Monarch Airlines Passenger Reviews and Monarch Airlines Customer Trip Reports

Tuesday 14th Aug my family and I was waiting to check in at Monarch to fly to Sandown Florida, it was announced that the computers were down, hence a very long wait. When we boarded, it was delayed another hour. During this time we had no apology no drinks - nothing. When we were offered refreshments it was sparse, or of course we could purchase things at an exorbitant price. Plus if you intend long haul trips please add better in flight entertainment, being charged for earphones for a TV we could hardly see was not on.

Paid for extra leg room seats. Arrived at East Midlands, check in all went smoothly until we went to board and found an Air Italy plane - this had not been mentioned before. As it was a different aircraft we didn't get our extra leg room seats. Returning from Majorca again it was an Air Italy flight, again no extra leg room seats, people with the same seat numbers. It took over an hour for them to go 11 rows serving drinks which meant people got drinks as the flight was descending, it also meant you couldn't get to the loo as was been blocked from both ends with trolleys. All in all an awful flight and service. Will not be using Monarch again.

Travelled on a return ticket to Palma, Mallorca. Going out from Birmingham all seemed OK. On the return journey arrived at the airport at 9am for a 12.55pm flight. Joined the queue for 1 of the 8 open desks just before 10am. 1 desk was reserved for Gold and Silver customers. Still in the same queue and all windows busy at midday. Finally got checked in at gone 12. Rushed to the departure gate as they flashed boarding up on the board to find a horrendous slow moving queue. Finally got on board after 1pm. The plane was about 30 minutes late taking off solely due to the checking in taking far too long. Did I mention the people on the check-in were taking turns for a tea break. I have no complaint about the aircraft or crew except to say the leg room is very limited. Spoiled an otherwise enjoyable holiday.

Flew on 15th Aug from Manchester to Sandford Orlando. No delays, cabin crew lovely with regular updates from pilot. Food substantial Had to pay for drinks but knew that beforehand. In flight entertainment very good - overhead screens. Seat pitch fine All in all very pleased.

Lost the best part of 2 days of my 9 day holiday thanks to late flights. Communication was terrible and it was impossible to get anyone to speak to us from the airline while waiting in departure lounge. Stress created by the lack of any clue as to when we might fly (they delayed the departure 3 times, so why were we to believe the 3rd would be the last) was immense. Many passengers on mine and another flight were agitated, angry and "in the dark".

Birmingham to Alicante on 20th Aug, Aircraft changed to Titan Airways the day before, got to Birmingham to check in only to be told there was a 4 hour delay so our 2pm flight ended up taking off at 6pm. Flight home was a shocker! Got to Alicante airport and checked in, no mention of a change in carrier, they made us wait in a non air-conditioned gantry for more than a half hour, they then let us into the plane which turned out to be a very scruffy, Aurela Airlines plane which had the worst leg room I have ever had to endure. Very scruffy, seats ripped, toilets were held together with what looked like duct tape and were filthy. We were then made to sit for a further 40 minutes still with no air conditioning. The plane finally took off with only a garbled announcement from the Captain. The plane was never cool and the overhead air vents didn't work at any point. I always book flights to Spain directly from Monarchs website and pay extra to do so, these flights cost almost £700 GBP for 3 of us and we were treated like cattle and didn't see a single Monarch plane at any point. If I'd wanted to travel cheaper there are other options such as Easyjet or Ryan air for a lot less money but I don't expect to pay extra for this kind of terrible service.

We thought we had booked and paid for a Monarch flight from Birmingham to Nice. However, two days later (the day before departure) I had an email saying we would be flying with a different airline to be revealed at check-in. After a Google search, it turned out to a Lithuanian Airline on that route with no end of bad reports, including long delays, technical issues and old, cramped and scruffy aircraft. I feared the worst, and was therefore not surprised to find the flight was delayed by 6 hours due to the aircraft being stuck at Tenerife, and a replacement en-route from somewhere else. The replacement plane was a Monarch Airbus A320, so the outward trip was OK apart from spending 8 hours of our holiday at Birmingham Airport. The return trip was more or less on time, but turned out to be an old Aurela Airlines Boeing 737 with Lithuanian pilots and hostesses. The plane was extremely hot and stuffy. The hostesses were friendly, but could barely understand English. The captain only made one garbled announcement, which was barely intelligible. Overall it was not a pleasant experience, and definitely not what we thought we had paid for or intend to repeat.

This airline truly deserves all the negative reviews! Even before stepping on board my flight I emailed this outfit 3 times regarding some pre-flight info got an auto-reply a week after completing my first leg of trip LGW-SSH. Extra legroom seats may have a bit of legroom but they are far too narrow. Cabin staff dished out landing cards but completely ignored me, had to ask 3 times to get one. The flight was so poor I spent £180 with Easyjet to avoid.

Flying from Birmingham to Malaga on 19th August, paid extra for 2.15pm flight so we could be at our hotel by early evening. When checking in we were told 2 hour delay which within 10 minutes went to a 4 hour delay. When screen got to 5 minutes to gates opening it stayed at this. Could find no one from Monarch to tell us what was happening. We eventually took off at 8 pm and arrived at our hotel after midnight. Will not fly with Monarch again.

Flew with Monarch from Gatwick to Corfu on 25/6/12 and flight delayed by 11 hours. As other passengers have commented there appeared to be a deliberate policy of not being transparent about what their plans were although it later transpired that they had known them the previous evening. Staff extremely unhelpful and seemed surprised that customers were becoming upset about the lack of information. Wrote to Monarch on my return and received a bland response. One of the worst examples of customer service I have ever experienced and will never fly with Monarch again or recommend them to others.

I pre-booked seats with Monarch for flights 14th/28th July to/from Luton/Palma - over the phone around 4 weeks before travel. Got confirmation in the post. When I arrived at Luton the pre-booked seats were in the ether somewhere and I spent 20 minutes at check-in trying to sort out why they unilaterally decided to place me and my wife in adult-only extra leg room seats whilst placing 3 rows away our 3 special needs children. To cap that we were told "that's it" there was no alternative! When I asked to see a manager things changed and the female staff started furiously typing without keeping me informed and eventually gave us 5 seats together. The return flight again saw my pre-booked seats fly off into the ether but at least the Spanish staff were far more courteous and they gave us seats together without a fuss. Added to all this I wasn't able to discern any means of acceptable contact with Monarch to talk to them about my return flight from my holiday. I sent the Customer Relations an email explaining my very poor experience at Luton and asking for information about my return seats. All I got from that was a reply promising a further response in 3 weeks! But of course when they got round to looking at my email 3 weeks or whatever later they must have decided we had returned so why bother to respond! Icing on the cake is I wrote a letter of complaint and request for a refund immediately on my return - almost 3 weeks ago now - and not a sausage. Not even an acknowledgement of my letter. I can't believe this company. I think Monarch are a disgrace. Are they doing this to other people and getting away with murder?

We have just returned from Portugal and the inbound flight had changed airlines to Aurela. We boarded the plane, waited about 40 minutes, no air conditioning and it was extremely hot! A representative from Monarch was onboard and only spoke to a handful of people and then disappeared. The flight was ok considering we were in such an old plane, however, we didn't get a drink for 90 minutes after departure. A very poor service and very disappointing for the majority. If Monarch choose to use other airlines, I would certainly expect better than what we experienced.

We had 9 hour delay at Birmingham because of a fault on our plane. Attitude of staff was appalling, their 'Supervisor' was rude and disinterested. We were drip fed information about length of delay, initially one hour but eventually merged on afternoon flight which was probably Monarch's plan all along but we weren't told that. Clearly Monarch is boasting about it's new destinations but not telling you that it doesn't have enough of it's own aircraft so is leasing planes. Never again.

We flew Monarch to Malaga on 20th July 2012, expecting the sort of scheduled flight we had experienced in the past. The flight was operated by Aurelia Airlines a Lithuanian airline. The aircraft was ancient, the seat pitch was so small you had to bend your legs to get in the seats, and the staff were so poorly trained that they did not carry out a safety demonstration.

Flew MON374 and MON375 Cardiff to Orlando Sanford. Delighted with the convenience of the local Welsh departure, only 30 mins from our home, which beats the 3.5 hour drive to London airports. Check in was efficient, through Servisair, their ground agents at Cardiff. We were offered and accepted extra legroom (£60 cheaper at the airport than online) and had a great flight. Departure was slightly delayed for 40 mins due to a technical hitch, but we still arrived on schedule. Meal offerings were exceptionally good and included in the cost of the flight. On return, we had accumulated 6kg excess baggage, which should have cost us $150, but we had previously enquired about upgrading to additional legroom, so they just waived the excess baggage charge. Only drawback for some is that apart from Premium Economy, the inflight video entertainment is by means of communal TV screens that appear from the ceiling, rather than individually selected programme choices on the seat-back. However as I've never sat staring into TV screens on long haul flights it was of no consequence to me.

Very poor service. Flight delayed. Cramped seats. Garbled and unintelligible announcements. Extremely long queues for check in. Excessive charges for excess baggage and rude and aggressive staff at check-in desk (I guess I was unlucky, other staff seemed pleasant. Ordered a fizzy drink which appeared to have been shaken up prior to being handed to me so it exploded out all over my fold away table.

LGW-IBZ. Very unfriendly check in agent at Gatwick, slow, no pleasantries or customer service given. Plane was an old A320 on both routes with no in-flight entertainment, bubble gum stuck to the seats and magazines and just as cramped as a budget airline. This airline is run the same as a budget airlines with extortionate prices for luggage, food and drinks but the customer service even on board lacks any warmth. The only plus side is, you can get a guaranteed seat assignment at check in. I would not consider using Monarch again. Their product is dated and non customer friendly.

We departed from Birmingham to Paphos on 8/8/12, came back 22/8/12. First flight good, but old plane and a little bit scruffy. Cabin crew were good, friendly and came round 2 or 3 times with drink, food and magazines, pillows etc. (4 hour flight) Captain spoke to cabin usually, overall good flight. Coming back new, very clean plane! And the check in, baggage etc went very quick! Again cabin crew came round 2 or 3 times with food drink etc. They were friendly, but some looked bored. Captain was helpful, usual announcements. Seats were comfy, but quite cramped (not good for having a nap). Extra legroom looked good, also the meals looked lovely. Would fly with them again, but shorter trips.

A 50+ hour delay really does not end the holiday on a high! After paying for a Monarch airline we received an Aurela flight which was disguising, small and old! They then wanted us to fly back on it, they sat us on the plane for an hour in ridiculous heat and provided half a cup of warm water to everyone before telling us there was engine problems and taking us off the plane. We were then taken to a hotel an hour away from the airport at roughly 3am with nobody to tell us where we were going or what was happening. We were barely told anything until 2 days later when we were told we were being picked up by a coach at 7pm. The customer service is absolute appalling!

Flew from TFS-LGW on 22 August 2012. Plane was an Airbus A300. 25 years old. Aircraft was scruffy. The boarding started at the departure time and pax were bussed from the terminal to a remote stand hence a 45 minute delay.

Travelled to and from Majorca on a contracted out airline from Monarch, I was appalled by the complete experience. Outward flight was just ok, but the interior of the plane was still covered in rubbish and flight staff spoke very poor English. No drinks service. Flight back to Birmingham was awful, after boarding on time (again on a dirty plane ) we actually moved on time, then we taxied right to the end of the runway where the captain announced we had to return to the gate for extra fuel. He said it would take five minutes, it took 65 minutes on a very hot plane with no offer of even a cold glass of water. When service began it was amazingly slow and it took most of the flight just to get to row 16, then with us all with our drinks and food in hand were told we had to put our tables up as we were beginning our descent. I have used Monarch many times but will not be using them again.

Travelled to Banjul in The Gambia and back with Monarch, the only option we had as holiday company books the whole aircraft which is a 23/24 year old B757 that is due to be retired by summer 2014. Front row extra legroom seats both ways so extra legroom, what you need as well is extra seat width as they are really cramped. Tray tables come out of seat arms in front row so can be a real pain to use. Air circulation system is not individually controlled. Air quality at the back must be awful. Inflight entertainment system not worth bothering with. Food was mediocre despite ordering special meals for people living with diabetes only difference seemed to be we got brown roll instead of white! Communication from flight deck was limited and delivered without any real enthusiasm. Monarch are really strict on 5kg limit on hand luggage especially on the outbound flight I found out the reason whilst waiting to board at Banjul - they haul a lot of cargo out to Banjul as well so if your hold luggage is over weight it costs £15 per Kg. Cabin crew were in need of refresher at charm school. On return leg one cabin crew member complained to me about having spent a week in Gambia and being bored - at whose expense? Monarch seem to have lost the way and niche in the market in the last couple of years and it shows in the age and condition of the aircraft they operate. Our flights were actually early arriving both ways, late leaving UK and early leaving Gambia but the statistics on their overall on time performance puts them way down the league tables. Do not really think they deserve the 3 stars that they get here.

A seasoned traveller my self and my partner decided on a low cost self catering holiday to Tenerife. Booked our flights through a comparison site and Monarch were the cheapest and had reasonable flight times and local airport (BHX). So we chose them. Monarch informed us that the flight would not be operated by Monarch a few days before departure which was not a problem. We checked in online, went straight to baggage drop at BHX where the staff were helpful and polite. The flight itself was operated using an old 737-300 operated by and crewed by a Lithuanian Airline. The plane was dirty (both outside and in), hot (no aircon), dated and cramped interior (I am 5'11" and found it very cramped), various trim either loose or missing and one working toilet. The flight crew both the pilots and cabin crew spoke very little English and the pa system was faulty and I couldn't hear any announcements from the flight deck or the pre flight safety talk from the cabin crew. The same aircraft and crew were also used on the return flight. I felt sorry for the Monarch rep on board who was bombarded with complaints with some very unhappy passengers. This was my first time flying with Monarch and will not be again. If I travel with a no frills airline in the future I will choose a more reputable one even if I have to travel to another airport or pay more.

Flew from Manchester 6th August 2012. Flight should have left 7.35. Boarded at 7.00am. Didn't take off until 11.20am.Transport booked for 10.30am had left Faro. Only offered 1 cup water and 1 free drink once flight took off. Asked for meal which I would have paid for-but was told only pre-booked meals on plane. Why couldn't food have been brought whilst we waited on plane. Will not be using Monarch again.

We will never use Monarch airlines again. Delayed 29 hours coming back from Tenerife to Manchester. The lack of information was very poor and the customer service on the telephone are just as bad.

Was booked on a Monarch NCE-BHX. Three days before travel was advised that the flight would operated by 'another operator' which would be advised on check-in. On the morning of the flight checked the BHX airport website to find an undetermined delay on departure. Went to NCE to check in and was told initially that the flight was operating on schedule, which given that it had not yet left BHX and still had a 2.5 hours flight plus turnaround time before it could depart, was impossible. Later it was advised that there was a 2.5 hour delay and that the operator would be Aegean Airways, as printed on the boarding pass. In fact it was a spacious and clean Titan Airways 757, with a delightful and well-spoken crew, lots of information in flight, and a good flight despite the delay. Appallingly handled by the staff at NCE who presumably got their information or rather didn't get it, from Monarch.

Monarch, the delayed Airline. Flight to Tenerife - 5 hours delay. Return to Manchester - 4 hours delay. Friends returned on a different week - 1 hour delay.

Travelled from Birmingham to Alicante on 5th August, when we arrived at the departure gate we found to be travelling on a Lithuanian airline and not Monarch which we had booked. The cabin staff spoke hardly any English were quite rude and very unhelpful. No duty free or entertainment on board and the plane was in disgusting condition, dirty and cramped and basically falling apart, return flight exactly the same. We had pre booked and paid for extra legroom seats that were given to someone else.

24th July 12. Gatwick to Sanford delayed by over 12 hours. Prepared letters about the technical problems were handed out at a 6.00am check-in but advanced warning by phone or text would have limited early starts and hanging around Gatwick Airport for 12 hours. Unacceptable delay to the start of anyone's holiday - especially those about to take a long-haul flight switched to a Spanish operator with a tired, twitchy crew who were not up for dealing with a plane full of tired, twitchy, delayed passengers. Monarch in the news twice with similar issues since we've returned to the UK - I would not fly with Monarch again as they seem to have too many technical problems creating delays.

We have been travelling Monarch for 10 years, 6 times a year - we are gold card holders. Unfortunately standards have dropped and hate to say will be travelling with different airline from now on. Not worth the money anymore. My sons girlfriend was unwell on the 6.20 from Birmingham to Palma, no sick bag could be offered! Using planes that are not up to standard, no extra leg room after paying for them.

I see another Monarch flight had caused havoc today Monday August 20. I was delayed on June 9 from Palma to Birmingham for 3 hours with the excuse that they had staff problems. I now see that delay are nearly a daily occurrence. I will never fly with them again.

Check in desk friendly. They also gave the four of us a free upgrade to the extra leg room seats from Gatwick to Dalaman. Friendly staff on the plane and a very smooth flight. Two weeks later on the return flight there was no free upgrade to the extra legroom seats but however the plane was only a quarter full so most passengers had a row of seats to themselves where we were able to lie down and sleep well the whole flight. Lots of updates from the cockpit. Only thing I could say was a lack of in-flight entertainment.

I was on flight ZB 292 to Ibiza, Friday 13 July. When we arrived at Gatwick we learned the flight was 1 hour delayed, that shortly moved up to 2 hours. They told us that after 3 hours you get a £10 voucher. Eventually took off and an hour into the flight we had to make an emergency landing in Toulouse. We had to wait 2 hours on the non air-conditioned plane, as there was no one to pick us up. Not given any food any water only given when asked. As we left the plane all crew left us to the Toulouse airport staff. The airport was closed and Monarch don't operate out of Toulouse. Monarch do not have a manned phone at the weekends so there was no information as to what was happening, what had happened, where we were going, where we had to wait and what time we needed to be back. We waited another 3 hours until one coach came to pick us up. Then got to a hotel where there weren't enough rooms. We still did not know what time we needed to get back. No communication. Absolutely unacceptable!

Flight from Birmingham to Nice on 09/08/12, return 12/08/2012. Airplane was old, scruffy and dirty. Rubbish found on flight out dated 31st July was still there on return flight as was sticky stained tables and other stains on seat and wall (seats 15A and B ). This was an old plane from a Lithuanian company and not the Monarch plane we had paid for. All passengers were appalled by the plane.

After reading the reviews and being a nervous flyer I was not looking forward to our trip to Malaga. Plane was an airbus A300. Departed 20 minutes late due to a 'refuelling problem'. Once airborne the flight was uneventful, cabin crew excellent, food and drinks service excellent, info from flight deck was good with plenty of updates. Aircraft was clean with very little sign of age.

Booked via Opodo to fly from Birmingham to Nice with Monarch. Upon arrival and after checking found that the airline was Aurela Airlines a Lithuania based airline. The aircraft was very old and not particularly clean. Monarch should be made to advise customers at time of booking what airline they will be travelling with. I will not be travelling with Monarch again as clearly one cannot be sure who will be the real carrier.

Flew return Manchester to Corfu Aug 2012. I cannot fault the flight on either journey. Check in staff allowed us to choose our seats, all flights on time, plenty of leg room, food service spot on. Will book with Monarch again.

Alicante-Gatwick 13 July. 9 hour delay. Surly cabin crew. Such a pity, used to be a good airline. Use frequently since British Airways pulled out. Declining service with poorly trained staff. Will have to use easyjet for basic reliability.

We booked to fly from Manchester to Turkey 22/7/12. When arriving at the airport we were told my sons passport had expired. The staff were helpful and understanding guiding us what to do. My husband and other children went on the flight and we were booked onto a flight for the next day. The staff explained what to do to get the passport renewed. We were only charged a minimum charge to change the flight. Excellent customer service.

Manchester to Paphos 18th July. 7.5 hrs delay on an alleged scheduled flight. We learned from a reliable source that they did not have a crew and had to fly one from elsewhere. They do give you a £5 voucher per person. Ever tried buying any food in an airport for less than a fiver, disgraceful. Apparently this happens regularly. Our return flight 5 hrs delay, no valid explanation. I will never fly them again. Take my advice and don't take a chance on them.

16th July from Birmingham to Almeria return 30th July. Online check in easy but baggage drop at B'ham somewhat delayed, departed on time and arrived early, booked forward cabin extra leg room seats well worth the cost with comfortable seats although going to the back of the aircraft the seats looked to be cramped. Cabin crew professional and polite with superb service, good range of spirits, beers, wines and snacks able to be purchased and the food bought tasty. Plenty of flight deck information from the captain and first officer. Return flight left early and landed at B'ham early, again in flight service superb. First time with Monarch for many years but intend to use them again.

In November last year we booked a package holiday for three through Sovereign to Tenerife departing BHX on 31/5/12 for 10 days. MON were the carrier. A subsequent commitment meant my son and I could not go until the 1/6/12. Sovereign contacted MON advising them 2 of us would not be flying on the 31st and would they honour the 10/6 seats which they did. When my wife booked in she was charged for being 1kg over on her luggage, when she explained that two of her family members would not be flying but had paid for their luggage she received short shrift. When she got onto the aircraft she couldn't get her handbag into the stowage bins because of other passengers carryon hand luggage one of which needed two men to remove on arrival because it was so heavy. The final insult being our two extra legroom seats (which you pay a premium for) were given away to a couple who arrived next to my wife having asked "any chance of seats with legroom" and were moved there by a smiling cabin crew. The couple did not pay for the 'upgrade'. No inflight entertainment on either sector. Return flight delayed 1.5 hrs, not bad compared to others but not a word from the flight deck as to why. When I contacted MON about a refund of the premium for my wife's extra legroom on the outward sector the indifference was breathtaking. Since returning we have booked a holiday for later this month and at Xmas and part of the booking criteria was that MON were not the carriers.

 
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