Travel city direct as good as virgin ??

[SimonV]

I think things are working pretty well this year, from what I've seen recently, and it is really only the unexpected which throws things out of kilter. All the charter flights suffered badly last year through the hurricane season, and some coped better than others. TCD are now the biggest operator to Orlando - by a distance (around 180,000 customers this year) - and that always brings problems of scale. However, I am confident they offer great value for money for the vast majority, although there will always be the occasional problem on operations of this size. Even more importantly, they are looking to improve things all-round this year and not just be the 'budget' choice all the time. They have several significant developments in the pipeline, and I'm sure anyone going this summer will really see the benefit.

 

[brer rabbit 28]

That's great to hear I have booked with them for next year and have no worries that it will all be fine.

 

[patdavies]

I'm with England's Disney Gang.

TCD completely screwed up for us last Easter - nothing to do with hurricanes, just total inefficency and indifference. We had to spend the first 2 days of our holiday chasing after them to do something.

To give them a chance to redeem themselves. we booked to Las Vegas with them last September - to have the flights cancelled/curtailed without reasonable notice or compensation. It took a lot of effort to get a refund out of them - had to threaten court action in the end.

NEVER EVER AGAIN

BTW, are you sure that they are the biggest UK passenger carrier to Orlando. Virgin have 3 x 747 per day (2 from LGW and 1 from MAN)?

 

[SimonV]

Yes, Virgin are the biggest tour operator to Florida, but TCD take more customers to Orlando (excuse the emphasis!). Not every person on a Virgin Atlantic flight is actually a Virgin Holidays customer (some are even with TCD), so that is the real difference. Virgin Atlantic also fly to Miami, which helps give them the edge state-wide.

 

[wicket2005]

fantastic news for me. not. lol.

last year we went virgin. this year cheap (and not so cheerful by the sounds) we are TDCing it. eeeks


lucy

If you read Florry's trip report you will see that TCD came up trumps for his family when they were hit by one of the hurricanes. They were due to come back when all the airports were closed, TCD arranged for the Animal Kingdom Lodge to put them up for a further three nights at no expense to Florry. Now I thought that was pretty good of TCD to do this and it also ensured that the family was safe and sound. I would be far more interested in how a tour operator acts when there is a major disaster on its way than anything else. Sounds like you will be in same hands.

Plus the more negative remarks you read, the less you expect and then more often than not you are pleasantly surprised and it isn't as bad as you expected.

 

[disneydolphin]

Sorry to barge in but could someone tell me what differences there are between 'main cabin' and 'premium economy'? Or are there other classes too, Ive read something about 'sun'?

TCD are much cheaper than Virgin and its certainly tempting.

Also how much is their own travel insurance, as you cannot see it online til you actually book?

 

[brer rabbit 28]

Think their insurance is about £40 each,might have got that wrong though!
TCD have economy-basic seats
sunshine upper deck-slightly larger seat pitch,priority check in and 30kg luggage allowance.
sunshine first-big big seat pitch,priority check in and 40kg luggage allowance.
Their are a lot of negative TCD comments on here,but i think if they were so bad then they wouldn't have so many people using them
I imagine that they aren't as spectacular as everyone feels virgin are,but if you are on a tight budget and want more spends in Florida,then TCD are worth a try.

 

[disneydolphin]

Thanks for that.

Any idea about the leg room for the diff options? My husband is 6 foot 2' so needs extra room really. We flew with Airtours two years ago and we were pretty squashed in. That's the only concern we have. Our children are 15 and 12 so can amuse themselves more-or-less and food isnt really important to us on a flight.


Now I need to find a cool 3 bed villa.....

 

[2 Point]

We've travelled with both.

Simple really, Virgin is better. But then at nearly twice the price I'd expect that.

We are quite happy to spend a few hours in minor discomfort and spend the saved cash on stuff we really enjoy.

 

[brer rabbit 28]

we travelled in sunshine first, the seats we huge and more legroom than you can shake a stick at!!DM is bit claustrophobic so economy on any plane is never good for her.Premium economy has seats the same size as economy(i think) but there is a bit more leg room.
Alternatively you could just pay to sit in the extra legroom seats in econmy,they charge around £20 for this.I would give them a call and see what they have to offer you.Don't think the website gives you enough info.Good luck!

 

[daywalker]

PE seats are a bit wider than E.
Virgin are not twice the price of TCD, well they are if you're incapable of getting yourself the best price I suppose.
Don't buy TCD or Virgins holiday insurance, use the internet and search out the best deals! We have 12 months worldwide cover for 2 adults for £66, it saves us a fortune. The cover on this policy is also much better than that offered by Virgin & TCD.

TCD don't really take that many people, I'm certain their flights don't fly on a daily basis all year round, unlike Virgin.

 

[brer rabbit 28]

who did you get your insurance with?we usually go with tesco but your deal is much better.

 

[Goofyish]

I've just bought my insurance from Direct Travel Insurance. Cost was £70 for a family of 4 for 17 days in the USA
That was for their Premium Plus cover.

 

[2 Point]

Virgin are not twice the price of TCD, well they are if you're incapable of getting yourself the best price I suppose.

On a direct like for like, 18th Sep for 3 adults and 1 child, Flydrive.(the day we fly)

Virgin £2312

TCD £1290

So, just under half price, as I posted.

Taking into account the premium options on TCD, Virgin just isn't in the same price bracket.

I find your use of the term 'incapable' a little annoying, please let us all in on your secret to booking Virgin flights at this price?

TCD
FLIGHT PRICE 179.00 4 716.00
FUEL SUPPLEMENT 20.00 3 60.00
FUEL SUPPLEMENT 20.00 1 20.00
AVIATION AND SECURITY LEVY (ASL) 9.00 3 27.00
AVIATION AND SECURITY LEVY (ASL) 9.00 1 9.00
BOOKING FEE 10.00 3 30.00
BOOKING FEE 10.00 1 10.00
CAR HIRE PACKAGE 418.00 1 418.00
Total £ 1290.00

Virgin
ADULT PRICE 569.00 3 1707.00
CHILD PRICE 369.00 1 369.00
WEEKEND FLIGHT SUPPLEMENT 15.00 6 90.00
WEEKEND FLIGHT SUPPLEMENT 15.00 2 30.00
FUEL SURCHARGE 32.00 3 96.00
FUEL SURCHARGE 32.00 1 32.00
CAR HIRE 110.00 1 110.00
ONLINE BOOKING DISCOUNT -121.70 1 -121.70

Total £ 2312.30

 

[wendye]

I find your use of the term 'incapable' a little annoying, please let us all in on your secret to booking Virgin flights at this price?

Hear Hear so do I! I am glad I'm not the only one that feels quite insulted by that post.

 

[brer rabbit 28]

That's one hell of a difference!!

 

[SimonV]

Daywalker, you're either not reading the replies properly or being deliberately obtuse.

Quite clearly Virgin Atlantic carry most people to Orlando, with 14 flights a week year-round from Gatwick (increasing to 17 flights a week at peak periods), plus six flights a week from Manchester (7 at peak periods). However, not every Virgin ATLANTIC passenger is a Virgin HOLIDAYS customer. Far from it, in fact, as Virgin ATLANTIC also carry customers from other tour operators, including Travel City Direct, while there are also a good percentage of non-holiday passengers (people on business, returning home, etc). By contrast, Travel City Direct operate the most own-brand flights of any out-and-out tour operator to Orlando, with up to 16 flights a week at peak periods, including from Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff, all on 747s (although they have only 3 a week at quiet times of the year). They ALSO use other tour operators and scheduled flights, meaning their capacity is not limited to their own flights, hence they are the biggest operator to Orlando.

 

[daywalker]

On a direct like for like, 18th Sep for 3 adults and 1 child, Flydrive.(the day we fly)

Virgin £2312

TCD £1290

So, just under half price, as I posted.

Taking into account the premium options on TCD, Virgin just isn't in the same price bracket.

I find your use of the term 'incapable' a little annoying, please let us all in on your secret to booking Virgin flights at this price?

TCD
FLIGHT PRICE 179.00 4 716.00
FUEL SUPPLEMENT 20.00 3 60.00
FUEL SUPPLEMENT 20.00 1 20.00
AVIATION AND SECURITY LEVY (ASL) 9.00 3 27.00
AVIATION AND SECURITY LEVY (ASL) 9.00 1 9.00
BOOKING FEE 10.00 3 30.00
BOOKING FEE 10.00 1 10.00
CAR HIRE PACKAGE 418.00 1 418.00
Total £ 1290.00

Virgin
ADULT PRICE 569.00 3 1707.00
CHILD PRICE 369.00 1 369.00
WEEKEND FLIGHT SUPPLEMENT 15.00 6 90.00
WEEKEND FLIGHT SUPPLEMENT 15.00 2 30.00
FUEL SURCHARGE 32.00 3 96.00
FUEL SURCHARGE 32.00 1 32.00
CAR HIRE 110.00 1 110.00
ONLINE BOOKING DISCOUNT -121.70 1 -121.70

Total £ 2312.30

Firstly, an apology, I did not mean to cause offence with my posting, I'm certainly guilty of shooting my mouth off though

Your TCD price is good being around 45% under virgins, my comments with regards to Virgin are related to the offers they do run on a regular basis, on top of special discount days (15% off for booking XMAS day or Easter Monday were recent ones). They do often run deals and we picked up a cracker for October this year which TCD cannot beat, not that I will FLY TCD again after our problems with them last year. As long as your happy with your flight times etc etc then fair do's.

One other thing that puts Virgin in our favour is earning flying club miles, believe me, with a bit of research you can soon rack these up and get yourself free flights. This counters paying slightly more as you win in the long run.

For travel insurance, have a good look around at the link I've posted below. Prices depend on what cover you're looking for, we could've got ours much cheaper but chose better cover. THis site below covers a hell of a lot of policies!
http://www.moneysupermarket.com/TravelInsurance/Default.asp

 

[2 Point]

Firstly, an apology, I did not mean to cause offence with my posting, I'm certainly guilty of shooting my mouth off though

Your TCD price is good being around 45% under virgins, my comments with regards to Virgin are related to the offers they do run on a regular basis, on top of special discount days (15% off for booking XMAS day or Easter Monday were recent ones). They do often run deals and we picked up a cracker for October this year which TCD cannot beat, not that I will FLY TCD again after our problems with them last year. As long as your happy with your flight times etc etc then fair do's.

One other thing that puts Virgin in our favour is earning flying club miles, believe me, with a bit of research you can soon rack these up and get yourself free flights. This counters paying slightly more as you win in the long run.

For travel insurance, have a good look around at the link I've posted below. Prices depend on what cover you're looking for, we could've got ours much cheaper but chose better cover. THis site below covers a hell of a lot of policies!
http://www.moneysupermarket.com/TravelInsurance/Default.asp

No worries, thanks for the reply.

No doubt both airlines will be able to offer special deals, on the whole TCD is cheaper. With the cheaper price comes a compromise, sure you don't have allocated seating without paying extra (but allocated seating is a misnomer anyway, as we have all found out in the past), the extra baggage allowance and DTD check-in are a welcome bonus.

You do get what you pay for in this life, but whilst TCD are offering the level of service for that level of payment I'm happy (ish).
If I could get Virgin at TCD prices I'd be ecstatic.
One major bonus for us is that TCD fly direct from Glasgow, we've done the Gatwick/Manchester link flight with Virgin and beleive me it takes the edge off a very long day.

Thanks for the travel insurance link, we get ours though Amex, company credit card use pays for it in no time. We have used Tesco for MIL this year.

Have a great time in Oct.

 

[daveyoghurt]

If you're looking at Virgin for Florida holidays keep your eye on the Virgin Megastores, you know those voucher booklets they do from time to time for CD's and DVD's? The one I got at the start of the year included a £200 discount with Virgin Holidays and they let me use it when I confirmed an online price saving me another £186! Nice!

Incidentally, my mate is going the same time as me and is travelling with TCD, so we'll compare notes when we both get back - should be interesting!