THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  14 July 2009 by A Niezynski (UK)

Glasgow-Las Vegas return. I paid extra for premium seating, touted as having lots of extras including individual screens with more choice of films and also food choices and complimentary drinks. But apparently the outbound aircraft was not the one scheduled and came without the PTV screens and my view of the central TV was useless. I complained to the steward politely asking if there was anything he could do - he repeatedly alleged he didn't understand, however after pondering over what to do, he eventually came out with "well sir the contract covers this sort of thing and there is really nothing I can do". I asked to speak to the head steward but she never appeared. Then came the food chicken or beef in a card carton. What is the difference I asked between a superior choice meal and the standard meal - ah that would be the starter (a golf ball size pasta salad). In fairness everything else outbound was ok including drink service. Inbound was a different matter - correct plane with PTV screens, however only two films. The cabin lights were not working (a fault that was not rectified) and to compound matters the flight was only minutes in the air and they had no beer. The cabin staff were thin on the ground and appeared harrassed - one woman behind me had requested a further drink and although the steward gave her the drink, he publicly scolded her on drinking too much and told her she was not getting any more. In truth it was out of order as the lady was not noisy and not drunk. In short Thomas Cook premium class is not what its touted to be - better to look elsewhere or fly economy.

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  14 July 2009 by K Hood (UK)

Newcastle - Paphos. The worst airline I've ever travelled. I'm 6 foot 3 and the legroom was bordering on unsafe. How can they show you a video about the crash position when you simply wont be able to perform it sitting in these seats. Then they tell you to stand and move around but its impossible to stand up straight at your seat. I know they offer extra legroom seats for a price but what happens if these seats are taken? My legs were crushed up against the seat in front, who chose to recline his seat also, and I had to sit up straight for 5 hours. Good luck to anyone who travels with them.

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  14 July 2009 by Suzanne Griffin (UK)

Gatwick to Vancouver. Staff on the ground and in the air most helpful. Plenty to eat and drink, although quality of food could have been better. Found seats on the return journey most uncomfortable, and this was the latest A330. The duvet came in handy to sit on and I noticed several other people doing the same. Upgrade well worth the money, extra leg room and baggage allowance and no queue at check in. Both flights on time

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  13 July 2009 by S Stangroom (UK)

Glasgow - Las Vegas return. The price of the package attracted us and our departures were more or less on time. Unfortunately, that's all the good I can say. Having read recent reviews before booking, we knew that little has changed since our last trip with them. 15kg per person baggage allowance is a joke, so if you're going for more than one week or you're going somewhere where there's shopping to be done, you'll struggle to stay within it. Fellow passengers got hit with £80 charges for the return leg! Legroom wasn't an issue as we're both under 6' so it was sufficient. Outbound aircraft had to be changed, and the replacement must have been from a short haul route as it didn't have seat-back entertainment, so our movies were on a 6" screen eight aisles in front. The seats on both journeys were probably the most uncomfortable we've used on any flight. Outbound was like sitting on a concrete step and actually became painful after the first 4 hours. With very little scope for adjustment, it was impossible to find a comfortable position. Service was inconsistent - outbound we were given free blankets but inbound they wanted $5 from each passenger. We knew from experience that Thomas Cook Airlines keep their ticket prices low by charging extra for everything. Seats together; meals; greater luggage allowances etc, and none of it comes cheap. We bought seats together (had to pay extra again to sit side by side!) but there was no way we'd have their inflight meals again so we opted out of those. We were a little surprised by the negative attitude of the crew towards us for opting out. They made a big song-and-dance when the trolley reached each passenger who didn't want their food. If you opt out of the inflight meals, make sure you take enough food and drink to last, or be prepared for the onboard hard- sell and have plenty of spare cash in your pocket. At £3.50 for a beer the size of a can of coke, or for a small bottle of wine, it's a scam. Duty free is another rip-off (both in the Glasgow departures and onboard) as both are far more expensive than either UK or US stores so don't waste your holiday money, wait until you get there to buy it. Coming home, we got Famous Grouse in Las Vegas departures for less than buying it anywhere at home. How can that be possible??? In summary, if you have to use TCA, travel light; be prepared for the worst; pack your own food and drinks and don't regard the journey as a part of your holiday - it'll only start things off on a negative !

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  29 June 2009 by G Miller (Canada)

Pushing the limit of absolute discomfort. Thomas Cook offers transatlantic flights at 30% less than standard carriers by squeezing in several more rows of seats. At 6'0" tall, my knees were butting the seat in front of me with a proper posture. No slouching possible. This is unacceptable legroom for a 6 hour flight. Thomas Cook are absolute sticklers about checked & carry-on luggage weight limits, even on half-full flights. Their carry-on weight limits (6kg/13 lbs) are 4-6kg lower than most rivals. I had to check my camera bag on the return flight, and the strong baggage Xray destroyed $100 worth of film as a result. My departing flight was delayed 4 hours due to mechanical problems, and the return flight delayed 45 minutes due to flight crew substitutions. Extended legroom seats are available that are much more comfortable. However, that upgrade costs so much that the cost equalizes out with standard carrier tickets. This is a great airline for small height, budget minded travels who packs light. I will fly standard carriers (Air Canada, American, British Airways) for my next trip to England.

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  29 June 2009 by L Sweetman (UK)

Glasgow to Lanzarote. Seats were comfortable and legroom more than expected. Cabin crew helpful and friendly, meals were as expected. Inflight entertainment was good. Return flight from was late at night 23:50-03:35 and there were lots a tired children onboard - there were no blankets or pillows and if you wanted any you had to pay.

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  29 June 2009 by J Leeson (UK)

Manchester-Sanford A330. Worth the extra for premium - seats not great, but wider and reasonably comfortable. Food good for airline food with a reasonable entertainment system. Free drinks and a pre-take off drink. Crew were pretty friendly. Return journey 4 hr delay - A330 return cleaner and seemed to have slighter better seat recline. Hot meal was awful - blankets have been replaced with duvets. Crew very cheerful and helpful although pilots outbound and inbound did not communicate very much. All in all apart from the delay not too much to complain about and we have travelled to USA by most of the major carriers.

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  26 June 2009 by J Lewis (UK)

Bristol to Majorca. As well as the usual complaints regarding lack of legroom and being struck by the aircraft trolley several times, my main complaint sent to Thomas Cook was that there were a number of rowdy hen and stag parties on board, obviously already having consumed too much alcohol. Due to complaints from other passengers a group of these youths were advised by the cabin crew regarding their foul language. Next thing is the cabin crew are still selling them alcohol, obviously making money outweighs any other regards. I sent a letter of complaint above to thomas cook and got the usual bland reply that all their staff are trained and sorry we did not enjoy the flight, etc etc but no mention of why the crew were serving alcohol to persons already inebriated. After hearing other complaints no way would we fly with them again

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  26 June 2009 by D Sayers (UK)

London Gatwick to Dalaman. Not a big fan of Thomas Cook flights, but they came up with the most competitive price so thought I would give them another chance. Nothing to complain about this time. Flight outbound left on time. We did pay for extra legroom seats at checkin both out and in, and glad we did, as the other seats had very limited leg room. My partner is 6'1 and Im 5'10 so we did have a more comfortable flight. Didnt pay for meals, so cant comment. Did find tea/coffee and soft drinks onboard expensive though. Both ways cabin staffvery friendly and chatty, with good sense of humour. Check in going out, massive queue when we arrived but all processed very quickly. Again coming back not many in queue so check in quick with efficient staff.

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  25 June 2009 by B Darby (UK)

Gatwick-Calgary return. Was aware of narrow seats & minimal legroom etc, which is just about acceptable for flights up to 2 hours, but not 8/9 hours. Consequently upgraded to Premium with the following benefits - 30 kgs baggage allowance, first to board, premium cabin with 2-3-2 configuration, wide seats with acceptable legroom, blanket, neck support, good entertainment system with free headset, free drinks & priority baggage delivery at destination. Whilst walking around the aircraft at intervals & seeing how people were wedged into the economy seats, I decided that my upgrade decision was well worth the reasonable cost. Whilst food quality was average airline fare, I will fly Premium again.

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  24 June 2009 by J Jones   (UK)

LGW-FUE-LGW. Bad flight made worse by check-in staff trying to extort additional revenue for baggage. We pre-paid for an additional 5kgs, and then were then asked for an extra 20Euro for just 1kg overweight! Every passenger in line in front was asked to pay 20Euro extra. Seats very cramped - unable to move knees as wedged against seat in front on outbound. 2 hours delay outbound, ontime inbound. On return flight cabin crew failed to deliver pre-paid meals, instead tried to sell excess meals at £7.50 each and were not happy when told we had already paid, then demanded proof. Will try to avoid Thomas Cook/Airtours next time.

THOS COOK AIRLINES review :  24 June 2009 by Terri Stevens (UK)

LGW - Toronto. After being messed about with Canadian Affair, flights were changed several times, and prebooked seats changed - we decided to upgrade to premium, and selected row 8 as there were no extra legroom seats available. When we checked in we were given row 1A/B/D, so pleasantly surprised! Good flight, friendly & helpful cabin crew. Food just edible but what you'd expect on a plane. Lots of drinks offered though - wine before, during, & after meals. A lot better than the return on Air Transat.)