|
FlyGlobespan - by R Norman
23 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
We have just returned from a holiday to Toronto last week and have
never had such an awful experience. First of all we booked a direct
flight only to learn we would be stopping off at Exeter on the way, this
took approximately two hours as someone has checked in but not got on
the plane! Some of the passengers were annoyed that they had paid for
meals and that others got theirs free. This was just the icing on the
cake for when we eventually got to Hamilton after a particular turbulent
flight, we arrived at what I can only describe as a cow shed in the
middle of nowhere. We had booked the bus transfer and after we had come
out of the airport we got straight on the bus and we thought great we
are on our way - no such luck we proceeded to wait 1 hour and 45 minutes
for the stragglers coming through security. The flight home was just as
bad, didn't take off until 3 hours after the scheduled departure time
and there was no one around relaying information or to even ask, this
company couldn't organise a drink in a brewery! We spoke to the staff at
JC Munro/Hamilton to try and find out what was happening and they said
that this was common practice for Flyglobespan and that they had been
kicked out of Pearson and JFK for their delayed flights and the number
of complaints that had been received from passengers. Also two
passengers checking in next to us had been sold first class and the
handler explained there was no such thing and that they would have to
speak to a representative from flyglobespan when he arrived, to say the
least they were very angry! I would advise anyone thinking of travelling
with Flyglobespan to reconsider, we had the most awful experience with
them and although their prices are reasonable their service and delays
are certainly not. I will certainly not be travelling with them ever
again!
FlyGlobespan - by C Gleeson
23 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Flew out to Hamilton, Canada. We went business class so the half hour
delay didn't bother us too much. Service on the way out was good.
However coming back to Dublin was a different story. We flew economy
this time and I have to say that it was the worst flight of my life.
Firstly both the Belfast and Manchester flights (they'd been waiting 7
hours when we got there) were cancelled so we were apprehensive when the
departure time came and went. We had announcements blaming it on their
flightplan paperwork and eventually boarded only to be left sitting on
the plane for at least another hour. We finally took off and with a
strong tailwind made up our lost time - only to encounter the same when
we landed at Shannon, left sitting on a stinky plane for 1hr 30mins due
to flight plan issues again. We arrived in Dublin 2 hours late. The
staff were extremely noisy for what was a night-flight and the tannoy
kept beeping and waking those who did manage to sleep. I won't be flying
Globespan ever again, I'd rather fork out the extra money for a clean,
reliable service I can depend on.
FlyGlobespan - by Stephen Winder
23 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Premier Class, Doncaster to supposedly to Toronto - ended up in
Hamilton. The flight was a disaster from start to end, we had a 2 hour
delay in Doncaster no explanation given, then flew to Manchester to pick
up more passengers and crew, a complete shambles, ended up 4 hours on
the tarmac without being offered food or refreshments. During the 10
hour flight we had only 2 drink services 1 meal and 1 piece of cake as
our snack meal. Flight home same shambles. Tried to get in touch by
letter and phone no reply to either. Wont be doing it again.
FlyGlobespan - by D Ward
23 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
How I wish I had seen this website before I booked. Flew Liverpool to
JFK New York via Knock in Ireland which we did not know about. Flight
out ok except had pre-booked £25 extra leg room seats as its was my
daughters 21st these did not materialise do not book sets cos plan on
web is not the same as aircraft used often and the flight crewe will not
honour them. However, coming back. Flight delayed 2 hrs at JFK gate
then another 2 hrs on tarmac in queue - nothing offered had to ask for
water. Then down into Knock again only for 30 mins they said, this
became 90 mins then we were told we were going to Stansted not
Liverpool. When we got there there was no globespan rep which pilot
assured us there would be - had to wait another 90 mins for baggage then
were bussed to Liverpool. One change of bus, then the bus broke down -
no food, drink supplied eventually arriving at Liverpool 13 hours late
with no apology. It is useless complaining - they never respond. If you
are flying long haul you have to use a reputable carrier.
FlyGlobespan - by B Carmichael
23 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
Business Class Vancouver to Gatwick return. Flights on-time and service
very good. Check-in in Vancouver was excellent and staff very helpful.
The flight attendants are Italian, but I had no problem understanding
their English and inflight service was good. Business class had 50 inch
seat pitch and very comfortable. On the way back, flight left about 30
minutes late, but made up the time and arrived when it should. Again,
the service was good on the plane. I recommend that anyone booking read
the terms and conditions carefully. Some people on our flight were
upset that a stop had been added in Glasgow and others were upset that
their carry-ons were weighed and included in their overall luggage
weight allotment.
FlyGlobespan - by K Reay
19 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Judging by the ratings, it would appear Globespan occassionally gets
something right. I just wish it had happened when my wife and I were
travelling. Our flight to Gatwick from Toronto was cancelled at the
last minute because of mechanical problems. We went home and spent the
next 12 hours trying to get information about when it would leave. No
one called us and it was virtually impossible to get information by
calling or from their website. By luck we got through to the airport
who advised us the flight would leave in 2 hours. On the way back to
Toronto we were told the flight was cancelled and that we were booked on
another airline. Not so bad, except we were suppose to fly business
class and we ended up in coach and we had left our car in Hamilton and
the new flight came into Pearson. Ok, so no big deal, but we would
expect that we would be reimbursed for the difference in flight cost and
any other costs. Unfortunately, Globespan doesn't respond to emails and
their office in Vancouver doesn't deal with customer service, they just
take bookings. So we have yet to hear from them. Bottom line,
Globespan can't be trusted to fly when they say they will and when they
don't, you can't rely in them to assist you and you can't contact them.
FlyGlobespan - by S Sharp
19 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Hamilton to Manchester and return to Hamilton Via Newcastle.
Outbound flight had a slight delay - couple of hours, however the flight
was great. Service fine and staff polite. Return flight excellent, staff
again was excellent, service was great and we arrived on time.
FlyGlobespan - by Pamela Macmaster
17 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Palma to Edinburgh supposed to leave 19.55 13th July - delayed 23hrs.
Accomodation was offered first to people with children and the elderly,
we were not so lucky - had to try and sleep in the airport. No globespan
representative available, no offer of food or even water - even the next
day no representative. Eventually we caused so much hassle at the way we
were treated, the pilot came into the airport to try and give us some
information. When we got on the plane there was only an offer of a
complimentary soft drink.
FlyGlobespan - by A Ingram
17 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
MAN-YHM Business class. Excellent check-in; good Lounge at MAN. 757 ex-
Icelandair. Very good leg room. Food service and quality surprisingly
high standard. Clearly has some work to do with respect to passenger
care in the event of cancellations, but my experience was very good.
FlyGlobespan - by S MacFadden
13 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
My family flew from Knock on 26th June. 3.25hrs late on departure, on a
flight that took 8.5hrs. On attempting to return on 1st July, no staff
appeared at the check in desks - after 1-2hrs after publicised take off
time - an intermediary arrived and gave out a fax page saying there
would be no flight. On asking for vouchers, transport, hotels, she
stated that she had not been given any instructions to do so. There were
between 300-500 people at this stage, from the current days contingent,
and from previous days. We only went to the Airport because Flyglobespan
had hours earlier published a new updated flight schedule on their web,
assuring us that our flight would depart one hour earlier than expected.
(One star is too much for them). We booked alternative flights ourselves
at a higher cost.
FlyGlobespan - by M Fahey
13 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Hamilton to Dublin 6/7/2007. 24 hour delay. We were put up in a hotel 30
miles away. Two minibuses supplied to ferry passengers to hotel (1 hour
round trip). Some passengers were arriving at the hotel 3 hours later (3
AM). (We gave up and paid for a taxi). When we finally left, Globespan
had the nerve to charge for a coffee on the flight and offer change of 5
Canadian dollars in sterling. The point was made to the stewardess that
we were travelling from a canadian Dollar zone to a Euro zone so
sterling was no use to us. Her answer: 'you can always spend it in Marks
And Spencer'.
FlyGlobespan - by Jonathan Gough
12 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
One star is too much. The airline is a disgrace.
Complete abandonment at JFK 2nd july 2007. No reps no advice no nothing.
Will never fly Flyglobespan again!
FlyGlobespan - by Geoffrey Mallin
11 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Hamilton to Manchester return. Excellent flight, unexpected leg room on
the 757-200. Arrived early both ways. Went economy but received food.
Good experience - sorry for the rest of you.
FlyGlobespan - by Susan Rowan
6 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
My husband and I flew to JFK on June 27th with Globespan, no problems on
outward flight, 20 minutes delayed, so we thought it was a good service.
This trip had been booked by my son for my husband's birthday and the
surprise was that my two daughters were flying out on 29th to join us.
However, their flight from Liverpool was cancelled altogether (after
they had checked in their baggage) - it was then impossible to get them
another flight, so the birthday treat was completely ruined.
Our return flight on July 1 was posted on the internet as leaving at 7pm
instead of 8. When we arrived at the airport at 3.30 pm we were
surprised to see several hundred people in the queue - no Globespan
staff at desk. We found some of these people had been waiting for a
return flight from Thursday 28th. There had been no flights to
Liverpool since then. Eventually after speaking to airport staff a
group arrived from Swissair to inform us that they would be flying the
28/29th people home the following morning at 9.30. However, they had no
information to give other passengers. We then had to pay for taxis to
take us to hotel and pay out for a hotel for another night. There was
no representative from Globespan and other than sleeping on the airport
floor, we had no choice but to do this. We tried to no avail to get a
replacement flight home. Eventually my son found us a flight leaving on
July 2 with Continental Airlines at an extra cost of £1000. This
shambles is an absolute disgrace and I have been unable to contact a
representative from Globespan. It has also left us with considerable
debts as we are not well off and the trip was paid for by our family -
We still do not know if we will be able to get a refund or our extra
expenses paid. I would not recommend anyone to fly with this company.
It has spoiled what should have been a family holiday and surprise for
my husband's birthday. I will never ever consider flying with them
again. They should not be in business and from what I can gather on the
internet, probably will not be in business for much longer! I begrudge
rating them one star, would give them minus 5.
FlyGlobespan - by Carol Williams
4 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
We have just arrived home after the worst flying experience of our
lives. We flew Liverpool to New York on the 8th of June and the delay
of five hours at Liverpool due to technical fault was stressful,
especially when the said we would have to rerouted over iceland because
the pilot wanted to stay over land as much as possible but the shambles
and chaos on our expected return flight was distressing for many.
We were scheduled to leave K.F.K. in New York on friday the 29th of June
and arrived to check in with plenty of time to spare. We were handed a
typed sheet of paper saying due to technical faults the flight had been
delayed by 24 hours and we would be provided with a room and "welfare".
The "welfare "consisted of a bottle of water and a cookie, but because
we had a lawyer in the group and he demanded we be provided with a meal
we did eventually get fed. We also found out that the flight for
Thursday the 28th of June had been cancelled and that the passengers on
that flight had to spend the night on the airport floor before being
found rooms at about 6pm the following morning. We returned to check in
on the Saturday and found the flight had been amalgamated with the
Thursday flight and we would be going via Knock , but what the hell we
were getting home, or so we thought. After delays on the tarmac the
plane did eventually start to move, about 100 yards, before returning to
stand with still another fault. We were left with no information for a
number of hours before being told that we would again be found a room
for the night but that Globespan couldn't give us a definite day for our
departure and that it would be advisable "to make your own way home and
claim a refund from Globespan". We did eventually manage to find a
flight home, this cost us over £800, plus extra night hotels and taxi
fare to the airport. The staff were unhelpful and evasive, they had no
concern for the welfare of the passengers some of whom were elderly and
travelling alone, others with young children. Younger couples were in
tears as they didn't have the money to finance new tickets and were
trying to contact relatives at home to help them. This company need to
fullfil its obligations to people who have bought tickets form them and
understand that they have both a legal and a moral obligation to keep to
the contract they have with customers. Globespan spoiled for us what
should have been a wonderful holiday, if you have even considered using
this company think again, they really should not be operating as a
company any longer.
FlyGlobespan - by Louise Schlichter
4 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
I would prefer to give no star. After a weary, long delay's and
uncomfortable trip with Globespan from Vancouver to Manchester return
June 2nd. I live on Vancouver Island and because of delay's missed my
ferry and the last flight, so it cost me a very late night in a Hotel
and breakfast! Globespan did not even offer a cup of tea! I have sent a
complaint to the Canadian Transportation Agency, and received a speedy
reply. I would urge other's to do the same, how can this company treat
people the way they do, and get away with it! If you have booked
regular class with Globespan please take your own pillow and blanket
because you will not be given one, if you have chosen your meal, do not
expect it, I had chosen for both trip's but felt lucky to get a cup of
water. As a frequent flyer to the UK we will chose ZOOM or even Air
Transat over Globespan - do not be fooled by the "cheap ticket" it is
not worth it even if it was free!
FlyGlobespan - by D Brenstein
4 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Worst airline experience I've ever had. Was supposed to fly to JFK from
Liverpool on Friday, June 29. Flight had technical problem and - note
this, potential passengers - they have no back-up airplane. That wasn't
the worst of it, though. There was no communication with passengers.
Customer service was non-existent! While we were put up overnight at the
airport on Friday, we were unceremoniously dumped the next morning at
the dirtiest hotel I’ve ever stayed at with no contact from any airline
personnel. On Saturday, the next day's flight's passengers were dumped
at the same hotel and basically told to hang out in the lobby.
Overnight? Yes! They eventually cancelled the flight completely on
Sunday, but there was no one at the Liverpool airport from the airline
and none of my fellow travelers was able to contact anyone at their
reservations numbers. Had they told us of the potential problem when we
checked in on Friday, most of us could have found other arrangements
home without breaking the bank. I was doggedly determined to reach a
human after we heard the flight was cancelled and that we had to rebook
our seats. When I finally did -- after hundreds of dollars of hotel and
cell phone bills -- I was told that the next available seat back to NY
would not be "for several weeks." so, my $597 ticket ended up costing me
about $2500 and several days of time and work! I had to book a last
minute tickets on another carrier and there were costs for
transportation to Manchester...flight to the connecting city...flight
back to the US....three additional days of parking, child care and
kennel costs...taxis, hotels, phone calls and meals! That doesn't
include all the grief, pain and suffering! If this is the last airline
on the planet, take a boat!
FlyGlobespan - by T Thomson
4 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Vancouver-London Gatwick, with one stop in Manchester. We arrived 20
minutes early. Flight crew Italian, did not understand much English, but
were helpful. 2 inflight movies, warm food, complimentary water and
coffee several times during the flight. Not much legroom, but great
price.
FlyGlobespan - by Mary McLoughlin
3 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Absolute disaster of an airline. Flew Knock Ireland to JFK. 4 hour delay
on the way out and 20 hour delay on the way back. Contacted airline by
email and got an email back saying they had offered us a hotel for the
night. A lie as we were not offered anything. In fact they said all
hotels were full and it would not be worth our while to go away from the
airport as we would be checking in at 6am - we eventually left 7 and a
half hours after that. It was their fault as they had no crew and they
knew the plane would not take off until 13.30 hours but pretended to us
that every hour we would be checking in so that they would not have to
put 150 passengers up in hotels. Will never fly this airline again.
FlyGlobespan - by John Lynn
3 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Thank you for the information we were looking to fly to N York - their
prices seemed competitive - but after these reviews we have booked
Delta. Globespan you need to get your act together
FlyGlobespan - by P Moore
30 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Liverpool-New York return business class, booked last year. Prior to
departure - arrival airport changed from Newark to JFK, outward
departure changed from noon to 3pm, return stopover in Knock added.
Outward 18/6 - aircraft changed to 737 due to 'technical difficulties',
'one hour delay', no business class or premium economy, no in-flight
entertainment. Departure was actually delayed over 5 hours, no
information or food/drink provided. When we did eventually depart, on-
board service was excellent though. Return 21/6 - delayed 3 hours (after
boarding), the only part that could be described as 'business class'
were the seats, service, food, drinks service were poor (eg. 3 hours on
the tarmac, offered only water and one drink). Better service in economy
on most airlines. Will not be using this airline again.
FlyGlobespan - by H Lamar
25 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
Thanks for the heads-up on this airline. We have family who live in
Hamilton who are visiting us in Edinburgh and the comments posted here
have led them to choose another airline from YYZ in the autumn. If
FlyGlobespan was saving in landing fees flying from YHM rather than YYZ
why are passengers flying a comparable charter airline business class
paying $1200 less for 2 flying from YYZ? Forget the convenience flying
from YHM - reliability, reputation plus cost win the day!
FlyGlobespan - by J Rodger
25 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
I had booked to fly Hamilton to Glasgow June 22 returning on July 8,
paying extra for the Premium upgrade. I should have known something was
wrong when I could prebook my seats for the outbound flight but not the
return, and could select my meals for the return but not the outbound.
After a few weeks I was able to select the meals for the outbound flight
but still no seat selection for the return flight. I placed 2 phone
calls to Scotland over a 1 month period and was told both times that the
return flight had not been finalized. Finally after reading all the
reviews on this Skytrax site, I had had enough. I cancelled my flights
and booked with Zoom. Everything went smooth, excellent cabin crew and
service. On June 15, 2007 I received an email from Globespan informing
me my return flight departure had changed from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, this
after I had cancelled my flights. So I thought I'll just see if I can
get in and book seats for the return flight. To my amazement I could,
but there were no Premium seats left. A co-worker was booked to fly
Globespan to Manchester September 13, 2007. After reading about all
their problems he gave them a call. They asked if anyone had contacted
him and he said no. At this point he was advised his flight had been
changed to September 10. I can't see how this airline will survive. I
certainly would not advise anyone to fly with them. Going to try for
some sort of refund but not really even expecting a reply from
Globespan.
FlyGlobespan - by Francis Pike
25 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
I was pleasantly surprised on my outward bound journey from JFK to
Liverpool all went well and I was thinking I had found a bargain
competent airline to my hometown. That was until I was trying to get
home. My return flight was cancelled the night before my trip back to
the USA due to technical issues. I found out that technical issues meant
they could not fill the flight and hence refused to fly at a loss.
They rescheduled the flight for the following day ay 1pm to arrive at
JFK at 6pm (US time). I get to the airport and they say "Due to
technical issues we will be departing Liverpool at 4pm" No big deal I
thought - but there is more. " We have substituted the plane so now we
will fly from Liverpool to Knock (Ireland) and then Ireland to Iceland
and then Iceland to Jfk along with the refuelling delays. Oh and by the
way we will have no entertainment for the harrowing 10 hour + flight
either. So i arrived in JFk after 11:30pm and had to stay in a hotel
after my wife was smart enough to reschedule my connection from JFK to
Pittsburgh for the second time in a row with a $160.00 change fee.
So my "Budget flight cost me $700.00 for the flight, $160.00 for the
connection change, and $130.00 for a hotel stay. Not only was I out of
pocket the extra $290.00 but it took me 3 days to get from Liverpool to
JFK. To sum it up don't fly this airline unless you are very flexible
and have nine lives.
FlyGlobespan - by C Stevenson
25 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
I've had the misfortune of flying twice with flyglobespan this year, I
only wish I had seen this website before I booked the flights. The fact
that they have won an “airline of the year” award is a complete joke.
In May this year we were delayed for 12 hours at Alicante as the plane
went "tech" just after we boarded. We were taken off the plane and left
sitting in the terminal for about 3.5 hours thinking that we wouldn’t be
delayed more than a few hours. It was only after other passengers
received calls from relatives waiting in Edinburgh telling them that our
flight was not expected home until after 11pm that an airport
representative handed us a print out advising the true length of the
delay. Anyway to cut a long story short it was the usual Globespan
story, no information, no customer service, no food vouchers although
they did serve up a cake and small coffee as a main meal 3 hours before
we left. Our flight eventually landed in Edinburgh 12 hours late.
We complained to Globespan by letter but surprise surprise, haven’t
received a reply. Our second flight (which was booked before we went to
Alicante) was from Glasgow to Sanford. Our original return flight was
cancelled the day after we booked it so the holiday didn’t get off to a
good start but we were rescheduled onto the flight the next day so I
didn’t think it would be a problem. On both legs of our journey our pre
booked premium seats were changed, we were given no advance warning on
the way to Florida but did receive an email during our holiday about the
return flight changes. Both flights left nearly on time which we should
be grateful for but like most of the other passengers on this route we
experienced the NEOS customer service or lack of. The Italian flight
crew barely understood or spoke English, the safety demonstration was
shown in Italian and the captain made announcements throughout the
flight in Italian – a bit bizarre considering the flight was full of
Scots and a few Americans. The meal service was shambolic because of
the seat changes, there were no pillows or blankets provided even for
young kids and the complimentary drink service was non existent on the
way home - not exactly the "premium" service we expected. The aircraft
itself was old, very dingy and the in-flight entertainment didn’t work
on one of our seats although I believe that was no loss (the silver
electrical tape covering the headphone socket and arm rest blended in
well with the seat). If Globespan had taken the time to respond to our
concerns after our first flight I might have considered using them again
for short haul flights but I will never consider them again for long
haul. My advice to anyone considering flying their routes to North
America would be pay a little extra and fly with one of the
American/Canadian carriers, at least they treat their passengers like
humans. Believe me the extra expense will be worth it.
FlyGlobespan - by K Denney
25 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
I so wish I had found this site prior to booking!! In a nutshell, please
do yourselves a huge favour and just do not even consider flying with
these people. We had saved up for years to do this trip of a lifetime to
the Canadian Rockies. We splashed out for premier seats to make the
flight a little more comfortable. On arrival, we found out by
overhearing another passenger that our plane had been cancelled and that
a smaller one was now taking us. However, there were no Business Class
seats, resulting in Business Class moving to Premium and us being
shunted down to Economy. This happened on our flight out and our return
flight and on speaking to other passengers they had the same experience.
People were complaining left right and centre but no one smiled,
apologised, or helped. Whenever anyone tried to complain, we all got the
same rely 'we are not Globespan staff' they were an Italian contracted
flight crew, with incredibly poor English. No one could understand the
safety talk. We specifically asked for a non stop flight when booking
and apparently, Globespan just decided to make a stop over in Glasgow.
Delaying our flight. No apology or explanations of course! Then, because
we were now in seats which were not our booked seats, we didn't get our
chosen meals. One of which should have been vegetarian! One of our two
meals (supposed to be identical now) the bread roll was missing, no
apology, and no one offered to go and find one for me. The milk was
missing, again, no apology and by the time they came with some (after
asking twice) the tea was cold in any case! We paid extra for free
drinks throughout, but I only got 2 drinks in 10 hours and they were
only 135 mls!! Considering the recommendations are to drink plenty of
fluids on flights, this was simply not encouraged at all on board
Globespan. The fabric was hanging off the seat in front of us, and it
had got chewing gum stuck to it. An absolute farce! Just save yourselves
a whole lot of disappointment and wasted money... Don't fly with them!
FlyGlobespan - by M Macnamara
22 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
We've just travelled twice on a blue-painted Neos/FGS 767 that has to
alienating fare-paying passengers by the hundreds. In terms of customer
service and satisfaction this was a Third World experience. We just
arrived back into Florida after a round trip to Glasgow aboard
Flyglobespan Neos 767. It's Italian-staffed, and ready for the
wrecker's yard. Flyglobespan must be losing potential trans-Atlantic
repeat pax by the plane-load every time one of their flights finally
lands or takes off - especially if it's on board the blue Neos. The in-
flight announcements might as well be in Italian (it would be better and
safer than the almost incomprehensible Italian English). Pre-booked
seats in Premier class were changed by e-mail a few days before each leg
- in both cases my wife and I ended up having to sit beside the lavs for
9 hours in each direction in seats that did not recline properly. Pre-
requested meals were a joke - no one seemed to be sitting where the
Italian crew thought they should be sitting, and their inability to
communicate in English made it farcical to watch them try to do a meal
service. Incidentally, there was a dramatic switch to Scottish English
when the Duty Free junk was being peddled - the Flyglobespan in-flight
person made sure that FGS was not going to lose any revenue, so she made
a nice clear announcement about the booze and cigarettes now being on
sale. The same on-board Flyglobespan passenger service rep was NOT
interested in our tale of woe - "Write to Customer Service!" was all she
would say, repeatedly (though she was indiscreet enough to say that the
punctuality problems we had previously experienced in and out of Sanford
were due to Flyglobespan having leased their own planes to Air India).
Our flights this time were punctual - but that's kind of like saying
that the tumbril left the Bastille on time to take the condemned to the
guillotine!
FlyGlobespan - by M Browning
22 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
Thank you Skytrax. Googled the FlyGlobespan name to find out more about them, and you came up in
the top 3 listings! We were thinking about using them for a family trip at Christmas, but after
reading your comments here, have quickly abandoned such thoughts. On the airline website, they have
a list of "compliments" from customers - I can only guess that most of those are completely
fabricated, since you have a more detailed and honest chat room going here. Thanks again.
FlyGlobespan - by Carol Fowler
22 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
We have just got back from Canada - can't fault flyglobespan. We found
them very polite and helpful and kept informed. They are a great
company to fly with.
FlyGlobespan - by S Fielding
20 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
I was on the May 31st flight from Hamilton bound for Dublin which was forced
back to Hamilton to make an emergency landing after an engine failure. I must
say the pilot and his crew were good. After that things went from bad to worse.
This flight was then delayed for over 47 hours. Because of the delay it made our
holiday impossible since we were tight for time anyway. We cancelled and were
assured by Globespan that we would receive a full refund. I had bought 4 tickets
as my mother and two aunts were travelling with me at a total of over $2800.
Guess what? Today I get a form letter in the mail saying they will not reimburse
us for our flights. I am just beside myself. Never, and I mean never, use this
airline. I am now hoping to get some help for the Canadian Transport Agency.
FlyGlobespan - by Liam Devlin
20 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Probably the worst airline I have ever flown with. Their idea of customer
relations is to ignore queries or complaints in the mistaken idea that the
complainants will just go away. I for one have been advising friends, colleagues
and acquaintances to avoid FlyGlobeSpan at all costs. While their fares my seem
cheaper the resultant experience can be very very costly. And when you return
from the trip from hell forget about complaining. I wrote to their Customer
Relations Department and copied their Chairman with a legitimate complaint. I
even sent the letters by registered mail. Three weeks later I followed up by
e-mail. Did I even get an acknowledgement - like hell I did. So pay the little
extra and fly with a reputable airline and not with a cowboy outfit. If it were
possible to award minus stars they certainly would be top of the list.
FlyGlobespan - by Gwen Soloman
19 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Glasgow-Calgary delayed 27hrs 35mins. Staff very unhelpful. Told lies about when
we would be departing when they knew that our plane was still sitting in
Vancouver Airport and their was no way it would leave Glasgow on the Friday.
Couldn't care less about our internal flight which we had to pay for again.
Couldn't care less about Economy passengers - no blanket or pillow- even though
I was feeling unwell. TV screen we were supposed to watch would have needed
binoculars to see it and they wanted us to buy headsets. Gave us a letter to
give to insurance company saying that the delay was due to "operational issues"
but said that they are under no obligation to reveal to the insurance company
what these "operational issues" were. This nullifies our insurance and Globespan
are aware that this would happen. I'll never use this airline again. I believe
that the Canadian Authorities are looking into the operation of Globespan with a
view to banning them from using their airports. They have too many complaints
which Globespan are refusing to deal with. They just say that it is a cheap, no
frills airline and what do passengers expect. My flight only holiday cost me
nearly £1000. I don't think that was cheap. I worked hard to pay for it and
expected to receive a far better service than the one I received.
FlyGlobespan - by Janice Ware
19 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Gatwick - Vancouver via Calgary 3rd May. Originally booked direct flight for the
6th May - it was changed and not advised. Eight hours delay at Gatwick. Three
hours on runway at Calgary due to missing passengers/luggage (10 head counts by
crew). Security issue Captain informed us! Why therefore were we left sitting on
plane if possibility of suspect luggage? Crew then ran out of flying time and we
were off- loaded in Calgary airport at 1 a.m. to the mercy of Airport security
staff (not a Globespan rep in sight), A further eight hours wait with rumours of
onward transport and advised to book schedule flights as no word of when we were
going to continue our flight to Vancouver (people had already missed cruise
bookings, weddings, etc.) Trying to book a schedule flight when a Westjet flight
was announced to take us the remaining hour's journey to Vancouver. Arrived at
hotel a day late having paid for three nights but only got two. The trip back
was adequate and on time although an Italian aircraft and two of the toilets
packed up within an hour of the flight taking off. Like other people on this
site, never, never again will we fly Globespan - the worst flight experience we
have had in fifty years of travel.
FlyGlobespan - by Bob Spence
19 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
Newcastle to Hamilton return. Flight operates via London Stansted. 1 hour late
in both directions however legroom and service on the 757-200 was good. Booked
coach to Toronto via Globespan but made to wait over an hour before it left for
the 1 hour journey. Having booked Premium Economy and pre booked 4 seats
together these were not available at the Newcastle check in and staffed blamed
the computer system. Globespan made up for this on the return flight by
upgrading us to business class. Overall not a bad experience although we spoke
to other passengers at Hamilton waiting for the Manchester flight which was
delayed 12 hours outbound and 4 hours inbound. They were not happy !!
FlyGlobespan - by Derek Grist
19 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Do not travel with Flyglobespan . Originally booked with Globespan in March, and
told it was with Zoom airlines. Called in May to pay the balance and they said
they are now a flight operator and the flight is with themselves and not a
client. They have changed from a tour operator to a flight operator. Also,
flight was originally direct from Gatwick to Vancouver, a month before departure
Glasgow was added as a stop point. Check-in staff was hopeless, did not know why
the plane was delayed - but they were contractors from ServisAir and did not
really care! 3 hours delay at Gatwick, not informed why. Then delayed at Glasgow
due to over bookings. No landing forms to fill in for customs and immigration at
Vancouver, which meant passengers had to ask officials at the airport for the
forms, so 100 passengers or so filling out forms before showing passports and
collecting luggage. What a sight! Onboard staff spoke Italian and little English
(how strange when going from London to Vancouver, all Italian speaking people!).
Going back home plane was on time, but service was even worse. No water given to
passengers unless asked - and staff could not understand most of the time. I
have travelled with Globespan 3 times, they are now terrible. They were good as
tour operators partnering with Air Transat, but as flight operators they are
terrible!
FlyGlobespan - by Sue Jones
19 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Oh how I wish I'd found this site BEFORE I booked with Flyglobespan !
Gatwick-Vancouver 3 June, return 16 June: Unannounced delays, no allocated
seating, no food vouchers to cover the delay, no Flyglobespan representative
available to give us or the airport ground staff any information, scarily
dilapidated NEOS plane, no headphones, surly and unhelpful Italian flight
attendants with scant grasp of English, painfully slow food and drinks service
-that's if you could actually buy a drink, as they wouldn't take Canadian coin
coming back from Vancouver, but also couldn't give change for UK notes - lucky
I'd brought plenty of water on board with me! Coming back at least ran to time,
but it took them 3 hours to get a meal to us in Economy, and another Italian
crew with incomprehensible announcements and not a smile between the lot of
them. I have never felt nervous flying before. I can't believe anyone will use
them twice.
FlyGlobespan - by M Fluder
19 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Hamilton to Stansted via Exeter on May29. Check in was a breeze (~5min). We live
in Hamilton and considered going back home since we showed up early, but decided
to spend some time at the nearby Tim Hortons (no charge for parking there). The
plane left Hamilton 30 min late. In Exeter 2/3 of the passengers got off. Very
efficient handling there and in no time we made a short "jump" arriving on time
in Stansted. Back on June 13, same route, same experience. 30 min late departing
from Stansted with 1/3 of the plane full. Almost full out of Exeter (I got 2
empty seats beside me - made a huge difference for my overall comfort!). Landed
before scheduled time in Hamilton with a bonus flyby above Niagara Falls with a
magnificent view of the falls. Before my trip I worried about the delays since
Stansted was only a stopover for me, but in the end everything worked out
excellent and no problems with the connections at Stansted. Both ways a
complimentary meal (not spectacular but something hot) was served which I never
expected. I found flight crews very helpful, professional and accommodating. My
expectations regarding FlyGlobespan service were met 100%.
FlyGlobespan - by M Macpherson
14 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
I was just about to book from Johannesburg to Manchester for our very valuable
Christmas holidays. Reading so far its not good. Has anyone flown this route? It
sounds like the Canada route seems to be the only problem? Will hold on a while
longer to see if there is a glimmer of hope that its not that bad!
FlyGlobespan - by David Hodson
14 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Birmingham to Hamilton premium economy. Icelandair 757-200's on both legs
(ex-Iberia birds). Flight 30 mins late departing BHX but arived YHM on time.
Crew acknowledged previous problems with delays and service and worked very hard
to make up for this. Meals excellent. 2 drinks services. Entertainment OK.
Flight delayed 30 mins on way back due to a disembarking plane in the next bay.
Again service fine. YHM is an hours drive from Toronto but the rapid check-in
and security clearance mean that the time saved by flying to YYZ is almost
negated. Not bad for £300!
FlyGlobespan - by W Evans
11 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Glasgow to Hamilton and back. Went with the no-frill economy so was not expecting much. Flights
departed a little late (less than 30 min) but made up for it in the air. Landed early on both
flights. Flying to Hamilton is so much better than Toronto. Flight attendants were great. I can
understand some of the previous comments, but it is a new service, there are bound to be problems. I
am sure they will learn from their mistakes. Overall, Flyglobespan exceeded my expectations and I
will probably fly with them again.
FlyGlobespan - by M Greatorex
11 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
'Scottish Airline of the Year'? An accolade on a par with being voted 'African Ski Resort of the
Year'. Weve just returned from a wonderful vacation in Canada, marred only by the diabolical
service provided by FlyGlobespan (FGS). Problems began months before flight. Early Jan, booked
Premium Economy seats to Calgary on 15 May. Learned by chance on 6 March this flight cancelled ‘due
to late delivery of aircraft’. Discovered since this was most likely due to FGS leasing both its
own Boeing 767s to Air India, replacing them with 2 wet lease ‘boneyard dodgers’ operated by Neos
(aka Never Ever On Schedule). Since it was too late to switch to another airline at reasonable
cost, had no option but to cancel two days of our holiday and take FGS offer of Business Class seats
on the 17th May Calgary flight. Concerned about reliability of FGS flights, checked airborne status
of the incoming flight from Vancouver on 17 May before leaving for Gatwick airport. Learned easily
from FlightStats.com that aircraft was delayed by 115 mins but FGS ‘Help Desk’ (that’s a misnomer)
insisted no change to check-in time or departure.
This deception was perpetuated on arrival at Gatwick. FGS’ check-in agents, ServiceAir (aka
ServiceRare) ceased checking in passengers, claiming a computer failure. In truth, they had no idea
what was going on. When check-in recommenced, we were told that pre-booked seat allocations would
no longer be valid because of an airframe configuration change and we would have to ‘free board’
within our allotted ticket class. Sent to departure lounge with assurances that we would leave on
time, we eventually discovered - after pressuring Information Desk staff - that the flight was
delayed after all. When boarding commenced 2 hours later, it was a total shambles. Business Class
were spared the scrummage endured by the Premium Economy and Economy class passengers. Several
Premium Economy passengers had to fly Economy because of a seat shortage in their section of the
aircraft. Arguments and discussions over this delayed takeoff still further. The in-flight service
in Business Class was just about acceptable apart from compatibility issues with headsets and the
antiquated IFE fit of the ancient Neos aircraft. However, insufficient meals available for the
other passengers and their drinks service was late starting. An hour out from Calgary the last of
the toilets went unserviceable; fortunately, this coincided with the last of the drinking water
supplies on board running out. Fast forward to Sat 2nd June and our scheduled UK return on GSM922,
ETD Vancouver at 20:45 pm. Again, I checked on the incoming FGS flight from Manchester. At 10:00
am (Vancouver time) on Saturday, this was already showing 155 mins late on the FlightStats.com
website. Attempts to contact FGS’ Canada Help Desk for info resulted in prolonged waits on the
phone listening to gardening programmes on the radio. Gave up and arrived at Vancouver airport at
17:30 pm in order to check-in, where desk staff insisted flight was on schedule. With 90 mins to go
before take-off and still no FGS jet on the ramp, efforts to obtain an accurate statement from the
Air Canada staff met with a dumb insistence that all was well; an insult to our intelligence and a
valid reason to question theirs. Having been sent to a gate at the far end of the terminal (no
doubt to keep us away from happy passengers on other airlines) we were finally directed to the
correct gate. With 15 minutes to take-off and still no FGS aircraft in Vancouver, the check-in
staff at last acknowledged that the flight would be delayed. Amazing! Senior Ops staff member told
us that information from FGS was never forthcoming and they are by far the worst of the budget
carriers operating out of Vancouver. When boarding began shortly before midnight, it immediately
became clear that the same seat configuration/seat booking discrepancies which had dogged out
outbound flight loading would be repeated. The inexperienced Neos cabin crew exacerbated the
problems by putting passengers from non-existent seats into seats ticketted to others. The sole FGS
cabin crew representative disappeared rapidly when some hands-on leadership and management was
evidently required. No-one on the airline staff, from the aircraft captain downwards appeared to
have the remotest idea how to resolve the confusion and manage the situation to a state where we
could push-back from the stand. A ‘Mexican Standoff’ developed with passengers refusing to
relinquish seats in Premium Economy for fear of being bumped down to Economy. Considering the
numerous tales of woe exchanged amongst us while waiting for the flight to arrive, this is not
surprising; ‘Once bitten, twice shy’ being uppermost in everyones’ mind. Finally, after one
passenger was threatened with offloading by security staff if she refused to take any available
seat, flight got airborne some 4 ½ hours later than scheduled. Travelling in Premium Economy this
time, we suffered the same antiquated IFE system and got served a couple of sub-standard meals.
Drinks were slow to arrive and wine with the meal had to be requested - it was not offered as would
be the case with a decent airline. I would like to say that the rest of the flight passed without
further hitch but FGS had one more trick up its sleeve to further infuriate the passengers. About 3
weeks prior to the flight, FGS added a stopover in Glasgow en route to LGW. Many Scottish-based
passengers were unaware of this change, but when they found out about it, they understandably wanted
to get off in Glasgow. There insued a situation where some passengers disembarked leaving their
luggage aboard and tagged for Gatwick. What should have been a 40 mins layover dragged interminably
out to nearly 2 hours, while baggage was offloaded, checked, re-tagged and reloaded. The aircraft
captain attempted to lay the blame on the ground handling staff at Vancouver but the fault lay more
widely than that. When the flight eventually arrived in Gatwick at 21:15 pm, some six hours later
than scheduled, we had missed out connecting flight home to Spain and had to re-book to fly out the
following day. We incurred costs to change our Easyjet flights and also for overnight accommodation
and subsistence. FGS is patently incapable of managing a transatlantic airline operation to a safe
and satisfactory standard. The information exchange between FGS ops personnel and supporting
agencies on the ground at Gatwick and in Canada is appalling. The passage of information to their
passengers is non-existent. By leasing its own airframes to Air India and bringing in the 2 Neos
wrecks, FGS makes it clear that their sole motivation is profit, not customer service or safety.
They treat their customers with disdain. I have concerns about their safety standards
(crew duty hours must routinely be stretched to the very limits) and recently one of their Hamilton
outbound flights turned back after an engine failure. That the seat allocation issues continue to
cause dispute and delay weeks after it first happened says it all.
FGS is not a budget airline, it is a shoestring cowboy outfit.
FlyGlobespan - by M Heneghan
11 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Ireland West-Knock to JFK New York, June 5th 07. After reading the reviews here I was nervous and
had a back up plan just in case. I booked a one-way business ticket for around 450 euro. Arrived at
NOC two hours before departure, which was scheduled for 2:30 local time. Check in was slow, as
information had to be entered into laptops and sent on to US immegration. There were two check in
desks, but no business line or priority boarding (at Jfk there are Business, economy, and economy
plus check in). The plane arrived about one hour before departure from Liverpool and we took off on
time. The plane itself was a Icelandair 757, with Icelandic crew. There were 2 Flight attendants for the
main cabin and just one for business. FA in business worked very hard, but the service was very
slow. Drinks served after take off and the food service started soon after.
The inflight entertainment was decent. Entertainment system
worked fine, toliets and cabin were clean, staff were friendly and helpful.
We arrived early at JFK and immegration/customs went smoothly. I would compare the overall service
to BA's Club Europe or American's domestic First product in the US. Overall I was happy with the
whole experience, but may have caught them on a good day in terms of departing on time.
|
