Zoom Airlines review by Chris Blore

8 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

During the week I was spending in Canada, my mother received a call to our home phone in the UK and was told that there were some changes to my flight. The representative would not tell her what they were and said that she would call my on my mobile. That did not happen and resulted in me needing to make a long distance call to find out what was going on. I did so and was told that I would for some reason be travelling on Air Canada flight 424 between Toronto and Montreal Trudeau, leaving a 19:30 on Friday 4th April. Whilst I was slightly annoyed at the prospect of a 3 hour layover in Montreal, I was prepared to accept this and thought that maybe I could have a meal before boarding the 2345 Zoom flight to London Gatwick. How wrong I was. We checked in and were told that there was no record of us on AC424 and that instead we should catch the AC494 flight, scheduled for 1900 but delayed to 1930. So we went to say our goodbyes to my relative with whom we had been staying and then headed to the gate. At that point, it was clear that the AC494 had in fact been cancelled. Back to the Air Canada desk, where the Zoom representative told us we had been rebooked to AC424. We arrived at the gate and were told that we were on standby and may or may not make the flight due to some issues being experienced at Montreal. Finally, we boarded the aircraft and, after some delay, experienced a fantastic Air Canada flight to Montreal, although there was a delay in arriving at the gate because the airport was congested as a result of the snow and a defective radar system. We then headed for the baggage reclaim and waited. And waited. The baggage never came and an announcement was made that we should head for the Zoom check in even though our luggage had not appeared. We were understandably very, very annoyed at this point as it was due to our accommodation of Zoom's request to fly with Air Canada to Montreal that our luggage had been lost. Bags were still coming off the conveyor belt and so it was quite possible that our luggage would still have come through anyway. When we got to the check in desks, the staff had no idea what was going on and appeared to deliberately be avoiding speaking in English to avoid us understanding the situation. I however speak French so could work out perfectly well that the supervisor was shouting at them to check us in at all costs and basically, that our luggage was of no concern to them. Fantastic. When I asked to speak to said supervisor, he told me that we were to check in for this flight without our bags or to miss the flight and have to make our own way back to the UK. I and many of the other passengers were flabbergasted, given that we had accommodated Zoom by changing flights between Toronto and Montreal. Unfortunately, it seems Zoom were not prepared to be so helpful to us. In the end, we made it to the gate 45 minutes before our departure time. We then pushed back and were told we'd have to return to the gate because of a mechanical defect. When we finally left, over an hour late, we were served with a tiny unappetising looking snack box in place of the meal I was going to have prior to the flight either in Toronto or Montreal. The cabin crew on this flight were brilliant and made up for the rudeness of the ground staff in Montreal. When we finally made it to London, we were forced to queue in order to fill out a baggage report, and I would have expected a Zoom representative to be there in order to assist. Instead, we were alongside passengers from several other airlines and had to explain the situation to the baggage handlers who were confused as to why we had been flying with Air Canada in the first place. I was too! Basically, our luggage could be anywhere. It may never have left Toronto given the chaos and cancelled flights or it may have arrived in Montreal after we were forced to leave. Indeed it could be anywhere! My main complaint however is with the complete rudeness of your staff and the lack of proper communication and I can tell you that many of the 30 or so passengers who were affected in being rebooked from Toronto and are without their luggage are unlikely to fly with Zoom again.

Zoom Airlines review by Daniel Katz

25 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Copenhagen - Goa - economy return with 767-300ER Zoom airlines. Fine legroom, reasonable prices for drinks. Food was not fantastic but reasonable and in hearty portions. Cabin crew attentive, serious and strict.

Zoom Airlines review by J Perry

21 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

We have recently returned from charter to Punta Cana,DR from Ottawa, Ont. We booked this based on prices and flight date/times at least 10 weeks prior to depart. About two weeks prior, they informed us of depart time changes, not major however did necessitate changes to our plans. One week prior they changed our return time which was outrageous! We were to leave our destination at 3pm and arrive in Ottawa around 6pm. The change was to leave at 12 midnight and arrive in Ottawa at 4 am. Little did we know that was only the beginning! Since we have to be in Ottawa for departure at 7am on Sunday, we left our home, drove 2 hours to stay in the area. We then received a message from home that our Sunday flight has been delayed until Monday at 7am. this was 15 hrs notice. A call was made to the people who operated the holiday and they could not provide any information except to say that we would be returning as planned, already our holiday was cut by one day. We did arrive in PC on Monday and upon our return the only mention was made by the pilot, and he apologized for the airline stating it was "a crewing" issue, and crew was flown in from another city to staff the plane. All flights from the Friday, Saturday and Sunday had to be advanced one day - my guess someone forgot this year was a leap year and had not scheduled anyone to work on Feb 29. An explanation from the company, an apology, should have been offered. This is not the first time we have flown with Zoom, but it will be our last.

Zoom Airlines review by John Cameron

13 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Glasgow-Calgary March 2008. Paid the upgrade for Premium - worth every penny, if you are over 6ft. Food better than offering from BA in their premium cabin. My only gripes were that, although it is a low cost airline, the charge for premium tickets is considerable. Also, if you are going to stick yellow 'PRIORITY' labels on premium baggage, make sure the airport authorities know what they are supposed to do with the bags so labelled! The aircraft came to Glasgow from Gatwick, and was pretty empty until Glasgow. The return was a bit of a shambles, and ended up about 3 hours late, but the airline kept us informed, and handed out a round of free drinks to economy passengers as an apology. Low cost, as it should be, although I would say in my opinion, the Canadian crews are politer than the UK ones.

Zoom Airlines review by Keith Phillips

13 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Took Zoom to Manchester via Glasgow. Comfortable plane, good leg room with upgraded seat. A tasty meal with wine, great service and good entertainment. Manchester to Toronto comfortable, nice meal and exceptional service. Check in on both flights without waiting, bag arrived promptly. I am an Elite Air Canada customer but Zoom beats Air Canada for comfort and service.

Zoom Airlines review by F Bailey

10 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

On Jan 10th I had the worst travel experience. Flight Toronto to Kingston, Jamaica which should take four hours took a full day. I wrote to complain re my experience and not even an acknowledgement of my complaint was forthcoming. Sad case of customer service, although that's what zoom prides themselves on. I would not recommend anyone to this airline. This is proof that cheaper is not worth the time wasted.

Zoom Airlines review by I Gomes

4 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Vancouver via Clagary to Punta Cana. $372 CAD for a return flight was considerably less expensive that the competing flights and the inflight service was more than acceptable.

Zoom Airlines review by John Ross

4 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

GLA to YVR and return. Outbound delayed 12 hours due to knock-on effect of earlier routes being grounded for bad weather in eastern Canada. Yes, things are much tighter with their schedule and availability of planes but their prices would be higher if they operated like the big airlines. Outbound Zoom informed me at check-in of the delay and booked me into the airport hotel at Glasgow and provided a meal. Same happened for passengers at Manchester who were due to board before the stop-off at Glasgow. Eventually left 12 hours late. Similar stranded passengers waiting to come back at Vancouver so I assume they got hotel/food offer. Onboard service was great - managed to book extra legroom (£30 each way which is a bargain). Nice large widescreen at the front of the cabin and TV's on ceiling. There is no individual IFE and food is very poor but prices are excellent and FA's friendly and attentive. My advice is to try for extra legroom (row 19 or 11), provide your own entertainment on MP3 or PSP and buy drinks at £3 each - don't bother with Premium, its simply not worth the extra £150 each way for quick check-in, a free drink and legroom isn't as good as the £30 economy option - premium get same food and wine. Return leg left on time from Vancouver and arrived early to Glasgow - baggage out in 5 mins too! Slight grumbles - one toilet was still broken on return trip a week later and check-in at Vancouver was chaotic - surely budget airlines should all be adopting online check-in to reduce staffing costs and delays? Overall a good airline which has the budget model working well - cheap fares, reliable service and they don't lose your baggage.

Zoom Airlines review by Rowen Baker

26 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Zoom 723 on 24 February in Premium Economy. Cabin accommodation and service are acceptable, but the timekeeping is not. This was my third, consecutive Zoom flight from the UK and it was the most punctual - only 6 hours late! The Zoom flight tracker showed that every one of their transatlantic flights was late, the best 3 hours and the worst 12. The airline does not have the resources to cope with any equipment problems, which are then immediately reflected in the schedule falling apart. I have decided that I cannot endure the inconvenience and expense of Zoom's timekeeping any more and will not use them again. There are some very credible alternatives. The reasonable flight costs are quickly negated when the costs of their inability to fly on time are factored in.

Zoom Airlines review by J Trewin

24 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

I was pleasantly surprised on my recent LGW-YVR-LGW trip. The essential thing about any type of low cost airline is to have realistic expectations - mine were that I got the seat I had selected, they arrived relatively on time and they didn't lose my luggage - I was very pleased on all three counts. The aircraft (City of Halifax) was fine - leather seats, albeit with very little recline, were fine. Inflight entertainment adequate, not seatback TV's, but nice, viewable flat screens fitted on the ceiling of the centre-aisle. Cabin service was very good - crew were excellent, courteous, helpful - and the fact you had to purchase your alcoholic drinks (exception - a free glass of wine offered with meal) is no big deal. Food was the usual airline fare and nothing great or particularly palatable, but I feel that given the excellent flight otherwise, something had to give for the price. I will look at using Zoom again, especially when they are some £70-90 cheaper than BA or AC - and AC's service is definitely way below that of Zoom's.

Zoom Airlines review by R Clements

21 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Having flown with Zoom several times before, generally Premium to Western Canada, and once (in March 2007) economy to Montreal, we had another overall satisfactory experience with return flights Gatwick to Calgary. We noticed that Premium service has improved, better food, and much better wine selection. The food and wine, though not up to Business Class standard, were very good indeed. Seats comfortable and crew both friendly and helpful. It is annoying that the flights are via Manchester, where there is a stop of an hour or so. On our outward flight, there was no service whatsoever until after departure from Manchester. We had been onboard almost 3 hours before we got so much as a glass of water, which is unacceptable. Additionally, having pre-booked seats adjacent to friends travelling separately, we were not actually given these. In fairness the crew did sort this out on the plane. All in all however, it is fair to say that Zoom are, to some degree, a budget airline, and will not be perfect. The niggles on this trip did not spoil the experience and we would recommend Zoom, so long as you accept mid stop-offs at other cities such as Manchester, for example, and also that the entertainment is limited to general screens in the cabin. I would also say that legroom is pretty good in Premium, and was better than expected (I am 6 foot tall) in our earlier economy flight to Montreal7.

Zoom Airlines review by Kenneth McKechnie

21 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Read this if travelling with a family! I've not flown yet - I am due to go Glasgow to Calgary on the 13th of February, but booked online and paid GBP30 extra to choose the seats. I got 5 in a row with extra legroom. Then we got an email to tell us the seating had changed. My 6 and 7 year old are now left separated from the rest of the family at the other end of the plane. Obviously one can sit in another seat and leave one child with my 74 year old mum, and one with me or my wife. How can an airline split up a family?. I am quite sure that whoever they end up beside does not want to sit next to unknown children either - probably upset that they are not beside both / or one parent. I'm surprised that an airline can even do this. Phoned customer support who do not care less. Avoid this airline. The extra money for someone else is worth it.

Zoom Airlines review by M Brown

15 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

I can only endorse the last few comments on here about Zoom, you get what you pay for (or don't in our case). Booked flight from Gatwick to New York back in September, using Zoom "upgrade to Premium Economy for free" offer. Also booked hotel at the same time. All set for a long weekend as a birthday treat in mid January. Then started to notice a few changes to our booking ie. chosen seats in Premium Economy suddenly wiped from our booking (it was at this point I began to worry!). A week or so before christmas I suddenly notice an e-mail in my inbox stating due to operational reasons my Zoom flight is cancelled, but all is OK as I get a refund! No phone call or letter just an easy to miss generic e-mail. Simply not good enough, surely Zoom must appreciate people aren't just booking flights when they use them. Hotels and other arrangements are made along with a flight booking. Thankfully I have been able to book another flight but its more expensive and we have to go to another airport (further from home) but I can imagine this "operational change" has left some high and dry! I understand from web searches this change is down to a seasonal downturn and Zoom fully expect to resume flights in the spring but I wouldn't trust them at all with my booking.

Zoom Airlines review by D Griffiths

13 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Perhaps a "trip" rating is not appropriate since we haven't even flown yet. But the flight could turn out to be the best I've ever had, and I would never again fly with this airline. Why is this so? We booked a flight for May, to the UK, last fall. At that time we used the multicity feature, flying into Gatwick and out of Belfast. Then, in November sometime, Zoom informed us that due to low demand, the Belfast route had been cancelled, so we had to change our plans. We didn't complain. We simply accepted a round trip flight from Cardiff, and booked a round trip flight to Belfast with a regional airline. Now, Zoom has informed us that apparently the flight home from Cardiff will stop in Belfast after all! So I'm out of pocket the extra money I spent on flights with another airline, and our trip home is now a couple hours longer as we get the privilege of flying back through Belfast again! When I contacted Zoom to voice my objection to this situation, I was referred to the fine print on my e-ticket which states Zoom reserves the right to basically make any changes they want, anytime they want, without offering any compensation whatsoever! They wouldn't even offer me a seat upgrade, even though this is the second time now that they have changed my flight on the same trip! The supervisor with whom I spoke offered to have us fly home from Belfast, which is of course a useless gesture, since the regional airline I've booked with clearly isn't going to make any changes for me without significant financial penalties. Furthermore, why would I again make changes to this vacation knowing full well that Zoom could put me through this a third time?! How does anyone ever make travel plans with such an incompetent airline? One change I could deal with, but two?? I'm unfortunately stuck with this flight now, but if you value your sanity, stay away from this airline at all costs!

Zoom Airlines review by I Lad

9 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW-JFK return 2/9 Dec Premium Economy. Outward journeywas fantastic: on time, great staff and plenty of food / water. Return was horrific with a six hour delay with no information followed by an aged charter plane followed by fire engines meeting us at Gatwick. I wish I could rely on the outward journey for future reference but find it difficult to forget the awful return.

Zoom Airlines review by H Neo

8 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

A 25.5hr delay on my outbound flight from Gatwick to JFK on 23 Dec and a further 8hr delay on my return flight on 30Dec -despite apology letter assuring passengers of no further delays. Staff on the ground did not receive updated information about the situation and were unable to render much help. Fly this airline at your own risk!

Zoom Airlines review by Barry Wallace

5 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW-JFK Return. 10 hour delay on the 23rd Dec which was forgivable due to the fog, however 13 hour plus delay on return leg was unacceptable. Shows the company has poor infrastructure and depth to it that when one thing goes wrong it unleashes a catalogue of problems they are unable to deal with. No reason was given until we got on the plane at 4am that it had 'gone tech' We were told we would not be going via Bermuda on the return then we were! No idea. The communication was dire and eventually we were placed in a hotel which was awful. From the staff at the airport it is very common for them to be very delayed on their flights. They are a low cost airline (not too much cheaper than the major carriers) however if you can take the risk of factoring these delays into your trip you will be fine. We had to take an extra day off work and missed connecting flights! The flights themselves were fine but would not recommend this airline after our experience. The knock on effect this has had on some passengers on the flight were far worse than us.

Zoom Airlines review by S Kennan

12 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Comments have been withdrawn due to concern over accuracy in certain areas.

Zoom Airlines review by C Harris

19 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Cardiff to Toronto and back in standard economy. I was pleasantly surprised and would recommend Zoom. Flight going on time, comfy leather seats, reasonable amount of legroom, cheerful and helpful flight attendants, plenty of quite nice food, snacks and drinks, decent films. Again the flight back was an enjoyable experience.

Zoom Airlines review by Ian Parker

15 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick to Toronto I paid £30 for more legroom and sat by the exit door so I was first out as well, I returned with the premium economy service which is excellent - comfortable seats. Food wasn't bad at all - only beef that I have is that there is only a 20 kilo luggage allowance.

Zoom Airlines review by Jan Marszewski

14 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW to JFK / Toronto to LGW. Flight out very comfortable. Having read about the horror stories about cramped seating (I'm over 6ft and not exactly small), I was pleasantly surprised by generous legrom and overall comfort. However the seat refused to stay upright. Food was standard fare - nothing to write home about, but adequate. Entertainment - films OK both ways. Interesting that they mentioned available seating in premium economy, at £99 each. I wish the return leg was as comfortable! Obviously a very different seat layout - memories of charter short-haul. This was obviously the real 31 inch layout, cramped and narrow - again a problem with the seat refusing to stay upright. I was in the backmost row, so was able to walk about, and in fact for much of the flight it was more comfortable to stand than try and squeeze into the seat for 6 hours. Both ways, cabin service was reasonably good, however, though making soft drinks / water more easily available would have been nice. For the price, it was value for money, though in terms of seat comfort, it would be good if Zoom adopted the seating arrangements of its JFK-bound aircraft.

Zoom Airlines review by François Bloch

4 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Great value, although Premium economy can not compete with business class. Friendly and efficient long distance carrier. Legroom is nice, food and entertainment cannot match my expectation, but why ask for great service at this price level. Staff is very friendly. Great value in any case.

Zoom Airlines review by T Foran

1 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

This could have been a four star rating. The flight crew was friendly and helpful. Premium economy was ok, It was a sale and I would not pay premium prices for it. Food was acceptable. The problem was on return, we were over two hours late at Pearson and our luggage was another hour in coming, for a total of three hours. To make matters much worse we watched as the flight crew picked their bags up a long time before we did. This sort of inconvenience is really big deal on a trans-continental flight, making a seven hour flight into eleven plus hours. Zoom has to be more efficient to get my dollar again.

Zoom Airlines review by R Pelletier

26 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Montreal to Paris return in Economy. Both flights on time. Plenty of OK food on 7 hour flight, good movies throughout flight. Seats in Economy weren't terrible, but got what I paid for. Biggest issue bar far was incompetent staff at check-in and on plane. On return flight, woman at check-in managed to give me someone else's boarding pass. Did not notice until passport control. I had to return to check- in, where woman casually gave me my boarding pass while chatting away with co-workers without so much as a half-apology, as if this happens all the time! Also, some staff on flight didn't even speak French, on a flight between Paris and Montreal! Some poor guy had to make an ass of himself trying to tell the stewardess his headset was not working, come on Zoom, use common sense! Overall flying with Zoom is a great bargain, however I can see based on the staff that your always one incompetent Zoom employee away from having your vacation ruined, beware!

Zoom Airlines review by G Mair

23 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Vancouver to Paris, and back to Vancouver from Glasgow. First time flying with Zoom, and would definitely recommend this airline. Check-in fast in both directions. On return trip, gate agent went out of her way to accommodate a special seating request for us, even though the flight was full. Cabin crews both ways were friendly and polite. Planes both ways were older, but fine for the flight (and newer than the British Airways plane we were on to Glasgow). Legroom in economy was equivalent to either BA or Air Canada. Having seen the premium economy seating, I wouldn't pay the extra $$ for a few more inches of legroom. Meals were old style airline fare, but at least they existed and were included in the fare. The meal plus snack served in economy is enough to get you through the flight if you don't have a big appetite - otherwise bring a sandwich with you or be prepared to buy some of the snacks sold in-flight. Very likely to pick Zoom again next time I need to cross the Atlantic.

Zoom Airlines review by Glenn Barr

18 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Manchester to Vancouver and found everything great! We purchased the premium economy seats and found them to be excellent. We left and arrived on time and check in was fast. All staff were friendly and helpful. The prices were competitive.

Zoom Airlines review by Bruce Chambers

18 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Travelled to Paris from Toronto via Montreal return. The flights both left on time and arrived early. The check-ins were efficient and onboard staff courteous and helpful. The food was airline food but filled the holes and killed some time. We were concerned about the weight allowance but that was really a non-issue for us as we were all well under the 20 kg. We were totally satisfied and would certainly fly Zoom again.

Zoom Airlines review by Simon Maplan

5 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Zoom's current promotion for a free upgrade to NY premium economy is not what it seems. The offer actually means that while the seat upgrade is free the additional costs of tax etc actually go up. We wanted 2 seats. If you booked standard economy without the promotion it was £450, with the promotion of an upgrade for FREE, it was £530. That £80 difference is apparently a free upgrade. There is no mention of this in the terms and conditions of the promotion. I thought this was very misleading. They advertise a free upgrade, but you actually end up paying more. It is far from free. When you contact the airline they don't care.

Zoom Airlines review by Pauline Appleton

5 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW to JFK in August. Unfortunately our flight called at Bermuda both going out and coming back which added a good 2 hours to the journey. Our flight was delayed going to JFK by 3 hours (technical problems) and coming back delayed by 2 hours (no reason given). The baggage eventually arrived on the belt 1 hour after landing at Gatwick. Apart from these problems the flight was good, we travelled in economy and paid for extra leg room the other seats looked very cramped. The staff were not particularly friendly but were efficient. I have never had the privilege of travelling anything other than economy and get the impression the staff are not there to pander to passengers, anyone buzzing for a drink other than when the trolley came round was served but not with a smile

Zoom Airlines review by David Lambourne

27 September 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW to JFK and return. Outward journey excellent, check in process at LGW trouble free, though the flight not existing on the departure lounge monitors was somewhat annoying. Once boarded crew and food to New York excellent, even given a little menu and a wine list. Radio didn't work. Seat comfort and space very reasonable. Return journey not so good. Inexperienced crew, but a decent standard of service was maintained. Slept well on the return however though the long wait at LGW for the bags was frustrating. Overall Zoom offers a good product however I'd only ever travel premium economy with them. You have to pay for virtually everything in normal economy and once this is factored in, BA, Virgin etc start to look more attractive. Overall though I'd recommend Zoom. If only they'd come up on the price comparison websites!

Zoom Airlines review by S Thornton

18 September 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Manchester to Vancouver return in July. The outbound flight was fine but the return was dreadful. There was a short delay but having paid a premium we were last to board due to there only being one access (due to tech difficulties!). The French Canadian staff were unhelpful and appeared in a rush to land at the other end, passing so quickly with refreshments and duty free we missed out. The food was poor and the inflight entertainment system wasn't working. It was if we'd returned on a different airline with an older plane. We certainly wont fly with Zoom again unless they get their act together.

Zoom Airlines review by N Cummins

18 September 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW-Montreal. Premium economy. Crew and food good. Priority baggage came off at same time as rest. JFK to LGW - third full premium economy. No radio connections worked, many very worn. Never works according to crew! Need music to sleep, not blaring TV. Several radio channels advertised on entertainment card. Not true. Meals and crew good. Armrests very uncomfortable when trying to sleep. Left on time, arrived very early. 1 hour wait for luggage at 6am. Not funny. Priority came off with all the rest. More attention to details, could be excellent.

Zoom Airlines review by Valerie Oh

6 September 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Flight to JFK was delayed by an hour and flight back to Gatwick delayed by 5 hours. That was our main gripe - apart from that, we found the experience a pleasure. Food was great and ice cream served outbound flight was a surprise. Staff relaxed and offered a pleasant service. Seats were spacious and offered sufficient leg room. I would recommend this airline if you didn't have any further connections because I see how you may end up missing them! I hope that Zoom rectifies the situation (even the customs officer at Gatwick remarked that Zoom's flight from New York was always late!).

Zoom Airlines review by M Evans

2 September 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick-Bermuda return. Flights on time, staff nice, alcoholic drinks at £3 a go but spirits are doubles. Cabin not new, and on both flights either seat or tray was malfunctioning. Sound system poor. Toilets a bit grim. Return flight started at JFK and there were people in our seats when we got on - have yet to claim back our £10 each for pre-booking seats. I noticed the fare for our route was drastically reduced a few days before we went which was very annoying! I would, however, fly with them again.

Zoom Airlines review by John Hall

2 September 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick-JFK return, Premium Economy both ways. Cabin attendants superb, flights on time, seats are pretty good and food far better than we had expected. The upgrade price includes an extra 10kgs baggage allowance is useful. The only criticisms are that checkin at JFK was a bit chaotic and that the entertainment is old fashioned. For what we paid though, it was great value for money overall.

Zoom Airlines review by Edward Bell

30 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Manchester-Vancouver. First time travelling with Zoom, very pleased, Premium Economy outbound, Economy plus extra leg room inbound. Crew helpful and food better than others I have flown with.

Zoom Airlines review by J Maunder

25 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW-Vancouver-LGW. Staff very friendly & helpful, food surprisingly good for and we had latest movies to watch. Check in quick, but we were there 4hrs before flight so queue was almost non-existent. Economy seats weren't spacious they were adequate. We didn't reserve our seats either way and on the flight from Gatwick it was fine & we were in row 15, but on the way back we sat about 4 rows from the back as that was the 1st row available where we could sit 3 together. I guess this was because we stopped in Winnipeg, where majority of passengers got on, so they had all pre-booked their seats.

Zoom Airlines review by Rose Black

25 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

New York from Gatwick. Food was decent enough and leg room standard, would book the premium economy next time. On the whole a good, cost effective carrier. Not top, but then it is a very good price.

Zoom Airlines review by Philippe Moulier

23 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Vancouver-Paris Premium economy. Very fast check in. Decent room for legs. Staff friendly and seemed quite concerned about everyone obeying the flight's safety regulations. The movies on board were good. Ordered an edible vegetarian meal. Was able to sleep through part of the flight. We were an hour late leaving Vancouver but the crew did their best to get everyone on board quickly during our stopover in Calgary (We did not make up the time). I'd recommend Zoom but make sure you get a Premium Economy seat.

Zoom Airlines review by A Pegley

23 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Have just returned from Bermuda on Zoom airlines and impressed we have been. The flight was delayed both ways by a couple of hours, but a minor inconvenience - our family of four paid £2.000 instead of the £3.600 British Airways would charge. The stewards were excellent, planes were comfortable and the food typical of airline food.

Zoom Airlines review by Belinda Graves

21 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

JFK - Gatwick return. Slightly delayed on the way out but nothing unusual about that. Food decent, tea was drinkable, and the staff were helpful and even sweet. Highly recommended.

Zoom Airlines review by C Babington

18 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

JFK-LGW ad return, on one of the significantly delayed departures in Premium Economy. We purchased access to the lounge, $36.00 each reasonable for what was available. Also we each received a $15 food voucher for the food vendors outside the lounge. Felt the product and service on the flight relatively good value. The legroom in premium economy is comfortable. Both ways the aircraft was clean and ship shape. Inflight service pleasant and cordial. I got some sleep on the outbound flight. The return provided a nearly punctual departure and arrival, although due to the allocation to Zoom of the further northern route, arrival was nearly an hour behind schedule. Service and catering was adequate on the return flight.

Zoom Airlines review by D Frielick

17 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Gatwick to Bermuda - 5 hours late. JFK to Gatwick 6 hrs late so missed connecting flights and had to catch a train to Luton and pay to get on a connecting flight. This in the 1st week of July before the summer rush. An elderly lady that was unable to walk unaided, and had a bandaged arm was seated in the exit row at the door! Thought this was only for able bodied adults.

Zoom Airlines review by J Wells

15 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

I have just returned from a trip to New York with my boyfriend using Zoom. The worst airline I have flown with. On the way out to JFK the flight was slightly delayed but other than that fine until arrival. Zoom lost our baggage. At the airport their staff were disinterested and attitudes suggested this was very common place, at least 2 other passengers from our flight were also reporting lost bags. They said they would call the next day to let us know what was happening and we heard nothing from them. At the airport I had asked them for a contact number and I was given a card, only later did I look at it and realise it only had a fax number on it - completely useless! After numerous calls to their main number in Canada, which leads only to an answer machine, the messages on which they never seem to respond to, I spoke to reservations and convinced them to give me another number this time in England. $60 worth of international calls later I finally spoke to someone. Our bags finally made it to New York 4 days late. To add to this misery on the return journey we turned up to the airport for the 5.30 pm flight to be told it was delayed until 11 pm, it eventually took off after midnight, getting us to london nearly 7 hours late. The staff at JFK either didn't know the answer to passenger's questions or frankly couldn't be found.

Zoom Airlines review by Kieran Daly

15 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Zoom's prices are remarkable and inflight service is decent when delivered. But unfortunately they can't deliver it with any degree of reliability. Just returned from Gatwick-JFK-Gatwick on two-week US holiday with Zoom flights. Family of four. Four hour delay on outbound flight. No offer of even a meal. Result was that we were unable to get to our first night's accommodation in the US and had to pay for hotel. Five hour delay on return flight. $15 meal voucher at JFK. Worse than that though - Zoom relies on its website to tell you of disruptions to flights. When I checked first thing in the morning the flight was already listed as two hours late. No point turning up at the airport so went out for a bit. Arrived back and re-checked to find flight was now listed as on-time and we had horrendous panic to get to airport. Got to airport to find flight delayed five hours so ended up with seven hours wasted at JFK.

Zoom Airlines review by Linda Craig

13 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Members of my family, myself and others I have recommended, have been flying back and forward from Glasgow to western Canada with Zoom airlines several times a year for the past 3-4 yrs. We have all found the service very good until this summer, we have been very disappointed by the amount of delays and the poor communication received about these from Zoom staff. My daughter's flight arrived 18 hours late from Vancouver to Glasgow at 4 am on 17 July, & required me to drive the 50 miles from Edinburgh at 3 am to pick her up - very disruptive to us all, with all of us missing a day of a much anticipated holiday. But even worse was the delay encountered last weekend on 5 Aug to her return flight. At 6:00 am the Zoom website indicated that the 10:25 scheduled flight from Glasgow to Vancouver was running 3hrs late, we phoned Glasgow airport and were told she needed to check in at the usual time at 8:30 am. So we drove to Glasgow airport in the pouring rain, checked her in for the late flight, left her on her way to the departure gate at 10:30 am and drove back to Edinburgh (1 hr drive). After only an hour back in Edinburgh she phoned in a very distressed state at 1.00 pm to say she had just found out by her own devices, i.e. looking on an internet site at the airport, that the flight was delayed until the following morning! This required me to drive back to the airport thru huge traffic jams, fog and rain to pick her up which I did at 3:30 pm and brought her back to Edinburgh. She and my husband then had to get up at 2:30 am the next morning to drive back to Glasgow airport again, in the dark, fog and rain, having been told to check in at 4 am on 6 Aug. This experience caused us a great deal of distress and left us all feeling very angry about Zoom's service and communication with customers. It was very irresponsible of staff to tell us to arrive for check in at 8:30 am that Sunday when they knew that the flight to Vancouver had not even left Canada. Even more reprehensible was the decision to let her think the flight would leave 3 hrs late at 13:35 - which resulted not only in her going to the departure lounge on false pretences, but my husband and I returning to Edinburgh thinking she was on her way, only to discover that we had to drive back again to pick her up because of further delays. It was only by happenstance there was an internet site in the departure lounge where she found the upsetting & unexpected news about further delay until 4 am the next day. This disruption and upset could have been minimised if we had been informed of the probable delay when we called at 6 am before setting off in the car to Glasgow airport. Another chance to minimise this was at the check in desk, where Zoom staff let passengers check in when the flight had not left North America. No staff appeared in the departure lounge to inform passengers who had been duped into thinking the flight was leaving at 13:25, about a further 15 hour delay. What has happened to make Zoom's reputation sink so dramatically this summer?

Zoom Airlines review by S Pegler

13 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

MAN-YYZ 27 July 07. A horrible experience with outbound flight delayed by 16 hours. We were informed of the long delay at check-in and Zoom, to their credit, had plans for us to eat lunch in the terminal and then spend the rest of the time in the Radisson hotel at Manchester airport. All in all, superb handling of the delay but it did make us think that due to how organised the whole affair was, whether this had been going on for days. The hotel even had large signs welcoming Zoom's delayed passengers. Lunch and dinner provided but at the same time we lost the 1st night of a short holiday in Canada. Finally left at 0600 from a delayed 1415 departure the previous day. I was hoping that Zoom may at last redeem themselves but alas no. The aircarft (ex-Air France B767-300ER) was possibly the tattiest aircraft I have ever been on. Seats so thin they were uncomfortable after 15 minutes, worn and wripped carpets, broken cabin and reading lights, filthy toilets, ceiling panels taped up - I could go on. I had wanted to enjoy this flight as a cheaper alternative to going via LHR with BA but won't bother in future. The crew onboard were ok - nothing spectacular but after 16 hours waiting who cares? It's a shame because Zoom could be a good alternative airline flying out of MAN but a 16 hour delay and then such a tatty plane means that BA don't need to worry about loss of custom in my eyes !! Zoom could have a good product but flying 4 ancient B767 on an extremely demanding schedule between the UK and Canada may be their downfall. I hope not but I certainly won't be Zoom-ing anytime again soon

Zoom Airlines review by M Yeulett

10 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Do not use this airline at any cost. After years of the BA monopoly to Bermuda, we thought we would try this new carrier. The flight is normally 6hours and 45 minutes. After queuing at a very disorganised check in at Gatwick South Terminal for over an hour from 8.30am for an 11am flight, we were passed a standard letter saying that due to the late arrival of the incoming aircraft, we would not be departing until 2.30pm at best. 6 hours after arriving at Gatwick, we had still not left the ground and departed at 3pm. Then more bad news: Zoom do not mention that the route they have been allocated is thousands of miles north (away from Bermuda) over Iceland and Greenland before finally heading south to Bermuda - a full 9 hours! (No mention of his on the flight schedule so complete mis- selling.) The seats are so uncomfortable my wife and I both had aching coccyx bone for 4 or 5 days afterwards. Once in Bermuda we discovered from friends that not one flight had arrived or departed Bermuda on time. Journey home arrived at 10.45am (supposed to be 6am). 

Zoom Airlines review by K Miller

10 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Manchester to Vancouver return. Staff excellent. We paid for the extra leg room and well worth it. Toilets kept clean through flight. Food was better than some we have had on other airplanes.

Zoom Airlines review by A White

9 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Better late than never. Flew Cardiff to Toronto return, April/May. Excellent both ways.Good service considering we flew economy. Flight half empty going so plenty of space.Food not too bad. Flights on time and arrived early. Little wait at check in. All in all, a good experience. Maybe Cardiff being a smaller airport, less to go wrong.

Zoom Airlines review by L Brown

3 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Appalling. We were supposed to fly JFK to Gatwick on 29th July, flight was originally scheduled for 5pm. A week before we received an e-mail informing us the flight was changing to 10pm, we duly changed our connection from Gatwick to Glasgow. On arrival at JFK the flight was delayed a further 3 hrs to 1am, we eventually took off at 1:45am. Aware that we would miss our already amended connection we informed the crew on board who said they would inform the pilot and in turn our connecting airline. They did no such thing. Likewise they assured us we would be met by Zoom airline representatives on arrival who would assist us, in actual fact Zoom has no representatives in the South Terminal. We paid an additional amendment fee for our flight to Glasgow and spent an extra 5hrs in Gatwick. I wouldn't travel with Zoom again.

Zoom Airlines review by Sarah Kolzynski

3 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Flew back form New York on 29th July and very pleasantly suprised. The seats in economy are fine, more legroom than many airlines. Food was tasty, crew lovely. For under $300 return, well worth it!

Zoom Airlines review by Alan McLaughlin

29 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Don't confuse this as a low cost airline, low quality more like. We paid almost £750 each "premium" return Glasgow to Halifax for 4 persons well in advance so expected that they could at least match the service of other carriers. Check in was quick outbound but then we were early and the airport was quiet. Boarding was a shambles with many people accused of queue jumping. The flight was delayed on the ground 50 minutes but the cabin crew never left their chatter in the galley to offer a drink. Meals were poor and the complimentary wine was rationed into a thimble size glass, incredible! Entertainment consisted of some unknown movies on a main screen and no music channels. The "premium" seating in row 1 did not allow a full leg stretch so was next to useless for 6' persons. Toilets were poorly cleaned with long term grime built up around floors and counters. Baggage arrived quickly enough in Halifax but then few people got off this Ottawa bound aircraft. The check in for the late night return flight to Glasgow at Halifax left a lot to be desired. There was no premium check in desk sign and enquiring at the desks caused a lot of rumblings from other passengers. Only two ticket clerks present for the whole flight, Very poor. Onboard the cabin crew did their disappearing act into the galley and a request for a blanket was met with a puzzled stare and an excuse that all the Ottawa passengers had claimed them? The attendant got the message and after a search came back with one tatty blanket for four people. Refreshments and service were again sparse but at least breakfast was hot. After arrival, the cabin crew basically allowed a free for all disembarkment ignoring the premium section completely so we all got to wait at the end of a very long immigration queue. The only thing good about this experience was the direct flight to Halifax. Quite frankly I would advise avoiding this tacky airline and find a decent carrier even if it meant a connecting flight.

Zoom Airlines review by Katie Williams

29 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Absolutely appalling - makes you realise what low cost/budget really is. We found out less than 48 hours before departure that our flight to New York (via Bermuda) was delayed by 2 hours meaning we missed our connecting flights to Orlando ($1000 loss for 6 people). On arriving at Gatwick, the flight was further delayed by one hour and yet it still took a further hour to actually depart. Ninety minutes into the flight (above Scotland) the Captain announced they'd been given the 'long- route' round via Greenland but apparently that has been the case for every flight - the main steward admitted they had not once been on time and were last in the pecking order when it came to flight priorities. On board, a passenger commented not one flight had ever arrived on time and then the Captain radioed to all of us that as the ground crew at Gatwick had been incompetent, we were to be making a stop at Novia Scotia, Canada for 30 minutes. This actually took 90 minutes. With a quick refuel when he'd discussed at length the option of flying into JFK before Bermuda. So we were now about to miss out second set of 6 flights (another $1000). The flight attendant promised someone in Bermuda would help us get our flights but we were now so late (and no one did meet us) that when we arrived in JFK (again no one to meet us) at 2300 we had to spend the night at the airport (on the floor) with several other passengers. The advice from Zoom? Don't book onward flights as they couldn't promise any scheduled arrivals on time and we are still waiting for compensation.

Zoom Airlines review by B Setton

25 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

We flew to Paris from Toronto. We were seated on cushions that were so flat, you could feel the metal on both our backs and our buttocks. It was the most uncomfortable flight we had ever taken. We did not get an incredible deal either. I think we paid about 100$ less per person (if that) than had we flown with a regular carrier like Air Canada or Air France. We were not served a meal until we were flying for about 4 hours. The staff were pleasant and as helpful as they could be, but could do nothing for us given that the flight was full.