T Cook flight from Manchester

Hi, are you going on 19th March from gatwick? Never done 'fly-cruise' before, getting rather worried (and confused....) with all the reviews?! Have a VERY nervous flyer for a husband, and need it to be as smooth as possible. oh dear!

 

Hi Chorus girl...I am a VERY nervous flyer too - but I at least I will now fly after 30 years of abstinence following completion of a "flying without fear" course. It was brilliant! I still don't like it but I can cope with it a lot better. I would recommend you try and persuade your husband to do one of these courses if you can - it was worth every penny! Several airlines run them now from regional airports - although I can definitely recommend the airline I went with. Can't give it's name on here but google "flying without fear"! :D

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

Personally I prefer aircraft types with many years of proven service rather than new introductions, whatever their perceived benefits.

I take and use noise cancelling headphones on medium and long haul flights, I find that helps a lot.

Caribbean is medium and with the charter flights is a breeze, takeoff to landing about 8 hours or so and then walking off the a/c into that lovely balmy heat then onto a bus to the ship check in, what's not to like?

Then follows 14 joyous days of holidaying on the ship and in those beautiful islands with their welcoming inhabitants.

Enjoy it before the politicians ban it.

Personally I prefer aircraft types with many years of proven service rather than new introductions, whatever their perceived benefits.

I take and use noise cancelling headphones on medium and long haul flights, I find that helps a lot.

Caribbean is medium and with the charter flights is a breeze, takeoff to landing about 8 hours or so and then walking off the a/c into that lovely balmy heat then onto a bus to the ship check in, what's not to like?

Then follows 14 joyous days of holidaying on the ship and in those beautiful islands with their welcoming inhabitants.

Enjoy it before the politicians ban it.

 

 

I'm happy to fly on new aircraft, I don't find my perception of them to be any less airworthy. Also with the 787 the cabin pressure is set to a lower altitude which helps, plus more natural light in the cabin and better IFE.

 

We can only manage 3 hours on charter/economy, anything longer we fly business.

Have just heard some news that come Nov T/Cook are bringing in 5 brand new planes for there long haul programme and that would likely include the contract with P&O so may not be so bad flighting with them after all ,have resigned myself that's it's only a means of getting there and back so enjoy as best as can :-)

We were on a Caribbean cruise last March. All the information beforehand stated check in was 4 hours. However, when it came to printing the tickets, they stated 3 hours. We kept to 3 hours and it was fine.

 

We're booked on Britannia in Feb 2016 with flight from Birmingham. Hoping they've got the Dreamliner by then!

Hello Chorusgirl, please do not get worried or confused.

There is no need to, you and your husband will be fine, honestly.

May I suggest that you stop reading all the reviews and just keep looking forward to your cruise it will be wonderful. There are lots of people who are unaware about the forums and reviews and some are still confused and concerned. Fly cruises are great and get's you there in no time. I am quite sure that should you still wish to read any reviews there will be plenty of people on this thread only too happy to answer any questions that you wish answered. Have you had a look in at the roll call for your cruise in March, it may settle your concerns and you will meet others who will be travelling along with you. What you should be thinking about is how much you both are going to enjoy your cruise.

Have a lovely cruise.

Pat

we are flying from Birmingham on March 5th on Thomson dreamliner we booked premium economy at initial booking , last year we flew from Manchester with Thomas Cook it was the most uncomfortable flight i have ever taken , narrow seats hard too , one drink in 6 hours if you wanted the toilet drag yourself downstairs about an hour before you want to go and join the queue we switched to Birmingham so we could go with Thomson and downgraded from superior balcony to ordinary balcony money saved paid for upgrade to premium economy , it cannot be as bad as the last time !!!

we are flying from Birmingham on March 5th on Thomson dreamliner we booked premium economy at initial booking , last year we flew from Manchester with Thomas Cook it was the most uncomfortable flight i have ever taken , narrow seats hard too , one drink in 6 hours if you wanted the toilet drag yourself downstairs about an hour before you want to go and join the queue we switched to Birmingham so we could go with Thomson and downgraded from superior balcony to ordinary balcony money saved paid for upgrade to premium economy , it cannot be as bad as the last time !!!

 

I quite agree with the above post, we flew on Thomas Cook to Barbados from Manchester and the seats were awful, very hard and uncomfortable. We flew on Thomsons a few years before and it was totally different. My wife and I have both agreed not to go on Thomas Cook planes and we would rather drive to a different airport to avoid Thomas Cook.

We flew in/out of Barbados last New Year, both flights in Thomson Dreamliner, in Prem Econ. Outbound, the flight was great; very comfortable with excellent service from crew. The inbound flight was pretty bad; very uncomfortable seats, but the service was still excellent despite being an overnight flight. We asked the crew why the seats were so uncomfortable. The answer surprised us (maybe we are naive?), but each plane is kitted out with different seating. The seats on the outbound Dreamliner were phased in at a different time to the seats on the inbound Dreamliner, i.e. 'phase E' as opposed to 'phase G'. Apparently, Thomson was beginning to alter the seats due to passenger complaints. So really, comfort can be a bit hit or miss. BTW, the new Dreamliner lighting, air flow, etc, was lost on us. Get me to my destination safely and provide service with a smile; that's all I ask.

I thought Thomas Cook planes just went through a big re-fit...they still that bad?