laciaboots flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (10/05/2012 20:19)

Out bound from Newcastle to Florida 9 hours only came around twice with drinks trolly, I get 2 rounds on a 4 hour flight, bearing in mind you are supposed to drink loads of non alchoholic drinks on long haul for dvt.

Inbound was an evening flight only 1 round of drinks, I rang for service I was told to come to the back of the plane to get served when I got there all the staff were sitting reading magazines.

I was told on a night flight they only come around once as people are sleeping , that is fair enough but should they not get off their a*** and actually serve you instead of passenger having to go back and forwards when staff do not seem to be bothered. But that still does not explain why they only come around twice on a daylight journey.

It is disgraceful and not acceptable in either journey, after I got drinks they shouted over tannoy anyone wanting drinks please come to the back of the plane, ha that really helped people sleep

helenbeer flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (07/05/2012 14:43)

Outward bound flight very good.

Return journey commenced with cabin crew 'ordering' everyone to sit down quickly or we would be LATE ! maybe they should have boarded us on time not 20 mins before we should be taking off.

The cabin crew were abrupt and much less helpful than on the outbound flight.
Very quickly into the flight a pilot call came for Nurses and Doctors, eventually we had to make an emergency landing in Bermuda for the sick person to be med-evacuated from the plane (hope hes ok).

We had a long (3 hour) wait on the runway, there was no availability/offer of any refreshments etc so this was quite unconfortable.

I know its not Thomsons fault when this happens, but do think they need to think about how they deal with other passengers in this kind of situation (we had a diabetic chap near us who himself would have been ill due to not eating had his partner not insisted some sustinance was got for him).

metro122f flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (12/03/2012 00:21)

Flights from Newcastle to Barbados (in G-DBLA) and return (in G-PJLO) were very comfortable.

In 2-3-2 formation there is plenty of width and seat pitch. Both aircraft are ex First Choice and remain in their livery. The seats are large and comfortable and a pleasure to fly in, the interior is clean and pleasant, despite their age.

Food was good in parts and the service was excellent, especially on the outbound flight, where the staff appeared happy throughout the flight.

Nothing wrong with the return crew, but it was an overnight flight.

speedbird1 flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul (08/01/2012 20:36)

the service was good tv's were small and earphone slot wold'nt work properly this is really annoying on a 5 1/2 hour flight! :l

stidworthycarole flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul (07/12/2011 15:32)

Flying to Egypt with Thomson airways and back, found the flight cramped to say the least. The aircraft are to small for a five and a half to six hour duration, also meals have been discontinued, the menu to buy on board is nothing but junk food not enough variety, and expensive. On our return journey drinks were only served once during a six hour flight!

elaineblondabe flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (29/11/2011 10:49)

We went to Cyprus on this plane. The seats were so comfortable and the legroom was amazing my husband is 6 ft 4 and he had plenty of legroom.

We have 2 holidays a year and look forward to the flight, when we boarded this plane I was shocked how big it was and that each seat had a tv screen to watch telly, play games, which passed the time away, even the children were happy none saying i'm bored.

We are booking again to go to Cyprus next July. I'm taking my mother and father in law. I hope they put this plane on as it will make travelling a comfortable experience and I love flying and planes any kind, so could you put the 767 300 on please.

arnieg2 flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul (21/11/2011 16:17)

deadmemories flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (11/09/2011 16:30)

Manchester - Sanford 25th August 2011

Out-bound

TOM 168 (767-300ER)v2 (with winglets) (row 19)

Check in was quick and easy, the pre booked seats came up straight away without any problems, very polite. the plane was an ex first choice livery, the legroom was perfect and also the personal in flight entertainment was a real bonus.

Boarding was easy even though we were last to board, the pre booked seats were excellent and the row behind was the extra legroom seats, therefore nobody behind was kicking and jolting your chair. However, if sitting near the window on this row, beware it can become very cold as is located next to the emergancy exit door near the wing. Take off was smooth.

Soon after take off the cabin crew ask if you wish to upgrade your inflight entertainment for £5, for this you recieve 3 extra movies and the ability to play/pause/fast forward, i did not bother witht the upgrade as i was happy with what is available, the in flight games passed the time. Headphones were free outbound. My radio did not work on my outbound flight, however, my neighbour was obliged to me let me use theirs. Around 2 hours into the flight, the hot meal was served, a choice of steak stew or bbq chicken, both served with a potato salad and a key lime pie desert. The meal was okay nothing spectacular. In my opinion the meal was served too early.

The seats were comfy enought to sit however, I found it impossible to sleep, it was far too awkward. Around an hour and a half, the second meal was served, it was a small cheese and pickle sandwhich, i found this extremly dry and bland, it was very small, frankly i would not have been bothered if i was served this or not, very disapointing. The flight was very bumpy, with a lot of turbulance, however, it was the same time as hurricane irene was about to hit the usa coast. The landing into Sanford was very bumpy as we seemed to hit the runway and bounced back up and down again, the pilot apologised and blamed 'unexpected wind'. The flight took off and landed on time and the crew were polite and helpful.

Inbound - (without winglets)

Check in was very slow at Sanford, however, Thomson staff were not checking us in, it was sanfords own staff. We were offered premium upgrades for £75pp, we refused as we did not find it nessicery. Looking at the plane from inside the airport, it looked very tacky and it had no winglets, i was very cautious about the interior was going to like.

We boarded early and found out that the flight would only take 7 hours 40mins back to manchester. My doubts were quenched when we boarded, i found the interior better than the outbound journey. We were given a free Daily Mail when we boarded the plane which i thought was a nice touch. We departed ten minutes early and once again take off was smooth.

On the out bound journey the headphone packet said 'take me on holiday with you and use me again on the reurn flight' however, at the end of the outbound flight, the headphones were collected by cabin crew. On the return flight the cabin crew announced that headphones would be £2.50pp which was not very pleasing, once everybody explained the situation the cabin crew gave out headphones for free. My full in flight entertainment was working and i found the radio entertaining and llistened to it for most of the journey.

Two hours into the flight our hot meal was served which was a choice of cheese and spinarch pasta or grilled chicken, each served with a very appatising looking salad and a very sickly chocolate cake, i chose the pasta, i found it very bland and could only eat a small amount, The meal was very disapointing. After the meal the pilot annouced he was going to turn the cabin lights off for people to rest, however, the flight was very bumpy as we flew over the atlantic and he kept turning the cabin lights on as the seat belt sign kept going on and the cabin crew needed to check the belts were on and had to wake people up to see if they had their belts on, as soon as the crew finished the seat belt sign was removed and once again the cabin lights were turned back off, however, within a couple a minutes, the process was repeated, it occured around 4-5 times, it was very difficult for people to rest. At this time hurricane katia was turning in the atlantic.

Around a hour and a half before landing, our second meal was served which consisted of a croissant and a cherry youghurt. bearing in mind it was around half 4 - 5 olock in the morning, it was very unnessicrery and many tired passenged refused it. Once a again it was very bland and tasteless. We landed very smoothly compared to the arrival in Sanford, we were half an hour early than arrival time.

Overall I think Thomson airways is a very good long haul flight with the legroom and personal in flight entertainment and also the little gestures such as the newspaper. However the in flight food was very disapointing, but punctuality and service is top notch and i would definatly recomend this company to anyone travelling long haul.

gazman64 flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (25/07/2011 20:33)

samuelmorris flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (19/05/2011 00:34)

Flights were TOM138 MAN-SFB 18-Apr-11 and TOM159 SFB-MAN 03-May-11.

Flight was planned to be the seatplan selected (283-seat v3 767) on the outbound flight, and the 258-seat v2 on the return journey.

At check-in we were informed that due to a fault with the allocated aircraft we were allocated a small plane and thus had to make a fuel stop in Maine, additionally that the flight would be delayed by 1 hour.

Realising that the only aircraft in the Thomson fleet smaller than the 767 are not long-haul, I knew we were in for an uncomfortable flight. Upon reaching the gate my suspicions were confirmed - the aircraft outside was G-BYAY, a short-haul 757-200.

Additionally, we were told for 'safety paperwork' reasons (ETOPS perhaps?) we'd have to wait longer at the gate. The flight ultimately set of 2h30 late, and we would much rather have spent the extra hour and a half in the departure lounge.

Including a 53 minute stop in Bangor, ME, the total flight time to Sanford was 10h23. A long time for what could only be 28" seat pitch. However, despite the cramped conditions for a long flight, the flight crew were friendly, and the in-flight meals good (for me at least. For my friend the vegan main was fine, but seemingly they forgot to pack any vegan supplementary snacks)

Return flight was aboard the correct aircraft, G-OOBK, and on-time, and quite comfortable. I certainly appreciated the cabin lights being dimmed and being surprisingly undisturbed by duty free offers as I usually am on night flights.

No complaints about the return flight whatsoever, as despite having been on 30 flights in the last 12 years, this was my first with seatback IFE!

However, although not directly related to the intended aircraft, the inadequacy of a maximum capacity 757 for a 10 hour flight, plus the unforecast delay at the gate, in addition to the far worse situation for those who booked premium class and didn't get it, or the 48 people who had to fly out the following day due to the smaller capacity, mean I have to downrate the class for our trip.

Lastly a heads up for the IFE - the headsets provided are single-jack earphones with an adapter, meaning you can take this off and use it with your own headphones.

phicounty flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (07/03/2011 19:36)

Whilst the flights were punctual - outbound and inbound that is the only positive aspect of this flight.
This must have been the MOST UNCOMFORTABLE FLIGHT I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED.

The flight was to/from Manchester - Sharm El Sheik and took 6+ hours in the most cramped conditions.

There was no option to upgrade to 'more comfortable seating' as apart from extremely limited Exit Seats there was no Premium Economy seating available on the flight as presumably they were more interested in CRAMMING AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE INTO THE AVAILABLE SPACE regardless of PASSENGER COMFORT.

herrybirch flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (06/03/2011 09:40)

19/04/11 going to Costa Rica and very looking forward to the flight as told on the website we would be going on 767-300ER 283 seats where as we are going on the 258 seat Ex-FCA version. And also heard about £5 in flight tv upgrade so sure the 11hours will fly by, literally!

IslandHopper flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul (26/02/2011 12:05)

I have recently booked and paid in full Thomson for a Premier A la Carte Holiday destination, this Thomson package was advertised with free Seat selection included in the package, however when I attempted to book my seats I was requested to pay an additional £50.00 to select a standard seat, I attempted to call Thomson on the premium rate telephone number and was left listening to music at 10p per minute with no indication of how long in a queue, This is the 2nd time this has happened when booking with Thomson’s premier selection.

ArwynDavies flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (13/01/2011 14:50)

It seems that Thomson have studied the needs of passengers on long haul flights, and have given economy passengers what is most important , ie more leg room. Food & Drink on our flight was really good, as well as top draw flight attendance. Top Marks to them. If other brand Airlines want to improve then study Thomson ,perhaps they could learn from them. WELL DONE THOMSON keep on flying

ArwynDavies flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (13/01/2011 14:48)

It seems that Thomson have studied the needs of passengers on long haul flights, and have given economy passengers what is most important , ie more leg room. Food & Drink on our flight was really good, as well as top draw flight attendance. Top Marks to them. If other brand Airlines want to improve then study Thomson ,perhaps they could learn from them. WELL DONE THOMSON keep on flying

Chiefchester flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (23/10/2010 09:03)

Flight Punta Cana- Gatwick. Aircraft company First Choice. Service of Cabin crew are still at a high level. Highly qualified pilots. Extensive weather front was expertly passed and practically no inconvenience. Overall very good impression of the flight spoiled a little- no folding seat back of 19 rows, to sleep without unfolding back generally failed, but it was a night flight. In addition, the plane delayed for almost an hour to land. It is also difficult to attribute to the advantages. Otherwise, all is well- recommend.

Chiefchester flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (23/10/2010 08:23)

Flight Gatwick- Punta Cana. Aircraft company First Choice. High service level. Friendly and sociable staff. Every minute from several hours of our flight in the cabin was someone from the cabin-crew ( fly different companies, so have something to compare). Overall very positive impression spoiled a little not adapted for sleeping chairs and used passenger seats.

charleyfish flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (28/06/2010 21:37)

Flew with First choice/Thomson from Gatwick to Taba and vice versa. For a flight of over 5 1/2 hours they really should lay on a more spacious plane. The seats were tiny and so cramped, I thought I was being shoehorned in!! The seats are very narrow; I saw lots of passengers (especially the larger/taller ones) having to rise the dividing arms for more room. However these armrests don't go up 90 degrees, but to just about an 85 degree angle so they stick into the top of your shoulder causing more discomfort. Reclining was a nightmare, as if you are watching the tv in the seat back in front, and that person in front reclines their seat, you end up with the screen about 8 inches away from your face.

The depth of the seat was odd too, I have longish legs, and found that I wasn't quite sitting fully on the seat; I kept having to push myself back in the seat a few times. The FAs were a nuisance in pushing the duty free stuff. The trolley was up and down the aisles so often that it seemed like a tube station timetable, ie "there'll be another one along in a minute"

Food was mediocre, and because of the poor organisation of the FAs; many meals were long finished (or left) before the tea/coffee was brought around. I for one like a drink with my meal, not 15/20 minutes after!

Apart from this apology for a meal, other food/drinks had to be bought; at a typical airline overprice! The customer satisfaction surveys they bring around are not worth bothering with. "Win £1500 off your next holiday" they shout!

But to be in with even a smidgeon of a chance, you have to give them absolutely the highest praise that is on a par with God; PLUS... ALL the details have to be filled in, right down to what toilet paper brand you use (that last bit I made up, but it's not far from the truth) Cue much junk mail/ spam/ unwanted cold calls from the companies involved. I didn't bother, being a private person I like to keep my details the same.

Unenjoyable trip 1 out of 10. The 1 for speedy check in and boarding only.

kamdriver flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (10/05/2010 13:58)

kamdriver flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (10/05/2010 13:57)

stone0701 flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (258 seats) v2 (29/03/2010 02:29)

ValerieDavies flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (19/02/2010 23:10)

highflyerJake flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (25/12/2009 19:59)

Manchester - Luxor - Manchester in the middle of the summer season. Outbound seating was 3-4-3 which made things a little cramped onboard the 767-300ER. FA helpful and friendly. Return seatng was 2-3-2 on a 767-300ER. FAs not to be seen for nearly 4 hours out of the 5hr 45min trip.

alexblfc flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (28/10/2009 14:38)

UflyRight flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-300ER (283 seats) v3 (13/09/2009 16:01)

This was the best flight I have ever had. The crew were great, the entertainment was perfect, the food and sevice was next to none. There was not a thing wrong with the flight. The crew evern handled a drunk and disorderly passenger well. The ex-First Choice pilots and ex-Thomsonfly crew reacted quickly and stopped the problem in its tracks. I could not fault them at all.

busterbill flew Thomson Airways Standard Class long-haul, on a B767-200ER (21/03/2009 07:52)

I have flown Thomsom Airways Premier Class on ex First Choice 767 planes 4 times now 5 & 6 coming up.

I found the 36" seat pitch very good, the food served was some of the best airline food I have eaten, and how much nicer is it to have your drinks in a glass. 9" seat back TV very good with stop and start facality.

In all in my book worth the extra money but having said that Star class with 33" pitch is also very good. Thomson going a long way to improving the charter image.