FLYGLOBESPAN review : 29 April 2008 : by Bill Marwick

Customer Rating : 4/5

Glasgow/Palma return. On time, our pre-booked seats were fine. Crew courteous. We were in seats 1A and 1B - crew baggage had filled the overhead bins and we had to go searching for a space for our hand luggage. Only problem (this was not Globespan's fault) arriving at Glasgow at 9.30pm on a Thursday evening to be told that the 'international side' was not open and we were taken by bus from a domestic gate to an international gate. Two flights arriving at same time (ours and a KLM from Amsterdam). Chronic shortage of immigration staff. 3 on duty - 1 dealing with non-EU citizens (of whom there were about 4) 2 dealing with approx 200 passengers - very poor service.

FLYGLOBESPAN review : 22 April 2008 : by D Montgomery

Customer Rating : 1/5

Edinburgh to Las Palmas. Outbound flight time changed about 3 weeks before the flight, then delayed departure at the airport meant we arrived in resort about 8 hours after we had planned. Inbound we had paid extra to reserve seats together - got to Las Palmas Airport to be told variously "The Computer is Down", "The aircraft has changed" - no seats together, no explanation, no refund. Paid extra for meals both ways, easily the worst airline snack pack (not even a meal) I've ever seen.

FLYGLOBESPAN review : 21 April 2008 : by J Gainty

Customer Rating : 1/5

Just returned from 2 weeks in Florida and would not under any terms recommend Flyglobespan as a carrier. Going out was pretty uneventful despite a fuel stop in Maine, and inflight service was limited with only 2 films shown on central aisle tvs which were showing serious signs of age and 1 toilet broke down halfway through flight. The return leg was more of an event, the plane was delayed from Glasgow due to a 'technical issue' for 6 hours and we were given compensation of $10 to get a meal and refreshment This did not even cover that so had to be added to despite the EU regulation being to provide suitable food and refreshment. No Flyglobespan staff were available or visible to deal with this and the handling staff at Sanford were left to communicate with passengers. When the aircraft did show up some 6.5 hours later the attitude extended by some of the cabin crew was deplorable. The plane was at least 20 years old and still had ashtrays in the armrests, we were advised that they have also been delayed and were exhausted as well. We were advised at check in that because of the delay we would be flying non stop to Glasgow as there was no need to refuel at Maine but low and behold once boarded we were then advised due to a strong headwind we would have to stop at Maine after all. This plane was an old Icelandair plane which needed to stop at Iceland for fuel. I feel Flyglobespan are very unprofessional both in their handling of this delay and the lack of staff available to deal with this - when the cabin staff had to deal with the passengers were very offhand and dismissive.

FlyGlobespan review - by W Shearer

12 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

My wife and I used Flyglobespan Glasgow to Malaga return and found service good. Flight was full and on time going with a short delay at Malaga on returning. Delay at Malaga was due to insufficient desk staff, but otherwise OK. Crew were efficient and courteous.

FlyGlobespan review - by M Torbitt

9 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Flew with Globespan from Sanford to Belfast Boeing 757-200 aircraft. Toilet was out of order, as several other passengers on this flight have stated. Flight scheduled 0815, departed 11.05. Late inbound the previous day. Direct hop from Sanford to Belfast, cabin crew pleasant, seating roomy, and flight crew informative and pleasant. Meals on this flight were good, I had booked a special meal, due to previous experience with food on Globespan. The inflight entertainment on this aircraft needs serious attention. One of the screens was green the whole way back, the sound quality was very poor, and the other screens half flickered. Aircraft seems a bit dated. If you are flying with them soon, be very open minded, you could get really bad to really good.

FlyGlobespan review - by A Maguire

3 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Belfast to Toronto in so called business class. The outward journey was tolerable but the return was a complete fiasco. The cabin crew started a fire in the galley and let the passengers sit wondering what was going on before sending an Italian crew member to mumble a confused apology. Also, our party of three did not receive anything edible during the 7 hour flight and we noted the lady sat next to us also could eat nothing. When we had the audacity to complain we were totally ignored for the entire flight without even the offer of a drink. When we wrote to globespan they came up with the excuse that we were offered alternative food - we were offered nothing. When we eventually got to speak to the senior cabin crew about 30 minutes before landing, she said she was embarassed by the quality of the food and the flight crew also complained.

FlyGlobespan review - by L Miller

31 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Just back from Orlando. Both flights on 757 aircraft so seats as booked and comfy enough, brief fuel stop at Bangor outbound, 45 mins late leaving GLA, arriving at SFB just 25 mins behind schedule. Return flight on time departing SFB and 5 mins early at GLA. A big thumbs up for the GSM crews, friendly bunch, looked after pax well. Even food was good. My only gripe, the IFE, horrid green tinge to the screen which after a few stutters, gave up the ghost midway through movie. Maybe Globespan lives to fight another day.

FlyGlobespan review - by Stella Matson

27 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

We flew Edinburgh to Lanzarote on the 3rd March - a few weeks before departure we were told our flight time would be changing from 0730 to 0930 and we would now be going via Durham. On the morning of departure I checked their website to see if the flight was going on time (I had a premonition) and was told everything was ok. After waiting over an our to check in we were handed a voucher and told our flight would not leave until at least 3pm. We eventually arrived at 9pm - we booked this flight for the great flight times as we should have arrived at 11.45am giving us the whole day to settle in This airline just change things to suit themselves - having flown with them about 6 times, not once has my flight left on time. This will be the last. You cannot contact them to complain they just ignore you. My advice to anyone considering using Globespan is to ignore them.

FlyGlobespan review - by Nick Fisher

27 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Thank goodness for Skytrax! I was on the point of booking LGW-YHM with flyglobespan, then I thought "better just check for any passenger reviews online". I'm glad I did - this airline sounds like a nightmare! I have no problem with paying a bit more to fly with a decent carrier, so I have not proceeded with my flyglobespan booking and will look elsewhere. Thanks to all previous reviewers - you have cost me a few quid but saved me (most likely) a great deal of frustration !

FlyGlobespan review - by J Hume

25 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Flew to Sanford via Belfast with Globespan. Had seats changed 3 times before we left and also change of aircraft going which was to the bigger one which was ok. Told it was a direct flight but wasnt. We were delayed an hour from Glasgow with no explanation even though the staff were in the departure lounge with us. Got to Sanford and there was no reps to meet us as Globespan reps dont seem to deal with the airport and Dollar car rental had never heard of them when we looked for help. On the way back we were delayed two hours - again no explanation and put on a smaller plane that was dirty and rather smelly! We had no sound outbound so no film and inbound the TV monitor didn't work - not good for a 10yr and 7yr old on a ten hour flight. Cabin crew were pleasant enough and kept going with dinners and snacks throughout the flight.

FlyGlobespan review - by M Torbitt

25 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Like Mr Ian Winter, I too was on the Flyglobespan flight to Orlando on 30th November 2007 for one week, though was travelling from Belfast. On Arrival at Belfast airport, my friend and I discovered that our flight was delayed from 10.40 until 11.20am. I don't mind short delays, as they are inevitable sometimes. However, when we checked in and proceeded to the gate, the screens were still displaying that the flight was on time. No gate staff arrived to board us until after 11am, and the aircraft was nowhere in site. Eventually, the aircraft landed at 11.40am, and boarding commenced at around 12.20am. We eventually departed the runway at Belfast at 13.05. The flight was average. As both my friend and myself are tall, the crew did not mind us moving seats to stretch out a bit, as we were seated at the very rear of the aircraft, and there were some free seats. On arrival at Sanford, we did get through quickly. We enjoyed a great week in Florida, thinking that the slight delay had been a one off, and were looking forward to getting home, hoping our flight would be on time. On arrival at Sanford airport at 05.15am on Saturday 8th December, 3 hours before the scheduled departure time of the flight, we stood in line with several other UK bound passengers. No check-in agents were in sight. Eventually the desks opened at 05.35am and we were drafted forward to be processed. The agent mumbled something about a delay, and we had to prompt her before she handed us a letter, which informed us the flight would be delayed until 0300 on Sunday morning, 9th December, due to technical difficulties with the aircraft, and also that our plane had been changed to a B737-800 series, and would require a re-fuelling stop in St John, Newfoundland. We were then shipped off to a hotel to endure the delay. On checking the internet at the hotel, I discovered on the airport website that the flight was further delayed until 06.35 on Sunday morning, with no explanation for this. We were not impressed. The buses eventually picked us up at 4am and took us to the airport. We waited and waited in the departure lounge until boarding eventually started at after 0600. To allow just half an hour to board a transatlantic flight, where there are quite a lot of children, and people generally take more baggage, is not adequate. We eventually got onto the aircraft and took our seats, which thankfully were at the emergency exit rows, across the aisles from each other. The aircraft took off at 0723, for the long journey home. The stop in St John was brief, and took only 1 hour. The cabin crew were terrible - no sympathy shown to any of the delayed passengers. The meal was thrown on your table, and rather ignorant announcements were made for 'Economy class to sit down and do not use the toilet until the Business class passengers have received their meals'. Excuse me, but we were all delayed together, Business class would just have to forget their meals if people needed to go to the toilet. We eventually arrived into Belfast at 21.20, some 24 hours later. A total disgrace from start to finish. I am booked to travel on the same route next month, and I hope that the airline can perform a lot better than before. Since the terrible experience in December, I have flown from SFB to BFS once with globespan, but it was not on time. Flyglobespan - it is time to buck up your ideas and stick to schedules, service your aircraft properly, and do not include unscheduled stops on 'direct' flights. This was not acceptable. My advice would be, if you are thinking about using Flyglobespan - think long and hard about it before you make a decision - it might be a bad idea.

FlyGlobespan review - by A Brown

7 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Frequent flyer to Cyprus. We've used Globespan from Glasgow & Edinburgh to Paphos. Almost always they change the time of the flight. From Glasgow its usually put back two hours but from Edinburgh this April its gone from 0900 to 1630! That means changing car parking, car collection and also arriving and leaving in the darkness rather than daylight. Its also not possible to contact Globespan by email and when you phone you just get a runaround and no customer satisfaction. This is not a budget airline anymore as their prices are high compared to competitors.

FlyGlobespan review - by S Downie

2 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Edinburgh to Grenoble for a week's ski holiday. Check-in quick with no queue, boarding via bus to remote stand and departure on time. Onboard service OK for a low cost airline, food/drinks on sale at a reasonable cost, and reasonable legroom on the 737-700. Arrived on time and after a slight delay in baggage reclaim we were on our way. Return flight was a repeat performance. For the money paid no complaints.

FlyGlobespan review - by K Nixon

19 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

My daughter flew Globespan Glasgow-Belfast-Sanford. Due to depart at 09.15, they had been in departure lounge since 7am - she was to arrive Sanford at 15.40 local time. They did not arrive until 22.11pm after a traumatic journey which started at Glasgow with the baggage handler damaging the luggage hold door. They eventually departed Glasgow at 14.15 on to Belfast before making trip to Sanford. As the new plane was smaller they had to refuel on way and tried for Canada which was snowbound - so off they went to Connecticut where there was a further delay. No refreshment vouchers were offered, although asked for on several occasions, on the outward journey because the excuse was you've not been delay 4 hrs yet!

FlyGlobespan review - by J Lewis

19 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Flight on Friday 8th from Glasgow - Sandford. Worst ever. Delayed, however no offer of compensation. 6 hours later took off and stopped at Belfast for 1.5 hrs, and then refuel at Hartford, US for 1.5hrs. The plane was dirty and smelt of urine - toilet was out of order. Return a week later was 2.5hrs late due to late incoming. Again a toilet out of order and terrible smell. Will never fly with them again on this route.

FlyGlobespan review - by D Winter

17 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

I travelled with Flyglobespan from Sanford to Belfast on Saturday 9th February at 9pm. This flight was due to depart at 8.15am. We had already been changed from Friday 8th Feb at 6pm. We had booked into a hotel because of the early start. When we got to the airport we were handed a form advising us we would get $10 food voucher a cup of black coffee was $1.82 - food was so poor it couldn't have been eaten anyway. There was no representative to discuss are needs with and at 11.30 we were told that a bus would be taking us to a hotel for dinner at 4pm. Hilton Hotel had a very good spread on for us and made us welcome. This company treat their customers with contempt how do they treat their staff? They only want complaints in writing so that they can be ignored and they want us to claim any expenses incurred from our Insurance companies. I should add this is the second time we have encountered a delay with Flyglobespan last time it was 19 hours and we were lead to believe is was an unusual occurrence. This is not a cheap no frills airline - please consider one of the scheduled - you won't be messed with so much and the cost will not be any more.

FlyGlobespan review - by A Peters

12 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Glasgow to Sandford return and the outward flight was delayed 2 hours - a smaller plane with no entertainment (£10 voucher compensation) and we had an unscheduled stop at Bangor, Maine to refuel. Arrived in Sanford 5.30pm instead of 3.10pm. The flight was ok and the staff were good and apologetic. The return flight was delayed one hour because of arriving late the night before and the crew requiring a set number of hours sleep. Again we had unscheduled stop at Bangor, Maine for refuelling, then a further stop at Belfast to drop off passengers. Instead of arriving at the scheduled time of 11.10pm we arrived at 2am! Again the flight was ok and staff were pleasant and apologetic. Keeping to schedules very poor.

FlyGlobespan review - by M Ahern

31 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

If I could give a lower rating than 1 Star I would. Travelled Globespan from Sanford to Belfast on 8 January. We were told on check in that plane had to be changed to a 737 which is far too small for such a long journey, only suitable for short flights. On reading other reviews this seems to be a regular occurrence and not a one off as we were led to believe. To say the journey was uncomfortable is the understatement of the year. I really felt sorry for those with small children or babies, I don't know how they managed on such a long flight. There was no entertainment on the plane and we were not even offered a pillow or blanket which I would've thought is usual on an overnight flight. We had to stop off in Hamilton, Canada to refuel which added another hour to the arduous journey. We have just received vouchers for £10 each off our next journey with Globespan and somehow I don't think we will be using them. I would never recommend anyone travel with Globespan.

FlyGlobespan review - by A McNeish

29 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Glasgow to Las Palmas return. Both journeys more or less on time and flight crew were very pleasant. We had booked extra leg room seats at £12.50 each way and on the outbound journey I had an empty seat next to me which was great. We had also chosen the new hot meals for which we paid £6 each. These were OK and also helped to pass some of the time. We have flown short haul with Flyglobespan on many occasions and have never had any problems.

FlyGlobespan review - by Catherine Collins

24 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

My family were booked to go Glasgow - Orlando Sanford return. Both were the worst flights we have ever travelled . My brother and his partner had upgraded to business class, on arrival the plane had been changed to a small one, with no business class or inflight entertainment. It was exactly the same on the way back with cramped seats, no leg room etc. We were also told we would have to do a stop over in St Johns, Canada, for 20 minutes, however once again we were over two hours, not allowed out our seats at all. We were told it would be free bar on both journeys, once again Globespan at their best ran out of white wine after my first glass. Please do not fly with this airline, they are not cheap or reliable.

FlyGlobespan review - by P Keenan

15 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

This airline have what appears to be a procedure of keeping the traveller uninformed until the last possible minute. As other reviews have highlighted this, it appears to be the company policy as they do not appear to be unforeseen isolated instances. Return from Belfast to Sanford Orlando. Flight advertised and booked as direct - informed at check in there will be a refuelling stop at Bangor. Plane already had passengers from Glasgow on board, do not know when they where informed of Belfast stop. Aircraft was dated, tv screens in middle aisle therefore children unable to view screens from seats. Airline offer prebooking of meals - we booked childrens meals and when served we were informed "there is no difference" - and where given whatever meals that were available. One of the inflight movies had no sound - after various inquiries from several travellers the steward inform us that it was not able to be fixed. Prior to return journey some of the party we were travelling with were informed the return flight had been rescheduled from 17:10 to 15:30 - they arrived at the airport at noon to discover the flight was 17:10. At check in we are told the plane has been changed to a smaller aircraft and no in flight entertainment. The direct flight from to Belfast has a stop for refueling at canada. Onboard the plane there is not enough locker space for carry on baggage. One passenger who asked for assistance was informed you are only allowed one bag per person, to which the passenger replied we only have one bag per person. Overall the experience of flying with flyglobespan was not a good one which was not helped by the last minute changes - or were they? My advice is to ask every question possible before booking to ensure you are fully informed. In conclusion, of the 15 people who travelled in my party none have expressed a desire to travel with flyglobespan again.

FlyGlobespan review - by J Hume

10 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

We are due to fly to Sanford from Glasgow on March 4th - we thought! On checking our booking on the internet, flights had been changed to the 7th March stopping at Belfast. We have had no e-mail confirming this or contact from Flyglobespan. We found out our booked seats on the way back had been cancelled and we had to rebook them again! This flight change meant changing holidays at work and rebooking airport parking. We havent even been on the plane yet and were stressed!

FlyGlobespan review - by Ian Winter

4 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

My wife and I had a 14 day vacation in Orlando during early December 2007 and flew with Flyglobespan airlines on a direct flight from Glasgow to Sanford Florida. The original direct flights were outward bound from Glasgow on Saturday 1st December during late afternoon and returning from Sanford late afternoon on 15th December. The aircraft was to be a Boeing 737 with extra legroom seats on exit seat numbers 19J/19K both ways. After full payment was taken we received an email changing the outbound flight to early morning of the 30th November which extended our flight to 15 days necessitating the purchase of an extra day at both our chosen hotel and car hire period at a cost of £115. We received a further email intimating that the plane had been changed to a Boeing 767 and there would be a change of seats on the return flight to 9C/9D which were not together but across the passage, plus an unscheduled 1 hour stop to uplift passengers at Belfast. Another email to advise us that the return flight from Sanford would be rescheduled by 8 hours to early morning on 15th December thus cutting the vacation back to 14 days but shifted forward by 1 day. The outbound flight from Glasgow on 30th November was delayed by 1.5 hours due to a tyre requiring replacement. Prior to take off we were asked by cabin crew to move across the passage to different seats at an empty exit. On landing at Belfast for 1 hour all passengers had to vacate the aircraft to allow another security check on cabin luggage and passengers had to stand on an airport bus for 1/2 hour. Thankfully the remainder of the flight was normal but we landed 2.5 hours late. On 15th December the flight (back to a 737) left Sanford on time but the pilot announced that there would be an unscheduled landing at St John in Canada where the temperature was minus 11 degrees. This refuelling took an hour, then we continued to Belfast for yet another 1 hour delay. In the meantime we argued with ground staff at Sanford check in to request extra legroom seats together, which we had paid for, finally being allowed to sit together about 10 rows behind 9C/9D. We then noticed that our new seats had been vacant anyway together with three more across the passageway. Prior to take off cabin staff again requested us to move to these identical seats opposite. Furthermore, prior to take off from Belfast, I was requested to move away from my wife back to one of the initial seats to have an adult at all exit doors. My score for Flyglobespan can only show a minimum of one star but I feel it should be at least a minus score.

FlyGlobespan review - by Carolyn Todd

1 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Glasgow - Orlando Sanford yesterday. Twelve hours after taking off we finally landed in Sanford. There was an unscheduled stop in Bangor, Maine to refuel which was supposed to take 20 mins - 60 mins later we were still on the ground. The staff kept saying that we'd be on the ground in 30 mins - 60 mins later we were still at 30,000ft! The onboard service was unreliable and I was seated next to three small children that screamed the entire 12hrs! It was hell,and from now on I will go BA via London for the same price - especially if Globespan add in extra 'unscheduled' stops and provide unacceptably bad onboard service.

FlyGlobespan review - by Jeffrey Leong

30 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Edinburgh to Alicante vv in December 2007. Outbound flight time changed but we were given notice several weeks in advance. Only glitch there was their associated connecting coach service in Spain did not reflect the (time) change when we booked the airport transfer service from Alicante airport to Benidorm. We had to incur 5 euros administration charges to make the change later which was really FlyGlobespan's fault. Edinburgh-Alicante quite good, cabin crew friendly, seat pitch on B737 fine, snack menu limited but prices reasonable. Return flight, smaller aircraft (also a B737) seemed to have less pitch and it felt tight. From reading what others here mentioned, if the airline its ground customer service dept to pulls up its sock, eg reply to complaints promptly, keep passengers on the ground informed or assist them if there were delays, etc, this can be a good airline. Or am I too much of an optimist?

FlyGlobespan review - by G Muirhead

16 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

On 9th Dec we were booked on a flight from Edinburgh to Prague, on arrival at Airport we were met by a sign telling us we were to be bussed to Glasgow, as the aircraft was needing some work done to it. When we got to Glasgow the bus driver told us that the busses were booked on Sat 8th Dec at 11am, this was 16+hrs before we were to leave Edinburgh. On our return from Prague the flight was delayed again for the same reason as the first flight - we were kept for over 4.5hrs each way, we were not even given the price of a cup of tea at Prague. All the passengers got together and signed a petition to the Captain and he gave us free drinks but could not give food - at Prague we were that late that all the public busses were off so we had to get taxis at the cost of 480CK. Gets on my nerves is that they are very good at taking our money, but when things go wrong they are very slow to inform you - if they do at all.

FlyGlobespan review - by Euan Hannah

9 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

We travelled with Globespan, on their now discontinued Glasgow/Boston route There were various changes to the flight between the time of booking and our departure on 25 September, 2007 but the outward journey was OK. However when we arrived at Boston Airport for our return flight we discovered it had been cancelled with no notification to us by email leaving us totally stranded without any warning There was no representative of Globespan at the airport. Eventually we learned that our Tuesday flight had been cancelled and we had been transferred onto the Wednesday flight which was leaving some 27 hours later. Needless to say the incident caused us considerable distress and extra expense Like others posting their comments here we wrote to Globespan and we are still waiting for a reply. It was a shocking and horrible experience and is a disgraceful way to treat customers.