Thomas Cook Airlines Customer Reviews and Passenger Trip Reports

Never will I use this airline again! Travelled to Cancun on 1st May 2013 and I paid for pre-booked window seats and I had no window. What a waste. The seats were so narrow and cramped and I'm average size not overweight. Most uncomfortable flight I've had. Even Ryanair short haul is preferable to this. I cannot believe a long haul flight is bad. Going home tomorrow and dreading the flight back. Oh and NO entertainment. What a nightmare. I travel a lot but will never use this company again.

MAN-LAS return on an A330-200. Couldn't do advance check in on this route meaning we had to queue for half an hour. We booked the seat allocation, meal and baggage bundle and this was honoured. I was annoyed about the way that Thomas Cook try to charge for everything on long haul I don't think it's too much to expect checked baggage included and a meal. They only give 5 kg hand baggage. Moreover, the checked baggage is pretty expensive given that they only give you 20 kg. Onboard, it was sad to see how tatty it was. The leather on the seats is cracked, ripped and generally worn. My seat had a metal bar just under the foam that was really uncomfortable. Leg room was pretty good and I'm 6ft and this is about the most positive thing I can say about the interior. Meals were small and of average quality, certainly not worth the cost. Free drinks given with the meal only. Tea or coffee or juice. If you want water the cabin crew have to go back to the galley to get it. The crew were good though, it was a shame that they spent so long on the tannoy system trying to sell things like drinks, duty free, head phones, comfort packs, bingo cards etc. Not much peace to be had in the first 3 hours of the flight. Entertainment was good given the quality of the airline. Not on demand but 8 channels of films, dramas, documentaries, kids TV etc. On the way out we could look through cameras in the front and bottom of the plane during take off and landing. Not available on the way back. Overall, with all the extras (food, baggage and seat allocation) the cost of this flight was only marginally cheaper than Virgin Atlantic and in future I'd go Virgin.

Very disappointed with the service from Thomas Cook Airlines. They left a plane load of Belfast bound passengers delayed in Tenerife Airport for 7.5 hours on Friday 17 May. When we eventually boarded the Captain apologised for the delay and then said that we should appreciate that the staff came in on rest days to get us home. I thought we paid Thomas Cook to bring us home and it was due to a good will gesture from the staff!! I hope I never have to use Thomas Cook again.

Both outbound and inbound flights from Belfast International to Las Palmas were on time and the cabin staff were very attentive and good. My only gripe was the seat pitch and legroom for a 4.5 hr flight which was uncomfortable & made worse by inconsiderate people in front reclining their seats back.

Arrecife (Lanzarote) to Glasgow on a Boeing 757-300. We had booked extra legroom seats which I've noticed are much more generous than those on the 757-200 which is a smaller plane. Flight left on time, cabin crew were friendly & helpful, pilot kept us informed and all in all it was a pretty good flight. My only gripe is with the miserable 5kg hand-luggage allowance policy. Even Ryanair (allow more)!

Just back from Gran Canaria having flown Flythomascook. Outbound flight was OK but inbound had been subcontracted to another airline. Delayed 2 hours. Off hand crew and just very poor experience. I fly this route 5/6 times a year and usually use easyjet who are far superior. Will never use Thomas Cook again.

Family of 6 flying from Manchester to Sanford and return in May 2013. This flight should have been our first flight on a Dreamliner but flight was on 767. Flight was on time outbound and inbound, entertainment was poor as headphones useless (we were told none available on return as we should have kept the ones given on outward flight). I had to fold cardboard to support screen and games did not load. The Daily Mail was loaded but not distributed despite my request. Food was inedible (tough cold chicken out and back). Breakfast was a cold Sarah Lee Apple Pie. Staff collected rubbish by dragging a waste sack down and no effort was made to collect waste. I received better staff service on so called "budget airlines" in Europe. Staff had new "Dreamliner uniforms" and Sanford has a huge welcome sign saying Welcome to Thompsons Dreamliner (once enthusiastic customer but now not sure).

The booking in was normal. When we entered the aircraft we were horrified to see the tiny aisles and the equally tiny legroom and width of the seats. Neither of us are large and it was not a comfortable flight. Plane was very basic. Staff were fine. The day after our arrival we were informed that the early evening flight we had booked had been bumped forward 4 hours and we now were flying at 23.30. We asked if we could change to another flight and were prepared to fly out a day or two earlier but were told we would have to lose the money on the booked flight and pay the full fare for the second flight. No flexibility at all. On the return flight there were lots of families and some had been at the airport since the earlier time as they had not been informed of the change. After half an hour in the air we had to come back due to engine problems. We all disembarked, collected our luggage and were quickly herded out of the airport as it was closed. Waited outside the airport with no seating and no amenities for approx 2 hours for the coaches to turn up and take us to hotels for the night. With a few seats, a bottle of water and some good customer care skills it could have been so different! The hotels were fine and the rules were adhered too. The total delay was 23.5 hours. I would not fly with them again.

San Francisco to Heathrow, flight booked in Aug 2012, arrived at airport March 1 2013. However no flight, flight was cancelled in Oct 12 but no notification to us. No help / assistance offered. On return home battle for compensation. They say 'its your responsibility to check flight 72 hrs prior to flight'.

MAN-Las Vegas-MAN. We flew on an A330 aircraft. We arrived at check in very early but they were unable to seat our party of 3 together. In fact most of the rear 30 rows were split up unless you had pre-booked your seats and paid extra. The cynic in me says they do this purposely to get you to pre-book seats next time. Strangely on our return everyone appeared sat together with their parties. The entertainment system appears quite old and had several vision and sound problems. 4 movies out and 3 in. Seats were fairly hard. The food was standard airline quality. Going long haul again I would rather fly with a different airline.

Just returned from Cuba. Very worried about flying with Thomas Cook due to poor reviews but was very pleasantly surprised, outbound and inbound flights both on time, returning we were 2 hours faster. We booked bulkhead seats which were worth the money although seats slightly narrow, the food was excellent, both ways hot and tasty. The plane was clean and tidy and the staff were attentive and friendly. No concerns about using them again.

I've been flying with Thomas cook for many years now and not had a bad experience yet. I'm 6/2 and although legroom is on the tight side its manageable. I'd choose not to have the set inflight meal and rather choose from the menu. The hot meals from the menu's although not massive are tasty. Always found the crew to be happy and helpful.

I traveled from Copenhagen to Thailand on a long 11 hour trip. Seats are quite narrow for such a long journey, though you do have a personal screen to watch movies. You have to pay for drinks, staff will wake up with loud announcements to try to sell you things. Buy a large bottle of water or two in the airport before going in! It's not the best for long trips!

Was travelling on flight TCX 4013 Larnaca to Birmingham on 10th April, 2013. I asked and paid for extra legroom at 21 euro's per seat (booked at check in desk at Larnaca). I was allocated seat 2b which when I got to it is far from extra legroom. I am 6'4" and knee's only just free of bulkhead of toilet and could not adjust feet, very cramped. Thanks to crew, prompt action got me into seat 11E. My experience of Thomas Cook 757's is that extra leg room is in rows 11 and 31. I don't blame Thomas Cook, it seems strange that original passengers in row 11 did not pay for extra leg room, were about 5'6" tall. Beware of Larnaca check in staff.

Flew from Newcastle to Palma and return last summer, delayed both ways, miserly 5 euro voucher for 8 hour delay. Staff off hand to the point of rudeness, catering poor, seats dirty, cramped seating. Wouldn't use them again.

My return flight from Goa on TCX319 GOI-LGW was, as far as flight service is concerned, as good as my experience on the outbound flight the week earlier. Another excellent team of cabin crew who remained friendly and happy despite the 10.5h night flight back to the UK. This time we had paid to upgrade to the "Premium" cabin and to allocate our seats in advance. I thought this well worth the small additional premium. Cabin service is however the same throughout the aircraft. In-flight meals again very nice. Whilst this was an A330-200 aircraft it was a different registration to the outbound flight and I can't score the interior as well. My Premium seat was old, leather ripped and the bottom padding worn out. A shame that the interiors of these aircraft are so old and tatty - definitely need an update TC! Crew great, meals great. In-flight entertainment fair to poor, aircraft needs a deep clean and refurbish.

Flew TCX318, LGW-GOI on one of their A330-200 aircraft. Fortunate to be in the "Premium" section (more by luck as you can't book this ex-UK due to the excessive APD taxes) and seat and leg room good. Having walked around the cabin even the regular economy seating seemed to have plenty of leg room. Aircraft interior somewhat worn and in-flight entertainment not as up to date as most airlines these days but not sure this is too much of a problem for most these days as many passengers travel with I-PAD's and alike. Cabin crew and in-flight service very good as were the meals.

I took my wife and my Mother and Father on Holiday from Manchester-Larnaca flying outbound 17th June 2012 and flying Inbound 1st July 2012. We got to the check-in desks of Terminal 1 to be told that there was a delay expected of 3 hours on departure due to waiting for the inbound aircraft to arrive. Flew on Boeing 767-300 series aircraft with winglets, and once onboard I was surprised to see the wonderful seating, almost of a leather type feel to them. I am not exactly short in height being 6ft 2in, but I was surprised to be able to move my legs quite freely without touching the seats in front. The cabin crew were helpful. The pre-booked in-flight meals were quite tasty, but could have done with jazzing up a little. I didn't manage to catch the in- flight entertainment, as the interruptions to the film from over the tannoy were often and noisy. However, on the way back I found it interesting to see they had no films showing and just an intermittent update of flight information and map displaying location over the globe of the flight itself. Overall a very good experience.

Manchester to Banjul The Gambia and return flight time was 6 hours. Worst flight I have ever been on. Aircraft used was a B757-200 which seemed to be the oldest in their fleet. Legroom was a very poor 28 inches. Flight entertainment was very poor. I had pre paid for inflight meals and they were not worth the money paid. Flight going out was on time but return flight had a 2.5 hour delay. Cabin crew seemed to want to sell as much stuff as possible.

My husband and I travelled from Bristol to Paphos, Cyprus last September. Aircraft seats were very cramped with little legroom. Return flight was a nightmare. Halfway through the flight the captain announced that the aircraft was being diverted to Cardiff due to "operations systems". The plane was needed at Cardiff to return to Cyprus. We were then coached back to Bristol adding nearly 3 hours to our journey. We have since learned that these diversions are a regular occurrence with Thomas Cook flights. This is the last time we will ever use Thomas Cook.

Flew East Midlands to Tenerife South and back. Flights on time. Cabin crew friendly and helpful. Booked extra legroom seats which was worthwhile. Aircraft oldish, but appeared well maintained. In flight food and drink perfectly satisfactory. In flight entertainment likewise. No complaints at all.

Flew Thomas Cook A330-200 Gatwick-Cancun - will never use again, poor leg room - only long haul flight I have had to pay for drinks on. Inflight entertainment very poor. Paid £40 in total to select seats, booked with a window as stated on seat map when choosing, got there and there was no window!

Very pleasantly surprised. Flew MAN-TFS on 757-200. Smooth check-in, very friendly cabin crew, good meal and bar service. Return on A321, once again good meal, cabin crew keen to oblige, and all in all very satisfied. Only negative was that a passenger fell ill, requiring oxygen, and two female cabin crew members were superb in dealing with the emergency. The Cabin Crew Manager carried on with his Duty Free selling, and offered no help at all to the other crew members. I know Duty Free sales are important to airlines, but the safety of passengers should be of paramount importance. This marred what otherwise was a very pleasant charter flight.

Manchester-Cayo Coco (Cuba) out 18/1/13, return 01/02/13. Couldn't complain about flight crew and service - excellent on aircraft both ways. Near enough on time both sectors. We paid extra for leg room - well worth the £40. Only setback was the inflight entertainment was poor. Would I fly Thomas cook again? Yes but would pay the extra for legroom due to long flight.

My wife and I flew from Belfast to Lanzarote on January 24 2013 and returned on Jan 31 2013. Flight from Belfast was on time and no problems boarding. First thing we noticed on boarding was the narrow space between the seats, other passengers commented on this. When I sat down the space to the next seat was so narrow that I was unable to put the food tray down flat. I am 5 ft 5 and found that I was cramped. Other passengers who were taller than I experienced greater discomfort. There was also a lack of overhead storage for all passengers and some had to shove baggage between their legs. On the return journey we were collected from our hotel 20 minutes late. Wen we got to the airport Thomas Cook had 6 check in desks open for people boarding 4 of their flights, all leaving within 15 minutes of each other. 4 desks were open for speedy boarding and Thomas Cook were actively trying to sell this service to people in the queue. As a consequence we had little time in the airport to have lunch or shop before boarding. When the plane took off and the set belt sign was switched off most passengers stood for the 4 hour journey. I have travelled with Thomas Cook in the past but their service has declined and they seem to be preoccupied with getting more and more money from passengers. As a seasoned traveller I have never seen such cramped conditions on any plane including so called budget airlines. I will never travel with Thomas Cook again and would not recommend this company to anyone.

Tenerife from Manchester in June 2012 for 2 weeks. Outward was fantastic new style seats made extra legroom, after a fantastic holiday with my family we returned to the airport making sure we arrived in plenty of time 3 hours! When we arrived at check-in, the man said there was some sort of problem with flight and left us stood there for 1.5 hours when we were finally told there was a delay and to move to a queue further down the line where we ended up for another 2 hours. Finally told our flight wasn't leaving until late that night instead of lunch time and given a small food voucher. Ended up sitting around the airport for a total of 10 hours and departed at approx 8pm. Got back to Manchester well after midnight on a plane that was falling apart, too hot and very discourteous staff. If they had told us about this earlier we could have re- booked a car and enjoyed the day as we were flight only and not part of a package holiday we wouldn't be entitled to any compensation anyway! I think it was disgusting the way we were all treated especially with a young child to keep entertained in a small airport with not much to do. Will not be Flying with Thomas Cook again!

LGW-ACE-LGW. Recently used TC to visit relatives in Lanzarote. Booked the flight online with the added items I desired. Arrived Gatwick early and used their baggage drop service, excellent. Flight out A321 was ok, I had been advised a few months earlier that the aircraft type had been changed, but my seat booking was still valid. Cabin staff excellent, nothing was to much trouble for them. Flight back via Boeing 757, again used TC baggage drop facilities so missed the usual long queue's. Found the flight to be very good and again found the cabin crew to be very good, service excellent. Would definitely use TC again.

We went to Mexico from Gatwick on 5 December. Flight delayed 2 hours - both sides to and from - but mostly the seats were so awful. Customer satisfaction was poor and the TC aircraft's must be revamped to improve the overall travelling experience. The actual holiday was great. Awful seats, incredibly small seat width. The worst I have experienced by far.

Had such a wonderful holiday, Christmas in Lanzarote. On our return, due to an issue back at Manchester we were informed that the plane allocated was different to the scheduled aircraft. Pre-booked seats were meaningless. Flight took off in it's customary late fashion. Due to the passenger in front reclining his seat, I found myself wedged between the planes window port and the seat headrest. My wife had to quickly tell the occupier of the seat to ease up. The maintenance of an aircraft is paramount, however the maintenance of its passengers is another question.

Flight time was altered before we set off and several travelers were not informed - ourselves included so only just caught plane, which got as far as Belfast before turning back to Manchester because of engine problems. Put in hotel for night and off we go next morning. On way back stuck in Cancun airport for over 9 hours getting various pieces of information, the one I liked best was we were stuck there because the Mexican Government had changed that weekend and there was no-one to sign papers! Eventually took off 51 hours late, reps from the company were useless. I will definitely travel with another company if at all possible.

Manchester to Lanzarote, departed 45mins late, fight diverted to Fuerteventura with two engineers on our aircraft and spare parts to fix broken plane in Fuerteventura. Arrived in lanzarote over 2 hrs late. Return flight Lanzarote to Manchester also delayed for 4hrs - told because of operational problems.

Manchester - Cancun (1st December). Flight delayed an hour but we had been informed of this by TC about 2 months previously that this would be the case so this was no problem. We pre booked seats both outbound and inbound and, after reading other people's reviews about these pre paid seats not being kept, I was worrying although I had no reason to as everything was fine. The plane, an Airbus A330 was in good condition, the seats were comfortable with plenty of leg room, the cabin crew were friendly, the entertainment was good and helped pass the time and the food was decent quality. Flight back was on time, we had very good tail wind which knocked off a good 1-1.5 hrs off the flight. Food was good again, as was the entertainment. The cabin crew were perhaps not as attentive coming back but this was only a minor snag and it didn't ruin our flight by any means. After reading so many bad reviews, I had feared the worst but we had two very pleasant flights with them and would fly again.

Manchester - Cancun 17th November. Flight delayed an hour, got as far as Belfast before one engine lost power. Captain had to dump fuel and make emergency landing back at Manchester. 24 hour delay and flew out next day. Cancun to Manchester on 1st December delayed by 6 hours, before being told that "Thomas Cook hadn't paid the Mexican Authorities". Airport grounded the Manchester and Gatwick flight for 48 hours - flew home on the 3rd December. A330 aircraft are dated, entertainment system didn't work for a few hours on the outbound, it's on a loop and so no on demand entertainment. Food was awful, service poor and a shambles. The inbound flight had an extra crew member on it as one stewardess had got on the Manchester flight and not the Gatwick!

Flew Gatwick to Cancun, the worst flight I have ever been on. One and half hour delay going out and coming back, no reason given, it was just accept it and that's it. Cabin crew scruffy, and more interested in speaking to each other about what they did the previous evening, laying over the trolley, giggling. Awful service. No one seemed in charge, No one cared about the passengers except when they were trying to sell something. The aircraft was tatty, not very clean, tatty magazines. Inflight film kept cutting out even after having to pay 2.75 for the adapter. For a 11.5 hour flight. The leg room was minimal and uncomfortable.

Flew to Larnaca in July. Delayed 24 hours on the outbound leg as plane had a technical problem. Virtually non existent information and passengers pretty much left to use word of mouth to get bussed to hotels as only one member of airport staff (Glasgow) was out helping at the bus pick up points (which was like something out of a Carry On Film - total chaos) as the Thomas Cook staff invisible. Flight next day on different plane - horrible old plane, no legroom, overpriced snacks. Got form at Larnaca saying claim off your insurance. Reading through other posts this airline seems to be going downhill very fast. Another customer lost.

Have travelled with Thomas Cook on several occasions and found their flights to be very good however having travelled to Fuerteventura I have noticed a big change in standards. The seats and tray areas were very dirty and the seat pitch was tiny. The aircraft itself was very old and dated. Flight was delayed on way back with no explanation. Staff were okay although did have to ask for a lap belt for my 7 month old son. Not sure I would fly with Thomas Cook again.

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