Monarch Airlines

Nothing but good things to say about Monarch Airlines and their new seating. Used to always fly Club Europe with British Airways to Paphos at least 3 times a year, but their standards have slipped considerably, so resent paying the significant premium over economy/budget airlines. Admittedly I always pay the extra for the extra legroom seats up the front but the pitch is greater than British Airways European business class and the seats significantly more comfortable despite being roughly 5 times cheaper! Not always guaranteed a middle seat free but so far have been lucky and food refreshments not included however I never eat airline food anyway. Disclaimer: my father in his own words is a fatty and he said after 3 hours or so the seat did feel a bit hard so maybe not so great for serial pie eaters.

Traveled with my family of six on Monarch Airlines, Gatwick to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Went through check in and passport control in South terminal, only to be put on a bus and taken to North terminal to board the plane. Was very disappointed that a 5 hour flight to Egypt had no TV screens and no audio facility in the arm rest. If you happen to have your own entertainment that needed wi-fi you paid for it (not available on our outward journey). The food and drink selection was very limited. Monarch Airlines seem to have made some drastic cut backs. I will think twice before travelling with Monarch again.

Booking through a comparison website resulted in a small price hike. I still don't understand why Monarch Airlines charge to check online as it helps the airline to stream the process at the airport. The airplane with new slimline seats were comfortable and cabin crew were helpful. Arrival and departure on time but morning departure at Birmingham was chaotic.

I booked flights for my family online in early March 2015. I specifically selected and paid for 5 extra legroom seats. Upon getting onto the plane it became apparent that it did not have any extra legroom seats. I was then told that the original plane had been changed in March to the one we were now on. This was four months before we were due to fly and at no stage did Monarch inform me of this change to my scheduled flight which would have enabled me to seek alternative transport. I complained to Monarch by email whilst on holiday as I was concerned about the return flight. I got no response. Since arriving back in the UK I have again contacted them and been told my complaint is in a queue and will be dealt with in due course. Still no response to date.

Manchester (MAN) - Palma (PMI). Efficient check in service at Manchester. The flight was on time and upon arrival at the aircraft the crew were very welcoming. We departed 25 minutes late, however this was not due to Monarch, it was due to the large amount of flights at Manchester that morning. Lots of the variety for snacks and drinks, however maybe a little overpriced. I purchased a meal deal (£7.50), this was very tasty. Not much legroom and little uncomfortable. I have to admit I prefer the old Monarch interior than the new one though. Landed on time and good updates from the cockpit. Palma (PMI) - Manchester (MAN) Again, efficient check in service at Palma with the Iberia ground staff. Again I had the meal deal. It was the old Monarch interior: the seats were more comfortable, more legroom and just generally nicer and brighter cabin! Cabin crew were fantastic and really enjoyed the flight. I would fly with Monarch again, and it was great value for money.

A long time since I have traveled with Monarch and I have to say very impressed. Nice roomy, clean modern aircraft, friendly and attentive crew on both journeys, and on time departures. Aircraft back from Malaga had the new slimline seats, again very impressed and you didn't feel cramped. They have taken the ridiculous and pointless seat reclining buttons out as with the ergonomic design of the new seat it makes you feel reclined anyway. Only gripe is boarding process a bit long winded, special assistance first, then frequent flyers and priority boarding, then adults with children under 5 then finally a free for all to the gate. When are airlines going to start using both front and rear doors even if they are using airbridges? I have seen it done at Faro airport and it works really well and stops the long winded fracas of everybody getting on one entrance and causing chaos in the cabin.

I booked my holiday last year and had the option of 2 flight times, 7am or 2.30pm, I wanted to go at 7am so chose this flight which bumped up the price quite considerably, a few months later Monarch cancelled this flight and put us on the 2.30pm flight, all they would refund me was £20 per person, a mere fraction of the difference paid to have the earlier flight. The week before flying, I had no confirmation of the priority check in I had booked online, it took several phone calls up until the day I was due to fly to sort this out. The flight was a bit late boarding but nothing major, I had pre-booked inflight meals, 2 adult and 2 child meals, they had us down for 4 adult meals and had no extra child meals to offer us, my children are fussy and the creamy chicken adult meal was no good to them, they were upset as they were excited to get their pasta and meatballs, the attitude of the cabin crew was not great, they eventually found a pasta dish but the children had to half it and they got about 6 pasta twists each, I ended up having to buy them additional food on board. The seats were too thin and uncomfortable after a couple of hours. The flight home was fantastic, couldn't have been a nicer experience, fantastic cabin crew, arrived back early.

Flight out was on time, return slightly delayed due to aborted landing on a windy day in Funchal. At least Monarch got the plane on the ground, on the same day EasyJet and SAS failed and returned to their home bases. Cabin crew out and in bound very good. Seats were fine for 3.5 hour flight, might be slightly less so on a longer flight, as Monarch have ceased long haul not a problem. However we did pay for extra legroom. Good flight deck info both ways. One slight niggle, ordered meal online both ways (very tasty for an aircraft meal). Sitting in Row 10 finished the meal before the drinks trolley arrived. Maybe you could order drinks online too and get served at same time. As an airline would rate them higher than other UK located budget airlines.

On time, lovely flight and crew very friendly on flight to Alicante on 20th June. Well done Monarch on your excellent service which started at check in through to our arrival in Spain. We were part of a group of 17 and they made the whole journey a breeze.

We checked in at Alicante on the 30th June to be told our flight (plane) had changed due to unforseen circumstances, and would be given complimantry food and hot drinks. Whilst we found this not to be a problem (at the time, when we got on the plane it was a different matter, the space between each seat was tiny and we were put in seats 33 with my disabled sister, special needs daughter and elderly father. Trying to eat our food was a nightmare. I then asked for cold drinks (which I was more than happy to pay for) but was told there were no cold drinks available and was offered lukewarm water.