gwynMacmillan flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (22/05/2013 16:54)

Newcastle to Mahon, Menorca. Outward plane was very old. Paid for extra legroom at check-in "special offer" 2 for the price of 1, paid £25; after returning home found the non-discounted price was £15 for each seat, OK still saved £5. Offered row 1 or 2, being very dozy (6am flight) I picked row 1; bulkhead, big mistake, as there was no extra legroom, luckily 1 seat of the 3 was empty. One big con by the Thomson.

The return flight was a 737-800 and on that plane Row 1 did have extra legroom and was a much better plane and quite a few empty rows.

Other than the above whinge, I found the Thomson's flights were very good, boarding was quick, take-off and arrivals on-time, crew pretty good and would use again.

Just watch out for Thomson "special offers" early in the morning.

malcolmgood flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B767-300ER (328 seats) v4 (16/05/2013 19:27)

We recently had the unfortunate experience of flying 10 hours on this terrible plane to Jamaica, like others we were conned by Thomsons who advised our original plane needed routine maintenance and they had cancelled our Premium seats.

PaulFeagan9 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (01/05/2013 11:47)

Thomson Airlines – London Gatwick – Funchal, Madeira

Thomson operate a one-class 737-800 on this route – flight time is about three and a half hours. It is possible to pre-book seats for a fee, but only the first row offers any value. All 32 rows are arranged as 3-3 so there’s no option for couples wanting to pay for a combined aisle and window configuration.

Outbound (row 28):
We used the ‘night-before’ check in – something that I think Virgin first invented and really useful. So in the morning we already had boarding passes. Gatwick security seems to have improved and we were through quite quickly.

Legroom was acceptable for a charter flight, seat width was a little tight.

All food and drinks were chargeable. Prior to trolley service, the flight attendants walked the aisle and asked if anyone wanted to order a hot panini. We ordered one. The trolley service commenced but it was another hour before the panini arrived; by that time many passengers who had ordered the same were complaining.

There was a permanent line for the bathroom throughout the flight. The rear section had two bathrooms.

Upon (early) arrival, passengers were disembarked by the front and rear doors onto a bus. Passport control was quite fast as was baggage delivery.

Inbound (row 2):

Check in was a little slow, although there were five desks available. Security and passport control were reasonably fast. Only one cafe and one shop after passport control and no lounge evident.

A bus delivered passengers to the aircraft. Boarding was by the front and rear stairs.

Prior to departure, the crew walked through the cabin spraying insecticide. Passengers were assured that this was harmless. I’ve never seen this happen before, even when returning from Asia. I’m guessing that one spray won’t harm anyone, but I wonder what cumulative effect this has on the crew. Something for their union to consider. Still anything that kills bugs is a plus.

All food and drinks were chargeable. This time there wasn’t a question about hot paninis and we didn’t ask for one after the outbound experience. We’d also purchased some really good quality sandwiches from the cafe just near the departure gate. As this was the return, I could see that many passengers were hoping to use their left-over Euros for on-board purchases. This was possible, but the smallest denomination accepted was a 1 Euro coin. I saw one person’s purchase converted to EUR6.03 and they had to pay 7 Euros. The exchange rate didn’t look to good either. We used sterling for drinks.

There was one bathroom at the front and this wasn’t very busy – not sure why the outbound rear bathrooms were so busy.

On arrival, passengers disembarked via the front door and an air bridge. I’d recommend assistance for elderly passengers as we walked over a kilometre to passport control. Baggage arrived reasonably quickly.

Overall, not a bad experience – although my expectations weren’t high to begin with.

PaulVincent4 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B767-300ER (328 seats) v4 (26/03/2013 14:40)

Just had a change of plane flying to Cancun. Should have been in Premium Economy but now in 767 300 v4 which does not have premium. This is 2-4-2 arrangement with 70 to 80 more passengers in the same space as the p767 we should have gone on. It is basically a short hall plane but this company does not care about the customer. DO NOT FLY WITH THOMSONS if you can avoid it they will mess you around in some way.

Paul Vincent

egyptisthebest flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (27/01/2013 12:13)

We flew from cardiff airport and had to make an emergency landing in gatwick airport due to a technical fault with the plane after 5 hour wait with only £5 voucher we made our flight to Egypt

tbutcher flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (11/01/2013 14:41)

Flight was really great friendly staff good leg room was a pleasure flying with Thomson we go to Spain every year we have tried other airlines but Thomson & first choice were the best for us.

davidOliver flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (05/01/2013 13:20)

I've just got back from sharm el sheik , 5hours . I,am 6'3'' the leg room was so cramped, i got off looking like a letter (s). The plane was so cold that poeple had to travel with their coats on, I did ask twice for the heating to be turned up, but i was told the people at the front of the plane had complaned that they were to hot. so we all had to suffer .I think Thompsons airways could do a side line in refridgerated transport.

JackBlenkiron flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (30/12/2012 11:36)

Last year I flew on the Thomson 757-200 from Birmingham to Ibiza. The seats were perfect, there are seat back televisions. They didn't lose any baggage either. Next year I will be flying with them to Rhodes. So I suspect I will be flying on the 757 again. I give Thomson 757 a five star

alanaylesbury44 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (22/11/2012 17:21)

I think the Boeing 757-200 I flew on was probably the oldest plane in Thomson's fleet. As such there was no entertainment, seat space was extremely limited and it all felt a bit of a squeeze.

matthewsavah flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (01/11/2012 11:16)

This was the route from Manchester to Cape Verde and then Cape Verde back to Manchester, it was fitted on a cramped Boeing 757-200, but as this was a 5-6 hour flight I was expecting PTV's, but they had cramped Overhead TV's (Old school!) But I was expecting overhead TV's because the short-short runway at Boa Vista is so small it can only accomodate small planes like the A320, Boeing 737 and Boeing 757.

The food was okay (This flight was just before the in-flight meal was scrapped) The staff were great, the food and drink was a little bit pricey but we couldn't afford much drinks because we were staying at the RIU all-inclusive hotel so we only brought about £45 spending money.

I tried to get some sleep as I was shattered, it was a 5 hour flight with a 5 hour delay and I couldn't even get some sleep, the legroom is also atrocious. When someone reclines their seat you get no legroom at all and you can feel the weight of the seat and the person on you!

The boarding was fast and easy at Manchester but at Boa Vista it was a nightmare, Boa Vista is a brand new airport on the new-tourist destination Cape Verde, it is an island in development, there is second-to none security, there is no computers so back then you got boarding cards that were written in pen. The runway was like dry sand so it was a very bumpy takeoff and on the way back we were back on the same cramped Boeing 757.

I wish they operated the Boeing 767 on the routes because they have PTV's but obviously the runway is too short. I would like to go back to Cape Verde but not until they have increased their length of runway and the Boeing 787/767 can accomadate the runway. Oh and the baggage was as we left it.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy your flight (Not!)

JoeBrag flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (27/10/2012 11:48)

Came back from Lanzarote and felt I had to review my flights as so many people had criticised both Thomson and this aircraft. From what I can see it's no different to most other airlines or better. Please don't let let other reviews put you off. Some people are just nit pickers.

ColinSmith1 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A321 (26/10/2012 15:50)

Well, this aircraft was nice and clean when we entered it. The cabin staff were very helpful in finding our seats, and the green leather seats were reasonable to sit in. I was not too impressed with them being leather though.

The leg space was kept to a minimum, apart from the seats with extra leg room, but there was still room to place a few things under the seat in front and still keep your legs comfortable. The first 3 rows on both sides had blue leather seats, and some disabled people were sat in them.

Regarding service from the cabin crew, nothing was too much bother. The prices are rather expensive for drinks, and we didn't bother getting any food. I did notice that they have stopped providing in-flight meals on the short-haul flights, but the price has not dropped because of it. This in itself is causing quite a bit of pressure on the cabin crew, because if someone does order something to eat, they have to got and get it, warm it in some way, and then bring it out to the customer. All this could be stopped by bringing the in-flight meal back.

Regarding punctuality, we were delayed coming home, though that was due to french ATC industrial action the previous day. Also, on the return flight, I asked for a window seat at the check-in desk as my wife likes one. I am not sure what went wrong, but she never got one, even though we were at the front of the queue at check-in.

Overall, I must admit our flight experience both ways was very suitable for what we paid. I just wish the in-flight meal would be brought back.

JOHNScullion flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (19/10/2012 15:05)

Booked extra legroom seats for this flight and allocated 32A and 32B , when seated I found that the extra leg room meant that it would be comfortable if you only had one leg. The escape shute at the exit juts out so your left leg has to be able to bend between the knee and the ankle, a feat I, or in fact any member of the human species has yet to evolve into.

The seats are the narrowest most uncomfortable seats I have ever encountered on an aircraft, the narrowness has been aggrevated by whoever designed them placing a large fixture inside the seat arm to accomodate headphone jacks etc, this effectively reduces your seat width by approx 25mm.

The seat belt would not fit either myself or my wife, in my case that's understandable as i'm a big lad but my wife is only 5'1 and 32" waist. We asked for extension belts but as we were next to the emergency exit this was a no go. So breath in, do a Houdini and the belt just clipped in, cutting off the blood flow to our nether regions. This is not the first time I have travelled Thomson and it seems their Boeing 757-200 fleet is notorious for sardine type seating. Although not long haul?? it was still a 5.5 hour flight from Cyprus and to have these seat belts on continously would have probably meant amputation of my lower limbs on arrival at Glasgow.

The extra leg room seats are also used by passengers to stretch their legs and the seats are right next to the middle toilets, oh joy, with all the noises that accompany that location, screaming babies wanting nappies changed, opening and shutting of door banging, light from loo glaring out all night and trolleys up and down selling stuff and offering prize draws, why not give the winner a seat somewhere that is comfortable, quiet and dark so they can relax and snooze a bit.

I believe that if animals were transported in the same manner as humans on these Thomson aircraft then campaigners would be up in arms about it. But after all we're only human aren't we !!
Here endeth the lesson

JoeBrag flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (06/10/2012 16:50)

Flew on G-FDZU and G-FDZY from East Midlands to Sharm and back respectively. The service was impeccable as always and food was adequate for the flight. Overall 9/10 and no complaints at all!

LisaJones flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (21/09/2012 13:19)

My partner and I were very cramped in the seats, although we selected aisle seats. Disappointed that the IFE has been switched off for good. Although they worked hard, the crew pushed trolleys up the aisle 4 times, trying to sell things. Not their fault, but no one could get past to the loo. Ordered a hot snack but it was horrid. Told the crew but the response was just "sorry, we know its not good". No refund however. We would pay a bit more for an extra inch of legroom. No one could get out in an emergency, is it legal ? Not looking forward to the next trip if it is in a similar aircraft. Much better on Ryanair.

James999 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (20/09/2012 18:06)

Just returned from Sharm el Sheikh to Glasgow with Thomson Airways and I was pleasantly surprised by the flight (both ways)after the horrible flight I had last year to Gran Canaria which I reviewed. The plane was exactly the same layout as last year but this time I was able to choose seats 12B + 12C which are extra legroom and are the best seats on the plane as you are at the door exit and you have acres of space. Seat 12A is classed as NOT extra legroom but that is because of the box which contains the inflatable door shute. If you are able to book this seat without paying for it, it would be a bargain as all you have to do, is sit slightly to the right but you still have lots of room. The space in the seat is still limited but because of the legroom it is of little significance. In flight the crew worked very hard both ways serving 3 rounds of drinks and 1 snacks and 1 duty free, but they do have 5.5 hours to do it in. Thomson say this as short haul but in the small print they state anything over 5 hours is long haul. What's that all about? Come on Thomson make up your mind and make this long haul and give us more comfortable planes.

IANYOUNG3 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (20/09/2012 13:22)

Flew Thomson Airways to Heraklion Crete recently and it was the worst part of our otherwise lovely holiday.

Book your own seats - sorry that should read pay extra for the privilege of being you can't have the seats you want. I am not a great flyer but needs must, i wanted an isle seat with my wife in the middle. Blimey you would think we were asking the world. Absolutely no chance, I advised that i was not a great flyer, not interested.

Seats were ok but cramped but none more so than othres, but no flight entertainment.

Food was a disgrace, menu looked quite good oh but sorry sir at least 75% has run out.

Cabin crew did nothing to stop kids running up and down the isles.

Virgin and Easy Jet far better.

mum1948 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (13/09/2012 20:42)

Found this flight okay, the staff work very hard , but why do people wait till the staff get the trolleys out and decide to visit the toilet. Flew from Glasgow to Marmaris, it was okay but I had an aisle seat. The one gripe I have is the recline on the seats, some people keep it back the whole way and it makes it so uncomforable for the person behind them. No need for it on short haul flights, the person stitting in the middle seat next to me had the seat in front of her practically in her lap the whole way. Our flight was early arriving home which pleased everyone

joesheriff flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (08/09/2012 10:05)

Flew to Lanzarote last month and I really weren't looking forward to it reading some of the reviews but I was pleasantly surprised. The boarding was quick and orderly, staff were very helpful and courteous, food was adequate enough and the entertainment wasn't really needed on a night flight so overall 9/10.

alanjohntaylor flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A320 (02/09/2012 12:11)

I prebooked our seats in row 5, these turned out to be rubbish. They are situated right behind the old "Upper class" seats which have a curtain behind them obscuring the view to the front of the plane, and concequently the steward doing the safety drill. There are two windows, neither of which are easy to look out of. The plane was ex First Choice and needs something done to the inside, like renewing the seats. The walk at Gatwick North both to & from the plane is unaccepable.

Zac_287 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (01/09/2012 21:50)

Very disappointed with Thomson's service from Bristol to Palma. I've flown with Thomson a few times and found that most of the time they are fab. This time wasn't so good... And it was down to their terrible 757s which are very tired and... broken... The staff were good as always, but the plane was poor.

The outbound flight was about what I expected, seats ridiculously cramped and the crew were all sell sell sell, but that's about what I would expect from a short-haul holiday airline. There was no in-flight entertainment as you get on Monarch short-haul, but they got us there on time so no big deal really.

The return journey was pretty bad though - We boarded well over an hour late with no apology or explanation, then when we eventually got onboard we found it was an older 757 than we had on the way out, and that really did show. One of the toilets was out of action so that caused queues, and many of the seatbacks around the cabin would not stay upright for more than 15 minutes before slowly leaning back. A lot of the seat covers were ripped and I don't think the plane had been properly cleaned for a very long time. The whole aircraft was just very tatty, cramped and run-down.

I found that my seat (row 33) was cramped (more so than on the Thomson 737s or any Monarch aircraft), and the seat pocket was filled with rubbish and was very loose and not even holding its contents against the seat in front, making the legroom even worse...

The 757 fleet is letting the airline down in my opinion. They're trying to ram as many people in to the plane as they can with no thought for comfort. The (broken) seat pockets have adverts for their shiny new Thomson Dreamliners - Fine, but why are they not keeping the rest of the fleet up to date?

I've found Thomson have always been very good, but it looks like their 757s are a weak link.

KarenClarke flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (31/08/2012 15:00)

Flight from Birmingham to Kefalonia approx. 3.5 hours.

What a joke! It wouldn't be so bad being treated like cattle if they didn't rip you off. I say cattle because when you arrive to check in you are greeted with the longest queue I have ever seen for a flight. It transpires that Thomson make everyone queue in the same queue for all flights, no seperate check in desks for each destination. One poor couple who had left plenty of time to check in ended up missing their flight as the queue was so long, Thomson staff refused on more than one occasion to book them in in front of other passengers for different flights that were not leaving imminently, absolutely appaling customer service.

Reasonable flight price (not cheap) then they hit you with the extras, especially the luggage, it's bad enough that you are charged in the region of £50 for one case to go in the hold, it is even more of a joke that this is for 15kg allowance and they have the smallest hand luggage allowance of 5kg..To top it all off they lost it on the return flight!!

The seats on the plane would be adequate if there was enough legroom, they are so cramped that I could only just lower my table, it was not comfortable (I'm a size 18) when the person in front of me reclined their seat I had to put my table up as it stuck into me.

The best bit is they ask you to fill in a questionaire which is more about getting your details so they can try and sell you more overpriced junk, why does a travel company want to know if I'm interested in a conservatory?

charleyfish flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (18/08/2012 16:28)

Flew to and from LGW to Djerba in June with this airline. I had a shock as I've had more pleasant flights in a thunderstorm!

The area we went to was promoted as a "family destination", but seeing as we were going in term time for peace and quiet, nothing could have prepared me for the swarms of kids and prams that were obviously going to be our companions for the flight!
Nothing to do with the airline, but the boarding process was a nightmare, with ratty "adorable darlings" screaming and running around, whilst mums and dads either looked on adoringly, or totally ignored them.

Now we're tolerant to a point, but theres only so much noise we can take, and hence when we were in flight, the walkmans were soooooooooooooooo appreciated. The inflight staff were "sell, sell, sell" all through the flight, and even edibles had to be paid for; the usual tiny packets of snacks and pop cans sold individually at the same price as a 20 pack in the supermarkets.

Profit is definitely not a dirty word with package firms nowadays.
No IFE at all, and the sharper the elbow, the more space you acquired in the seat. legroom was ok, same throughout. Seating was 3 per side, and slippery leather seats ensured your knees always ended up against the seat back in front.

Return journey was worse. The flight was ridiculously early in the morning, and after waiting 2 hours in the boarding queue (not the airlines fault), people were hungry and crabby.
There were hardly any edibles to be had.

One couple who were really hungry and ordered a hot snack were told that nearly all of the supplies had been sold on the outward journey, and nothing was left, and so they had to go without. They were not happy, surely a company who are bent on selling even their granny's stockings for profit could have made sure that they had a supply of basic stuff for customers on return flights? It's like saying " sorry, we sold your seat on the way out, you've got to stand now"

Walkmans to the rescue again, the staff made no effort to curb some kids who liked to see how fast (and how loudly) they could reach both ends of the plane.

I know some people will scoff and say "well a package holiday, what did you expect?" I'll tell you what I expected. A level of service equal to the price I paid for the holiday.

VinceJackson flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (18/08/2012 13:21)

Flew Thomson again July 30th to ZTH and returned on the 6 August, on 737-800 'ZB' this is well over the 60th time I've flown Thomson (inc Britannia from 1969) and all I can say is the standards are as high as ever, ableit some cost savings have been made, food and IFE for example, but what airline hasn't?

Check in both ends very easy, smooth and quick, boarding fairly relaxed unlike LCC bunfights when the gate opens. Seats on NG B737 are comfy and certainly more leg room than all other charter or LCC. The aircraft was clean and fresh and the cabin crew were attentive and helpful.

Purchased on board food and drink (Pizza, Chips and a Tea) cost no more than I would have paid in terminal and was quite tasty.

Flight uneventful and 1st officer regularly updated passengers on route and likely views.

As I have mentioned above I have flown with this company since 1969 (1st Boeing 737 operator in the UK on G-AVRN) but not exclusively so I have experienced other Schedule and Charter operators and apart from BA I have not used anyone who can compete with Thomson on all aspects of a trip.

Long haul or short haul I cannot fault them and you don't become the biggest or oldest charter company despite all what has happened over the years with many falling by the wayside, but Thomson, just keep going.

Already Booked Mexico next year and fingers crossed it'll be on the Boeing 787 again another first for Thomson!

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (16/08/2012 18:17)

A 2.5 hour flight jammed in to row 27. Very disappointed to find that the In flight entertainment was switched off. The cabin attendant said that it has been withdrawn permanently on short haul flights. More lowering of standards !!
Checking in and boarding was very smooth and the food and service on the flight was good. Wife said that there was 1 toilet out of action and the other one smelled. Thomson, you need to raise your game.

KieranMcAndrew flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B767-300ER (328 seats) v4 (20/07/2012 16:27)

We flew from Manchester with Thomson this year as we usually fly from Leeds with Thomson, but this year they are using Air Europa for carrier to Majorca and previous year we flew from Leeds to Majorca and they used the Thomson 767.

Last year we had personal IFE on the 767 but now after 1 November they have stopped the iFE on all flights for short haul. I though Thomson are suppose to be getting better but I think they are getting worse since they ended there flights using Britannia Airways.

The seats are bad on the 767 short as 767 were mainly built for 2-3-2 not 2-4-2 so the seas were really narrow and cramped.

OlwynHindson flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-300 (19/07/2012 16:01)

Seats too narrow to get comfortable if you are tall and not enough leg room.should be entertainment to break up the boredom.People were standing in aisles drinking alcohol and got quite noisy but were not asked to sit. Staff were quite sullen and spent most of there time selling items

stephaniesebley flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v4 (18/07/2012 17:54)

Flew to Taba from LGW and returned 1 week later in July 2012.

Crew were helpful but the seat pitch was awful for a 4.5 hr outbound and 5 hr return flight. No entertainment, food was adequate but overpriced.

Airframe was old. Thomson management only interested in getting as many punters away to holiday destinations as possible without any thought for pax comfort: cattle truck springs to mind. People were having to stand in the ailses to relieve the aches and pains which would not be great if the aircraft experienced CAT. Won't bother with Thomson again

JoshTilbrook flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (08/07/2012 06:47)

Thomson airways short-haul no longer have ANY on-board entertainment!!!! A very boring flight. I had plenty of leg room but I only 5ft5 so has never been a problem for me!!! Food and drink very expensive on board so buy before you get on.

RussellAger flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (29/06/2012 10:41)

Just returned from Rhodes after a very enjoyable Thomson Holiday which was spoilt by one thing only, THE AIRCRAFT SEATING, we have been traveling for the past 20yrs up to three times a year but the experiance is getting worse, as previous reviews have stated the seating is becoming very uncomfortable due to the seat spacing.

At the very least we believe if seats have to be so close reclining ability should be removed, however we believe most if not all passengers would accept an increase in costs providing additional room was created.

We are booked to go to Skopolos with Thomas Cook in Sept. but find we are flying with Thomsonfly once again so are not looking forward to the flight element.

We also have been filling in surveys but feel the only element that is used is that of our personal details which are sold to others.

When will the powers to be at Thomson listen to their customers and improve the flying experiance once again.

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (25/06/2012 14:38)

I said it last year, but this will definately be the last time that I subject myself to being crammed into a Thomson 757.

I am not large, 5 ft 8 ins and 12 stone, but the 3 hour flight was just too uncomfortable, even when sitting in an aisle seat. How overweight passengers endure a flight, I cannot imagine. I checked out details of the 757 and discovered that most of the fleet are between 20 and 25 years old.

Apart from this, the Thomson service is mostly good, but the aisle mounted screens are not easy to see. Still better than nothing. Do Thomson ever take notice of the comments about leg room ?

LindaHarris flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (24/06/2012 19:32)

We flew to Cyprus in June 2011 - what a nightmare. The seats were cramped, hard and the most unfortable I have ever sat in! There was not even room to put the table down and we are not large people! I had my knees pressed against the seat in front so hard that when I was able to move after we taken off, I had pins and needles. Unfortunately, I am having to use them again to travel to Kefalonia with work and am dreading it!!

christophernicholson flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (23/06/2012 23:14)

If you are considering flying short haul with Thomson- and the company class a 4.5 hour flight from Cyprus as short haul- then I would advise you to think again or pay for one of the few extra leg room seats available.

The seat pitch is a miserly 28 inches giving a most cramped and uncomfortable journey. Any movement from the person in front causes that seat to press onto your knees. The tray for food and drink is jammed into you when this is lowered especially when the person in front is reclining their chair.

There is no inflight entertainment on 'short haul' flights to offer some distraction from the cramped conditions. The seats themselves were uncomfortable.

I have flown with many airlines but this was the worst experience of any by far. The overall feel was of cattle being herded into a cattle truck. I certainly will never fly with Thomson airways again to their short haul destinations.

cadcity flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (21/06/2012 20:33)

We took advantage of the "Day Before Check In" at Manchester Airport, this worked realy well, no hassle next morning 0415 straight to security great help with two young children.

Boarding was very well organised, not the usual stampede. Flight actualy departed slightly early with the captain giving regular updates. The cabin crew we're very pleasent and we had no "Pressure Selling".

We arrived ahead of schedule. The return flight was much the same with on time departure. People must remember that this is more or less a "low cost" airline so don't expect too much. Credit where it's due, all in all a good experience.

ameedog flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-300 (15/06/2012 13:20)

The cabin crew were very slow to help and uninterested is our requirements

famandrews flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (01/06/2012 14:14)

Out on 24/4/12 & back on 1/05/12 back on G00BN lost the outward code.

Having flown this route with Monarch in similar plane this was better. The wc seemed larger.
Out had middle seat 25b, OK I am 1.88 tall so I knew it would be cramped, however not too bad. Seat was comfortable. Return seat 26F aisle, the slimmest flight attendant seemed to knock into me every time she passed for some reason. The seat was comfortable.

No where to store things in the seat in front ie botlles, there is only a slim slot for inflight mags etc.

No inflight films - which I knew in advance there would not.
The food available did not look very exciting for the prices, if one has a food intolerance such as myself be sure to take your own supplies.

If you fly to Taba, make sure you are going to get on the bus transfer to the terminal building before stepping outside the plane, or you can be left waiting in the direct sunshine on the stairs for the buses to come back and it does get hot.

alancornwall flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (02/05/2012 15:28)

Flew Bristol to Las Palmas 23/4/12 and returned 30/4/12. Check in quick and boarding OK apart from having to stand at departure gate for 15 minutes without any seats for anyone. Plane Boeing 757, row33 seat pitch awful, i'm just under 6ft and could not put leg under seat in front. As plane was not full we had spare seat next to us so could stretch out a bit. On return seat pitch in row 14 seemed slightly better but still bad.

Travelled Exeter to lanzarote in Jan 2012, also with Thomson, on a new 737 and pitch was much much better.

No entertainment as usual, and on return flight from Las Palmas no hot drinks as the water taken on at LPA was undrinkable.

overall would try to use an airline with better pitch if available

Ivanho1 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (26/04/2012 12:02)

I traveled with Thomsons last year as it was a bargain and it saved me/wife and my kids some £600. But on the plane was dreadfull cramped conditions, no legroom kept elbowing my fellow travller and he me.

I decided to get out of my seat and stand up most of the way there and back. Most of the people on the plane decided to do what I did and before you knew it the aisles were blocked, people couldn't get to the toilet and the so called trolly couldnt get down the aisle either.

There was no entertainment the kids were bored filling in stupid cartoon coulors in a book, the drinks for the kids were outragious priced, and the coffee and tea was terrible you would get better in a lorry cafe.

Can't complain about the holiday it was great Thomson looked after us give them that credit. BUT THOMSON IF YOUR LOOKING AT THIS GET BIGGER SEATS IF YOU TAKE A FEW SEATS OUT PEOPLE WOULD PAY FOR THE LEG ROOM PLUS SAVE YOU FUEL AS THE WEIGHT WILL BE LESS AT TAKE OFF.

Im using Thomson this year to fly out not for the seats but it has saved me a few hundred quid this year on the holiday still if anyone is flying to Spain this year think this is only 2.5 to 3 hours of disscomfort e/wile suffer it again this year as the holiday was fair.

flyingsam flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (03/04/2012 13:20)

We flew doncaster (DSA) to Sharm el sheikh (SSH)

steandchris flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A320 (09/03/2012 16:45)

Travelled to Enfidha airport.. Tunisia. Flight on time both ways. Plane clean and crew very pleasant Only a 3hr 15 min flight. No entertainment on plane. Didn't buy any snacks as thought they were pricey and have tasted on other thomson flights. Plane did not seem to be as cramped as when travelling to Cape Verde again with thomson.

mikebrown8488 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (09/03/2012 15:00)

Flight to Egypt. Very cramped cabin, and Thomson has withdrawn all entertainment on these flights. Food cold, and the aircraft ran out of water, so no hot drinks!!

Jonesie2222 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (20/02/2012 12:40)

I am not given to posting comment but after a 5+ hour flight to Egypt from Gatwick and return I just cannot hold back.

Seat space is almost inhuman, there was no in flight entertainment, the principle purpose of staff is to sell food, drink, duty free, magazines etc which blocks the aisles and prevents access to the limited toilets.

I was in row 9 on the outbound flight and it was freezing cold, upon requesting temp to be increased was told rows 7-15 suffer from a known cold problem and turning heat up for them would be too hot in rest of cabin.

I know the companies are pairing back to be more cost competitive but they are nearly at the point where the seat size is too small to allow you to put your hand in your pocket to reach your money to pay for the goods they sell you whilst held captive. Was really impressed with the resort but distressed with the flight.

holidayoften flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (12/02/2012 09:43)

I have flown Thomson Airways many times over the last couple of years on board their Boeing 757-200, Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A321-200 aircraft, My review is general as I feel my points are the same regardless of the aircraft type.

If you are less than 5 foot 5 inches tall, less than 10 stones in weight with a waist size less than 30 inches and you have a neck like a giraffe (to view the screens) then you may find flying Thomson Airways a comfortable ride.

The vast majority of the UK adults and indeed some children are not, take a look around the high street for an overview of size and height. I am amazed by the flight producted offered by a company with the experience of Thomson, surely they can see from the people visiting their shops what the customers look like?

I have no problems with their aircraft selection, the age of their fleet or their safety record my complaint is soley based on their onboard comfort.

For the last 20 years I have been completing onboard questionaires and for 20 years I and everyone I know have been saying that the seats are too cramped yet companies such as Thomson have ignored these comments. 28 inches of leg room is less than the crampest train or bus seat so why they feel its acceptable in an aircraft I don't know. If a company like Thomson truley believe in their Customers opinions or a Holiday with YOU in Mind as per their TV advert then why are they treating us worse than cattle on their planes.

Thomson, Your loyal customers are deserting you for the increasing choice of low cost airlines who are offering cheaper deals to our favourite holiday destinations and will take us there in a much more comfortable seating configuration, the extra couple of inches of leg room that the low cost airlines provide makes all the difference and locking the seats upright reduces any conflict between passengers over reclining, which is really not required on short haul flights.

Thomson, wake up and smell your overpriced coffee !!!!

thomson???? flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (06/02/2012 18:11)

As others have said on here boarding was a free for all, in the past they have called row numbers but not this time.

The flight attendants spent that much time selling that you could'nt get to the toilets because of the trollies.

The worst thing about the return flight from Las Palmas Gran Caneria was the check-in, for some reason they tried to check 6 flights in at the same time through 7 desks, so when you did eventually get to the front of the queue (after queuing for 75 minutes) people were then pushed in front by the staff because thier flights were boarding.

The seats are not too bad but we pre-booked extra leg room having flown with them before and knowing how bad the normal leg room is.

James999 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (10/01/2012 20:06)

I travelled to Gran Canaria in Sept. 2011 and was appalled at the state of this plane. Cramped seating, herded onto the plane like cattle, disgusting food, staff only interested in selling you something, uncomfortable throughout flight, even though I had payed for extra leg room. In flight entertainment was ancient and awful and difficult to see from our seats, what's the point of buying headphones. Unfortunately going to Egypt 2012 and dreading that we get this type of plane again. Come on Thomson, spend some cash and get new planes

rsutton669 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (05/01/2012 11:38)

Boarding was a shambles, every man for himself as the entire flight was called to the gate at the same time. This meant when boarding, that people at the front or back of the plane, were having to wait for people who were heading to the middle.

No control over cabin bag sizes, some people appeared to have hold size bags as cabin bags. End result, the usual bun fight for space in the overhead lockers.

Seating was amongst the worst on a plane for a long time. Very cramped conditions, no leg room, and no chance of reclining the seat, unless you did not mind cutting off the blood supply of the passenger behind !

Food. In flight meals are no longer served by Thomson on short haul flights, not that I feel 6 hours qualifies as short haul !

I never thought I would find myself wishing for the return of in flight meals, but this would have been good by comparison to the disgusting muck being sold, we had bacon roll and out of curiosity, the bag of chips. Whoever sanctioned the food trolley, is surely in the wrong job and clearly does not care what the passengers receive, or has not tried eating it.

A number of fellow passengers demanded a refund - good work head of onboard food selection. Who employs these people ?

Nicko24 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A321 (01/01/2012 15:56)

sandrab flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (17/12/2011 19:20)

The flight was cramped, not enough legroom. Seats uncomfortable. No in flight entertainment for the 6 hour duration which is poor. Smelly toilets. Air hostess's appear to be sales staff nowadays and could not get a simple drink order correct.

hudson2000 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A320 (13/12/2011 15:12)

We have flown with Thomson several times and this flight was as good as our previous experiences. Flight went out and returned on time. Staff were helpful and courteous.

maspolamas flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (25/11/2011 15:45)

michellebc flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A320 (21/11/2011 08:06)

petey123 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (02/11/2011 11:22)

757 200 is very good plane but on good if you are a bit over weight cant move in your seat and cant even put aims up other wise hit other person

andymgriffin flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (30/10/2011 09:20)

Pleasantly surprised.

I'm 6' 4" and I managed quite easily to sit comfortably with my legs stretched out under seat in front.

I was amazed to be honest. Don't have any complaints about the flight both outbound and inbound. Food was also good, and no need to buy headphones for TV as normal mobile headphones fit the socket.

All in all very good. Both journeys also on time.

jacewiczkevin40 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (21/10/2011 13:35)

When it came to boarding I thought it was handled in a very bad way, everyone just stormed pushing past and pushing over little children to get to board first (although everyone had assigned seats), Thomson should start boarding by rows, for example rows 1-15 first then the rest.

As we boarded the Thomson 737 interior immediately stands out with the lovely leather seats. The cabin crew were very friendly and smiling.

I sat in seat 6A which impressed me with the legroom, the 737 seats had at least 50% more legroom than their competitors at Airbus such as the A319 and A320.

About 15/20 minutes after takeoff the cabin crew came around with meals for the people who pre-booked them, I was confused when the cabin manager (who was giving out the meals) gave meals to people in rows before me, and then missed me out, and went straight back to row 26, I couldn't quite see why when the meals are all the same. But anyway, the meals were very nice but I would expect something much better for the amount that they cost.

Half way into the flight cabin crew offerred us duty free, which consisted of a very good selection considering we were flying short-haul, you could even compare it to some large airlines duty free collections.

Landing at Ibiza on RWY 06 was very smooth by the two Captains, and disembarking was prompt and proffessional. I liked how a member of the cabin crew stood outside on the air stairs saying goodbye to you as well as the member of cabin crew inside.

Overall it was a great flight and I give it 8/10.

Penfold flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (19/10/2011 17:54)

We were looking forward to our honeymoon in Cape Verde, having booked with 1st Choice and promised the extra legroom of 33'' as this was classed as a long haul flight.

The 757-200 isn't suited to the 6.5 hr flight if you are of a heavier build and over 6', legroom is painful (not 33'') and the seats were narrow.

The flight we were on was full and it was cramped..even for shorter passengers (my wife is 5'2" and she found it difficult). Food was very poor (and only one paid for meal for such a long journey), school meals were better.

The duty free was pushed as the aircraft wasn't restocked in Cape Verde (so get it now while you can..).

Return flight was late, much the same cramped wise..the meal consisted of a small amount of pasta (more of this would have been better than....), sausage & mash, and a square of carrot cake.

The remainder of the duty free (from the outward flight) was pushed (and since there are limited chances to spend your money in Cape Verde...this was the last chance..)...

Next time we fly we will check aircraft.

westside flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A320 (15/10/2011 11:42)

hsouthworth82 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (09/10/2011 15:48)

Manchester - Dalaman Return September 2011. 757-200 Aircraft

We had pre-booked seats and meals which means that you get a choice of seats from the first 10 rows of the aircraft. Seats pre-bookable online about 12 weeks before departure. We sat in seats 7c and 7d. These were chosen specifically because my mum prefers the aisle seat and I hate the middle!

Outbound flight from Manchester did leave slightly late, but it seems that hardly any flights I go on recently ever seem to leave on time we always make it up on route. The same occured on the inbound, flight late in taking off from Manchester departed Dalaman over 30 minutes late, but arrived on time.

Seats were cramped as we have come to expect from all 'package' holiday flights these days. 757 aircraft seem to be by far the worst they pack them as tightly as they can get away with.

Cabin Crew friendly enough on both legs, although there was an accident during the meal service involving hot liquid. The stewardess involved was clearly very stressed but dealt with the incident appropriately. The cramped conditions on aircraft also affect the staff.

Food was usual fare, nothing really that edible. Thomson will not be offering pre-cooked meals from 2012 but will have a larger selection of sandwiches etc. on board to purchase. My advice go to Boots, buy a meal deal and eat that on the plane. As for water, an announcement was made that Dalaman airport is very expensive and we were advised to purchase water on board before landing as most people have long transfer times. Good advice - in theory bur for £1.60 a bottle, to then be offered water on board the transfer bus for 1 Lira a bottle (roughly 40p) I was a little peeved. Oh and they want you to buy all your alcohol on the outbound flight as they say they don't stock up upon arrival in Turkey and there is limited availability on inbound flights.

Inbound aircraft was old First Choice 757, space seemed even more limited, no comfort whatsoever for night flight, head and neck position on seats is awful. Who on earth designed the seats? A car seat gives higher levels of comfort.

Would I fly with Thomson Airways again? Probably, as we are all looking for the cheap deal on our holidays in the current climate and this is the price we pay. Is it right to treat people like cattle? No but for £535 11 nights 4* All Inclusive in Turkey I cannot complain too much.

danilees flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (05/10/2011 20:11)

Our flight was great although it was only a 2 hour flight & the plane had a few empty seats so as we were travelling with a toddler & a baby it made our life a lot easier.
The plane was clean & seats were comfortable, the flight attendants were lovely & offered their help when our toddler felt unwell.(he was fine just very tired)

KevinHuntley flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (26/09/2011 07:38)

Having pre-booked seating, on arrival at check in at both airports, Gatwick & Paphos, we were allocated completely different seats which we then had to go through the rigmarole of getting changed.

This was particularly most annoying at Paphos where we were told that the reason for changing our seats was so that a family group could sit together. If they wish to sit together, then they should pay like we had to. Why should we be inconvenienced. The check in clerk then managed to find us seats across the aisle from one another with, allegedly, extra leg room. This was only the case for one of the seats as long as you didn't mind other passengers tripping over your feet on the way to the toilet.

Baggage retrieval at Gatwick left a lot to be desired. 20 or so cases came off in the first 5 minutes then nothing for 15 minutes. Just what you need at 3 o'clock in the morning!!

CharlesMilligan flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (22/09/2011 06:49)

Flew to Rhodes from Cardiff on 21st August and returned to Cardiff on 15th September. Good flight both ways with early arrival on both legs. Comfortable flight both ways with attentive cabin crews

bobcaz2001 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (19/09/2011 07:22)

sueleetiggy flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (16/09/2011 07:06)

Why is it that Thomson charge you £15.00 for each seat you select and then you cannot have the seats you want?

Surely this is wrong.

TravelAlot flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (15/09/2011 15:53)

Flew Luton to Rhodes & back on one of the most uncomfortable seats, completely cramped and with no personal space, even less when the seat in front reclines back, it was impossible to sit without your knees apart an not have them pressing against the seat in front.

If you put your legs in the aisle, the crew rammed their trolleys into your legs, as they were concerned about selling, snacks, headsets, drinks etc. As we were sitting down the front, pre-booked seats together (we across the aisle as that was the only option available), row 7, there was no room in the overheads, as the crew placed their baggage there in preference to the customers baggage, other overheads had the old entertainment equipment in (rows 1-3) so no room furhter up the plane. Nice one Thompson

The on board pre-paid meal going out was supposedly BBQ Chicken, the smell was awful, the small piece of chicken breast was one that KFC wouldn't use as it was too small. The BBQ sauce was a strange colour, and that with the smell made it completely unappertising. The piece of chicken was like rubber. The starter, supposedly potato salad, was a lump of uncooked potatoe in mayo, the desert a dolop of lime jelly.

The return meal was even worse, I couldn't make out what the starter was meant to be, the main sausages & mash with onion gravy was tasteless and the desert was far too sweet to be edible, a complete waste of the £15 (each).

The on board entertainment was on old drop down screens with extremely fuzzy picture, repeatedly interupted by crew announcements for what they could try and sell you next.

The toilets were not cleaned between outbound and return journey, and they only provided limited towels so a couple of hours into the flight there were no paper towels left.

jil2822 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (15/09/2011 11:00)

Gran canaria Aug/sept flight, was a little worried as I had put on weight since my last flight, would the seat belt fit? would my hips fit i the seat? would the person next to me think god shes fat & splllng over, im a size 18 & there was no need to worry, the flight out was great the seats were very comfortable.

I had 6/7 inches over in the seatbelt, we had bought extra legroom & were boarded first lovely but this doesnt happen all the time as we found out on our return journey, we were just behind the toilets this did not effect us on the way out.

We took off about ten minutes later than expected so pretty much to time & it was a nice flight, childrens film for those who wanted to watch, we took our own drinks but bought a bag of maltesers £3.00 a little on the expensive side! Don't like the inflight meals so didn't purchase them, smell put me off.

Baggage arrived safe & sound in very little time. NOW coming home, the dreaded night flight , was different, smaller seats, smaller belts although thank god they still went round me, the seats were a little snug & I heard many people comment that they were smaller. Again though a comfortable flight,on time take off, we put the stewards chair down & put our feet up & went to sleep although had to have something over our eyes as the light from the toilet kept shining in ours eyes & it did get a little smelly!.

Again a film was on can't remember what it was as all I wanted to do was sleep. Landing great, baggage took forever to come out & both my cases were damaged, I know this can occasionally happen but both!? I intend to take it up with thomsons as they were both new.

Still fully recommend thomsonfly though, usually on time, reasonably comfortable, sort them small seats out on some of their planes, nice staff, would like first boarding to extra legroom seats all the time great idea!. All in all a great holiday.

SHAUNking flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (01/09/2011 18:37)

EXCELLENT SERVICE FROM START TO FINISH. CABIN STAFF VERY GOOD, FLIGHT MEAL NOT TO GOOD.
BOOKED EXTRA LEG ROOM WELL WORTH THE £50
WILL USE THOMSON NEXT YEAR FROM BOURNEMOUTH

jakeylewis2011 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v5 (30/08/2011 00:26)

FANTASTIC

Flew on there G-OOBF and G-BYAP This year, fantastic flight, fantastic service, Gatwick to alicante and back on an 757-200 = Fantastic
G-OOBF was ex FCA Delivered in 2004, very nice aircraft,, Extra leg room seats were very nice.

G-BYAP was built in 1994, lacked aircon units in the PSU's but had the recaro seats, very nice for extra leg room, its a shame we didnt have a TV right in front of us like we did on G-OOBF but it was a nice flight, we had 2 medical emergencys on the way back and the crew dealt with the fantasticly by the looks of it.

jakeylewis2011 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A321 (30/08/2011 00:15)

FANTASTIC
Flew on there G-OOPE and G-OOPH last year, fantastic flight, fantastic service, Gatwick to alicante and back on an A321 = Fantastic

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (27/08/2011 12:54)

Last year, I commented on the appaling state of the "veteran"Thomson B757,s which transported me to and from Croatia.

I have just returned from a similar trip and must say that I am disturbed by the dripping aircon and the apparently regular occurance of unusable toilets. For a company that provides top class reliable holidays, someone must realise that these over-used 757,s are well past their sell by date. Yet again, I had the pleasure of being jammed in, next to an obese woman, whose hips covered the armrest !!

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (27/08/2011 12:44)

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (27/08/2011 12:43)

smirky2004 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (12/08/2011 20:53)

Flew Thomson Airways 757-203 short haul Manchester to Dalaman TOM 628
The plane was old just been moved from Tui Nordic 28" pitch cramped and very uncomfortable. This I must say has to have been the most unenjoyable flight ever. I am not a giant but I struggled for leg room.

mutmit07 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (04/08/2011 19:39)

I travel with Thompson airways on a yearly basis as I book my holidays through their sister company, first choice!

We usually go in and around europe, so a flight no longer than 5 hours! so short haul!
when you get onto the plane, the cabin crew are extremly friendly and take you to your seat if needed, they are great with kids, sitting them towards the front of the plane to make toilet trips easy, and also so kids dont get blocked by the trolley when needing to go to the toilet.

During the short haul flights there are overhead luggage stores, for good storage room, also there is up to a 26" leg room, as standard, the most i have had is a 35", but we sat at the very front of the plane as allocated, we diddnt have to pay any extra!

There are overhead TV's to every 5 rows of seats, hard to see in some circumstances, but find the right position to sit in and seeing will be easy. Sleeping is hard, as the seats do go back, but only a little and when they go back the people behind dont have much room and sometimes complain!

As for entertainment, there are in seat radios and a movie on each way, after the movie a TV show such as friends or the simpsons comes on for the remainder of the flight! great entertainment.

As for safety, for fifteen minutes before you take off the cabin crew go through safety to a vigourous extent, and they show a rather funny video of kids showing safety procedures, the aim of this is to entertain people, and make the safety regulations stick in your head, also there are safety leaflets in the seat compartment of the back of the seat in front of you.

Food is good, great for the price, and considering the conditions, the food and drinks form the cart are great, bit pricey but what do you expect! also the shop, you will find a catalog in the seat wallet which takes advantage of non tax items and exchange rates!

Staff are so friendly and do a great job, great with kids!!!

Only ever one problem, four toilets, only two were working after being blocked, which meant having to go to the back!!! but not to problematic!!!

Great flight, I reccomend. people who rate them bad must have had a very bad experience!!! or are just very hard to impress! its not the Hilton in the sky, but definetly not far off!

DevonRob flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A320 (01/08/2011 16:26)

Very poor experience, from arrogant lack of service at Exeter airport to poor seating on aircraft. Given you have to pay for the food the least they could do is try to make it edible. Unfortunately they are the only choice for EXT/MAH. So next year we will choose a different holiday destination

holsetc flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (13/06/2011 12:32)

Hello, I am new to this site after searching for seat plans for our upcoming holiday to costa blanca in August. However I felt that I should say that me and my husband have never had anything other than first class service from Thomsons with all the holidays we have booked. We book holidays in the traditional way at the travel agents and only venture to the spanish costas but there has never been a time when we didnt have excellent service and seating. The flights have only been a couple of hours so I cant comment on longer flights but our seating has always been comfortable and the Thomson service exceptional.

matthewlovesplanes flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (13/06/2011 06:25)

Here is a correction from your review DurhamLad the boeing 767 is called the Luxury Liner the boeing 787 is called the DreamLiner

Review:
We was on a flight from Manchester - Cape Verde
(Bad) (G-BYAY) and (G-OOBH)
No 1. There was no AVOD Systems in the back of seats on a 6 hr flight.
No 2. The overhead screens were very hard to see
No 3. The 2 toilets in the front was blocked so we had to go right to the back of the plane to get to the toilets.

Good
No1. The kids are seated in the front of the plane rather than the centre which means its faster to get to the toilet
No2.By getting the kids in the front of the plane it is more easier to escape in a emergancy.
No3. Hardly any Turbulance on any of the B757's I have been on with thomson.

matthewsavah flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v4 (18/05/2011 19:13)

Me and My wife and my 2 children have just returned from Cape Verde.

The flight was alright and it was really great service because first we did not know we had prebooked seats but it turns out on every flight with thomson now have free prebooked seats for kids so very great service.

We came from Manchester Airport I would have thought that it would have been cramped and we would have been somewhere in the middle of the plane so really great service!

strathmore flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B767-300ER (328 seats) v4 (11/04/2011 18:50)

We flew from Montego Bay to Gatwick on a Thomson 767 having paid for premium seats . We were seated in row 2 which has a bulkhead immediately in front of it providing less legroom than in an economy seat. An uncomfortable fight and a waste of the extra cost.

RichardDavies flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A320 (03/04/2011 11:53)

My wife and I booked on-line for a Thomson flight from Exeter Airport to Madeira Airport in March 2011 and paid for reserved seats and meals.

Check-in at Exeter was quick and trouble-free, except that the seats we were allocated were not the seats we had reserved - the seats we were given were a few rows further back, over the wing.

Seat-pitch was minimum - knees hard against the seat-back in front.

Push-back and take-off were on-time and the flight was smooth with very little turbulence.

Cabin-crew were young, smiling and helpful, with a lot to do.

The meal was quite good - small pot of ice-cold chopped mango; small tub of orange-juice; omelet and tomato with mashed potato; roll and Flora; small tub of chocolate pudding; tea or coffee.

Entertainment - a film to watch, with purchased earphones.

Interesting and helpful flight commentary from the Captain.

The four-hour flight-time seemed to pass quickly; to the pre-landing safety announcement, a curving descent, and a firm landing on the short and "challenging" Funchal runway.

andreas07 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (24/01/2011 18:18)

We had a great time in Cyprus last year folllowing my last review and this May will be flying with Thomson to Corfu from Gatwick Airport. I'm sure it will be great. I'd just like to thank www.seatplans.com, because of this website it has straightened out confusion and is a great asset to any holiday!

thefirstchild flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (03/01/2011 13:04)

I was travelling on a B757 from London Luton, to Lanzarote Arreciffe.

The airline had properly crammed in the max number of seats. Even though there were still spaces for toilets and kitchens.

The plane didn't have air vents, that's a big problem in Lanzarote as it's boiling, especially in the winter compared to English weather:

Weather in England -7 degrees, heavy snow falls.

Weather in Lanzarote 25 degrees, some very sunny spells

Another problem was the currency exchange on board:

Thomson's answer £10 or EUR15 Right answer £10 or EUR11.50

But good recline, comfortable seating, friendly service, OK value for money, (apparently), good toilets and nice food.

The B757 was the most suitable Boeing, maybe even of any sort of aeroplane to fly on to the Canary Islands.

peterSH flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (05/11/2010 17:23)

Newcastle to Larnaca Sunday 05/09/10

Boarding prompt by Bus from gate. flight ready to push back 15 mins early, no problems with finding pre booked seats.

Cabin crew helpful, pleasant and efficient. Seating cramped but good ergonomics helped make it bearable.

More room on Easyjet and Flybe but infinitely better than the awful Thomas Cook short haul option.

Pre-ordered meal was poor, worse than expected, although our 3 year old grandaughter seemed to enjoy hers

Cabin service good although the single aisle layout is a pain if you need to use the toilets. 757 seems rather dated now.

Overall better than I had anticipated but 4.5 hours is just about the extent of toleration of this format. Bring on the "Dreamliner" although I doubt it will never be used shorthaul from Newcastle.

Julia512 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (22/10/2010 19:46)

TOM312 flying from Newcastle (NCL) to Dalaman (DLM) on a First Choice 757-200 in seat 15F. Boarding was very punctual, the cabin crew looked a bit bored to be on the flight. We got a meal of chicken, mash and veg, some pasta, a lemon cheesecake and a bread roll with butter with a choice of tea or coffee and a small chocolate. Thomson's 'snack boxes' are very good, they have hula hoops, chocolate fingers, crackers, water biscuits, pate and cheese. There was TV's in the cabin, not on the seatbacks. Leather seats, not the most comfortable.

ericmiles flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (17/10/2010 15:58)

Checking and boarding was good but once on the plane it is a different story. I am 6ft 1in and of a large build both outbound and inbound were extremely uncomfortable no leg room,table cutting into stomach,. There was a constant queue for the three toilets and the overworked cabin staff were having to go backwards and forwards to let people through. This was a five and a half hour flight so i think they should look at upgrading this flight to a larger more roomy plane

JoanneMuddeman flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (10/10/2010 19:44)

My partner and I have just returned from Dubrovnik, flying outbound and inbound on a B757-200.

My partner is 6 feet 5 and so he found the seating extremely cramped. As it is a short flight, we didn't feel it was worth the £50 to buy 'extra space' seats, but the normal seats really were cramped.

I am 5 feet 6 and although I had enough room I still felt 'hemmed in'. We were in seats 35 A and B outbound and 35 E and F inbound, which made leaving the plane at Gatwick long-winded, as we disembarked through the front of the plane.

Generally, service-wise, Thomson Airways are fine - boarding was on time and speedy at Gatwick and also fine at Dubrovnik. We had one drinks service, one meal service and one Duty Free service as the flight is only 2 hours 30 minutes.

There was a fair amount of traffic up and down the aisle however as we were near the toilets, and with only three toilets for approximately 240 passengers they got a lot of use!! As ever, snacks and drinks over-priced and fairly mediocre in content.

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (22/09/2010 13:10)

Just back from Croatia on a 24 year old B757(AT). 235 seats and just 3 toilets, just ain't enough ! The seats didn't seem too uncomfortable at 28 in pitch, but there seems to be a lot more "well padded" people flying these days.(Always sitting next to me !) How they would get out in an emergency, I cannot guess. The flight crew were very busy and efficient and fed and watered a full plane very well. Generally, Thomson are still a good company, but surely its time to invest in some 757 replacements. If Mr O'Leary can, surely Thomson can.

bazzsmith flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (19/09/2010 10:50)

Hi, as a family of four we went to Gran Canaria from Luton on 30th August for a week. When we checked in i asked what plane it was and when they told me it was a Boeing 737-800. Being over 6'2" i thought i would be in for a uncomfortable flight but was really surprised with how much room there was. The crew in and outbound were 1st class and apart from some numpty having a fag in the toilet on the way out, the flights were excellent. Thomson Airways.......consider yourself recommended. The Smiths

connorclusker flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-800 (28/08/2010 23:44)

Hey guys : )

We flew out from London Gatwick (LGW) to Sharm el sheikh with Thomson airways for a week. We flew out on a B737-800 which was very roomy. The flight was half full which was a bonus! At the Airport we paid that little extra for more leg space and we were seated at the very front behind the front galley. And to be honest what a disappointment. It was basically a wall blocking you from the crew which left you unable to stretch your legs. As the flight was half full we were able to move around the cabin and sit with friends. our friends were in the down behind us and to be honest they had more leg room than us and we paid for extra! The crew were extremely friendly and offered us food and drink and duty free regularly. Boarding was swift and quick and we will definitely be flying with Thomson again!!

Jazznoz flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (21/08/2010 21:21)

Recently, I went to Spain with my family, and had to travel with Thomson Airways. I was dreading the fact that the flight was going to be cramped, tiring and uncomfortable; this was because of the review I had read on this website about the airline.

But having travelled with Thomson Airline and being a 6ft passenger, it was roomy and I had enough space to feel comfortable. The seats are also leather, with is an added bonus :)

On the other hand, the staff continually travelled up and down the aisles, continually asking us to purchase something from their beautifully crafted catalogue with sophisticated, innovative and awe-inspiring items, which would delight you in many ways, that would be correct if they had it in stock; this was a great disappointed to the passenger.

On the brighter side, there was decent entertainment with TVs, which were located above the aisles, which was unlike the sophisticated TV's behind your seats with individual you see on other airlines, but for a short haul flight it wasn't bad. What’s more, don't forget to bring your own headphones, as they will charge you to use one of theirs - just remember, it’s ‘Thomson Airways’ who are known for charging for everything, so they can get their hands on your money.

But on the whole, Thomson Airways are a great airline to fly with, especially if you're flying short haul.

lindylou42 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (17/08/2010 15:41)

The seats were cramped and providing you are a midget you will be okay.

Comfort non-existent and in flight meals absolutely rubbish and entertainment no longer on seat backs.

Very poor quality to fly in and animals are treated better in transit. Bring back the bigger legroom and stop charging for comfortable seats and extortionate prices. If you become budget then charge budget prices.

Short haul flight to Turkey? 3hrs in the air I do not class as short haul.

lindylou42 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (17/08/2010 15:34)

peoplesonrules flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B767-300ER (328 seats) v4 (22/07/2010 13:09)

Boarding of the flight was slow and innefficiant, it took about 20 minutes to board. However, once we were aboard, we didn't have to wait long for the push back. The seats, are stupidly small, the boeing 767 is meant to be in a 2-3-2 configuration, but Thomson have the configuration at 2-4-2, so the seats had no width, and it had no legroom. The cabin crew were unusually useless, they didn't take a blind bit of notice of you, and I had to chase one for some headphones half way up the aircraft!!!! Prices were very expensive, you had to buy headphones for the IFE for 2 pounds 50, and you couldn't even use your iPod headphones, as the socket was different. The IFE, however, was very good for a 4 hour flight. They had personal T.V's, but without AVOD. It had about 10 movies, severel T.V channels and games. so at least I was entertained. Overall, I wouldn't fly Thomson aain

InterestedObserver flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (20/07/2010 14:01)

This time we were seated in row 8, at the front half of the aircraft. The leg room seemed the same as we had in row 13, but the seats were nicer cream-coloured leather. The food was good - obviously you only get it if you are flying with one of the operaters that offers it as part of the package price or have pre-paid, but the kids seemed happy with their meals (macaroni cheese, kit kat, yoghurt, apple juice drink).

InterestedObserver flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v3 (20/07/2010 13:58)

We flew with Thomson on a B757-200 to Preveza from London Gatwick. The seating was 3-3 beginning at row 2 at the front on the right and then row 3 on the left, with the emergency exit coming after row 11. We were seated after the first emergency exit (ie: the door through which you board). The version 3 plan here looks to be the closest to it. The reason why it;s important is that if you are sitting in the rows immediately aft of that doorway (ie: rows 13 like we were), you can immediately tell that the seats in row 13 ABC have more leg room than 13DEF. We noticed it because we were swopping to look after the kids. The rows then go back all the way to row 32 which is the last row. The flight was on time, the staff were good and we had no complaints (apart from the lack of leg room, but then, it was less than three hours. The inflight entertainment is on a screen overhead and you have to buy the headphones we didn't). It was the Sherlock Holmes film, which is pretty good (both the film and the fact they were offering it).

shirleyvalentine flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (01/06/2010 12:35)

We booked last minute to go to Zantes on 18 May 2010. No trouble booking in at Stansted on outbound journey (apart from booking-in lady cocking up the boarding passes).

Arrived at airport in Zantes to fly home. Man on desk could not find our booking, even though we all had the return papers from Stansted! Eventually found our party. Details had not been entered on correct part of the computer. That sorted out, he then gave us 6 boarding passes, 2 each for 3 members of our party and none for the other 3!. By the time he had sorted that out, we were not sitting together as requested. An English lady working on the check-in helped him to give us the right boarding passes, but we had to wait till we were on the plane to be seated together. The man on the check-in didn't know what he was doing, and a saying comes to mind - he couldn't organise a p**s up in a brewery!

starfish87 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (25/05/2010 13:45)

One word: awful.

OUTBOUND We were lucky enough to fly to Luxor on an Thomsonfly longhaul 757-300, which was a real bonus as we were only meant to have a 757-200. This was a very nice plane with a good standard of service. The flight attendants were regually seen and were helpful. Only criticism was that it was 45 mins late to depart.

INBOUND We found out this was an ex-First Choice plane. It was very very cramped. I am 5'1" and my partner is 5'6" and we felt trapped...I felt very sorry the taller people. The air conditioning system was not working correctly and began to drip on me. all of the toilets were broken.

I complained to the cabin crew who told me that we were meant to be flying on a long-haul plane, but because everyone who was flying was economy they didn't need to send the bigger plane.

boxingclever flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (14/05/2010 11:56)

London to Dalaman May 7th 2010

Wow where do I start?

I have just returned from a holiday to Turkey, I booked a last minute package deal via Thomas cook, cheap and cheerful just a quick getaway, therefore my expectations were not hugely high. Despite this the Airline Thomas cook are easily the worst I have ever seen in dozens and dozens of flights in my lifetime.

I paid £30 for extra legroom seats, which to be honest was more out of necessity than just a requirement for a bit of extra space. The seats are so closely crammed together that I would go as far as to say its impossible to fit in if you are anywhere over 6.4, I am 6.7, so you can only imagine.

Once on board I saw something I have never seen before, the cabin crew constantly going up and down the aisle non-stop trying to sell things, 3 or maybe even 4 times might be acceptable in 4 hours, but I am amazed to say it was more than 30 times! Queues were building while access to the toilets was blocked with the trolley making it impossible to pass. In fact so much was made of selling as much alcohol as they could that two over-zealous customers actually were picked up by police at the end and escorted out of the airport, hardly surprising really though is it?

While the Cabin crew were friendlyish it just looked like a complete mess, I am surprised they hadn't found a way to charge for breathing!!!!!

alexblfc flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B767-300ER (328 seats) v4 (04/05/2010 16:34)

I flew TOM652 LGW-SSH on the 11th May 2009. The flight was due to leave at 13:55 but was delayed for around 45 minutes because of an engine worry. The boarding was excellent, the cabin crew showed us our seats and were very helpful.

Unfortunately, i couldn't enjoy my flight very much as there was a very loud group just behind us, of which one of them was sleeping with their bare feet poking out from underneath my seat; which isn't the nicest sight you can see at 35,000ft.

I felt slightly disappointed with the cabin crew as they seemed to just ignore it even though these people were letting their kids through yoghurt pots around and colouring on the side of the plane, and for some reason didn't seem to take much notice when one passenger decided to down a pint of beer and spilling it on other passenger's laps. Apart from that though the flight was ok, except for the heavy turbulence we encountered over southern italy.

The flight back was much more relaxing though, as we had a night flight and luckily the loud passengers were all fast asleep!

andreas07 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (14/04/2010 21:30)

I have flown with thomson quite a few times now and am constantly impressed by the service and effeciency of the cabin crew and the staff at London Luton Airport. This year in May I am again flying with a Thomson 757-200 Outbound and a Thomson 737-800 Inbound, and to be honest with you, can't wait!!!!!

FrequentGolfer flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (05/04/2010 08:21)

Hurghada to Manchester (return to the flight just reviewed). Happened to be in a good queue at Hurghada. The other queue had a lot of snorkelling equipment, all of which had to be paid for as excess baggage, which held up that queue. The check-in staff have to hand you a visa card to leave, which no one explained, but had to be filled in and taken to the immigration people. Fortunately our tour rep waited and told us what to do.

You had to force your way through other queues waiting for other check-ins to get to the immigration booth. Once there it was quick, probably because people didn't know you had to do this.

You went through security twice, but you were whizzed through so fast they couldn't care less what you are bringing on board - I carried through bottles of water, toiletries etc....

We had buses out to the aircraft and took off a little late. The pilot got mixed up with the times in the UK and panicced everyone about when we were going to land.

We were sitting in the middle of the plane and again, had to wait ages for service, everyone ordering double because the trolley would only come twice, but at least the problem of going either forward past one trolley or back past another was simplified as the toilet forward was out of order.

We had booked through Saga which meant we had pre-paid for food but was told that it hadn't been ordered. They went off to check, and realised there were lots of us on board. So they gave food to those others who had pre-paid and then came back to us. They were very apologetic and it wasn't their fault. They were exhausted but didn't lose their tempers. The food was quite good - sausage and mash and sticky toffee pudding.

You buy even soft drinks - a gin and tonic is £4.50. Duty Free also is an added stress on the crew (though I imagine they make money from this - and some people were spending £60+)

The landing was 25 minutes late and was very heavy (like crashing, but without injuries). We were parked miles from the baggage reclaim at MAN and none of the travelators weren't working. You want to see the old sufferm hang around here. When we got to the end, we saw the wheelchairs just being taken out to the plane so they would have still been waiting on board.

Worst thing: very little leg room. Best thing: on time(ish) and bags not lost.

FrequentGolfer flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 (05/04/2010 08:03)

MAN to Hurghada. Boarding at Manchester was quite slow. The seating was very tight. The flight was full. We asked if we could buy seats with extra leg room but the lady said no.

We were seated in the middle of the aircraft with service coming from both the front and the back. That means you get served last and you are always trapped between these two trolleys if you want to leave your seat. It's a five and a half hour flight and because the service was so slow there was an announcement to the effect that since it was unlikely the trolley would have time to make a second run, we should buy everything we need in one go. Of course this then slows the process down further, as does people trying to go to the toilet but unable to pass the trolleys as they inch their way along an incredibly narrow aisle. You don't expect a lot for a flight like this yet the reality manages to underwhelm even these low expectations.

The service was pretty indifferent on the way out. We would not fly Thomson again if we could void them.

andyjames flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B757-200 v2 (05/10/2009 08:42)

Just been to Pula from BHX. Outbound flight in ex First Choice B757 (G-OOBI) row 22. I am only 5ft 8ins, but the legroom was far to cramped. (28").

On return flight Thomson B757 (G-BYAH) legroom in row 18 still tight but the seats were shaped to give more room.

Cabin Crew service was ok but be aware, if you buy an gift item on the way out and it is found not to work, the crew will not exchange it on the return flight. It has to be sent to Customer Services.

UflyRight flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A320 (13/09/2009 16:07)

This A320 was the most comfortable A320 I have ever been on. There is more room on it than the ones operated by Thomas Cook and Monarch airlines. The ex-First Choice crew were funny and friendly to everyone. The sevice was great too.

ptimbers flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a A320 (21/08/2009 13:35)

The seats were too close together, there was no leg room and the journey was very uncomfortable. Although I had an aisle seat I could not stretch my leg out because the asile is so narrow there's barely enough room for one person to get by.

camholgate flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul, on a B737-300 (16/08/2009 09:21)

Flew to and from Santorini. Aircraft was old and rattled alot but the seating was quite comfortable but the seats don't recline and the legroom is tight. and cabin crew were friendly. On a 4 hour flight, it got slightly boring as the aircraft doesn't have in flight entertainment. As this was 2 years ago, i don't know if this has changed. Boarding was good and the food and drink is cheap.

nwbber43 flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (21/06/2009 09:52)

Despite years of travelling on charter airlines theres still that bone numbing resignation as i board and see the tiny amount of space available to my 6ft 3inch 230lb frame. OK,so im a bodybuilder,and bigger than most,and realise that nothing in life is free,but even another inch extra legroom cant be too much trouble to implement? Manchester-Gran Canaria,around 4 hours is the absolute maximum i can tolerate.

castleboy flew Thomson Airways Short/medium-haul (05/06/2009 15:36)

flight no TOM1706 on Sunday 21st June to Paphos flight no TOM1707 on Sunday5th july to Glasgow