Benidormhereicome,

I don't think any of the above apply to a Thomson package holiday, which is what doepsmc is making enquiries about. I've been on 4, and 3 were thomson planes, 1 was thomas cook where they have the same ruling regarding food & seating arrangements. I would say it's highly likely that if you didn't pay the meal option you wouldn't get one AND you would have the pleasure of the back of the plane .

I feel confident in what I have done. I think provided thomson are using a Britannia plane I will be fine. I normally travel with First Choice and they seem to have cracked it as well, meal people at the front and non meals at the back.
It seems to go wrong when they use other carriers ie Excel or similar, then the communication goes down the pan between Thomson and the other carrier.
Only problem is I don't know how to find out if I am on a Britannia aircraft, i'm just sort of assuming I am.

I don't think any of the above apply to a Thomson package holiday, which is what doepsmc is making enquiries about. I've been on 4, and 3 were thomson planes, 1 was thomas cook where they have the same ruling regarding food & seating arrangements. I would say it's highly likely that if you didn't pay the meal option you wouldn't get one AND you would have the pleasure of the back of the plane

Fair comment. And I'm sure you are correct. All I can say from a personal point of view is that since the Airlines (or whoevers decision it was) decided to start charging extra for In flight meals, there has been a lot of confusion and some very angry and dissapointed passengers on the flights I have been on since this new system was implemented.

I simply refuse now to to pay £10, £12 for something I may not actually get or for something that may already be included as part of the In Flight service, and thus get free anyway.
My Holiday to Benidorm last October WAS indeed a Thomson Package Deal and when we were in the Travel Agency (Then known as Lunn Poly, now the Thomson Shop) we were asked if we wanted to pay EXTRA for an In Flight Meal. However, we were NOT informed that the flight would be operated by Air Europa, whose policy is NOT to provide a HOT In Flight meal, but rather to provide FREE sandwiches.

Now if I had paid that £10 surcharge up font in the Travel Ageny, I would have been extremely angry on board when I was presented with my shoebox containing two dried up sandwiches, as indeed many passengers were. I overheard one asking the Flight Attendant for her Hote meal, and the attendant replied: "I'm sorry ma'm we don't provide hot meals on Air Europa Charter Flights". ( I believe they DO provide meals on their Sheduled Services though ). And bear in mind I would have ALREADY paid the supplement up front as part of my holiday costs. What would have been my chances of getting a refund?

Also what you have to bear in mind is that if you want an In flight Meal and are prepared to pay the additional supplement for one, then ALL persons in your party MUST pay for a meal as well. THis means that even if one of your family members does not want a meal on board, they must still pay for one. I do not agree with that personally. So for example if there are SIX passengers in your group and only THREE want a meal, then that means the cost for those meals will set you back £60 or £72. Now thats a hell of a lot of money if only three people in your group have a meal. You could pay that for a full three course meal in a posh restuarant somewhere. Or another way to look at it is (assuming once again you are in a party of six), £72 for twenty four sandwiches (and bare in mind thats all you may be offered) is one hell of a lot of money.

Ok, I'm just making up some expamples here that will obvioulsy not apply to everyone. I'm sure if you do your homework well in advance and make enquiries direct with the airline prior to departure, then you should have no problems. I've never gone DIY, but can any of the HT members who do holiday DIY advise how they get on?

I agree, I cannot comment in as far as other Airlines are concerned. MY last experience with a Thomson Flight was on board a Britannia Aircraft (and please note Britannia no longer exists, its been merged into the TUI company and is now known as ThomsonFly), and there was utter chaos. The Flight Attendants simply had no idea who had paid for meals and who had not. They did have a Passenger Manifest to which they made reference to, but apparantley there was just a hand written tick by those who had paid and those who had not. Now how can that be replied upon? The attendants were subject to all sorts of abuse (NOT from me I hasten to add) from Passengers who HAD paid for a meal but were refused one because they could not prove it. In the end they had to retrieve their hand luggage and show the attendants there Booking Forms.

What a palaver!!!

Now, without deviating from this subject, but just as a matter of interest, can you please tell me why in your humble opinion its better to be sat at the back of an aircraft? Without trying to sound all doom and gloom, I was always under the impression that the rear of an aircraft was the worst possible place to be sat in the event of a crash. The rear seats are the least survivable, or so I have been told.

I feel confident in what I have done. I think provided thomson are using a Britannia plane I will be fine. I normally travel with First Choice and they seem to have cracked it as well, meal people at the front and non meals at the back.
It seems to go wrong when they use other carriers ie Excel or similar, then the communication goes down the pan between Thomson and the other carrier.
Only problem is I don't know how to find out if I am on a Britannia aircraft, i'm just sort of assuming I am.

Hi, just to clarify something I have already mentioned in my previous post. Brittania Airlines, per say, no longer exist. They have now been merged into the TUI Organisation. Brittania is now known as ThomsonFLY. All the old Brittania aircfrat, at least I think all of them, have now been repainted that pale azure blue colour and the livery has been changed to reflect the new TUI Corporate image. The Flight Attendants now wear the same uniform as the Thomson Holiday Reps and the Thomson Holiday Shop Staff. Lunn Poly no longer exists.

I understand from what I have read on another post somewhere on these boards that the Flight COde for Britannai (BY) is in the process of being changed to something else to reflect this change in airline name.

Therefore, you can pretty much safely assume you will NOT be flying on board a Britannia Aircraft, although I stand corrected if my understanding is incorrect.

The new flight number prefix is TOM

Thanks traveller
I think if I go on their website I will be able to track down what aircraft I'm on, years since i've gone with Thomson and didn't realise they had changed their livery/name. (Just hope it's not one of these Air Europa's mentioned in the previous post, sounds like organised chaos )

Benidorm
I didn't say I wanted to be at the back of the plane. I want to be as close to the front as possible. That was one of my reasons for booking the meals (as well as hopefully being able to eat them! ) I've booked them for all four of us so we are together.

I think if I go on their website I will be able to track down what aircraft I'm on, years since i've gone with Thomson and didn't realise they had changed their livery/name. (Just hope it's not one of these Air Europa's mentioned in the previous post, sounds like organised chaos

Ok, just to clarify what I know, although we are slightly deviating now from the original thread.

If you have booked a Thomsons Package Holiday and are flying out of Humberside Airport, there is a very strong possibility that you MAY be flying with Air Europa. This is because Brittania, aka ThomsonFLY, no longer operate out of Humberside. They have transferred all their Humberside operations to the new Robin Hood Airport. But you could be flying with Spanair from Humberside.

If you have booked from a Brochure it should tell you somewhere in their what airlines are operating from which Airports. All you have to do is look up the holiday code and compare it with the airline and airport details.

AND you would have the pleasure of the back of the plane

Sorry, I misunderstood that statement to imply that the back of the aircraft was the best place to be seated. My apologies.

Thanks Benidorm
I booked on line but have got a Portland brochure somewhere. I'm actually going from Luton.

You are right we have wandered way from the in flight meals. Sorry Mods.

Ok, so getting back ON topic.

Perhaps the HT Members might like to provide some replies to the following:-

1) Did you pay for an in flight airline meal
2) How much did you pay per head? £10? £12? more
3) What did you get for your money
4) What were you told by your Travel Agent as to what you would get for your money
5) What did the website say you would get
6) Did you have to pay for ALL members in your party, or were you allowed to book meals for only those that wanted them
7) How organised were the Flight Attendants in knowing which passengers were entitled to meals and those that were not
If you chose not to pay for an inflight meal, where were you seated onboard the aircraft
9) Were any form of snacks available for purchase if you opted not to pay for the inflight meal supplement
10) Which Charter Airline offers the most value for your money in as far as inflight meals are concerned
11) Have you been able to choose a 'Low fat', 'Vegetarian', or 'Organic' meal? If so were you charged any extra
12) What do you think would be a realistic price for an Inflight meal. Do you think the current charge which seems to vary between £10 and £12 is about right

That should get this back on topic

Just wondering why mytours are still charging for maels on Astraeus airline flights as I got e'mail back yesterday from them stating meals on all thier flights are complimentry!Don't know how they get away with it!

Personally, I have to say I would never ever pay for an airline meal due to the fact that they are usually unrecognisable as food and inedible.

well i like the food my kids dont so i get 3 lots hmmmmmmmmmmm its all part of the holiday wondering what your eating

samr

Personally, I have to say I would never ever pay for an airline meal due to the fact that they are usually unrecognisable as food and inedible.

I think thats a little harsh! 10 years ago and I would have agreed with you, but these days, its pretty good. Quality various between airlines and their caterers, but I've had plenty of decent meals. Considering you're 5 miles in the air, its a pretty impressive feat of engineering in the first place to enable you to have a meal at that altitude while doing M0.85 to your holiday destination. You can't expect a gormet meal, unless you are travelling first class of course!

Darren

Just wondering why mytours are still charging for maels on Astraeus airline flights as I got e'mail back yesterday from them stating meals on all thier flights are complimentry!Don't know how they get away with it

This is a pretty common experience on XL (excel) flights too.

thompson changed our flights to bulgaria 2 years ago to an airstraus plane, as we had paid for the food on the flight i insisted on my money back, thompson did this.

What is wrong with airline meals?

Eaten a lot worse in my younger days.

fwh

There's not really anything wrong with them but they aren't worth the money some operators charge for them. Not much more than those 99p ready meals from tesco.

Personally I never take the optional extra meal option when booking holidays - Its only a few hours I'm not going to starve. then if I get a meal anyway its a bonus.

4 flights with excel (through libra) without requesting a meal- 4 meals received

I think they have a cheek to be honest, but it's all part of the holiday for me to have the airline meal! If I found out an airline did it complementary and I'd been charged for them I would make sure I got the money back purely on principle.

I've also found XL tend to give meals out to everyone.

If its a short flight, say europe, then we do not order one, unless its a night flight. Meals at an airport can be expensive too (unless you like Maccy D's) But when we have had one its been really nice.