to depart. on arrival at the airport informed of 26 hour delay due to technical problems. Two weeks later arrived at Sharm El Sheikh to again being informed of our flight being delayed for 22 hours - arrived back to Manchester 29 hours late. Would never fly with this airline again.

XL Airways review by S Chandler

9 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Manchester to Zante, the cabin crew on this flight were very unhelpful, not a smile between them. When they were selling the food, by the time they got to row 9 -10 there were nothing left. The people who did get pizza, or a breakfast had to send them back because they were cold, no apology was given. Every time the head of the cabin crew came out to give out tea or coffee, she was eating, (perhaps it was her who had eaten all the food). The worst flight we have encountered for a very long time and we have flown with xl on a number of occassions. The staff need more training on customer care.

XL Airways review by L Wood

25 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

London Gatwick to Faro. Booked these flights 5 months ago, mainly due to price, and we got what we paid for. Outbound and return flights on time, excellent cabin service and for once at Gatwick on Saturday, baggage handlers that did their job properly! We were lucky enough to be moved to emergency exit seats on our return to the UK as the original occupants couldn't seat their child with them and we therefore enjoyed our flight in relative comfort.

XL Airways review by B Marsden

19 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Manchester to Paphos. Booked this flight 6 months prior to travel specifically due to 8am departure giving an arrival time mid afternoon. Two weeks prior to departure I got a letter stating that the flight is re-timed to 13.15 giving arrival time of 20.00. Not best pleased due to inconvenience of re-arranging certain bookings, I wrote asking for the reason for the re-timing which applied only to this one date of departure. No explanation forthcoming except for 'commercial reasons'. Arrived at check-in at 10am to find dozens of people who had not been told of the re-timing, had been waiting to check-in since 04.30. Despite being told at check-in that the flight was on-time, the departure board showed a 1 hour delay. The flight eventually left 3 hours late at 16.15 without any apology or explanation. The flight itself was pleasant enough and a 'standard' meal was included. The aircraft (B757) was a little geriatric but for a charter flight was comfortable enough. The cabin crew were polite and efficient but not enthusiastic. All in all, I will be reluctant to trust any future holiday plans with this airline.

XL Airways review by Dan Moore

19 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick to Paphos return. Both tickets showed departure and arrival at North Terminal and so we went there and searched with other passengers for the check in desk. After some considerable time we finally learned that XL only fly from the South Terminal and so further rush was had to the South Terminal for check in. Should we fly with this airline again we shall make sure that what is printed on our tickets are valid. Apart from that inconvenience the rest of the flight was good although some delay each way.

XL Airways review by P Tomlin

14 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW - Grenada XL One and were not disappointed. The food and service were good - friendly crew. The seats could have been a bit more comfortable, having said that we were able to sleep well enough on the return leg. The priority luggage labels were honoured on both legs of the flight which was a bonus.

XL Airways review by Paul Ryan

5 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Dublin - Faro. Minor delays outbound and return (less than one hour each time). Good level of service, nice plane (737-800) with very good legroom, which was great. Odd animated exercise video at start which was too loud, but overall this is an excellent charter airline with helpful and professional crew. Especially good if you've got long legs, and are used to having your knees pressed up against the seat in front.

XL Airways review by S Porter

31 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Manchester - Malaga return. Original flight details when booked where then put back 3 hours on both legs when tickets where sent out. Delayed 6 hours outbound due to the "technical fault" the delay being caused by another aircraft being called for our flight. £8 in vouchers given to each passenger as a consolation for the delay. Boarded "new" plane and took off dead on 6 hours after revised flight times on tickets. My extra legroom seats booked for myself and 2 companions where two thirds of the way there, that is to say that two seats did indeed have extra legroom, the third (mine) was occupied by the door to the aircraft, thus I did have extra legroom for one of my legs. On return, again a technical fault led to our plane being delayed again for 2 hours, no vouchers offered this time so a wait of 5 hours in Malaga ensued. The only highlight was the cabin crew were very courteous and helped you where possible, some of the crew had obviously been working well over hours after chatting to them.

XL Airways review by Simon Channon

28 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Newcastle - Funchal return. 60-minute delay on outbound jouney due to cabin crew sickness; arrived back 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Excel cabin crew on Finnair -branded Boeing 757-200 made us welcome and served reasonably tasty free food. Legroom and general comfort adequate and much better than other charter airlines I've flown. Would use them again.

XL Airways review by T Sanderson

28 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Manchester to Skiathos. Express check in avoided long queue. Departed on time. Helpful cabin crew with breakfast . Arrived 15 minutes early. Great flight. Returned 25/05/07. Should have touched down at Karvala en route to refuel but came direct as only 80 passengers on board. Little late leaving but made up time on the way. Sausage and mash was excellent. Lots of room, no criticisms.

XL Airways review by Rose Preston

22 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

We booked from Manchester to Alicante on 11th May 2007. The flight was brought forward by 5 hours, we noticed the different time when the tickets arrived, querid it and were told the new times were correct. We were actually notified less than 24 hours before the flight - XL claimed they did not know sooner, so how come the tickets gave new time and their customer services confirmed it? The return journey was a nightmare, we were due to leave Alicante at 21.40 on 18th May, and their telephone line confirmed that time right up til 2 hours before the fllight - when we arrived at the airport to be informed the flight would leave at 3.20am. It was obvious from other sources that the flight had never been scheduled to leave at 21.40. I have emailed XL and they have not bothered to reply.

XL Airways review by J Willis

22 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Manchester to Las Palmas return. Aircraft was only 3 weeks old and we had enough legroom at the back of the aircraft, in light service was very quick. You can purchase meals onboard - chicken korma was very tasty. Return aircraft a bit older and not as comfortable for the very morning flight back. I think XL are getting there act together which is good to see.

XL Airways review by Ray McKenna

20 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

East Midlands to Faro 10th May. Everything like clockwork with the minimum of fuss and on schedule. The aircraft was clean and as good as any charter aircraft we have experienced. An inflight hot meal was of a good standard and enjoyed, inflight service also of a high standard. We paid an extra £20 per seat which not only gave us a guaranteed seating position together for myself and my wife, but also gave us a few extra inches of comfort which made the additional payment well worth while. The return trip on the 17th May was also on time and actually landed about 15 minutes early.

XL Airways review by Marsha Hemingway

17 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick-Tobago. XLOne, quick check in avoiding queues, fast track thru security, used our own lounge access. Plane left on time, champagne before take off and throughout flight if you want it. Good leg room but seats do not recline very far. Hand held for entertainment - start it and stop it when you like. Food well presented, simple choice but good tasting. Excellent wine. Friendly service and felt requests were no problem. Arrived early. Return flight overnight and the lack of recline made sleeping difficult, also cabin crew chatted too loudly to each other. I was allowed to sleep right up to landing - none of the aggressive wake up stuff have had from other airlines. In both directions the luggage handlers did not honour the priority labelling. BA flat beds give better sleep - but does not justify the incredibly higher price, food service general comfort excellent - overall incredible value for money!

XL Airways review by R McClean

14 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick to Barbados return. I was anticipating a repeat of the horrors of last year when we were delayed by 27 hours, with a bus trip to Manchester, misinformation, overnight stay and 5 hours on board on the tarmac. This year we were delayed for 90 minutes on the way out, but that can happen to any flight - there was good space, helpful staff and reasonable food. Some people were able to stretch out and sleep on the vacant seats. On the return journey it was on time and, again, some passengers could stretch out and sleep, as the plane was not full. I had feared that we would be delayed and that I would miss my connecting flight to Belfast, but, we actually arrived at Gatwick early. I know from personal experience, and reading reports, that Excel has a bad reputation but this time all went well and my wife and I breathed a sigh of relief. Will we fly Excel again? If the price is right, perhaps.

XL Airways review by Brian Phillips

10 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick - Tobago, Xlone return. All flights were on time. Cabin service excellent. Seating was good enough for the price paid. Well satisfied. Would use again.

XL Airways review by Sheila Cowen

4 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

October 2006 from Manchester to Monastir. Staff polite, helpful and friendly, flight itself was very good, and seats comfortable. Maybe some of the interior could have done with a bit of spray Flash to move stains etc but very acceptable! The food was good and served with thought and politeness In contrast to this, last month I flew for the first time with BMI to Monastir, it was absolutely shocking, and the staff were unbelievably unhelpful and never again! I am more than happy to fly XL again and as I am a regular traveller to Monastir always looking for a good deal.

XL Airways review by T Bunnell

28 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Flew to Luxur after being delayed at Manchester. Leg room must be under minimum standards - then diverted to Larnaca due to engine sensor. 2hrs on plane on runway, head office allowed cabin staff to offer a free drink. Returning, arrived at Luxor airport to find notice board showing 2hr delay - discovered that the plane was still in Nice with a Technical fault - 2hrs became nearer 4 hrs. The crew were over allowed flying time so we diverted to Athens for a crew change and fuel top up. lights flickered on and off as we took off. Will not travel with XL airways ever again.

XL Airways review by D Thwaites

27 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

The worst airline I have ever travelled. Terrible leg room, over priced and poorly prepared food, and badly organised cabin crew to mention but a few. We flew from Gatwick to Sharm el Sheik on the 18/4/7 and returned 25/4/7. The outbound flight was delayed by 3 hours whilst we sat on the plane because the aircraft failed to start! This doesn't fill the passenger with confidence, and judging from what I've read about this airline, the fleet appears to be old poorly maintained planes nearing the end of their natural life, with a track record littered with technical faults. This was certainly the case on this flight. I wish I'd read the reviews on this website before I booked the flights and I would never have had this hugely unpleasant experience. I strongly advise that everyone heeds this warning and avoids this airline like the plague.

XL Airways review by Tracey Gibbs

26 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

As a group we flew with the appalling XL to Luxor, with the ominous announcement that we had engine sensor gauge not working we diverted to Larnaca, where we stayed for nearly two hours, with the message that head office had been contacted and yes we could have a free drink we went on our way. Hoping for a more trouble free journey home we arrived on Monday 23rd to Luxor airport to discover that our plane was in Nice with some fault not inspiring, so after another long delay we boarded the old 767200 are we now in series 700 Boeing??? to Athens as the crew were flying on the edge of their time, so once again a free drink but not a free blanket!!! we flew the 21/2 hours were the new crew came onboard, here I was struck by how few indeed the minimum for safety their mission to hide and keep a low profile on the further 31/2 hour flight to Manchester, the fault had been smoke from an oven. These flights were not bargain basement at £230 so budget not quite spending money on keeping their planes in the sky I think not ever use them again no my advice go to London fly Egypt Air.

XL Airways review by Anne Kingston

25 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Flew with XL (their choice of name is ironic) from Manchester to Luxor on 16 April and returned on 23 April. Suffered long delays and diverted both trips, inbound flight via Cyprus and outbound flight via Athens. The crew did their best but frankly it was the worst flight experience I have ever had and marred our wonderful holiday in Egypt. XL use old, fault prone aircraft and are clearly not reinvesting in improving standards for customers or even seeming to care that they have such an appalling experience. I would not recommend them to anyone and would certainly not fly with them again.

XL Airways review by T Pearse

25 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick - Tobago March/April 2007 A truly unique experience, in that we will not be flying with XL again. Paid extra and flew Excel One, not a good experience. All XL flights on that day were showing delays. Check in was slow and not friendly. Our flight was due to be one hour late but in the event was delayed by four and a half hours. FAs were ungracious and did not provide the promised level of service. As with a previous reviewer the wine was provided with reluctance and delay. The food was mediocre and the whole experience was worse than BA economy class except for the leg room. The planes are old and tired, my foot rest fell to pieces, the single screen IFE took me back to the old days, our promised individual DVD players did not materialise. No newspapers or magazines on the way out. The internet promised no more than four rows of 'One' seats, there were double that and the service suffered accordingly. Return flight - crew rested and relaxed gave better service. Magazines provided, food better, DVD supplied, only a short delay in take off. Wine still rationed by slow service. Priority offloading of luggage did not happen on either leg. Still, judging from the comments from those in economy XL will be charging people to use the loo soon - we had only one loo amongst all of XL One and that was in a poor state towards the end of the flight.

XL Airways review by Roger Allen

20 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Just returned from Sharm El Sheikh traveling on flights 6064 & 6065. The outward journey was delayed nearly two hours. The aircraft was tired & well worn & the extra leg room seats paid for (17A & 17B)were (although better than the remaining) appalling with little extra room & extremely narrow & uncomfortable plus just worn out. I spent most of the five hour flight standing. The flight crew were excellent & worked hard to compensate for poor circumstances they must find themselves in every day. The journey back was a duplicate of the first, same lateness, same excuse, same seat Numbers's etc.No wonder they are changing their corporate from EXCEL to XL as the experience certainly does not live up to the name nor the blurb on their Web site.

XL Airways review by N Hadland

15 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Flew to Sharm El Sheikh on 22nd March. Checked in ok but as time for the flight drew nearer no news about when we would board eventually found someone on the customer service desk who told us our flight was delayed by 4 hours due to a 'technical fault'. It wasn't until some time after the flight time that the screens were showing the flight as delayed. On our return on the 31st March we arrived at Sharm airport to find out our flight was yet again delayed due to a 'technical fault' and it could be up to 24 hours before a new flight could be arranged. Eventually we were told there were 125 spaces on a flight Bristol which we decided to take. The flight was due to depart at 7.45pm but we weren't able to check in until nearly 7.30 (and we were near the front of the queue). At which point we were hassled through, no weighing of cases, airport staff shouting at us to run and then we had to sit on the bus waiting for everyone else to come through. Finally got on the plane when the pilot came through to tell us they had been unaware of the extra passengers and consequently only had enough food for the Bristol passengers. He assured us packed lunches would be waiting for us at Bristol. Needless to say when we arrived in Bristol no food! Coaches were arranged to take us back to Gatwick - they had no heating and the driver didn't seem to know his way around Bristol as we took a convoluted route through the city adding yet more time on our journey. Finallly arrived back at Gatwick about 5.30 in the morning and then had another 2 hours journey home. Spoke to quite a few of the other passengers who had all gone to Sharm on different flights and every one of them had a delay due to 'technical difficulties'! The only positive note I can make is the cabin crew on the Bristol flight were superb in such difficult circumstances. Seems to me that they need new aircraft!

XL Airways review by C Gallagher

15 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick to Banjul and back. One of the worst airlines I have ever flown. The departure time for both flights were changed without informing any of the passengers. We therefore arrived at Gatwick at 6.30am (as we were told the last check-in would be 7am) but had to wait around for 2 hours to be able to check in. Staff organising the queues at check-in didn't really know what was going on and actually directed lots of people into the wrong queue. When we finally got onto the plane we were unable to put our carry on bags into the overhead compartments as the cabin crew were storing things like toilet rolls and pringles up there. I managed to put my jacket in the compartment but when we arrived struggled to find it as they had put even more of their sundries in the compartment (and we weren't even at the front near the 'kitchen'). The seats were awful with no lower back support, anyone who has back problems I would suggest that you take your own cushion with you or something to roll up to support your back (£5 charge for an excel blanket or cushion). The seats and tables themselves were filthy and covered in bits of left over food and drink. When the attendant gave me my meal I pull my table down for it to end up in my lap as it had broken. She didn't even acknowledge this and put the food on my knee instead. There was hardly any legroom - I'm 5'2 and my knees were touching the seat in front. On both flights I tried to put my seat back to find that it worked its way back up into the upright position pretty quickly so there was really no point. When going to the toilet there was nowhere to wait other than in the aisle of the plane and for some strange reason on the way out the attendants were dictating whether or not you were allowed to use the toilet. For example on a number of occasions the toilet was empty but the next person in the queue was told that they still weren't allowed past the curtain. All in all I realise that its at the budget end of the industry but for some things there really are no excuses. Given the option I wouldn't fly with them again unless the only other choice was actually staying at home and not going anywhere!

XL Airways review by L Fagan

12 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

We flew to Orlando with this company in March 2007. The flight, food, complimentary drinks, service and comfort were excellent. Our flights were on time. The cabin crew couldn't have been nicer and went out of their way to make sure passengers were happy. I thought I would write this report as its mostly the complaints you get to hear about.

XL Airways review D Marlow

12 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Good old Excel, Poor old Excel. I have flown withis company always from Gatwick to the Med, Canaries and Caribbean. Down to earth staff, polite and doing a thankless job. On our second Tobago trip the plane hit debris on St Kitts runway, hardly the fault of the airline, we were treated to food, hotel and another day on the island, they chartered a 747, got us home and refunded the excel one cost to all concerned. A pain yes, but not the end of the world. Using them for Grenada in May 2007, if they have problems so what. Excel is cheaper than Virgin and BA. Do not fault an airline by one bad experience, its your money your choice !

XL Airways review by M Taylor

10 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

We arrived in good time at Manchester Airport on Saturday 31st March for our flight to Sharm El Sheikh only to be greeted with the news that we were to be delayed for 24 hours due to a a technical fault and the plane was grounded at Gatwick As you cam imagine, not the best start to a holiday. But what really struck me was how well organised everyone on the desks seemed to be for something which was a "technical fault" all the letters were prepared which didn't ring true to me. we were not offered a refund or alternative flight, which i thought were part of the flight regulations.? We did stay in an hotel at the airport overnight, but only because it meant a 5 hour round trip. On arriving at the airport the next day for check in we were ushered away from the main Excel desks downstairs and on further investigation found out why. They had merged two flights into one so both the Saturday XL7018 and the Sunday XL7170 were now flying on the same plane! It would appear that they were simply trying to save costs by putting on one flight and to cap it all, this flight was an hour late. I would advise everyone to stay clear of this airline. How it has won awards is beyond me.

XL Airways review by A Crocker

10 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

Bristol to Lanzarote - check in no problem, staff were aware we had prebooked extra legroom seats. Cabin crew efficient. We were aware that Excel had stopped providing in-flight meals and were surprised when we were given one and told that policy had changed. Lanzarote to Bristol - usual scrum at check-in, we were offered extra legroom seats (for extra cost!). When I produced documentation to show that we had already prebooked and paid were told we would have to pay again, took some time to explain that we had already paid and would not do so again!! Moral is take all the paperwork with you, dont rely on the staff at check-in. Flight was good, on time plus inflight meal again!

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by Susan McDermott
4 April 2007

Gatwick-Sharm El Sheikh-Gatwick. 4 HR delay outbound given £5 meal ticket. Onboard had to pay for inflight meals on a 5 hour flight. I can understand on a 3 hour flight but not semi long haul. On the return, only a few lucky passengers bought meals before the supply ran out! Likewise snacks ie. Pringles, Cheddars, hot drinks etc also ran out before our stewardess had served 30-40 passengers. Unable to hear any inflight announcement as the PA appeared to be on mute or very low setting. Certainly not basic customer service that is required or expected. We would not fly with Excel again or recommend them to friends.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by David Chown
24 March 2007

Paris CDG to Cancun and back. The outward flight was one and a half hours late, the return two hours. Very little leg room, not acceptable for long-haul. Food on both flights was pasta with what looked and tasted like ketchup. On the credit side, the Airbus was clean, internally well-maintained, and the crew kept quiet without cabin announcements on the return night flight. OK for short-haul but I wouldn't recommend long-haul, mainly due to lack of leg-room.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by S Cunliffe
20 March 2007

Not much legroom but as I am not tall it was not a problem. The meals were ok - I have never had what I would call a great meal on any flight. The staff weren't the best but they did look busy for the whole flight. I would fly with excel again.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by Tom Ralston
20 March 2007

I made the mistake of believing the hype about XLOne being an alternative to business class, and flew with them to Barbados.I will not make the mistake of flying with them again. The seats in XLOne are the worst I have had to suffer on a long haul flight, the food was mediocre at best and cabin staff amateurish. Wine requested with a meal arrived about 10 minutes after we had finished eating but the lack of wine with the meal was defrayed as the aperitifs we requested had arrived with the meal. Assistance was requested on both flights, but this did not materialise. The seats may have a reasonable pitch, but the recline mode is utterly useless. Inflight entertainment is practically non-existent.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by J Barclay
9 March 2007

The joys of flying with XL, not. We were delayed by over six hours going to Egypt but they really cared for us with their £7 pound voucher!! Luckily the replacement aircraft, not one of theirs, had better seats. When we actually got to fly home in one of the XL aircraft what a joy that was. My shoulders would not fit into the seat so I had to sit at an angle. Many people decided to stand unless the seat belt sign was shown. I think the X in XL stands for a cross on a form indicating whether you should fly with them. I will never ever choose another holiday if they are the airline flying to the destination.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by S Ross
9 March 2007

Return flight 1st March 07 from Grenada to Gatwick via Tobago delayed 56 hours in total due to technical faults. Passengers in the inbound flight had already experienced lengthy delays. Although safety is obviously the first concern, a great deal of time was wasted at the airport and in transit on two consecutive nights in Tobago, and some confusing/misleading information, before finally flying home on the 3rd. Only one member of ground staff on hand to arrange accommodation and transport for over 300 passengers in the middle of the night - total chaos! Apparently the same happened the week before with a flight being delayed for two days. It's clear that Excel have an extremely bad record for reliability and I would only recommend travelling with them if you can afford to risk the likelihood of extended delays. The staff were generally very good - in summary, nice airline - shame about the planes!

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by A Tomkinson
26 February 2007

We've flown twice with excel and both times that have delayed for several hours and even cancelled the return flight. There is no excuse for delays like these unless the delay is caused by means beyond their control. However, in my pinion they use this excuse all too often for their inability to keep to schedule. I think they often amalgamate flights to reduce their losses. We're staying well clear of excel.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by J Houston
26 February 2007

Without a doubt the worst airline I have ever flown. Outbound we were delayed at Gatwick waiting for our flight to Barbados for 24 hours due to a technical fault with the plane, missing a whole day of our holiday. We were given £7 while we waited all day and then put up in a hotel at the airport. On the inbound journey we got to Barbados airport to be told that the flight was delayed from 6:30 pm until 2:30am and eight hour delay, also due to technical problems with the plane. On the return leg, we were due to stop in Manchester on the way to Gatwick but the airline decided not to and all the passengers due to get off in Manchester had to fly to Gatwick, pick up their luggage, go through customs, check in again and wait for 5 hours until a plane could be found to fly them to manchester. They were given 4 pounds while they waited. What this tells me is that they are flying very old planes that are having regular faults. I would rather pay more and be sure of my safety frankly. Also, the amount of time I was delayed for, I spent so much money in the airport, I may as well have flown on Virgin or BA. A terrible flying experience, and I really recommend you don't fly with them.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by Franco Carnevali
26 February 2007

Gatwick to Grenada return. The check-in was quick and efficient. Leg room was enough (I’m 187 cm tall) and they served 2 quite good meals during flight. Service is similar to other airlines but quality-price ratio is very high. I recommend Excel Airways and I’ll use this company again.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by John Henton
26 February 2007

LGW-Sharm return. 8 out of 10 for punctuality, value for money fare, meal, quality of cabin service. The cabin crew were enthusiastic, hard working and the outbound crew demonstrated their professionalism when my wife was taken ill. 3 out of 10 for comfort. The 28 " seat pitch was totally inadequate for tall / large passengers for such a long flight. Several complaints made to the crew on the return flight. Why not make these long sector services to the Canaries / Eastern Med 32" seat pitch & charge more. Also add ExcelOne biz class type cabin on these flights. There is a significant market willing to pay more for service quality.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by R Colbert
26 February 2007

Plane was clean and comfortable with leather seats, the staff were pleasant and cheerful, meal was nicely presented. On one of the reports it mentioned paying for a blanket, what it didn't mention was it was a fleece blanket which you kept and the pillow turned into a hot water bottle cover - not bad for £5. Check in staff were very good, and we would fly with Excel again.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by Mark Russell
19 February 2007

Delayed and transferred from Cardiff to East Midlands on the outward journey, with no explanation resulting with the loss of a day and night of the holiday. Delayed by over 7 hours on the return journey from Palma to Cardiff, again no explanation. Really poor service.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by Roger Warren
8 February 2007

27 January flight due to depart Gatwick 1145 - delayed 22hrs. Put in Gatwick Hilton and given meals. Staff in Gatwick and Tobago did best to keep people informed. We were Excel One and pleased with [apart from the loss of a whole days holiday] the flight. Return flight on time. We shall have to consider very carefully ever entrusting our holiday plans to Excel in the future.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by C Hindley
26 January 2007

Manchester - Sanford, Florida. Excellent flight, Plenty of legroom, no seat back TV but of little consequence when compared to the price of Virgin, BA etc. Very pleased with the level of service on this flight.

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by Becky Castledine
9 January 2007

The worst airline I have ever flown! A 6 hour delay going out (Bristol to Sharm in Egypt), allegedly due to 'act of god' (i.e. fog), but we later found out they sent the plane to France to pick up passengers there. Using the 'act of god' claim meant they didn't have to provide any services such as a drink or food voucher or a complementary drink on the flight itself. It gets better - almost 24 hour delay on way back. They abandoned us in resort, refused to provide accommodation for us, so we had to pay for a room or sleep on the street for 24 hours. Plane itself was a wreck - broken seats, no films as entertainment system broken etc. They promised a rep would meet the plane & funnily enough no one arrived. Trying to speak to a human being afterwards is impossible! I will never use them again! - they Excel at one thing and that is being the worst airline!

XL Airways / Excel Airways - by Richard Ashton
12 December 2006

This is the worst flying experience we have had. 3 hour check in at Manchester because of poor organisation and no guidance for the passengers in the fractious crowd.No record of pre booked medical seats for my wheelchair bound wife at check in. To meet original departure time the plane left Manchester without 60 luggage cases, these arrived after 3 days with no apology and after several downright lies from Excel staff about the luggage whereabouts. People who paid excess baggage had no cases on arrival in Paphos. Babies left with no change of clothes for three days etc. Ran out of food for the pre paid meals and a hostess tipped a tray of hot coffee over us on the return leg. After three of our party complained in writing we have no response from Excel 3 months later.

Excel Airways - by Graham Fairclough
27 November 2006

Manchester to Gran Canaria return. It took 2.5 hours to serve breakfast, which cost £5 and arrived cold and tasting terrible. The crew seemed to be trying hard and were pleasant but gave the impression of poor training and inadequate experience. Information was confused and self- contradicting, such as airport screens saying check in would open in 30 minutes, yet wandering around I found it was open and I was the 49th person to check in 2 hours before the flight. The return journey was a shambles. I arrived two hours before the flight and found the desks had just opened. It took 90 minutes to reach the desk, as a serious fuss was being made each time somebody had 1kg above their 20kg luggage allowance, requiring people to go and stand in another queue to pay a supplement and cause further delay to them. I chose XL after reading the other comments on this website and was surprised how poor an experience it was. On the plus side, both flights left on time. I wonder if this meant some of the people behind me in the check-in queue missed their flight? They were calling last call as I was handed my boarding pass. Not good enough on just about every measure. I will only fly XL again if I can find absolutely no alternatives.

Excel Airways - by J Warmston
21 November 2006

Excel Caribbean Flights. Caribbean charter routes with specific long haul cabin layout, economy leg room is 32"-34" and Excel One is top quality and great value compared to schedule airlines offering a similar service. Excel short haul and Far East charters are not on the same level as the Caribbean charter and therefore should not be confused or compared to. I've had good experiences with Excel to the Caribbean in economy and Excel One as mentioned by S Brammall and M Hodgson. Would I recommend - yes.

Excel Airways - by Ken Wilkins
20 November 2006

Bristol - Sharm el Sheikh in Economy. Check in was quick, the (leather) seats were comfortable with just about enough leg room, (I'm 6 feet tall). Flight service was more than adequate from a very hard working and courteous bunch of cabin staff with a good hot meal and plenty of snacks and drinks, all at extra cost but this is a budget airline. We had a couple of films going out and one coming back all for the price of £2.50 for a headset. Flights both ways were on time, we were even half an hour early getting back. All in all I was pretty impressed so well done Excel!

Excel Airways - by Frederick Crowley
8 November 2006

Once again Excel Air failed to Excel!! Tickets for a flight to the Canaries on 30th November arrived on the 19th November. In the same post was a letter from Excel telling us to ignore the flight times on the ticket, as the flight had been put back by three hours! Nevertheless the flight out left on time (albeit 3 hours later than expected), and was reasonable. On the return flight we were informed that that our pre-paid meal would not be provided as Excel had discontinued the service as of the 1st November, we were however told that we could purchase a meal!! A guy behind us asked for a pillow and was told he could have one upon payment of £5.00, he could also have a blanket for another £5.00!! As far as we are concerned, enough is enough - goodbye Excel!!

Excel Airways - by Penny Platt
2 November 2006

Manchester to Sharm el Sheikh in Economy. Theflights were on time on both journeys in fact arrived back in the UK 15 mins early. We had pre- booked seats, we felt there was plenty of legroom and we are not the smallest of people, the food was typical airline food but to be fair it was edible and filled some time in. We couldn't fault the staff, they looked the part and were very pleasant. For the return journey as the four of us couldn't be seated together two of us were upgraded free of charge to extra legroom seats, our daughter was under 16 so was unable to have the seats in the exit otherwise we would have all been upgraded. As someone said in an earlier post people seem to write reviews only for complaining which I do understand. However, you also have to give credit where it's due and hopefully our positive experience will help to put peoples mind at rest that it isn't necessary all doom and gloom. I would definitely have no hesitation in flying with this airline again.

Excel Airways - by Sui Yip
27 October 2006

LGW to Paphos. Outward journey no major problems, but food was disgusting, my friend was charged for 4kg excess baggage (even though our hand luggage was almost empty and my luggage was below weight limit). Return leg was a nightmare. Queues for check-in the worse I've seen for years. Delay of 16 hours with no information. Jumbo 747 so around 400 passengers forced to stand for 2 1/2 hours waiting for info and not allowed into the gate. Finally sent to dismal hotels, where no food or drinks provided. A passenger phoned the airline who agreed finally to pay for drinks only. No drinks provided whilst at the airport and no provision for elderly or young passengers who I really felt sorry for. The main complaint is the lack of information to passengers and lack of food and drink provision - people had not eaten for most of the day. I've flown with many airlines and been delayed and Excel surpasses even my nightmares of poor service. The positives, well at least the crew and staff were apologetic and helpful. I'll never fly Excel again, it's a cheap airline who care nothing of its passengers.

Excel Airways - by John Bailey
27 October 2006

To Kos from Gatwick and the return. B757-200 both ways. Outbound check- in fine. Allocated seats were re-allocated to the very front of the plane at the departure gate. My (window seat) a bit uncomfortable (padding was poor) and there was a damp smell - quite unpleasant but I did not complain. The plane felt a little bit worn inside but by no means in a poor state. Flight ran ahead of time. Inbound - allocated seats towards the rear of the front cabin - these were more comfortable than the outbound flight - no complaints. Flight took off and arrived ahead of time but the advantage was lost due to slow baggage recovery at Gatwick which was poor. Both ways cabin crew were courteous, flight was smooth both for take off, cruising and landing and the flight crew kept us informed. Meals were typical airline food but not unpleasant. In flight magazine pretty good with a few interesting articles. Overall I was pretty happy and would be happy to fly with them again.

Excel Airways - by Susannah Mason
27 October 2006

We tend to use Excel where we can, last flights were GLW-ARE-GLW earlier this month. Outbound was on time but as we had row 14 and were unable to recline our seats we were a bit sore by the time we arrived. Coming back checkin was a nightmare and we were delayed but by pure luck were allocated seats in row 16 - thus we had a very comfortable flight home with loads of leg room. As always the crews each way were friendly and chatty. Food acceptable and overall excellent value for money flights. Excel are generally very good value.