Monarch Airlines review - by A Blainey
10 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
Our flights to and from Tenerife made it a pleasure to fly. On time flights, great cabin crew, nice
food, and good entertainment.
Monarch Airlines review - by Nick Thomas
9 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
LGW - GOA. The cost was very reasonable and I can't fault the service. It wasn't First Class, but it
wasn't, by any means, the nightmare experience that I had read about in some reviews. The aircraft
was in good condition. The legroom was more than adequate. The cabin staff were good humoured and
courteous. The food was quite good (curry on return leg as good as any we had in Goa). Overall, I
wouldn't have a problem flying them again. My advice would be to save your money on the Premium
upgrade (there didn't seem to be much difference in the seating between this and standard for the
money). The extra leg room seats are a bit dear for this small luxury unless you are really tall and
do need the extra room. The only real issues we had were nothing to do with the airline but was more
to do with the selfish attitude of some of the other passengers.
Monarch Airlines review - by Pauline Beaven
9 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
Paying for extra leg room seats turned out to be a bit of a mixed blessing -plenty of room to
stretch out but the row we were in (30) was also used as a "gangway" and consequently most of the
night was disturbed by people crossing and bumping into us! Also check in at Calgary was total
chaos. The overhead signs were "flipping" between Gatwick and Manchester, leading everyone to
believe they could check in at any desk. Eventually an announcement was made to the effect that this
was not the case, leaving most people queuing in the wrong place!
Monarch Airlines review - by S Lees
8 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
We have just flown from Manchester - Tenerife return, and I thought conditions on flights like this
ended years ago. I spent the whole flight with knees wedged firmly against the seat in front. We
would have paid for extra leg room seats, but told there were none available. For the return flight
we arrived at check in early to assure ourselves of extra leg room seats only to get the check in
attendant who could not operate the computer [the system is not working correctly?]. From being
second in the queue and waiting over 40 mins, we were once again told all extra leg room seats had
been taken.
Monarch Airlines review - by Peter Hawley
20 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
LGW to MJV (San Javier). At check in at LGW there were no other passengers. Maybe they didn't want
to pay for any hold loaded baggage! I made an error when booking this flight and booked seats 4E and
4F, thinking they were just the normal seat preference , but they were in the "extra leg room
section". But not a bad thing to do. Even at £15 per seat, they had very good leg room. Decided on
the £6 in flight meal deal which was tasty, and included free tea or coffee. Okay, they do sell,
sell, but it's only a 2 hour flight, and they do have free in flight entertainment, with free head
sets (if you want to watch it). Was lucky this sector. The flight was on time. Monarch flights can
be delayed by many hours.
Monarch Airlines review - by P Jowett
16 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
INN-LGW (ski charter) with Inghams who are first class, the package deal included an hot breakfast,
however Monarch provided a "deli bag" that included the smallest sandwich I ever seen! The real con
was that they started their service with a chargeable tea & coffee service (as well as trying to
sell copies of Top gear & Hello mags). Over 30 minutes the cabin crew sell drinks after which when
the deli bag (not hot breakfast) - this then included a free drink from the same tea/coffee jugs
that we had paid for 15 minutes before. Clearly nobody would have paid £1.70 for a coffee if you
knew you would get one free. It is sad to see a once great airline go down this route (and thats
before we talk about seat comfort, or rather lack off) It should be remembered that this was a Ski
charter, not a LoCo flight.
Monarch Airlines review - by Paul Whiteley
12 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Gatwick/Mombasa return economy. Service excellent in both directions; busy and attentive cabin
crew, and good information from flight-deck. Pre-ordered gluten-free meal was fine for my partner on
both sectors. A330 was dated, with drop-down TV monitors only. Seats narrow but not overly
uncomfortable for a charter service. Booked extra legroom (ie exit rows) for GBP30 per sector which
made a difference. Monarch's embarkation procedure at Mombasa could have been better organised (by
seat rows, as they do at Gatwick) - I'm sure this is down to them and not the airport. Overall, a
very good medium haul service for the cost.
Monarch Airlines review - by S Bond
27 November 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
LGW - Sharm return - both flights ran on time. Friendly and courteous staff with a good inflight
service for a charter airline. In fact they would get 4 stars were it not for the appalling
discomfort of the seats - and I paid for extra leg room and had the exit row both ways! The seats
were too narrow and obviously have no padding whatsoever. So Monarch get your act together - there
are too many travellers now who want a bit more comfort. I paid £120 (for 2) for the extra leg room
and would pay this sort of premium for a reasonable premium cabin arrangment. Don't expect club
class but there has to be better.
Monarch Airlines review - by Peter Ankers
6 November 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
LGW-Malaga and return. Outbound departure delayed by 6 hours to 11.00pm, so did not arrive until the
early hours of the morning, which was not ideal. Given food vouchers of £10 per head at check in.
Annoyingly this delay was known about by the airline for at least 24 hours in advance, as it was
caused by being an aircraft short due to a fuel leak problem with another of their aircraft, which
they had been struggling to fix for a couple of days, however there was no warning of this on their
website, which I checked before setting off to Gatwick. Given the age of the substitute A300 we flew
on I'm not surprised Monarch have mechanical problems. Cabin crew very smartl and sadly, one seemed
quite proud that Monarch is (allegedly) a scheduled carrier. Tried to sleep through the flight, but
was deliberately woken by one FA as part of the tedious 'sell, sell, sell' routine. However, meals
were being given out free, but frankly at 1am I wasn't interested. What else is there to say about
the seat width and pitch which hasn't been said before? I don't remember being this cramped on any
charter carrier in over 35 years of flying. Monarch management, are you concerned by any of what your
passengers say, or do you just not care? The flight back was on an A321 which was delayed by only 2
hours, although had it not been for the enterprise of a local technician at Malaga, might have been
much longer. Initially it was thought that a replacement emergency oxygen cylinder for the flight
deck would need to be flown out from the UK, as the one on board had lost pressure, so we were de-
planed. At this stage it looked like we were in for another 5-6 hour delay. Fortunately the
technician fixed the faulty valve and persuaded an executive jet centre on the airfield to recharge
the cylinder with oxygen, so after about 90 minutes we were allowed back on. FAs smart and
professionally dealt with some passenger issues. Purchased the veggie option meal at £6 per head,
which was surprisingly good, but as others have said, it's hard to eat the food in the restricted seat
space. In summary, this is an airline running some very old and tired aircraft which are going to be
prone to technical problems. Like many others who have commented, I'm actually not that bothered
about paying for meals and drinks, but I would like to be able to sit reasonably comfortably and to
get to my destination on time or thereabouts. If you feel the same way, then avoid Monarch.
Monarch Airlines review - by J Samuells
6 November 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Luton to Almeria return. Both flights departed and arrived early with cheerful, polite cabin crew and
plenty of flight info from the captain. The aircraft, Airbus A321's, were clean and modern. We chose
and would certainly recommend the £15 seat upgrade as the seat pitch in economy is extremely small. A
nice touch was a free newspaper!
Monarch Airlines review - by M Jones
1 November 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
LGW to Male return. Airbus 330, did not have any problems with seat pitch in economy. Plane clean,
crew outbound very good and helpful, service could not be faulted. Return service/crew was not so
good. Meals decidedly average (disliked paying extra for meals to discover everyone got them anyway).
15kgs baggage allowance was acceptable. Outbound flight 4 hours late, return flight arrived LGW early.
Monarch Airlines review - by D Woollams
1 November 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Manchester-Dalaman Charter Flight. Outbound flight operated by a tired Boeing 757-200. Check In at
Manchester was quick - given seats right at the front of the aircraft because we upgraded to Monarch
Plus - which gives you increased baggage allowance, upgraded meal, complimentary drinks and free
inflight entertainment. The crew outbound were friendly and inflight meal standard even though we had
upgraded it. There were two drinks services, scratch cards and a duty free service. It seems Monarch
like to push, push and push up their sales. Return flight to Manchester was okay it was operated by a
757-200 aircraft once again. Again there were 2 drinks services duty free and scratch cards. The
inflight meal was terrible. Inflight entertainment was standard Pirates of the Carribean outbound and
Spider Man 3 inbound. Monarch must have the smallest seat pitch in the airline industry, the aircraft
is so cramped as far as I can remember you get more leg room on Ryanair!
Monarch Airlines review - by Matthew McGrath
1 November 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
LGW-SSH return. Were impressed with Monarch's overall level of service having never flown them before.
We were not in the extra leg room section of the A330 but near the front of the main cabin. Legroom
seemed similar to other economy offerings and as we had paid to fly Monarch Plus, an alcoholic drink,
all soft drinks and head sets were free and we received a different meal to most passengers. My wife,
who is a fussy eater on planes ate our daughter's meal as well. Both flights on time and while the
entertainment is fairly basic, the crew were cheerful and worked hard on both legs. Terminal 2 at
Sharm (which caters for charters) is really ordinary compared to the new terminal and was the only
real negative of the travel experience.
Monarch Airlines review - by Keith Smith
17 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Manchester-Alicante Scheduled service. Outbound on A321. Check in staff very pleasant and efficient.
The cabin crew pleasant & helpful. Seating a bit snug, but after reading other comments didn't expect
much in the way of comfort. The meals that we had were not bad but a bit expensive as were the
drinks. One irritating thing about flying with Monarch is the continuous pushing of sales of drinks,
merchandise in their brochure and the charity scratch cards-personally I have yet to fly with another
airline who has these scratch cards etc to pester you with. Flight back to Manchester service was
good. Overall we have flown with Monarch several times to Alicante and as yet we have no major gripes
for a 2.5 hour flight. One wish is that in the near future Monarch will acquire newer aircraft with
the passengers comfort in mind!
Monarch Airlines review - by F Ormiston
9 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Newcastle - Orlando Sanford return with Monarch in Premium Class, and well worth the extra. The plane
was clean, and in our section seats far bigger than ecomony. We were pre boarded and de-boarded first
so made immigration very quick. Our luggage was first off at both ends, so no waiting. The staff were
attentive, helpful, friendly and did not stop throughout the flight. The food was ok, but plentiful,
and free drinks throughout. Choice of entertainment good. Would fly Monarch again, and would upgrade
to Premium!
Monarch Airlines review - by Ken Donnellan
5 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Luton to Faro, why did we choose Monarch. Possibly because I didn't read any small print that states
if you're over 6' forget being able to sit in the seat. The only way you can fly on this airline is to
pay the extra for the special colour coded seats. To add insult to injury, even though most of the
purple seats were empty you were not allowed to sit in them. As a frequent flyer on low cost lines
this was very poor.
Monarch Airlines review - by Raymond Bithell
5 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
DUB - Orlando in Premium Cabin. Not worth the €219.00 extra that Panorama and Airtours charge,
it is not even equivalent to economy in BA and Virgin. Plane old and dirty, must not have been cleaned
for a long time. Seats did not have that much extra pitch, seat back entertainment was awful, little
to choose from. Food awful, same as cheap and cheerful charters that fly to spain for €50.00 return.
Cabin crew not interested in passengers needs. Cheaper to fly Virgin or BA economy.
Monarch Airlines review - by C Stevens
5 October 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Manchester to Chania return Although no delays experienced and length of flight efficient, the
intense heat, cramped seats, appalling food and constant sales meant that there was nothing to enjoy
about these flights. Flight attendants were surly and chatted about their social lives with colleagues
whilst serving drinks etc. Intense sales pitch for drinks and then aisles so clogged with trolleys
and attendants on other sales missions that travellers could not easily reach toilets. Will
consciously try to avoid this airline in the future.
Monarch Airlines review - by Raymond Bithell
21 September 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Manchester to Luxor, in Egypt, and back to Manchester - five and a quarter hours (each
way) of torture! We were "trussed" up in the seats. I am 6 foot, but my wife is only 5 foot 4 inches
and she found it difficult to move even side ways. We could not move to eat the meal, my knees were
right up against the seat in front, the height of the back of the seat meant I could not relax, and
when the person in front put his seat back (well I'll leave that to your imagination). The fold away
tables, when opened, came down to the top of your belly and so were at an angle. It was virtually
impossible to get them to stay flat. Meals were being eaten in complete discomfort.
The safety film and brochure are very valid, but I would challenge anyone to take up the "brace"
position in cases of emergency. The in flight exercises on page 34 of the in flight brochure are
also a joke, as the only thinbg you can do is raise your hands! We were in row 16 and it was stiflingly hot. The stewardesses asked for the temperature to be
reduced, but even then it was not much better. The food was adequate and the service reasonable. I understand that these are budget flights, but it
is completely wrong to expect people to tolerate these conditions.
Monarch Airlines review - by Dave Orrell
21 September 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Just returned from a flight from Manchester to Larnaca. Up graded to Monarch Plus--complete waste of
money as you get virtually nothing for your money. The food was OK as were the staff. The most
sickening part of the journey was the seat pitch--I am six feet four and I am expected to sit for 5
hours in such a confined space -this is appalling and was made worse when the lady in front
reclined her seat. Monarch you must get your act together or lose the business. I will not travel with them again!
Monarch Airlines review - by V Patchell
18 September 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Dublin to Sanford and upgraded to the Premium Cabin - well worth it. Complimentary in flight kit is
handy and having your own tv is great. Food above average and service was excellent - staff helpful
and very friendly. I would recommend upgrading as you have more leg room. Overall great service and
an enjoyable flight.
Monarch Airlines review - by Mike Pantridge
11 September 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
LGW-PFO on Airbus 321 - terrible pitch. When the seat in front was reclined I could not read because
the book was too close to focus properly, and being a night flight the overhead light was needed -
that was blocked by the reclined seat, so the configuration leaves something to be desired. Crew &
service meal acceptable. I was in 23C. My wife in 23D had about 3" more room.
Monarch Airlines review - by Tom Maule
6 September 2007 Customer Trip Rating : 
DLM to LGW . Very old B757-200 that was showing its age, worn seats, dirty carpets and ingrained
grime everywhere. Very pleasant crew but company policy is obviously - sell, sell, sell! I had an
exit row seat and plenty of legroom, but everyone around was complaining about the normal 28" seat
pitch. The inflight meal cost £6 and was poor. IFE not used because of the poor overhead positioning
of the screens.
Monarch Airlines review - by Ian Kidd
23 August 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
LGW-Paphos. Service good, inflight entertainment OK, legroom appalling. I'm just over 6 foot, could
not move once in the seat, could not rest my head as the headrest was at neck level to me. Would be
put off using them in future due to legroom, but no other complaints.
Monarch Airlines review - by C Hardy
9 August 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Just returned from a holiday in Tenerife with Monarch. Couldn't find fault with the attitude of the crew,
who were all pleasant enough. The real issue is over the 28"seat pitch. I had rung Monarch at Luton to
try to pre book but were told the extraleg seats cost extra, so decided to wait to see how bad they were.
Mistake. I am 6'3"and could not physically have endured a 4 hr flight in those standard seats, so I paid the extra £20
on board and was given an emergency exit seat. On the return leg, my wife also decided to sit with me.
We were again charged (36euro x2) at the check-in, and were seated in the front few rows, which have far
more comfortable seats (34"). So no complaints, until we discovered thata lot of other passengers around us had just
prebooked their seats and had not been charged extra.
Monarch Airlines review - by P Holmes
9 August 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Gatwick-Malaga-Gatwick. I've worked out why Monarch do not give any complimentary drinks or snacks.
It's because if the person in front puts their seat back, then the passenger behind cannot put the
tray-table down. My first time on a budget airline, although I paid £196 pounds for my return flight
to Malaga. The trolleys go up and down continuously selling drinks, blankets, game cards, sandwiches,
perfume, magazines and ask for a charity donation. You are not given a glass of water or a peanut.
Ground staff were rude and sour. FA's were jolly. Arrived stiff and cramped and peckish, but on time.
Monarch Airlines review - by J Jennings
7 August 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Glasgow to Sanford Premium Class. Flights on time; in fact arrived early. Entertainment was good
except like previous contributor there was the same TV on return as on way out. Good meals. Got
luggage off carousel straight away at Sanford. In all a good service from Monarch.
Monarch Airlines review - by Stephen Jones
2 August 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Newcastle to Sandford, Orlando in premium class - worth every penny,
service was excellent, plane clean, food fine, plenty of room. Only
downside was the entertainment which apart from one or two films was the
same as the way out.
Monarch Airlines review - by L Duggan
31 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Return trip London to Taba. No problems on the way oput except the
inflight entertainment was pretty poor - staff friendly and meal was
satisfactory. The problem was on the flight back. Firstly we were told
that because of the high temperatures at Taba it was not possible to
take on sufficient fuel for the journey and that we would have to refuel
in Venice. We then sat on the tarmac for 2 hours while the captain
waited for a flight plan from Cairo. We finally took off 2 hours late
and when we landed at Venice at 23.00 we were informed that the crew
were about to run out of flying time and would be unable to fly us home
and that we would either be put up in a hotel or a new crew would fly
out to take us home. He then informed us that a crew was on its way to
Gatwick to fly out to take us home. We were bussed into the terminal
which was partially closed for the night and the only facility available
to us was a small kiosk. The bewildered kiosk staff did their best to
give us water and drinks and around one hour later an airline official
came to tell us that we would be departing at 05.30 for London. The
passengers were very irate at the time and asked for food but we were
told that nothing had been arranged by Monarch. A few phone calls later
and some sandwiches appeared and water was made available. We finally
boarded the plane at 05.30 and landed at Gatwick at 06.30. During this
leg of the flight no refreshments were offered and a brief apology for
the delay was given at the end of the flight. I will endeavour not to
fly with this airline again.
Monarch Airlines review - by Martin Wheeldon
25 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
MAN-AGP return. I book the extra legroom seats. No delays on either set
of flights, cabin staff friendly. Food acceptable but expensive, how
much does it cost to produce I wonder. If I have a gripe it is that they
are always trying to sell me scratch cards or want my change, I dont
like scratch cards and I will use my change next time I go to Europe. I
have to wonder how much they make over and above the "£50000" that goes
to charity, so much better to give all the money to charity.
Monarch Airlines review - by Neil Murphy
15 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
They were unable to provide a premium service despite booking this with
them - the only reason I booked this was the opportunity for extra leg
room on the return journey. The flight was two hours late leaving
Sanford, three hours late arriving - and included a stopover in
Newfoundland which added to the ‘nightmare journey’. The substitute
aircraft was a twenty year old airbus A300. The toilets were disgraceful
smelling heavily of urine. By the end of the flight the situation had
got worse despite being supposedly cleaned on our stopover. The food was
awful and being served warm white wine did not help. This was my first
(and last) experience of Monarch Airlines and I am afraid that I was
utterly unimpressed with the service provided.
Monarch Airlines review - by Steve Pope
12 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
A recent flight to Mahon. Check in quick, staff helpful, food was
acceptable, flight on time both ways. Good consideration and help for my
less able daughter. I had read some of the negative comments before
flying and was a bit worried but on my experience the airline was fine.
Sure the seat pitch is only 28ins, but on a short 2 hour flight it was
bearable. Staff had a lot to do on a short flight but kept smiling
throughout. Good service from what is a cheap airline.
Monarch Airlines review - by Colin Proffitt
6 July 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
My wife and myself have travelled with Monarch airlines for seven years
now, twice a year, Manchester to Faro in Portugal. We always travel
mid-week having booked with them direct. We find the flight very
pleasant and staff very courteous. We have only once had a delay of
ten minutes and this was due to fog, but this was made up on the flight.
Monarch Airlines review - by Paula Holmes
30 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Gatwick to Male (Maldives) - Premium Class (well worth it on long-haul)
- checked in 6 hours before departure, but still all the window seats
had gone as some tour operators are allowed to book in advance. An hour
late taking off (no explanation). I am a regular Upper Class traveller
on Virgin-Atlantic to LA and apart from space, the service, food and
FA's are better! Enormous lunch - warm rolls, salad, cold fish starter,
chicken in cream sauce, huge cheese plate and chocolate mousse. Hot
towels and a lovely amenity pack. Water bottles offered throughout.
Alcohol regularly served and doubles offered. It could be a great
service but if Monarch can't get it's time-keeping right, then any
goodwill goes out the window.
Monarch Airlines review - by J Sloane
20 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Manchester to Arrecife7. Outgoing flight on time, aisle seats, food
good, cabin staff excellent, very pleasant and friendly. Return flight,
aisle seats, food good, cabin staff courteous - not as pleasant as
outward staff, having said that, it was 1am. Having had a very good
experience flying with them, I can only report on what we experienced.
Monarch Airlines review - by Phil Cole
19 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Recently flew from Manchester to Arrecife with Monarch which is a 4.25
hour flight and decided to pay the extra £15 for premium economy. I'm a
tall guy and usually find airplane seats very uncomfortable but the
additional 6" of legroom was fantastic - I had enough room to stretch
out my legs with room to spare! The one down side was the cabin crew -
found them to be rather rude and uninterested. The senior cabin crew
member kept forgetting to serve us (even though we were sat in the 5th
row) and on a few occasions I had to call her to come back. I was told
when booking that premium economy enjoyed better food, but was asked to
pay £6 on the plane and found out that I was given the same food as the
rest of the cabin. So, fantastic seats if you appreciate the extra leg
room but dont expect anything better than standard service.
Monarch Airlines review - by A Mason
7 June 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Manchester to Rhodes return. Both flights dreadful. Crammed in like
sardines. In-flight food terrible. On return flight, exchange rate from
Euros to Sterling complete rip off. Have flown Monarch in the past and
been very satisfied but from this last experience, it will be the last
time I fly Monarch. The in-flight meal is optional so could live
without that, but do not intend to spend 4 hours cramped on a plane
where both legroom and seat size is so small (and uncomfortable) you end
up suffering back problems for a week after your return. I did not find
the Cabin Crew particularly friendly or approachable. Monarch, please
look seriously at your seating arrangements, ie. seat sizing and leg
room, before you lose more customers - there's a lot of competition out
there.
Monarch Airlines review - by Matthew Churchill
31 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Gatwick to Granada, fly regularly on Monarch scheduled. Their flights
have improved dramatically over the last eighteen months or so. No queue
as usual for check-in, flight left the gate ten minutes before departure
time. On this trip decided to pay the £15 extra and sit in extra legroom
seats, these are well worth it as not only do you get 34 inches of
legroom, they are situated in the first six rows, so as well as the
legroom you get served quicker and you are first off the aircraft the
other end. No IFE on this flight which was unusual and the free
newspapers seem to have disappeared, however this may have been due to
the 06.10 departure time.
Monarch Airlines review - by Patricia Dobson
28 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
We booked 5 Premuim Economy return seats to Male, at an extra cost of
£295 each. I phoned twice before our flight and advised customer
services of one of the passengers food allergies, I was assured it had
all been noted and would not be a problem, so for no wheat, dairy, or
egg, he was given cous cous and for breakfast an omelete, coming back
rice cakes with butter! The staff attitude was terrible. If you are in
seat 7F your seat is halfway across the aisle, so everyone bangs into
your seat, they can't help it. On the return trip we were told that the
toilets at the front of the plane couldn't be used because the food has
to be kept in sterile conditions but the staff used them all the time.
The sinks in the toilets just behind us blocked several times, with that
many people on the plane you need to be able to use the front toilets.
Monarch Airlines review - by Debbie Wiggins
28 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Return flight to Taba, Egypt. We booked extra legroom which was good,
but expensive and I don't think a 757 is suitable for this sort of
flight without a larger pitch. The staff in our area were helpful, food
was satisfactory and the flight fine.
Monarch Airlines review - by J Adair
28 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Flew return to Faro, I found the flights enjoyable. We paid £15 each way
for the extra legroom seats and I would recommend - they were fantastic,
I could stretch my legs out full with room to spare. We were delayed 1
hour on the way out as the aircraft needed refuelled but no big dramas -
we still got there! Way back the aircraft ran out of water but staff
gave free soft drinks in place. I thought the food was good for airline
food. I found the staff friendly - the were happy to chat. I would use
again, good value for money.
Monarch Airlines review - by Trevor Gillott
22 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
I was in the process of booking a premium class trip to Sanford from
Manchester but having read the comments I have decided to use
Continental economy. I suggest that if Monarch want to sell 'Premium'
they should take heed of the bad press and kick it up a notch, not
losing clients to other airlines. Basically Premium needs to mean a good
bit better. Otherwise don't even try.
Monarch Airlines review - by Glen Davidson
13 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Gatwick to Rhodes returning on one of their Charter services. Outbound
flight an A330. All aspects of the flight were good. Attentive cabin
staff, meal enjoyable etc. Only negative thing was leg room - very
cramped. Would not like to experience this is they use this aircraft on
their long haul routes. Flight back was on a 757 again good service, but
leg room very restrictive.
Monarch Airlines review - by C Richardson
8 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Have recently flown for the first time with Monarch on a business trip
from Malaga to Gatwick and was decidedly unimpressed - read some of the
comments on here I wasn't expecting first class treatment so wasn't too
disappointed but will not fly with Monarch again unless unavoidable.
Uncomfortable seating on noisy A330, extremely rude and patronising
cabin crew all made it clear to me that Monarch are best avoided.
Thankfully it was only a short flight - any longer would've been
unbearable!
Monarch Airlines review - by Robert Bluffield
5 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
My wife and I flew to Goa with Monarch during February. There was a one
hour delay outbound but the return flight was on time. We paid (via
SOMAK holidays) £199 per person return for the so-called Premium class.
This was meant to entitle us to extra leg room, better food and other
benefits. The service as a thorough rip-off although I gather Monarch
only charge the tour company £35 per head for this service. The seats
are appallingly uncomfortable for a flight of this duration and the
cabin service was, at best, inefficient. I had to remind a crew member
several times that the entertainment had not been turned on because they
kept forgetting. If you wanted coffee or other refreshments other than
at meal time you had to pay extra. The leg room was only the equivalent
to many scheduled carrier's economy class. although airlines such as
Malaysia provide much more economy space at no extra charge. One of the
toilets was out of operation on both outbound and inbound flight which
caused great inconvenience to passengers. Despite paying extra, Premium
Class passengers were not even given priority when disembarking from the
aircraft.
Monarch Airlines review - by A Fraser
3 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Flew Monarch to and from Sharm El Sheikh departing London Gatwick. We
were delayed 27 hours due to two technical delays on two different
planes. Monarch Airlines supply basic accommodation - we sat around for
five hours, offered one free drink between 5.20pm Monday and 7.30am
the next morning. One phone call per party of three minutes was offered
eight hours after hearing of our delay. Shocking organisation by the
company on the ground was evident throughout, to the point that the
Monarch rep. in Egypt was unable to call their Luton office because he
didn't have international calling rights. Finally boarded, only to find
Monarch Airlines had the audacity to continue their policy of charging
for headphones, after delaying us for 27 hours! A warning to all - I
read the poor reviews of this company and ignored them, don't do the
same!
Monarch Airlines review - by Cliff Nye
2 May 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
We recently flew from Manchester to Goa return with Monarch. No problems
at all, staff courteous, polite and helpful. Checking in went smoothly
and the in-flight meals were very good (for airline food).
Monarch Airlines review - by Pat Jeffrey
28 April 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Very good flights. My only criticism is that the seats are too close
together. I am able to sit comfortably, but am sure anyone over the
height of 5ft 4inch would have trouble being comfortable. Felt like
seats in front where on top of you and when you put the table down you
had to sit bolt upright for it to lay flat.
Monarch Airlines review - by S Oliver
26 April 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
First time I've flown with Monarch. Plane fine but the ground
staff/check in staff were rude. We were delayed for five hours after our
plane was grounded due to a technical difficulty but at no point were we
told what was going on or how long we would wait. We were finally told
about half an hour before the flight which flight to get on and were
assured by the Monarch staff that our cases would be loaded onto our new
flight but they werent, a bold faced lie if ever I heard one! Very upset
and stressed by all this and I can't contact anyone at Monarch to see
where my luggage actually is. Very poor customer relations would never
fly with such a shambolic airline again.
Monarch Airlines review - by Andrew Taylor
20 April 2007 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
We flew Monarch to the Maldives and paid to fly "premium class". Our
experience was very good. Dedicated check in worked well at Gatwick and
Male - boarded first and given a soft drink as we were seated and looked
after very well through both flights by a friendly and efficient cabin
crew. Clean plane, plenty of drinks, food, gift pack, blankets/pillows,
papers etc. The service was as good as any economy class I have had
from the major carriers across the Atlantic. I guess only the people who
have a bad experience bother to add comments to these web sites.
Monarch Airlines - by L Hodgkinson
20 March 2007
This was our first flight with Monarch to Canada, But our eighth time to
Canada with other airlines( Excel, Airtours & Thomsons). We have always
paid the extra for the premium class seats and each flight has been
worth every penny. Until now - the ground staff were unhelpful and
miserable. We tried to explain that premium class meant priority check
in, but he wouldn't listen. Once through check in 1hour 25mins later the
flight crew were nice. But we had paid for extra leg room and were given
seats on row 1 with the bulkhead in front of you so you can not move
your legs for the whole 9 hour fight. With the other airlines premium
class is boarded first and given a drink in a glass. With Monarch the
cabin crew came round with a cardboard box and give us a plastic tub
with orange or water. With the other airlines when you were served
drinks we were given double drinks but with Monarch they were singles
and you had to ask for more drinks. On the night flight home we were
given pillows and blankets but no eyemask, tooth brushes to freshen up.
We were given some of these thing on our outward journey but we had used
them on the outward journey and thrown them away. The worst Flight to
Canada we have had.
Monarch Airlines - by Roger Coldicott
14 February 2007
I am a regular traveller to Tenerife also an advantage member. I always
pay for extra leg room, but most times there are always seats empty. As
soon as we take off, passengers come from the back of the plane and take
the empty seats. We have mentioned this to the cabin staff and they have
sent them back or asked them to pay the extra money but refused - only
to return to the same seats later and not be questioned by the staff.
Our last trip on the 9th January we heard one of the cabin crew say that
when the plane takes off, you can sit where you would like. What is the
point of paying extra money for extra leg room when we can do the same?
Cabin crew should notice what goes on. After all there are only six rows
with extra leg room! Apart from that, flight and service very good.
Monarch Airlines - by Ross Kelly
13 February 2007
DUB to SSH return. Aircraft an oldish 757. On the outbound I got
emergency exit seats but didnt on my return. As others have pointed out
the seat pitch makes the flight very uncomfortable. Considering the
flight was 6 hours, 29 inches was unacceptable. IFE was poor with a
limited amount of screens. Food also wasn't that good. Overall for
flights of over 3 hours, using aircraft like this isn't ideal.
Monarch Airlines - by Sally Howell-Bewsey
7 February 2007
We have just flown back from Portugal to Gatwick with Monarch and would
never fly with them again! The flight was delayed which I guess we are
all getting used to experiencing, our main complaint is the horrendous
lack of legroom and space. I have never in my whole life been squeezed
into such a small space so much so that I could not move my legs at all
or put my handbag under the seat in front! I am not a large person by
any means and of average height! I guess Monarchs answer would be to
have paid for leg room - but why should we? You get nothing else with
your ticket except your seat! I wonder if the bosses of Monarch have
ever travelled dvt class. We, like many other people will vote with
their feet, and never ever travel with them again!
