RonMcNeil flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (26/04/2013 09:52)

WARNING- Premium Economy Bumping

B767-300ER v2 out bound. B767-ER300 v3 inbound

Booked extra leg room seats for our flight, however, prior to going on holiday my wife had to have a shoulder op, therefore did not meet the min requirements for those seats, so we upgraded to Premium Economy at the extra cost.

One week prior to travel we were told that due to technical reasons our return aircraft had changed and that we would NOT be traveling back P/E (what technical issues did they foresee 3 weeks down the road??). This happened to a number of people on our flight, and other flights after that, apparently not an uncommon occurrence for Thomson to do this.

I complained to the travel agent and asked to cancel our holiday and asked for a refund due to this being a 'Major Change' to our holiday, of course this was refused. They've got your money and leave it to the last minute to inform you so that you don't have any time to fight the case. Appalling customer service, with hardly an apology.

You would think that a company of this size would take cognizance of these reviews and improve on customer service, considering the profit they must be making even in today’s climate, or am I just being too naive.

keithvarley flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (23/04/2013 16:55)

This was the best premium class we have travelled on, the service from all the crew staff was excellent and I would fully recommend customers travelling to Barbados from Manchester to upgrade for this trip

AdamOneill3 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (02/04/2013 10:16)

Flight from Manchester to Punta Cana (June 2012). Very easy check-in etc, airport really quiet so no queue (although as always they have a seperate check-in for premium) fast pass through security (again airport really quiet so no queue) priority boarding which is great, however the only reason why you'd want to board first would be to ensure enough room in overhead locker near your seat, however all premium are boarded together so it totally defeats object, (but nevertheless still a benefit).

Flight was really smooth, orange or fizz prior to takeoff, crew nice and friendly, options of food and brought to you individually. Would be better with proper cutlery (as other airlines do) but plastic was acceptable.

Seats are comfy, and roomy, and you definitely get a lot more space than economy. Only time its a little restricting is if the person in front reclines and your still upright. Leg room is fine but it seems the tv is VERY close to your face.

Only concern is on our return flight, these two disgusting drunken men sat infront of us. They were drunk when boarding and this only continued into the flight, within the first hour they had bottles of wine, jack daniels and plenty more too. (I knew this as they dropped all bottles onthe floor and they rolled back - yes the plane was still inclining and they were getting more and more drunk) they were disrespectful to the crew, probably because they were so drunk, and it seemed to take some serious complaining for the crew to stop serving them. I guess this is the passengers fault as a pose to the travel company, however the crew should have stopped serving drinks when they had seen how much he'd consumed within the first 10 mins!

Baggage seems to come out first at both ends which is great.

I always fly in Premium and have done many times before and since. We flew to Mexico in the October of this year and managed to book row 1 (no drunks infront) only draw back was 1 idiotic woman trying to cross infront of us, but this only happened once and she apologised afterwards. this was a great flight both ways ! :)

Breakdown of cost: (FYI I have never spent more than £219 on Premium and have always flown it dozens of times and always got this price or cheaper)

Extra leg room - £70 - £80
Extra Baggage - £35 - £50
Drinks - £6 for drink and mixer (average consumption is 12 total (to and from) = £72
Extra snacks - £3 x 4 = £12
IFE - £10
Blankets/Pillows/headphones/pampering pack = £20

at the cheapest = £229
at the most expensive = £244

The service is better in Premium, and I also think little things like more crew to passengers, 2 toilets for just premium economy customers is superb too.

colingotterson flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (23/02/2013 15:20)

Flight was with First Choice from Manchester to Punta Cana T134. Premium cabin in seats 1c/d.
The overall flight from start to finish was very good.

The Premium service at boarding went very smoothly and and we were soon occupying our seats. A Preflight drink was delivered which was very nice and we were soon aibourne albeit about 15 min late. The Captain did warn us prior to leaving it would be a slightly longer than normal flight time due to strong head winds.

The seats we were in did not have as much leg room to stretch fully out due to the bulkhead in front of us, so if you are very tall you should not go for these seats, infact a couple who were in 1F/G asked to move as they were very tall and swapped with a couple further back in the cabin.
The seat base is hard and I had to sit on my cushion to make it more comfortable, but other than that it was ok, however by the time we got to Punta Cana I was ready to get out of my seat!!

The cabin crew were very good and looked after us very well during the flight. Post take off drinks were served and then lunch which was, as far as airline foods go very good.

Inflight entertainment was also fair with a good selection of Films, games, music and TV programmes to watch/listen to.
The aircraft itself could do with a refit inside as it is starting to look its age, its certainly well used!

The return flight (Tom 135) was much the same, we were in the same seats and on the same aircraft (G-OOAN). A night flight dearting Punta Cana at 1945 and arriving at Manchester 0650 hrs. I managed about 2 hours disturbed sleep which was ok.

Overall flying with First Choice is a good experience and have flown with them on severall occasions and will use them again next year, the only thing i would say that the seats are hard!!

PaulRoberts flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (20/01/2013 18:26)

Flight left on time, service by staff from arrival at door to aircraft was helpful and with a smile.

Service and attention during flight was first class always ready to help, supply drinks and food. Food service very quick and replenishment of wine excellent. Only complaint coffee could have been hotter and details of films available not as shown in seat back information sheet, these were only minor irritations.

Seats becoming a little worn in sitting area need new padding, back area no problems very comfortable.

paulbarrett39 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (29/11/2012 12:40)

We flew with Thomson to Goa 13/11/12 (Premium Class)

Check in was very quick; we sat in row 2 F & G widow and aisle seats, the only complaint with the seats is the centre arm rest is fixed and dosn't lift up. The drinks service was very slow to start with.

We had requested a Glutten free meal for my wife (no glutten free meal provided), unfortunatley that meant my wife had no food for the next 10 hours. The Cabin Manager apologised and did report the problem, the staff on the out bound flight were friendly and attentive; the staff on the inbound were quite frankly miserable, some other passengers did complain that the flight attendants were rude and ignored there calls for more drinks.

The Inflight entertainment was average on the out bound and a little better on the inbound journey. I will not book premium cabin seats again, it is just not worth the extra expense.

sinclair_liz flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (19/10/2012 15:00)

Thomson Airways ex-first choice 2-3-2 configuration, premium economy, seats 3 f & g on the way out and seats 2 f & g on the way back, Manchester to Mexico.

Great seats, plenty of legroom and slightly wider than normal, although bulkhead seats on the way back were less roomy. Outgoing flight; staff fantastic, service great, we were given a pre-takeoff drink, service started almost straight away with the offer of drinks and a free snack; main meal served about 2 hours into flight, I had chicken, my partner had beef, both lovely. Savoury rice and veg starter, lovely little crème brulee style dessert, cheese and biscuits, plus drink, plus tea/coffee and a liqueur choice of brandy or Baileys, plus an after dinner mint.

About 2 hours before landing, given afternoon tea – 2 mini sub rolls, one with ham and tomato, one with cheese and pickle; fruit salad, scone with jam and cream, little sponge dessert with tub of pouring cream, plus tea or coffee. Good drinks service all the way there, didn’t need to buzz to ask, plenty on offer. Great choice of IFE, plenty to pick from although would have liked more than one episode of TV shows on offer; no need to be bored, liked the interactive games but would have liked better instruction on how to use the handset.

Return flight: had a different seat, this time bulkhead so less stretching out space although still plenty of knee room, TV was in arm of chair so slightly less convenient as your head was turned to one side all the time; handset was also in arm of chair so quite a lot of fiddling around trying to plug in headphones, remove or replace handset, get table or TV out etc.

But still great service although meal on offer was different, supper first then breakfast later as it was considered to be a night time flight; for supper I had lamb hotpot with veg and potatoes, my partner had chicken but didn’t enjoy it; of course this could be because he was a bit hungover! Starters, desserts, chocolates etc were all lovely, no after dinner liqueur offered this time. Breakfast was bacon, egg and sausage, actually tasted lovely and we both devoured it! Again drinks service was provided but this time only on demand as they dimmed the lights fairly quickly (even though for us on Mexico time it was still only about 2pm!) and encouraged people to settle down into sleep.

I can never sleep on a plane so spent the whole flight either reading, playing games or watching films, but I was comfortable enough doing so. My partner found it hard to settle down for a sleep; he didn’t want to recline his seat out of consideration for the person behind and he also found the seat to be quite hard and uncomfortable. By the end of the flight he had a sore tailbone, I didn’t have that problem but then I have a bit more padding than he does! He used both his and my neck pillows and both of our blankets to pad the seat a bit and made it bearable.

Overall though, I would say that the extra cost of a premium upgrade is well worth the money; the service was excellent, staff both ways were friendly and efficient, and the standard of catering was better than I expected from airline food. We took off and landed bang on time in both directions and the premium upgrade meant we were fast tracked through customs and passport control at the UK end, plus our suitcases were on the carousel much quicker than normal, so from leaving the plane to exiting the airport doors was only about 30 minutes from start to finish! A new record!

I would definitely recommend paying the extra cost of premium economy and would definitely fly with Thomson again. My only gripe was that my partner’s suitcase, which was brand new, ended up with a broken wheel and a hole in the side – goodness knows what happened to it! However the delicate necklace we bought in Mexico and wrapped up carefully in a towel in said suitcase wasn’t damaged at all!

RichardDavies4 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (15/10/2012 16:49)

Recently flew Premium class to Mexico from Gatwick. Dedicated premium check in which was smooth and efficient. Priority boarding was a welcome change from the usual scrum and pillows and blankets were waiting for us on our seats at boarding. Complimentary amenity packs were quickly brought round as soon as all premium passengers were seated followed by the pre-take off drink. Amenity packs contained tooth brush and toothpaste lip balm, moisturiser, a refreshing face wipe and flight socks.

Once airborne the service began in earnest with the complimenatry noise reduction headsets passed out first. Then the crew began serving drinks - all brought on a tray not the usual clanky trolleys. Announcements were made by the crew stating we could ask for drinks between services by pressing the call bell or going up to the galley to collect.

The crew were excellent. Very attentive without being overbearing, extremely efficient and nothing was too much trouble. Lunch was served at 12 noon and choices were offered. Approximately half way through the flight ice cream was brought round followed by afternoon tea at 6 pm with about 2 hours to go to landing. The flight was most enjoyable, the seats and leg room far more comfortable than economy and to my mind worth every penny of the extra it cost to upgrade.

Similarly on the return flight the crew were excellent. Again very attentive without being overbearing, nothing was too much trouble and everything executed with quiet, calm efficiency. Again a choice of meal was offered drinks service was plentiful and breakfast was served an hour before landing.

All in all a very pleasant experience and if flying long haul with Thomson again I would definitely pay the extra to upgrade - it was well worth it and definitely value for money.

This aircraft was configured 2-3-2 and we were sat in 5A and B both outbound and inbound. Roughly in the middle of the premium cabin on the left these seats are ideal and would choose the same again.

janetaitken flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (05/10/2012 13:25)

We flew to Aruba from Manchester airport in September and we were very impressed both on the outward and inward journey and felt that flying Premium Class was well worth the extra expense.

At Manchester there was a designated check-in for Premium passengers so that was really fast and efficient. We were told we were entitled to fast track through security which was an added bonus and when the flight was called we were given priority boarding.

The service throughout the flight couldn't have been better. The staff were very attentive and the drinks came at regular intervals without being requested. If we wanted more there wasn't a problem. The food and choice of food was good.

On our return there was also a dedicated check-in and priority boarding. The service was again very good on the flight.

In flight entertainment helped the long flight go much quicker.

All in all an excellent service which we wouldn't hesitate to use again and recommend highly.

IreneRiley flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (20/09/2012 12:18)

I travelled to Sanford Florida in June...I paid £149 for Premium but received a economy service!!!!

There was no dedicated Premium desk at Manchester and the agent was nasty because I had asked about pre-booked disabled assistance...

The seats were filthy and very tatty...the seat was rock hard but sat on a spare neck pillow because of the hardness and filth...I have photos...

The staff and meals were the best on the way out....different story coming back...I waited 20 minutes with my light on for a drink it was only because my next door neighbour got up to get a drink did she eventually turned up to tell me to wait because she was having her meal...

On the way back we only had two working toilets when I complained I was told they are not obliged to have toilets on flights even a 9 hour hour long haul flight...I asked what should we do stick our bums out the window or provide buckets in the aisles!!!!

The entertainment was old films and cartoons...nothing new!!!!

The flight cost me £600...never again with Thompson's....they are very nice on the phone booking but different kettle of fish when they have your money and get a rubbish premium cabin...

The disable assistance I got at Manchester Airport and Sanford was the best...they really looked after me...I was on my own...

GailMackay flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (14/09/2012 20:24)

We flew to Mexico recently and chose to upgrade to Premium as my other half is 6 ft 5. Outward Boarding was excellent with pre flight drink and welcome. Flight was on time.

Good service on this flight with adequate airline type food and plenty of drinks, tea, coffee, juice, coke or alcohol if wished. IFE was really good with up to date films and music etc. Seats are so hard after about a couple of hours your rear end is so painful. Arm rests do not raise so little room for manoeuvre. Difficult to nap. Fair recline. Good disembarking.

Return flight, ONE WORD - Abysmal - ran out of all soft drinks after about an hour and crew disorganised. Food burnt to a crisp, why pay to upgrade when this is what happens, have actually complained to Thomsons. To limit effects of jet lag and deter DVT you are advised to drink plenty of fluids, not a chance on this long flight as there were none. The difference between outward and inward flights was like night and day. Has totally put me off flying long haul again and also with Thomson. Have just booked medium haul Thomas Cook so will report back on that afterwards.

My advice for Thomson long haul, take your chance if you must and try and get free upgrade as some did, they had nothing to lose like we did. Both flights were on time but outward definitely better, it was amazing the difference. We sat in 3AB / 4FG, all equally uncomfortable but loads of leg room. Seats are also slightly narrower because of tables in
arm rests. Hope this helps.

JacquiRitchie flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (02/09/2012 19:59)

Will never travel with Thomson again was on an inward flight from Cancun last year. The in flight entertainment was broken and there was no offer of compensation. The flight manager alienated me and my partner upon complaining about the entertainment situation. Upon top of this we were served last and just prolong the agony and distress on a long flight. Itt was not premier class but non-class!

vickicorney flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (28/08/2012 10:34)

My past 6 holidays have been with Thomson/First Choice, the excitement of booking my holiday starts when I go into the travel agent and am greeted with smiles and a friendly atmosphere and the very helpfulness of the staff.

I have not been on my holidays yet, this year, but on Sept 16th I am flying out to Gran Canaria from East Midlands again with Thomson. I have already booked next years holiday, I am going to Jamaica which I booked last Saturday 25th August 2012, again with Thomson, I was greeted with smiling helpful staff.

I have booked Premium seats for this trip, as last year I went to Mexico, again with Thompson, and had Premium seats and was so impressed that have booked them again. I just want to say "Well done to all the staff on the ground and in the air" with the great job you all do to make our holidays complete. Thankyou Thomson/First Choice xx

simon_myt flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (24/06/2012 15:27)

Check-in at Gatwick slightly slow due to extra passport checks being carried out by Immigration, this wasn't Thomsons fault, other than that checked-in relatively quickly.

Premium passengers boarded first. A nice environment to walk into. Amenity pack, blanket and pillow already on seat when we boarded. Seats were 5A/5B on outbound flight. Within a minute of stiiting down was offerend a glass of wine and orange juice.

Flight pushed back and took off on time. As soon as the crew were released they started with the cabin service. The crew worked so hard throughout the whole flight, we were constantly being offered drinks.

We were offered a choice of either beef, chicken or vegetarian. We choose the beef, it was delicious, one of the best meals I have had on a plane.

The toilets were located at the front, there was never a queue. The pilot gave some great annocuncemnts as to where we were, especially glad when he told us New York was to the left of the plane and got some great photos. Afternoon tea was served followed by ice cream a little later. The inflight entertainment had a great choice of films, tv programmes, games and music, there was never any chance of being bored.

The headphones used in premium were absolutely brillant, they really drown out the noise of the engines so you can hear the film properly.
I then slept for a couple of hours, the seat was extremely comfortable and had a great recline. By the end of the flight I felt we had really been looked after.

The flight did take an extra hour longer than planned as we had to travel around some bad weather in the Gulf of Mexico, no one complained and we landed only 15 minutes behind our scheduled landing time.
Baggage did take a while to come through once in Cancun which was a little frustrating. The flight on the whole was fantastic, absolutely worth the extra to upgrade.

anthony37 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (14/05/2012 12:33)

Flew Thomson Airlines to Sanford Florida on 767-300 (first choice airlines) and was very pleased with the level of service whilst aboard the airplane, the staff were attentive, both food & drinks were plentiful throughout the flight.

Seats were fairly comfortable, better than Virgin economy which was the same price. 37" seat pitch usually made of leather. Have to admit they were a little difficult to sleep in on Return night flight, if the layout in the premium cabin had been 2-2-2 instead of 2-3-2 they could have made the seats wider and more comfortable but then I guess the price of the ticket may have cost more and reflected that, so overall cannot complain to much.

I have flown BA, Virgin & Monarch to Florida in the past always in economy but can safely say that it will always be Thomson Premium from here on in, even more so when they roll out the Dreamliner 787 next Spring 2013.

DOUGALSMUM flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (18/04/2012 02:47)

I have flown Thomson for the last 30 years happily , twice a year for the last 5 years to Mexico, always in premium. I have always been very happy with the product and considered it value for money.

Not any more!! There was a marked reduction in quality this time round.

Flew Tom074, Gatwick to Cancun on the 13th March 2012. First off the flight was delayed for over 3 hours, have noticed in the last couple of years the delays getting longer whereas once upon a time Thomsons always used to be punctual.

Was called to the boarding gate at 11am , in actual fact we didn't take off till 12.30 which meant 283 passengers waiting in a holding pen that only seated 150 for an hour , very uncomfortable!

When we eventually boarded the ex-first choice aircraft many of the air crew were surly (with the exception of one member of crew valiantly struggling to provide good customer service - something the rest of the crew had little or no conception of), the premium cabin was 'tired' to say the least, my seat 9c still had sweet wrappers and used tissues (ugh) in the front pocket and was the most uncomfortable seat I have ever experienced on a plane , I don't know if it was broken but it seemed to have very little recline.

The IFE had a much poorer selection than last time and to add insult to injury, my headphones were broken and the sound kept dropping out, when I asked for a different pair I was told they didn't have any more.

The comfort pack has changed and was of a poor quality, the blanket looked like it had been used and just rolled up again for the next passenger (me) without being laundered.

The food standards have also dropped dramatically, I used to actually enjoy my meal in the premium cabin - now it is just standard airline food - the red wine was undrinkable.

I have never had such an unsatisfactory flight with Thomson and presumed it was just my bad luck to get a poor aircraft and crew.

Sadly the return journey was just as bad (Tom075), the only good experience out of the whole two flights was the premium check in at Cancun (straight past the HUGE economy queue) and for once my baggage came off pretty quick.

I had read recent bad reviews of Thomson long haul and thought the reviewers were being picky, sadly that is not the case. Thomsons are penny pinching and it shows, what was once a very good experience flying premium economy is now not worth the extra and in fact was such a poor experience that after all these years of being a loyal customer I have booked for next year with Virgin-a company who still understand the principles of good customer care.

If you are considering flying Thomson or first choice premium don't bother, it is now not worth the extra, book economy with extra leg room and you will be basically getting the same service, or better still don't book with them at all use another airline. Sorry Thomson you have really messed up when you are turning your loyal customers like me away.

Devonflyer flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (09/04/2012 16:47)

Recently flew from Gatwick to Goa with Thomson. The flight originally had the old First Choice long haul plane but unfortunately this was changed at the last minute and we ended up with a Thomson 767-300.

Because of the seatplan of this plane (only first five rows have so called premium seating 2-3-2) many people who had booked premium seats had to sit in rows 6 -15 with a 2-4-2 configuration. Not what you expected when booking premium seats for a long haul flight.

We have travelled with First Choice long haul premium seats for about 12 years now and we think we have a farly good idea on travelling premium upgrade seats.
We were lucky that on the outbound we managed to retain a seat in the first section but no so lucky to have paid the amount of money for these premium seats/service.

The seats themselves are very uncomfortable. The lumber section does not fit neatly into the base of your back neither do the seats recline as far back as the seats on the First Choice long haul planes, therefore not being able to get a better sleep. You are definitely in a more upright position.

If you are sitting in the middle section of the row (3 seats) the armrest cannot be raised out of the way to enable you to become more comfortable. My wife and I are not large people by any means and were not looking forward to the return flight.

The food was very bland and the service not good, it seemed that some of the staff were not happy about something and it definitely showed.

The return flight was also a disaster as we once again had to put up with this same plane even after we had been assured by our local rep that we would be getting the First Choice plane.

Worst was to come though with the flight being delayed 4.5hrs and we did not get a premium seat. We ended up with a standard seat with the premium service although I will be fair and say that the staff from Manchester who were crewing the plane were great and tried their very best to keep everyone happy in the circumstances.

I believe that Thomson should really think about their planes and what Premium seats really mean to people who book them. They should be designed for comfort, pleasure in booking them for a special occasion and for the service to be something different from the rest of the plane.

Sadly these Premium seats/service do not come up to scratch and should not be used on long haul but more for flghts up to 5hrs, Egypt, Teneriffe etc. All in all this was a very poor showing by Thomson and it seems that once they have got your money they can do what they like!

annemrosten flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (20/03/2012 19:59)

I would like to send a specially thank you to the staff that flew us down to Krabi at feb 19 2012.

Superb service. We had our 12 year old daughter with us and when she wanted to order anything a very service minded man, James sat down to talk to her face to face and let her pick what she wanted from the magazine when she couldn't find the words in english.

The staff always had a smile for everyone even after a 12 hours shift.

Booking and bording left no more to wish for, everything worked super. We had a technial problem on our plane so we couldn't board in the one hour delay but finally we could leave the cold snow for a hot sun. On the return we had another staff.

Nothing to complain about there either but they did not have tha same suberb standard as the staff on the way down had.

I can´t say it enough, so greatful and impressed over this staff.

Thompson should be very proud of them.
THANK YOU Thompson airlines for this trip. We will be back !

simondrakeley flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-200ER (14/02/2012 15:51)

Turning left after priority boarding on my premium flight to Barbados i was pleasantly and overly surprised with the amazing and attentive service from all the staff.

Drinks served individually on trays, food served in 2 sittings with a choice and lots of extras, pre-dinner drinks topped up and wine with dinner - you could almost imagine you are on BA in business - almost!

The seat was comfortable and wide with good leg room, the service great, the premium boarding and disembarkation a bonus - i was very impressed - the value for money re upgrade cost is well worth it!
many thanks for a wonderful 8.5hr flight to Barbados - and unfortunately thanks for the one back too!

AngelaMacGuinness flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (19/01/2012 17:16)

The flight to Jamaica was very comfortable, I slept for a good few hours inbetween having dinner, afternoon tea and an icecream at some point.

The staff were not so accomodating did not serve after dinner drinks and when requesting some more nibbles appeared to be put out and came back and said there weren't any more.

I know it is a minor thing but they did not make you feel the same as the staff on the return flight which was absolutely brilliant and I cannot fault the service at any time. I would travel with them any time service was excellent from check in crew, flight crew and arrivals.

sylviaweishaupt flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (02/12/2011 19:10)

sylviaweishaupt flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (02/12/2011 19:10)

Savoygirl flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (28/11/2011 09:09)

robertson642 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (27/10/2011 21:22)

flight delayed 8 hrs going out, flight delayed 3 hrs coming back with no premium seating

Spikemorgan flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (25/10/2011 15:08)

We traveled from BRS to SFB on 9th October 2011 and could not fault the service. The aircraft was an ex First Choice plane for both inbound and outbound flights.

On boarding we were offered drinks, the staff were very helpful and friendly and nothing was too much trouble during the flight. The seat was comfortable with good leg room. My husband is 6ft 2in and he was comfortable. The on board entertainment was good, there was a good selection of films, TV programmes and music.

I would highly recommend Thomson, the overall service was excellent.

AntonyMercer flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (23/10/2011 11:10)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS As we are both over 6’ tall, we had paid extra £240 each to fly in the Premium Economy cabin. This included a dedicated check-in and we were quickly checked-in having reserved our seats two months earlier online. There was no queue at the North Terminal security and just had to remove the lap top from my hand luggage. We were airside within 5 minutes of arriving at the airport which I was very impressed with on this Sunday morning.

BOARDING When Boarding commenced, they initially called persons requiring extra time such as those with children, and then the Premium Economy passengers were called.

THE SEAT Once on board it took some time for everyone to take their seats. Although the Premium Economy passengers were called first, as there were 9 rows of 7 seats, it took some time for all 63 to be seated. Thomson used the former First Choice Boeing 767 on this route, and had dedicated Flight Attendants for the Premium Economy.

Premium Economy is configured the same as Economy on this plane, but with 36” of leg room which was helpful on this 10 hour flight. In terms of the best seat, Row 1 seems to have more leg room but is by the toilet and galley. The plan is configured 2-3-2, so the middle seat in the centre section is to be avoided unless you know your fellow passengers!

Before the doors were closed, passengers in Premium Economy were offered a choice of Pink Champagne or orange juice. The plane pushed back on time at 10.30am and was airborne within 10 minutes.

MENU About an hour into the flight, a round of drinks was served. This was done by ordering in advance and the cabin crew then bringing the drinks with a small bag of pretzels to your seat. About 40 minutes later the meal was served which was chicken or beef! I had the chicken roast which was very tasty. A choice of wine was served with this. After the tea and coffee were served, a choice of liqueurs was offered.

Passengers were able to go to the galley throughout the flight for more drinks and they never refused! They always served you with a smile.

About an hour before landing, a snack of sandwiches and scones was offered with tea and coffee.

ARRIVAL The flight arrived 30 minutes early and we then walked to Passport Control. Each passenger has to pay a fee on arrival of $20 and there is a queue for this before Passport Control. This can be avoided by purchasing in advance on line from the Dominican Republic Embassy in London. There were 4 windows open so we were processed quickly before reaching the baggage carousel. The bags were delayed as an American Airlines flight from New York had arrived just ahead of us and their bags were unloaded first. After a further 20 minutes the bags appeared.

VERDICT A superb, professional and very friendly service by Thomson Airlines. The service was equal to a good business class service and the on-board team should be congratulated for that.

I returned two weeks later on a similar plane for the over-night flight back. Again the level of service was superb.

I would definitely fly with Thomson Airlines again in Premium Economy, though I would like a couple of more inches of leg room. I very much look forward to the arrival of the Boeing 787 and how they plan to configure that.

Tracey61 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (30/09/2011 12:18)

We flew on an ex first choice 767-300er to Male, check in was quick, as was boarding, entertainment good with lots of choice, food excellent both outbound and inboound, staff were helpful and friendly. We would highly recommend Thomson, both flights were on time.

bobbyJDtombo flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (23/09/2011 15:12)

LGW-Puerto Plata-LGW

My partner, my nine year old son and I chose Premium due to the length of the flight. We were in 4A, 4B & 4C - good seats not too near the loo but near enough to the Galley for service to be quick.

Entertainment was very good and started immediately after take-off. The complimentary noise cancelling headphones in premium are very good.

The Gatwick crew going out were very professional, meals were not served on a trolley, but brought individually. The drinks service basically did not stop for the whole flight and we all really enjoyed the food. A nice warm meal with warm rolls and wine followed by a clotted cream tea and sandwiches before we landed.

On the way back there was dinner followed by a full english breakfast before landing. My son was especially pleased with the Kids meal we pre-ordered which was Sausages and Smiley faces on the way out with sandwiches and cake for his snack and sausages and mash on the way back.

Coming back the crew were a little less professional and friendly but the service was still good and definitely worth paying the extra for, I would always recommend it. We flew with Virgin to Orlando last summer on a holiday that basically cost the same and were treated like cattle, kids meals were forgotten, drinks were not offered and the crew were rude.

We would always choose Thomson for a long-haul holiday flight over Virgin now.

Scoundy_UK flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (12/09/2011 21:29)

Travelled from MAN-SFB on 27 Aug 2011. Ex-First Choice plane G-OOAN and believe it was seat plan version 1. Returned SFB-MAN on 10 Sept 2011 on another 767 in First Choice Livery, but I didn't get to find out its registration number. The seat plan doesn't quite match any of the versions here.

Both ways, travelled in Premium Cabin, seat 9B (which I prebooked). Service in the Premium Cabin was really good, with plenty to drink from a very efficient cabin crew, including pre-take off juice or sweet wine, although inbound it was served immediately after take off. The reason being that everyone (Premium and Standard) boarded through the front door which meant that the Premium crew had no hope of serving drinks to the people at the front!! Inbound crew were Glasgow based, and a good bunch they were too. I'd read some reviews for Thomson where the inbound crew have given a lower standard of service than the outbound - not the case for this great crew. But outbound was also very good. Pretty good and tasty meals too. Not going to win any awards, but certainly better than you expect.

Seat configuration was 2-3-2 in both premium and standard cabin. There was lots of leg room outbound, but on the inbound flight, row 9 had no windows, and on the aisle seats there was something bolted to the underside of the seat in front which restricted leg room a little. My seat also didn't seem to recline quite as much as the one in front.

The seat base did feel firm, but at least it was a decent size and decent amount of underthigh support (I'm 6'3").

These planes have seen better days and the cabins are looking a bit dated and in places a bit tatty. Thomson's replacement 787s can't come soon enough.

Other bonuses of Premium were that there were dedicated check-in desks, priorty through security at MAN and use of the Palms Lounge at SFB. Upgrading to Premium effectively costs £10 per hour. Bargain if you ask me.

deniselittler flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (02/09/2011 11:39)

Travelled in Thomson premium economy on ex-First Chice which I believe is more spacious than the ex-Thomson.

We paid extra for premium economy and were sat in the front of the plane (sectioned off by a curtain) in a 2-3-2 config. I was on the aisle of the 3 row 6. The seats are slightly wider than the normal economy and there is is a little more leg room and a footstool and you can recline slightly more than normal.

Upon boarding we were given a welcome drink and some twiglets, a goodie bag that was an eye mask, a miniature toothbrush/paste, miniature salt & pepper. Also on the seat was a neck pillow and soft blanket. There was a toilet to use at the front of the plane.

About two hours into the flight we were given our meals (which we chose previously from a choice of two - chicken or beef). It was the usual plane food - a starter, roll, meal and desert on plastic tray and in plastic dishes - the same standard as usual airline food.

Drinks - when we were first asked we received two drinks each (obviously this is done by the air hostesses to save everyone ringing their buzzer all the time and them having to respond!). With the meal we ordered wine and then after the meal they came round with a choice of baileys or whiskey - again we got 2 each. I asked for a further drink about an hour from landing and was told they had to keep the stocks for the return flight passengers! It is not worth paying extra for premium economy if you are mainly intererested in the free drinks as you won't get your money's worth.

About 2 hours before landing we were served sandwiches and a cake and then a tub of ice-cream. We had friends who had flown out the week before and they got exactly the same in economy (without the free drinks)!.

We flew home economy and yes the seats are slightly less in leg room and not as wide and I really felt the difference when trying to sleep but that could have been down to the night flight and being tired and uncomfortable. We had the food choice again, pillow and blanket but the entertainment choice is less in that they do not show the 2 main films or have the cd choices (but you can pay £5 to upgrade this and then you receive them).

I would say economy is fine on these ex-first choice flights if you can't get them discounted as £259 is a lot to pay- just buy your own alcohol in the airport! I definately didn't have a problem flying back economy.

rocotrosh flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (29/08/2011 14:12)

Having boarded our flight at Birmingham we were extremely disappointed to find that the plane had been changed and there was actually no Premium seating.

The staff were more than apologetic and couldn't do enough for us, they were professional in every sense of the word. During the 9 hour flight I never once had a dry glass...... they were attentive and very polite and even though disapponted we thoroughly enjoyed our experience minus the extra seat pitch.......

On our return journey we were lucky enough to go into the Palm Lounge pre flight boarding which is nice to relax that little bit more before the flight home.....On boarding the plane we were happy to see that we were in Premium seating which was nice but to be brutally honest I personally would not pay for an upgrade again we had no problems with leg space on our flight out and only really gained from the free drinks..... Yes it was nice to experience it but you really do not gain anything coming home on a night flight, you are just too tired to want lots of drinks.... So no I wouldn't upgrade again although it was a lovely experience it really isn't worth the extra money.....

I should add that when we got home we were refunded the cost of premium going out....If you are taking long haul to Florida that upgrade cost is the cost of your theme park multi-tickets so give it a good long think about it cost us £1025.00 for five that is a big hike on top of the cost of your holiday..

I would not hesitate to travel with Thomson again they are by far the best Airline out there so well done Thomson keep up the good work! Your staff are a credit to you....

rocotrosh flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (29/08/2011 13:57)

funkysam123 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (28/08/2011 11:31)

We flew from LGW to SFB on Thomson, Premium Class.

Check-in was fantastic with our own desks for premium customers. We arrived in plenty of time so had a wait in the departure lounge. On arrival at the boarding gate, we were boarded first, as premium customers, followed by economy customers rear to front.

We were surprised by how much legroom there was, loads! We had on-demand entertainment, something you had to pay a fiver extra for in standard. The crew gave us complimentary Orange Juice before departure. After take-off, the cabin crew took our lunch orders, a choice of pasta, chicken or fish, i think, and served us drinks, all without a trolley. I watched films a slept a while, which the seats are excellent for. Food came around and it was far better then the economy experience we had with Thomson a while back. Three course meal, served piping hot and was cleared away immediately when we were finished, without a trolley. Before arrival the crew came round with snacks and drinks, without a trolley. Baggage arrived promptly and was all OK.

On the return, the flight was similar and we also got Ice Cream before departure. The only complaint is the bags took a very long time upon arrival at Gatwick, but that might have been the airport and not the airline.
Excellent flights, I would highly reccomend.

superman flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (11/08/2011 13:03)

Birmingham/Cancun 26th July preium class, quick book in and boarding. Quick flight out, very good, on time, well looked after by staff, plenty of drink offers food good.

Entertainment good choice of films and so on, return flight boarding not quit as good, standard class had to board same door. Apart from this all good, staff very friendly and well looked after again, not easy to sleep not due to seats or staff mainly a male passenger sat close by not thinking of overs banging a drink mixer stick on his tray all the way home.

Apart from him well worth upgrading to premium class, would use again.

superman flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (11/08/2011 12:48)

jp141155 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (29/07/2011 11:58)

One of the best airlines around for holiday destinations, particularly the premium class section. The staff are both professional and friendly and are always willing to help.

pcannon flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (17/06/2011 10:05)

My wife and I have just flown Premium with Thomson Airways for the first time.

We left from Glasgow on the 27th May (2011) flying to Sanford in Orlando and came back two weeks later.

I have to say overall it was worth paying the extra (£150 each) to sit "up front". The service on both flights was excellant, we were well looked after, pleanty to eat and drink.

The inflight entertainment was good, touch screen controlls, pause re-wind etc on the movies and TV options. Included in the price is free access to the Palm Lounge in Sanford airport for your return flight, where you get two free alcholic drinks each and all the soft drinks and snacks you can eat/drink. Not the most comfortable seats to try and sleep in for the return journey though but hey other than start paying for upper class what can you expect.

Would I use them again, yes without hesitation and would I recommend them to others, well yes, that is why I am writing this.

I have flown often in Premium with Virgin, now they are not that good but then again they do not charge their prices. Try them I think you will be pleased. Cheers....Pat

DurhamLad flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (01/06/2011 20:56)

My wife and I have just returned from the Dominican Republic travelling from Newcastle to Punta Cana in one of the ex-First Choice 767 aircraft. This was called the Dream Liner and it still is.

The flight in both direction was perfect no bumps in either direction even though the Captain warned that we may have some on the return but there was not even a ripple.

Both legs of the journey departed and arrived 20 minutes early.
It was First Choice all the way.

beckf65 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (26/04/2011 08:59)

My husband and I have just returned from a holiday in Kenya. We chose to fly Premium class with Thomson Airways. This cost us another £186.00 pounds each.

The flight out was delayed by two hours and the return flight was delayed by three hours.

The seats were really awful, they were so hard we had to sit on our cushions... this didn't actually help much.

On the return flight there were no Premium seats available. At the check in at Mombasa, we were handed a standard letter about apologies and refunds etc. etc. So we didn't make a fuss. The in-flight entertainment was broken and all the films were in Swedish, this is fine if you are a Swede!

The majority of the staff on the plane were perfectly nice, marred only by one particular 'Jobs Worth' who was obviously trying to get the 'Steward of the Year Award' and had been watching 'Come Fly with Me'!! The only thing good that I can mention is the food... it was really good and very hot.

Please be aware that if you have booked Premium seats and they are not available for your flight, they will not refund the tax you pay. So we were charged £186 for our return seats, which we didn't get, only to be refunded £111.

The Premium seat temptation is a COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY! Take heed and don't be conned. Economy is just the same.

albion65 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (25/04/2011 10:59)

We have just returned fron a trip to the riviera maya. Although we booked with Thomsons we were allocated a First Choice plane. We had only flown with First Choice once before to the Dom Rep but it was memorable for the seats in Premium class, they were terrible.
It felt like you were sitting on a park bench,, and that was the experience we had both ways. The Mexican trip was a repeat performance of our trip to DR, the premium class seats that had absolutely no softness at all.

The service going out was fine, coming back on the other hand was quite different, a two hour delay followed by service that I would describe as poor. we were offered drinks from the bar twiceand we we were told that if we wanted any more we would have to go to the galley at the rear of the plane.
I pointed out to the stewardess that we had been told to remain buckled up because of turbulence and not to move out of our seats until we were told to by the Captain.
It seems on reading the reviews that the standard seems to drop on RETURN trips it certainly seemed that way to us.
Don't waste you money on premium class seats.

JaniceWood flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (18/04/2011 08:09)

We flew from London Gatwick to the Dominican Republic in January 2011 where we spent two weeks. Service on the outbound flight was excellent, but service on the inbound flight was rubbish, absolutely rubbish.

Watch out when you book a holiday with Thomson/First choice as they change planes and seats without informing you and then come up with some cock and bull story that the plane has a fault! Fair enough, but why don't they inform you as soon as they are aware of that fact! It’s not difficult to just tell customers in plain English what the problem is.

We arrived at the airport to check in the day before to be told we couldn’t. Five minutes after this, another couple arrived and were allowed to check in - they were on same flight and same hotel, how do you make that one out then??? Turns out the computer hadn’t clicked into action when we tried, but then just as the other couple arrived the computer clicked into action. The computer said YES!!! The girl on the check-in desk didn’t even have the dignity to look embarrassed! The staff on the information desk, where we had asked about the problem in the first instance, had lied to us. They told us that the flight to La Romana had never been allowed to check-in the day before - what big fat liars. Don’t go with Thomson!

chevymech flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (03/04/2011 18:56)

Booked with Thomsonfly for our vacation to Clearwater,Florida,USA on 23/5/2010. Flight left on time from Bristol and checkin was faultless. Fight attendants were very helpfull and attended to everyone very quickly. First Choice plane could have been cleaned better inside though, as there was dust and rubbish down by the sides of the seats and on the floor. Other than that the experience was good.

Outbound flight from Sanford, Orlando,Florida was on time although we were told we had to go back on an old Thomson aircraft and there was no Premium Class section on this aircraft, so there were alot of disapointed customers. For some unknown reason our original First choise aircraft had to be used for another destination so we were told by one of the attendants. Strange as the captain later told us on route that the original aircraft had a fault?!! In flight enterainment was faulty on the Thomson aircraft as it was old so we were told, plus there was a concern on whether we had enough fuel to get back to the UK to add to out troubles.

Summers flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (19/03/2011 07:25)

Just flew back from The Maldives to Gatwick with Thomson. Very disapointed. We paid to upgrade with First Choice and we flew out on a First Choice plane which was fine but then coming home we were told that the Thomson plane was not premium and the inflight entertainment didnt work. The seats I booked 90 days before departure we didnt get so a sad close to our long awaited holiday. Thankyou Thomson. We were sold a product that could not be honoured.

IslandHopper flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (26/02/2011 11:58)

I flew with Thomson and upgraded to Premium an a return flight from Gatwick to Male (Maldives). The drinks are included But the stewards only served us drinks on only 3 occasions, The seating was better and the service overall was better, however I do not think the Premium is worth the extra cost, I do not feel this was value for money for this upgrade, that is my opinion and although I will fly with Thomson I will not be paying the extra for this upgrade.

easytraveller flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (24/02/2011 15:38)

Flew premium class, and though due to fly at 19.50 on 28th January to Mombasa, we did not take off till 1.30 the following morning.

When we checked in at 9 that evening (we were aware of the delay) there was only one member of check-in staff based at the premium check-in desk. She was probably the most officious person I have ever dealt with - might have been something to do with being tasked with dealing with the late arrivals, but hey that was her company's problem, not ours.

There was nothing to do once we went through security, basically Gatwick was closed from 10 onwards!!

Once on the flight things got a lot better. The food was prompt and hot, and I was able to sleep but that was probably due the two brandies I'd had after the meal, though I only asked for one.

What made it for me was the crew on the way back - though it helped that the plane was on time. I'm a southerner born and bred so this is not biased: The crew was Manchester-based and were quite frankly brilliant, the head guy - sorry didn't catch his name - kept his eye on everything and all crew members, and some of his messages were funny and original.

I've flown with both BA and Virgin in premium cabins and there is very little difference apart from the price.

In summary.....

Check in staff, remember the delay was your company's fault - don't take it out on the paying public.

Good seats, like the foot rests as I'm only 5 foot so sometimes my feet don't touch the floor. My husband likes the pitch as he's 6 foot.

Food/drink plentiful and of good quality.

Nice touch with the pillow/blanket & pack.

Entertainment was extensive and worked.

The Manchester crew - hopefully you will be able to find out who they were and thank them.

lilhas123 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (13/02/2011 15:31)

Flew Manchester to Varadero 02/02/2011 Premium class. Own check - in, Fast lane thro' security and priority boarding. Service was excellent. Drinks on demand. Choice of food. Entertainment system good as able to pause and rewind and fast forward. (good when you need to go to the toilet!!). Seat very comfy with lots of legroom and a foot rest. Toilet situated at front so only premium passengers can use it - saves a lot of queuing.
Flew back 09/02/2011. Nearly 2 hrs late but it didn't matter as we had paid for VIP room in Varardero Airport. Separate check in again. Same aircraft on way back - different crew. Again good service and food. Seats not the best for sleeping but it was much quicker on the way back ( about 8 hrs).
Definately worth the money for upgrade.

manicb2b flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (31/01/2011 20:34)

Booked to travel premium. OK on the way out but on the return flight there was a change to the aircraft and we were not told that we had been downgraded. We only found out when we boarded. Thomson had known about the change in aircraft 3 days earlier and claim to have informed our rep but that message never reached us. Cabin crew were very surly with all the passengers who had been downgraded and told us that we should be grateful that we were being flown home on time. So no premium seats, meals, drinks or entertainment. Have been told that i will be refunded for the extra money i paid for the premium seats on the return journey but they do not pay compensation or apologise in writing.

FreddyFBL flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (30/01/2011 12:32)

Travelled Premium class Manchester to Cuba 5th Jan 2011. Do not expect business class as on scheduled airlines because it isn't, but having said that, for the extra price one pays, it is well worth it, and much less than one pays for business class on other airlines. Apart from extra leg room, there is priority check in and boarding, and the service we got from the flight attendants was equally as good as anything we have experienced in true business class. The main drawback is sleeping quality of the seats which do not recline very far. We were however supplied with blanket and pillow which are not necessary for the daytime flight out but very useful for the night flight back. The food was excellent with a choice of four different main courses, and all served with a smile.

The in flight entertainment with films, music, route map etc. was more than adequate for the ten hour flight. Just a word of warning, row 9 in premium class does not have a window so avoid this if you want to view out. As you can pre-book your seats some 2 months before, this need not be a problem. Taking all into account, these were good flights we would be happy to repeat.

Globetrotter_Mike flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (28/12/2010 14:40)

JAMESBALDWIN flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-200ER (21/11/2010 16:36)

i Found the seating very good. All the cabin crew were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Entertainment was good all up to date films lots of choices in music games etc. have booked premium long haul for my next trip. Also faster to check in. no queuing cases so much better all round

Chappers. flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (10/11/2010 11:58)

LGW-MLE-LGW 24/10/10-08/11/10

Outbound - 767-300ER (258 seats) V1 - G-OOAN

The flight was delayed by just over three hours. This was not relayed to passengers until less than an hour until the initial departure time had elapsed. To be fair to Thomson, this was due to a technical issue with the plane and sourcing a replacement part, and as soon as the delay was known, they kept us informed (both by text message and in the airport) and issued all passengers with a £5 voucher to be spent in the departure lounge. The delay was one of those unfortunate things and couldn't be helped.

As soon as they could, the passengers were called to the departure gate, with those of us in Premium being boarded first. Due to the outgoing flight being the V1 plane, everybody boarded by walking through the premium cabin, however, again this is just a peculiarity of this one aircraft and no great problem, it just made the cabin crew's job of serving the pre-flight drinks a little more difficult!

As soon as all passengers had boarded, the captain spoke to everyone over the PA, again apologising for the delay, but also informing us that they had managed to negotiate a more direct route at a greater speed to attempt to claw back some of the lost time. No time was wasted in taxiing and on take off, and as soon as we were up to cruising the cabin staff were around again for drinks and snacks. In fact, the staff were great throughout the whole flight – very friendly and cheerful and extremely helpful. The meal was served approximately 1 ½ hours into the flight – and both myself and my wife were amazed by the quality and size. For a charter flight they were amazing. In fact, more praise is needed for the cabin staff – even for a night flight they worked extremely hard throughout, and the supplies of drinks etc were plentiful throughout. The “snack” about 2 hours before landing was in fact a full breakfast – again very tasty and plentiful. This was followed shortly afterwards by the cabin crew coming round with hot towels.

The interior of the plane is starting to show some signs of age now though, however, this is only a very minor criticism that I have observed from looking very closely at some of the seats. The plane we were on had two WC's at the front of the Premium cabin, both on the port side, and this could lead to some queues forming. However, I have to say that overall, the comfort levels are quite good – I am 6'3” and quite large build, and I remained comfortable throughout – in fact, you can fully stretch your legs out underneath the seat in front of you. The IFE was quite good, however I am not much into films so listened more to the CD collections – but that is an entirely personal choice.

Overall I have to rate the flight, aircraft, staff and service as being top-rate. The crew couldn't do enough to help and although many of the individual items that come as part of the Premium package can be bought separately for less in economy, the whole package was in both mine and my wife's opinion well worth the extra money – however with the added cost of APD I would have to seriously consider it on any future flights.

Inbound – 767-300ER(258 seats) V2 – G-OOBL

The flight was on time, which considering that the incoming flight was 20 minutes late landing and a turnaround of approximately 1 ½ hours was quite amazing. Again, priority booking in and boarding at MLE was appreciated as it cut out all the queues. Being a V2 plane, boarding was by the door in front of the wing so Premium was kept as just that. Again, the cabin crew were friendly and soon came around the cabin with the pre-flight drinks. The flight crew also kept us updated on the flight plan and before long we were taking off for the return journey.

The story was quite similar to the outbound – friendly staff, however they did not seem to be quite as eager as the outbound crew – but I still had no complaints (and it is really more of a credit to just how helpful the outbound crew really were). The meal was served approximately 2 hours into the flight – wine being served in a proper glass. Duty-free was offered afterwards, but there was no hard sell from any of the staff. The flight was fairly uneventful apart from some turbulence just over halfway through which necessitated the seatbelt signs being illuminated for about 30 minutes, however the captain managed to climb and get above it.

The snack was a Panini, (with associated desert etc) served about 2 hours before landing. Again, very tasty.

The landing was very smooth. Again, some signs of ageing of the seats are becoming evident, however they still have quite a bit of life left in them yet. This aircraft being the V2, only had the one WC at the front of the Premium cabin – yet somehow the queues did not seem to be as bad.

I would recommend the Premium upgrade. The product is very good. In fact, it has converted an extremely nervous and rare flyer into a long-haul fan! Well done Thomson!

julesmarie flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul (06/10/2010 14:30)

This was the fourth time myself and family paid extra for premium seating, we were all sat in the middle seats, as you now don't have to pay for seating. A lady sat next to me was seated for nothing, due to having no space, I can understand that, but seems very unfair when you have paid £180.00 per person.

Everytime the cabin crew ( which were great) go round asking which meal you would like on the menu, do not sit at the back as there is never enough food to go round, and you end up with what everyone sles on the plane gets. Thompson have changed the menu and the sandwhiches were terrible, very very dry unable to eat, and they looked like hampsters with warts yuk.

Do not think it is worth the money, as no vip lounge from Dominican, we were told there was, and no help from any thompson staff at airport, just have to queue along with everyone else. The only reason I mention all this is why pay £180.00 when you really don't get much differant from any normal paying customer, please go back to the other menue, and please provide enough selection for all the premium paying passengers, once not bad but four times to not have what you want is beyond a joke.

Also made a purchase off the duty free used my yorkshire bank debit card and was charged 73p, not much at all but have been told by Yorkshire bank that this should not have happened, so how many other passengers have been charged.????

sapper786 flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (15/08/2010 10:49)

First Choice (Thomson/Tui) from Glasgow to Cancun. Generally very good and well worth the extra money to travel Premium Class (seats 6A & B) Service onboard better outbound. On time both legs. Premium seating personnel last to board on return from Mexico for some reason. Have flown to America, Cuba and now Mexico with this company and, touch wood, have never had any major problems so far. Will always be my first choice of travel agents.

d_onions flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (10/07/2010 20:07)

Travelled LGW-SFB-LGW Premium (G-OOBL and G-OOBM). At time of travel (June 2010) Row 9 has no window, it is a blank panel. Seats uncomfortably low on padding - personally suffered minor backache and found it difficult to sleep), legroom, IFE and on-board service good. Beware - Customer Service staff are not all aware of the lack of windows at 9A and 9G. Seats do recline as normal even though row 9 is the last row.

Chiefchester flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (20/06/2010 08:47)

busterbill flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (14/01/2010 12:47)

Corporate-gal flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (12/01/2010 16:28)

LGW - MLE - LGW

Check-in: Swift and efficient at both LGW and MLE. Especially quiet and quick at LGW as we flew out on Christmas Day (quietest I've ever seen Gatwick).

Boarding: Premium seating was given priority boarding at LGW. We didn't experience the service at MLE as our seaplane transfer was late and we had to rush through to get the flight, as they had boarded everyone else already!

Seat: We had pre-booked our seats online a few weeks before and plumped for row 9 (F&G on the outbound and A&B on the inbound) as we wouldn't then have people sitting behind us . Unfortunately on the outbound leg we have a 767-300ER (v2) and row 9 does not have a window; the one saving grace was that it was a night flight so we never saw anything anyway! On the inbound leg though, we had a 767-300ER (v1) and row 9 does have a window (2 in fact). The seats are quite comfy and the legroom is pretty good (36"); recline is sufficient even in the back row, to get some sleep and relaxation.

IFE: Excellent choice of music, films and interactive games - kept me busy for 10 hours!

Food: Good choice of meals and drinks. Service: Pretty lack lustre on the way out with very little care given to the service provided. Completely different story coming home - the crew were cheerful and the drinks service was excellent.

Overall: Worth paying the extra for Premium on a long-haul flight.

morley_tripper flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (08/12/2009 03:36)

Cancun to Manchester 6/12/09. What a difference from the outbound flight. Plane was delayed two hours on the inbound flight so boarded remotely by buses which was chaos. Once onboard was in seats 2A, and 2B, would not pick these again as the bulkhead wall meant you actually had less space to stretch out than seats behind, also if you want to play any of the games its quite a stretch to reach the PTV.

Cabin crew while not unfriendly were lazy on this flight, drinks offered once about an hour in, no more drinks offered for the whole flight. The whole service, meals duty free etc seemed very rushed so they could dim lights and sit in the galley for remainder of the flight. Meals were tasty again, two hot meals served, an evening meal about 90 mins in and a hot breakfast before landing. Entertainment was turned off nearly a full hour before landing with no explanation given. Arrived into manchester 1hour and 45 mins late, and then had to wait 35 minutes to actually get a stand due to passport problems on another thomson plane on our stand, in this time watched 3 other jets taxied to other stands on the terminal!

The flight crew were very apologetic for the delay to our flight, on boarding and later with the issues in manchester. The main gripe was the cabin crew who just did not seem interested in really doing much, a problem I might add I have always encountered on Thomson flights when it is crew from london. The flight itself was pleasant and again I ill use them again as they are competitive on price for what they offer.

morley_tripper flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (08/12/2009 03:10)

Flew Manchester to Cancun 22/11/09. Used the day before check in which was excellent. Boarding was quickly done for premium off an airbridge.

Had seats 3A, and 3B. On boarding there was a blanket, pillow and amenity kit already on the seat. Not a lot fo space in the overhead lockers due to the crew storing items including there own luggage, which meant the last few people into the premium cabin strguggled to store items.

Seat was narrower than I expected (2 on each side with 3 in the middle) but compared to the standard seats (2 on each side, 4 in the middle!) was more than comfortable. Legroom was excellent and could stretch out fully even with seat in front fully reclined.

Entertainment was with a 9" PTV with full AVOD, especially liked the extensive CD collection function. Cabin crew were excellent and made the flight, both extremely friendly and offered drinks several times through the flight. Served a hot meal a couple of hours into the flight which was very tasty, offered red or white wine with the meal and several top ups which were gladly taken! Given a little tub of ice cream about half way into the flight and served a snack about 90 mins before landing.

Flight crew kept us updated on the routing and progress of the journey as we travelled which was nice. Flight was very pleasant and arrived in Cancun feeling quite relaxed which is good as it is a very busy airport! For a charter service Thomson really are leading the way, it is not a scheduled airline so do not go on expecting that, this is reflected in what you pay for the premium upgrades I felt I got treated really well and would use this again.

Casualflyer flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (29/10/2009 19:54)

June 2009 Cancun - Manchester. Premium Class but not worth the money.

Flight announcement on boarding that the IFE had been playing up on the flight over but they though the had fixed it. Oh no they hadn't. So 9 hour plus with nothing to do. This is an ongoing problem with this flight, see previous reviews on Skytrax site. Sleep out of the question as the seats are not that great. Crew not that good and just wanted to sell duty free.

Couldn't wait to get off.

Casualflyer flew Thomson Airways Premium Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v1 (29/10/2009 19:49)

June 2009 Manchester - Cancun. Sat in Premium class front right side of cabin next to forward bulkhead.

This meant although service was good as we were so close to the galley the seats were narrower due to table in the armrest. First time on charter for sometime and probably the last. Too cramped, dark, uninterested crew. IFE was OK with reasonable choice