Tour Operators and Travel Agents

Discussions regarding Tour Operators and Travel Agents
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Hi I used them for a holiday to majorca. They were the same as any other company I have travelled with. It wasn't their own aircraft but one of the charter companies, I think it was monarch.
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I think we are flying with Air Atlanta, which is the company I have heard not so good things about.
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I've heard that TCD have improved their customer service now, I had my holiday cancelled by them last year after I complained to them about not being informed that our Sunshine First seats being changed, i.e. different legroom etc.

I wouldn't book with them, but then I have read better things about them on http://www.thedibb.co.uk worth checking for advice on them and your future trip to Orlando.
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http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=393393#post393393


This seems weird though! :shock:
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Hate to say this to you, but Air Atlanta Europe were the worst performing charter airline for 2004, this is from the AUC charter performance table, with an average delay of 97 mins, see http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/306/Untitled.pdf This is the offical data from CAA & AUC.
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Hey
i was reading other comments on your question. I have been to florida twice. The first time was with thompson holidays (britannia).
Although we had a fantastic holiday i would give thompson holiidays and britannia 3 out of 10. This is because they have the moodiest cabin crew ever and this was not the first time we had come across this. On top of this we were sent on a wild goose chase around florida to pick up our keys.
The second time we traveled with TCD. i have to admit we were slightly worried at first. Having said this the service from TCD was 10 out of 10.
They are the only holiday company who have reps based at the airport in florida. The reps for TCD meet you at the airport give you the keys, directions and tell you the best way to get through the airport and the best way to have fun in florida. (this saved us about 3-4 hours at the airport compared to our visit with thompson, and saved a few tears)
they cater for everthing there welcome center is fantastic , there tickets are the cheepest around they even have there own phone cards (the best we could find)
Not to mention there staff are so friendly they we try to help you in everyway they can.
As for there airlines. Ill be completly honest. It was the best flight me and my family had ever add. ok we did have a slight deley but we were constantly kept informed and the deley only totaled 50 mins which was made up during the flight.
Whils on board the flight was fantastic you even had a choice of meals which was great. there was also so much more legroom than other airlines not to mention the unlimeted FREE drinks all they way to orlando.
The cabin crew were so friendly it felt like they enjoyed being helpful and they were great with kids. On board entertainment was brill we got finding nemo to mention just one.(definatly different to britannia you would have thought you were on a flight to a war zone it seemed like they hated kids, not what you want on a flight to florida)
All in all an excerlent service from TCD the best in the uk!!!
Expect the same level of service weather or not your flying with TCD airlines or Air atlanta.
We enjoyed it so much we are going to florida this july.
We have booked with TCD as we would book with no one else. they are experts when it comes to florida. Sorry ive wrote so much in reply i just wanted to set the record straight, we are looking forward to our holiday this year with TCD and just thought you should be too
Believe me i cud of wrote a lot more about the advantages of booking with TCD.
Hope this has helped!!!!!
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Your reply certainly has helped, I know you cant please everyone but I was getting so worried I nearly cancelled and booked with First Choice, but I have read alot of good reports now about TCD as well as yours, so I am much happier now. Thanks :D
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I feel much better having read the post above from rspeakman

We are booked to go with TCD at the end of August this year and I was getting pretty worried about what I'd let myself in for having only read bad reviews. :cry:

Thanks for putting my mind at rest :P
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We went to Florida with TCD last year we had superb service and we were looked after wonderfully I will be using them again without question.
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We used TCD two years ago and we are going with them this year we had no problems with them the flights were fine and the staff helpful.
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Hi

I am travelling with TCD in Sept. We are doing a 3 day in Orlando followed by a 7 night cruise then back to Orlando for 4 nights. Good price really looking forward to it but then we got confirmation and our hotel in Orlando had been changed to the La Quinta Lakeside. I am getting really bad reviews about this hotel. have any of you been there? What is your opinion? I am not looking forward to the holiday after reading some of the reports.

Jude
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hi all,
i have travelled with travel city direct 3 times and i found them brilliant, we recently travelled with them for a two week holiday in december to orlando, usually december is a really expensive month to travel and i'd been quoted ridiculous prices on holidays but then i tried TCD and they came out with the best price over all the quotes i'd had.
i had my flights, my 7 seater mini van, and an apartment at the cypress pointe for 5 people costing just 2134 pounds i even had pre-booked seats and attraction tickets included.
i must admit when i first flew with Travel City they were using the air atlanta aircraft which i didn't like at all but in december i flew on one of their new 747 travel city jumbos and it was everything i had been promised and staff on the phone, flight and airports at both ends couldn't of been more helpful. i am in the process of booking this years holiday with travel city and i cant wait!
x
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i stayed at the la quinta on my 2nd visit i found it a lovely hotel. staff were very accomodating and friendly and it was good if u were taking children.
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It is nice to hear some good comments about TCD i was getting a little worried.
I am travelling with them in sept to florida and this will be our first ever flight so am nervous enough.

Could anyone tell me if there newer travel city jumbo's have seat back tv's? because im not sure wether to take a portable dvd or not.
Thanks,
MEL :D
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Been going to Florida now every year since 1993 when we booked a package through a Travel Agent. Since then we have always booked with TCD in Blackpool for fly-drive and booked the villa independently every year. I have to say we have always had an excellent service, whether we have travelled on their own aircraft or scheduled, booked through them, with Delta a couple of times and Virgin a couple of times.

Last year was the exception and we said NEVER AGAIN WILL WE BOOK WITH TCD. We paid £250 each extra for their Sunshine First and paid the money, then we had a letter to say we had been changed to an Air Atlanta flight with no upgrades so they refunded the money. We were given the option to cancel but I shopped around and had difficulty getting flights and the villa was booked so we decided to go ahead. It was a nightmare from the offset, to arriving at Manchester to enormous queues and disruption to the most uncomfortable, horrible flight we have ever had. Toilets smelled, food awful and staff the worst ever. The same on the way back too.

However, we decided to give them another shot this year but when I booked I told the operator we did not, under any circumstances, want to go on an Air Atlanta plane. I was assured that it will not be AA as TCD will be launching their new Jumbos in May 05 and from the invoice we are definitely going on a TCD flight (up to now). We have paid for extra leg room seats and I am looking forward to the flight - not till October. If the flight is changed for any reason and we are given enough prior notice and given the option to cancel, I will definitely cancel. No way would I go on another Air Atlanta flight. I have heard other posts saying they had good Air Atlanta flights but I will not give them another chance, it was an awful experience and, once bitten, so they say.

By the way, has anyone been on one of these new TCD planes yet?

:x :x
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...but these are still Air Atlanta planes and crews - just the outside being painted TCD and the inflight catering/service being stipulated by the operator (TCD)???
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Hi Traveller, I understand from TCD that if your flight number begins with 5A then it is one of TCD's own planes and not Air Atlanta. Air Atlanta planes have a different prefix - had it written down somewhere but cannot find it right now. Hope they are not fobbing me off as I couldn't cope with another Air Atlanta flight especially as I was assured that the new planes were not Air Atlanta.

:? :? :? :?
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After hearing on the net about numerous problems with cancelled First Class i.e. Travel City 'Sunshine First', especially on routes back from Sanford Florida to the UK - and experiencing the pain of being bumped down to economy with no notice on a incorrectly configured Air Atlanta 'flying skip'; I would like to hear from anyone who knows just what Travel City is playing at?????
Just how often does this actually happen?
Is it operational difficulties or are Travel City pulling a fast one because they have more passengers returning on certain flights??
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TCD don't own the planes - they are operated by Air Atlanta Europe on behalf of TCD.

The flight number prefix 5A should mean your are on one of the TCD painted aircraft and with the TCD advertised seating/cabin layouts. It is however still an Air Atlanta aircraft.
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