TCD Flights

[Queenie]

Ok, I keep hearing things about TCD flights, about how bad they are right now. Let's do a quick poll here: if you have flown with TCD in the last few months (say, since June) vote if you were happy or not with the service and flight. Should provide some interesting reading, especially for those of us due to fly with TCD soon! :earseek:

[ely3857]

Hiya

Flew with TCD 28th July.

Had a bit of a delay on way there as baggage hold wouldnt shut properly but as they were so slow in boarding we werent sat waiting too long.

Had an hour or so delay on way back due to a tech fault but they did keep us informed of this.

All in all a cheap & cheerfull flight. We valued the extra leg room and the delays were really minimal and we made time up on the way back.

7/10 For plane (Air Atlanta - clean but a bit tired looking)
8/10 For food
9/10 For price

:flower:

Jodie

[lucy_love_]

fantastic idea queenie

:earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsgirl: :earsboy:

[rob@rar.org.uk]

I think there is the potential for incorrect impressions with threads like this, because it is only human narture for those people who have had a bad time to want to contribute compared to those whose travel was uneventful. This could easily give a false impression of the potential for delays, causing unnecessary worry for those about to head off to Orlando.

Regards

Rob

[we*luv*orlando!!]

Hiya

Flew with TCD 28th July.

Had a bit of a delay on way there as baggage hold wouldnt shut properly but as they were so slow in boarding we werent sat waiting too long.

Had an hour or so delay on way back due to a tech fault but they did keep us informed of this.

All in all a cheap & cheerfull flight. We valued the extra leg room and the delays were really minimal and we made time up on the way back.

7/10 For plane (Air Atlanta - clean but a bit tired looking)
8/10 For food
9/10 For price

:flower:

Jodie
We also flew out on 28th July from Gatwick - Excel flights. I would agree with these comments. One hour delay going, two hour delay coming back but Excels service was better than Virgins in our opinion, kept us well supplied with drinks and food was fine. Cheap and cheerful and left us with more money in our pockets to spend. I did admit to feeling a little smug as I sat there in my £489 seat thinking about those who upgrade to Sunshine first or go with Virgin or BA - it's the same journey, does spending hundreds more really enhance it that much? ;)

Toni

[rob@rar.org.uk]

it's the same journey, does spending hundreds more really enhance it that much? ;)


Yes, ;)
http://www.travelmole.com/images/ba_images/blue-bed.gif

Regards

Rob

[nicknsara]

sorry rob i have to disagree with you for a change.

surely the idea of a poll is to see what people think and give ther honest opinions?.there are four different catagories so most people can find one which suits them.

if its the last one service etc they vote for it.surely people have the choice rob?

however i do agree rob that sometimes TCD do get a bad press for tech things which theyt cannot control causeing long delays.

i think its the service thing rob not the delays.

of me soap box :dog:


nick n sara

[we*luv*orlando!!]

Hi Rob

Surely that piccie is not a TCD airline! I thought I had seen it in a BA advert (who BTW I would never travel with after the last 3 summers of strikes). Out of interest how much would a seat like that cost on a summer Orlando flight?

Cheers

Toni :flower:

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Hi Rob

Surely that piccie is not a TCD airline! I thought I had seen it in a BA advert (who BTW I would never travel with after the last 3 summers of strikes). Out of interest how much would a seat like that cost on a summer Orlando flight?

Cheers

Toni :flower:

We prefer the Virgin seat, its longer and wider than the BA "copy" plus you get a sleep suit to wear :-)
Its certainly worth it, tons of leg room, superb food, and on the way back a decent sleep meaning that when I pick up the car and drive the 150 or so miles, I am not trying desperatly to keep my eyes open!
In November it costs me around £3,000 for two adults and a child.
Plus of course, the clubhouse at Gatwick and the Delta club room at MCO

http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/2101/10804869hn.jpg

[rob@rar.org.uk]

sorry rob i have to disagree with you for a change.

surely the idea of a poll is to see what people think and give ther honest opinions?.there are four different catagories so most people can find one which suits them.

if its the last one service etc they vote for it.surely people have the choice rob?

however i do agree rob that sometimes TCD do get a bad press for tech things which theyt cannot control causeing long delays.

i think its the service thing rob not the delays.

of me soap box :dog:


nick n sara
I agree that service is important, but unfortunately the poll asked about service AND delays. We can get full information about delays of all the airlines flying to Orlando direct from the CAA (I posted average punctuality rates in a different thread a few weeks ago). Getting the info this way means that you get a full picture, not a partial picture from people who may be motivated to post negative comments, understandably, because of a bad experience they've had.

I agree with you about sharing comments on service. This can be useful, although again it should be taken with a small pinch of salt because those people who had a satisfactory but unremarkable experience probably won't add any comments.

Regards

Rob

[rob@rar.org.uk]

We prefer the Virgin seat, its longer and wider than the BA "copy" plus you get a sleep suit to wear :-)

Surely you mean the Virgin "copy" as the BA Club World seat was introduced a long time before Virgin's suites? :)

If I'm travelling by myself I prefer the Virgin seat (although both are wonderfully comfortable), but if I'm travelling with Jane I much prefer the BA seating arrangement as it means we can actually see each other to talk. The Virgin suite does feel a little bit like you are in solitary confinement!

Regards

Rob

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Hi Rob

Surely that piccie is not a TCD airline! I thought I had seen it in a BA advert (who BTW I would never travel with after the last 3 summers of strikes). Out of interest how much would a seat like that cost on a summer Orlando flight?

Cheers

Toni :flower:
No, you're right Toni, it's BA's Club World seat. Not entirely sure how much it costs because we've only ever travelled in Club to Orlando when using Airmiles to pay for the seats (mostly collected via Tesco and my Amex card). At a guess I would say somewhere between £1,000 and £1,500 per adult.

Regards

Rob

[Queenie]

Sure the seat looks great but I pay £1,000 for my entire holiday!!! Flights, car, insurance, accomodation, park tickets, food, souvenirs - the lot!!! There's no way I'd ever pay that for a seat unless I won the lottery and had money to burn. On the flight out I'm so excited that I'm barely aware of the seat, on the way back I'm knackered so the same thing applies. Plus as I'm so short I have more than enough legroom. Last year when we were on an Air Atlanta plane, the seat was incredibly comfy, even though the plane was pretty old looking. I was perfectly happy.

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Sure the seat looks great but I pay £1,000 for my entire holiday!!! Flights, car, insurance, accomodation, park tickets, food, souvenirs - the lot!!! There's no way I'd ever pay that for a seat unless I won the lottery and had money to burn. On the flight out I'm so excited that I'm barely aware of the seat, on the way back I'm knackered so the same thing applies. Plus as I'm so short I have more than enough legroom. Last year when we were on an Air Atlanta plane, the seat was incredibly comfy, even though the plane was pretty old looking. I was perfectly happy.

Then thank God we are all different! :) I do get fed up of people who think that cheap is the only way to go and that to pay more is "money to burn" I work hard for my vacations, and if I want to go the best that that's what I will do.
Quite frankly I take the opposite view. If you cannot afford to go in style, then don't go at all. Go to Spain or Margate. :sunny:

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Surely you mean the Virgin "copy" as the BA Club World seat was introduced a long time before Virgin's suites? :)

If I'm travelling by myself I prefer the Virgin seat (although both are wonderfully comfortable), but if I'm travelling with Jane I much prefer the BA seating arrangement as it means we can actually see each other to talk. The Virgin suite does feel a little bit like you are in solitary confinement!

Regards

Rob

that's what i love about it :sunny: My own personal space without having to talk to the wife unless I want to :earsboy:
We normally go for 6A, 6K and 7A as the two 6's are pretty close anyway, so the wife can keep a check on the little 'un and I can wear my Bose headphones blissfully unaware of anything <grin>

BA's seat wasn't full flat, but a cradle style as far as I recall on the MCO flights?

[jen_uk]

that's what i love about it :sunny: My own personal space without having to talk to the wife unless I want to :earsboy:
We normally go for 6A, 6K and 7A as the two 6's are pretty close anyway, so the wife can keep a check on the little 'un and I can wear my Bose headphones blissfully unaware of anything <grin>



Im glad you are not my husband!!

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Im glad you are not my husband!!

Mee too! :banana: :rotfl2: :sunny: :goodvibes :banana: :rotfl2: :sunny: :lovestruc :lovestruc :lovestruc :lovestruc :lovestruc :lovestruc

[rob@rar.org.uk]

BA's seat wasn't full flat, but a cradle style as far as I recall on the MCO flights?
No, all the B777s used on the Tampa & Orlando routes were converted last winter (Miami has had fully flat beds for a long time). It's New Club World on all flights to Florida now.

How good are the Bose headphones? I've never tried a pair (tend not to be too bothered with noise) and I'm interested if they are as good as the marketing claims.

Regards

Rob

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

The Bose are excellent.
the sound quality is superb, but what I really like about them is that you can remove the plug and lead, still switch them on and use them to eliminate that aircraft noise whilst reading or dozing
The plug comes with many adaptors for various sockets.

I got them at Premium Outlet mall, with a free Bose CD player

[Frances999]

We prefer the Virgin seat, its longer and wider than the BA "copy" plus you get a sleep suit to wear :-)
Its certainly worth it, tons of leg room, superb food, and on the way back a decent sleep meaning that when I pick up the car and drive the 150 or so miles, I am not trying desperatly to keep my eyes open!
In November it costs me around £3,000 for two adults and a child.
Plus of course, the clubhouse at Gatwick and the Delta club room at MCO
Ditto. I've said it before, Virgin's UCS far exceeds the quality of BA IMO. The conversion to the sleeper bed is much more comfortable (and actually like a bed) in comparison with the BA version which still has the slightly uncomfortable feel of a chair even when fully flat. We have always had 5* service from Virgin as well, and the clubhouse is an excellent way to start the journey. We only travel UC when it is just DH and I, but I have enough flying club miles for our next Orlando trip, so all five of us can travel UC :)

Have you heard about a change for the overnight flights Obi Won Kenobi? I read something on the VA website about 'Good Night Flights' - what exactly is this? Thanks.

[angel659]

Then thank God we are all different! :) I do get fed up of people who think that cheap is the only way to go and that to pay more is "money to burn" I work hard for my vacations, and if I want to go the best that that's what I will do.
Quite frankly I take the opposite view. If you cannot afford to go in style, then don't go at all. Go to Spain or Margate. :sunny:

I have to say Obi that was quite rude. We all have different views on how we would like to travel. Perhaps you earn more than Queenie hence why she can not afford to upgrade or the opposite. Everyone is different and saying that if you can not travel in style then dont go..... come on....... I would love to go first class, but my husband would rather save the money to upgrade and spend it elsewhere. No one on this forum has any right to judge how people travel and how much people want to spend on thier flights.

[rob@rar.org.uk]

I have to say Obi that was quite rude. We all have different views on how we would like to travel. Perhaps you earn more than Queenie hence why she can not afford to upgrade or the opposite. Everyone is different and saying that if you can not travel in style then dont go..... come on....... I would love to go first class, but my husband would rather save the money to upgrade and spend it elsewhere. No one on this forum has any right to judge how people travel and how much people want to spend on thier flights.
I agree that the Margate joke was a bit uncalled for, but I have to point out that some people may consider Queenie's 'money to burn' comment was equally judgemental. Surely there is no right or wrong about how we choose to spend our money?

Regards

Rob

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Ditto. I've said it before, Virgin's UCS far exceeds the quality of BA IMO. The conversion to the sleeper bed is much more comfortable (and actually like a bed) in comparison with the BA version which still has the slightly uncomfortable feel of a chair even when fully flat. We have always had 5* service from Virgin as well, and the clubhouse is an excellent way to start the journey. We only travel UC when it is just DH and I, but I have enough flying club miles for our next Orlando trip, so all five of us can travel UC :)

Have you heard about a change for the overnight flights Obi Won Kenobi? I read something on the VA website about 'Good Night Flights' - what exactly is this? Thanks.

I think that this is where they have the sleeper service on the top deck of the Heathrow 747's where they do not serve drinks or food just close thye cabin down so people get a total nights sleep. they eat in the clubhouse before they get on board. As far as I know, this is not going to be on the Orlando flights as they do not have a clubhouse and Deltas as you know does not allow food inside, plus there is only the one UC cabin on LGW 747's

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I agree that the Margate joke was a bit uncalled for, but I have to point out that some people may consider Queenie's 'money to burn' comment was equally judgemental. Surely there is no right or wrong about how we choose to spend our money?

Regards

Rob

Exactly my point Rob.

Actually, a two weeks in Margate would probably cost you £1,000 just for the UK hotel prices!

[angel659]

I agree that the Margate joke was a bit uncalled for, but I have to point out that some people may consider Queenie's 'money to burn' comment was equally judgemental. Surely there is no right or wrong about how we choose to spend our money?

Regards

Rob

I am in total agreement. There is no right or wrong. Both comments were judgemental and rude. I just found it a little harsh when people say if you cant go in style then dont go. As you said we all can choose how we spend our money on. I agree. I was a little offended to be honest, which is why I said it was rude. Your right, Queenie should not judge people if they like to upgrade. It still offends people like me when yes we could upgrade if we wanted to, but my dh would not allow it. I am fine with it. Either way its entirley up to those what they spend thier money on. We all work hard every year to pay for that particluar holiday and we should not get judged. I can see why Obi was offended, but really shouldnt we all keep our personal judgements to ourselves? Anyway lets all enjoy our upcoming trip. ;)

[jen_uk]

I agree that the Margate joke was a bit uncalled for, but I have to point out that some people may consider Queenie's 'money to burn' comment was equally judgemental. Surely there is no right or wrong about how we choose to spend our money?

Regards

Rob

I think Obi's comment was far more offensive than Queenie's!

[angel659]

Exactly my point Rob.

Actually, a two weeks in Margate would probably cost you £1,000 just for the UK hotel prices!

Err have you seen Margate? I wouldnt even pay a £1.00 lol. :rotfl:

[Queenie]

Sorry, the "money to burn" comment wasn't intended to be rude or aimed at anyone at all. I was meaning that I personally would only choose to pay that much for my seat if I had the kind of money where I didn't have to struggle to get to WDW in the first place. If other people can afford to and want to then good for them, I wish I could easily afford such luxury. As it happens I'm actually unemployed right now, the only reason I can even afford to go is that I'm getting a rather large inheritance payment in Oct from my grandad. There is no way I could afford a seat like that. Luckily for me, we've had some amazing strokes of good look so I'll be in a 5 star apartment all through my holiday for the bargain price of £150! I'd rather have the five star treatment for 14 days than 16hours !! :)

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Thanks for the clarification Queenie, and sorry if I mis-interpreted your post.

Regards

Rob

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

You have a great time Queenie :jumping1:

[Disney Nut]

After hearing all the negative comments re TCD I felt I had to comment. We travelled with TCD in August 2002. The flight was not good, we flew with My Travel, and the service left a lot of room for improvement. Apart from this the flights left on time the plane was clean and the organisation of the holiday ran very smoothly.
Last year we decided that we would travel with Virgin, extra luggage allowance , seat back tvs etc. It was a nightmare. We had an early morning flight from Manchester so decided to stay at the airport hotel overnight. We tried to use the online check in service before we left home but because all the members of our party did not have the same surname it would not let us check in. When we got to Manchester we then spent two hours on the telephone to virgin explaining about the problems.The person on the phone assured us that we were now checked in, our seats were reserved and we would just need to go down to the online check in desk two hours before our flight.
We did this only to find there was no record of this on the sytem. We stood at the check in desk for an hour,as everyone else had now checked in and the only seats left were single ones, we had two small children who could not possibly sit on their own. After an hour this was finally sorted out and we got on to the plane, only to find that my husbands seat was broken. It would not sit upright.We called the cabin crew and were told that the plane could not take off with the seat in this possition. They called an engineer who managed to fix the seat into an upright position which was how it had to stay for the whole journey. My husband is 6ft 2 and found this very uncomfortable especally when the person infront of him lay there chair back and remained in that position for the whole flight.
Also during the flight three of the toilets on the plane were blocked so therefore out of order causing large c ::MickeyMo ues.
On arrival at Orlando we stood at the luggage carousel awaiting the arrival of our luggage , only to be told that it was all still in Manchester. We were given $200 to buy essentials, but because Hurricane Charley was on its way we were not sure when our luggage would arrive.
We finally got our luggage three days later after numerous telephone calls to virgin to check when it would be arriving.
We had a wonderful holiday at AKL but then came the return flight.
We travelled on the same plane where again the toilets were blocked and this time the tv on one of our seats didnt work. But at least our luggage arrived at the same time as us.
We have just booked for August 2006 and on checking prices even with an upgrade to Sunshine first class TCD is still cheaper than Virgin Economy. Hope things are a little smoother next time.

[Nitram64]

If a flight is cheap it does not mean you should expect delays.We booked with tcd because they were recommended by friends who didn't have any delays.The delays seem to be getting worse, is this due to the takeover? Hope its better in november.

[snookhams]

We have flown most times with Virgin and the last 2 times PE, with no problems at all. We are however considering booking TCD sunshine first for next year as the family we are travelling with really are not in the same position financially as us - it works out quite a bit cheaper with TCD including a 8 seater minivan than PE flights alone with Virgin. Has anyone flown Sunshine First I would really value you opinions.

[pigby]

We travelled with TCD in July with no problems/delays at all. Have travelled with Virgin and Delta in the past and paid more.

Like Queenie, I prefer to travel to Florida as cheaply as possible and to spend more on accommodation. This year we spent much less - stayed 7 nights at POP and 7 at WL for less than the price of a Virgin package (same time of year July) in 2003 for 14 nights at ASMo. We have AP's but it would have worked out cheaper without.

Going back in October for a week - US airways worked out cheapest at just over £1200 for the three of us, but would fly with TCD again in the future if I could get a cheaper deal again.

Sorry how many times have I said cheap/cheaper in this post???

[tony64]

Hi Folks Just back yesterday and flew Air Atlanta :earseek:

They are NOT BAD at all :sunny:
We had a one hour delay at take off due to probelms loading cargo but at least we were told about it. the captain said he would try to make up the time and we arrived 25 Mins ahead of our scheduled arrival time!!!!!!

we also had a small delay on our return ( under 1 Hour) due to technical difficulties. and arrived home 1/2 hr. late.

both flight were fine, clean, good food ( as far as airline food goes), polite and helpful crews, films all worked fine,

We WILL be flying with them again next year :cool1:

So please if anyone is worring about flying TCD or Air Atlanta don't they are no worse than any other company.
All are subject to delays and sometimes things do go wrong. just relax and have a good Holiday.

The only downside was Sanford airport Immigration was packed!!!! 45Mins held on plane ( Just so we had Air Con) then another 45 Mins in Queue.

[Laurafoster]

We also flew out on 28th July from Gatwick - Excel flights. I would agree with these comments. One hour delay going, two hour delay coming back but Excels service was better than Virgins in our opinion, kept us well supplied with drinks and food was fine. Cheap and cheerful and left us with more money in our pockets to spend. I did admit to feeling a little smug as I sat there in my £489 seat thinking about those who upgrade to Sunshine first or go with Virgin or BA - it's the same journey, does spending hundreds more really enhance it that much? ;)

Toni
I flew with Virgin and paid less that £489!!

[Laurafoster]

I have to agree the "money to burn" comment was quite judgmental, if people want to spend their money on flying first class i see nothing wrong with that! People value different things, i personally feel i work hard all year so y should i treat myself to a first class holiday.

[jonkatony]

Flew back yesterday with Tcd. I would fly with them again, they are not as good as Virgin flights but you pay less. That is it in a nutshell.
you pay your money, you make your choice!
When I fly with TCD again it will be in the knowledge that I have chosen to do so and I have taken the cheaper option.

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Cheap and cheerful and left us with more money in our pockets to spend. I did admit to feeling a little smug as I sat there in my £489 seat thinking about those who upgrade to Sunshine first or go with Virgin or BA - it's the same journey, does spending hundreds more really enhance it that much? ;)

Toni

Actually, yes :sunny: