Air Transat

My outward flight was late leaving aircraft was the newest version of the A330 complete with screens in the rear of the seat in front. However the inflight catering was abysmal tiny portions of barely adequate food. The complimentary glass of wine was almost undrinkable. The inflight entertainment was hopeless and immediately forgettable. Return flight was in the older version of the A330 with screens in the middle of the plane every ten rows. No escape from inadequate films. Trying to sleep was impossible being woken every 20/30 minutes with some announcement or other. Again there was a prohibition on the consumption of duty free drinks - alcoholic or not. However there was seemingly no limit to the amount that could be bought from the trolley as evidenced by a group of youths occupying two rows of seats. That they became loud and intoxicated seemed just to add to their enjoyment whilst annoying many others. My conclusion is that the airline has taken many an idea from Ryanair. Cheap it may be but be warned!

Flew from Vancouver to Paris return. Outbound flight on a newer A330 with seat back screens. Crew was attentive food and drinks plentiful. Seat was comfortable with more than adequate leg room (I am 6'2) though we did book the seats at the rear of the plane where there are only 2 rather than 3 across. Flight was delayed for 3 hours on a stop in Calgary due to severe thunder storms so no fault of the airline. Return flight on an older A330 with overhead TV screens. Movies were good crew was excellent and food and drinks were more than plentiful. For the price you cannot beat Air Transat. Will definitely fly again with them.

Travelled to Toronto club class on A310 from Glasgow in June. Check in priority boarding and all services on board were excellent. Pre-ordered meals were what I ordered as was cabin service with friendly staff. Seating was comfortable with plenty of leg room. Can't wait to try new cabin in the future.

Glasgow to Toronto Return. Far better than expected. As a long term back pain sufferer I never travel any distance unless I have to. However I found this flight far more comfortable than any of the short distance flights I've taken flying from Glasgow to London the Midlands or Exeter. On this flight I walked away almost pain free. Most seats are in a 3+3+3 configuration which gives a very narrow aisle. I was careful to book an aisle seat in the rear of the cabin with its 2+3+2 configuration giving more space. The in-flight films were a bit naff but who cares. Take your own earphones if you want to watch the films. The meals were small and basic but again so what as long as the seats are good. If you want to buy anything you need a credit card as they don't take cash. A slight criticism was that I didn't realise that soft drinks were free until the return flight. Staff don't make that clear.

LGW-YYZ-LGW. Flew on A330 with older Club configuration to YYV. I am a large gentleman and found the seats to be more than comfortable. Food was good and the cabin service excellent. Departed on time and arrived ahead of schedule bags were first off the carousel. Return journey on A330 with new Club class was even more comfortable the new seats and PTV are a useful upgrade. Cabin service was again great with very attentive flight attendants. Flight delayed due to weather closing the airport which is out of the airlines control. It was a little confused as we had started to board the flight before the delay was announced. But we were allowed to leave the aircraft and re-board later. Overall a very positive experience my fare was the same as a flights on BA/AC in economy so overall I found Air Transat to offer superb value for money.

BCN to YUL. I did not expect such a high level service from this airline after former experience. It was a real surprise. The director of the flight and all staff were friendly and attentive. The seat was comfortable with excellent leg room the food was nice and the selection of drinks was good and frequent. There were some problems with the entertainment system and a passenger who commented it to FA later was asked if a compensation can be offered to her. Very good value for money and a pleasant experience.

Dublin - Shannon - Toronto and home Toronto - Dublin. Both flights left on time but outbound we stopped in Shannon for approx. 1 hour while the aircraft was cleaned we had to leave the plane and wait in the terminal the only thing that annoyed me was the fact we had to queue again with passports etc. The IFE wasn't great had to buy headsets for the films. Should be a lot better when the aircraft get upgraded. Cabin crew are very good and pleasant for the whole flight glass of wine with meal was nice and plenty of coffee after it we paid extra for our seats 37a 38b on the A330. I'm 6 ft tall and had plenty of room well worth the extra money I would recommend bringing water with you as you have to pay for drinks and only take VISA. I will fly Air Transat again as they offer a direct service to Toronto from Dublin we flew out on a Tuesday and returned on a Tuesday as the A330 was being used and I believe is a nicer aircraft than the A310 which is much older and doesn't have the 2 -4 -2 seating configuration.

Considering their boasting of upgrading the fleet flight I was on was quite disappointing. If you want a half- decent seat or a realistic amount of luggage for an overseas journey or even a headset you'll have to shell out a fair bit more money. If you have to cancel for some reason you won't get any of your ticket or upgrade back. The real notable problem though is the very meagre meal service. For an 8 hour flight the meals are more the size of a snack and certainly not enough. And even if you want to buy something extra unless you have a credit care you're out of luck. The same goes for anything including headphones. The only plus was the staff who were a bit of fresh air amongst this sea of low mediocrity.

Manchester-Toronto-Manchester. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this airline was compared to others I have used. Both flights went well with no delays and very good service. Excellent leg room and friendly cabin crew. Inflight entertainment was poor but I believe this is being upgraded. My one criticism would be the food. I ordered a special meal but there was no record of this on the system when I checked in. I tried to contact Air Transat whilst in Canada but could only get a recorded message telling me that I should have requested this through a travel agent at the time of booking which I had done. A warning to anyone with strict dietary requirements as they state that special meals cannot be guaranteed. Vegetarian options are available as standard however the meals were rather bland and basic.

This airline is getting worse by the minute the flight from Manchester is always late. They can change your flight as and when but you try and make a change and there is a charge or nothing they can do. I am so sorry there is no other airline that does direct to Birmingham or Manchester as I would use them instead.