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In Flight Meals issue

WeeCountyMan
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WeeCountyMan

WeeCountyMan

Posted
Posted

Our ticket page from Thomsons clearly stated "In Flight Meals Included" ref. the return flight from Paphos to Newcastle at the end of our recent Mediterranean Odyssey cruise.

 

The cabin steward was puzzled when I enquired if we were due a meal and when I produced the page he advised that Thomson airlines had not done IFMs for more than two years.

 

The cabin manageress was equally unable to explain and she promised to include this in her routine report.

 

Several other cruise passengers had the same type of ticket and made similar enquiries. We booked through a travel agent, not sure if Internet booking paperwork had the same advice included.

 

Presumably this problem was repeated on all the other Thomson flights to the UK carrying cruise passengers home from the Spirit ?

 

I'm taking this up with TUI at head office level - not a major issue in its own right - but it doesn't inspire customers with confidence when one department at Thomsons clearly doesn't communicate with other sections on a basic matter.

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kruzseeka

kruzseeka

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Posted (edited)

So many times................................:rolleyes:

 

I think the problem lies with their multi-faceted operations; flights/fly cruises/package holidays each with different features included and that they don't differentiate between their paperwork!!! (Or in this case up-dating it!!) Standard issue irrespective of the specifics of your holiday - or flight length or change of policy.

 

It's the same as when you get tickets with a hand luggage allowance of 5Kg when it's really 7kg! I've met several in the check-in queue who have been furious to discover thay have been struggling to stay within 5Kg and they really have 7Kg!! To say nothing of the poor woman who was sailing out of the UK (with no luggage limit) and was telling me how she had been packing and unpacking her case to get inside 20Kg each for her and her husband - because her paperwork said 20Kg each!!!!!!! She could have taken another case with another 20Kg for all that!!!!!

 

This is such a feature of Thomson admin - left and right-hand come to mind also the shops often knowing less than the customers. And issues which should be so easily remedied and software up-dated as soon as there is a change are not addressed.

 

I do understand your frustration WCM and your determination to follow through - after all others will suffer from the same misinformation if we don't try to get these errors pu right. Good luck with that.

 

Hope you had a good cruise though! :)

Edited by kruzseeka
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WeeCountyMan

WeeCountyMan

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Posted (edited)
The cabin crew are right and your paperwork was wrong and misleading !

 

Obviously.

 

As Kruzseeka says, just another example of one branch of Thomsons contradicting another.

 

It's not rocket science.

Edited by WeeCountyMan
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Cockney Scot

Cockney Scot

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Posted (edited)

We were on the flight from Paphos to Glasgow with Jet2 and had the same problem with meals (or lack of them).

Everyone on the flight who had holidayed with Thomsons had “in flight meals included” on their tickets but to our surprise the stewardess said that nothing has been loaded onboard for us and we should take it up with Thomsons.

People were buying sandwiches and toasties as it was a 5 hour flight and had been expecting a meal. However, even they ran out before everyone on the fight had been fed and all they had to offer was bags of crisps at £1 each – not a good advertisement for Jet2 and especially a problem for one man who was diabetic and had to eat at regular intervals.

Are we being naive believing what is written on the flight documentation? Will they tell us when we get to the airport that we are only allowed 10kg of luggage the next time we travel? Come on Thomsons – get your act together!

Edited by Cockney Scot
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kruzseeka

kruzseeka

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We were on the flight from Paphos to Glasgow with Jet2 and had the same problem with meals (or lack of them).

 

Everyone on the flight who had holidayed with Thomsons had “in flight meals included” on their tickets but to our surprise the stewardess said that nothing has been loaded onboard for us and we should take it up with Thomsons.

 

People were buying sandwiches and toasties as it was a 5 hour flight and had been expecting a meal. However, even they ran out before everyone on the fight had been fed and all they had to offer was bags of crisps at £1 each – not a good advertisement for Jet2 and especially a problem for one man who was diabetic and had to eat at regular intervals.

 

Are we being naive believing what is written on the flight documentation? Will they tell us when we get to the airport that we are only allowed 10kg of luggage the next time we travel? Come on Thomsons – get your act together!

 

Well a lady in the queue in front of me was told her hand luggage allowance was only 5KG - I protested on her behalf but they weren't having any of it. She opened her big cases and put some stuff in there and managed to avoid an xs baggage charge. I wouldn't have backed down on that one!!!

 

I wrote to the airport afterwards to make the point but was told I was wrong! I wrote back with the section copied from the brochure stating 7KG for cruise passengers unlike the normal 5Kg for other Thomson holidays. They hadn't the courtesy to reply to that. I did point out they had some staff training issues to address. Now whether that was down to the airport or Thomson I'm not sure but I now tear out the appropriate page out of the brochure and take it with me if my ticket doesn't specify 7KG.

 

Again, communications, admin and training issues giving Thomson bad P.R.

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Tizzy-Jo

Tizzy-Jo

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Well a lady in the queue in front of me was told her hand luggage allowance was only 5KG - I protested on her behalf but they weren't having any of it. She opened her big cases and put some stuff in there and managed to avoid an xs baggage charge. I wouldn't have backed down on that one!!!

 

I wrote to the airport afterwards to make the point but was told I was wrong! I wrote back with the section copied from the brochure stating 7KG for cruise passengers unlike the normal 5Kg for other Thomson holidays. They hadn't the courtesy to reply to that. I did point out they had some staff training issues to address. Now whether that was down to the airport or Thomson I'm not sure but I now tear out the appropriate page out of the brochure and take it with me if my ticket doesn't specify 7KG.

 

Again, communications, admin and training issues giving Thomson bad P.R.

I always take booking confirmation including hold and hand luggage allowance to check-in. I have it to hand in case we are challenged on anything. Always have luggage scales with me too. I have known people being charged for overweight luggage when they say they weighed cases at home.

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Cockney Scot

Cockney Scot

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Don’t forget though folks, if your flight is with Jet2 this is was I was informed by them in an email when I queried the luggage allowance:

“If you fly with Jet2.com then our policies and procedures come into play. Therefore you are entitled to a 22kg checked bag and 10Kg cabin baggage”

Quite a bit extra allowance and nothing extra to pay!

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gillhalfpint

gillhalfpint

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Our flight from Glasgow was with JetAirFly and our hand luggage allowance was 6kg. Worth checking if you're not on a Thomson flight.

 

From what I've read on here, you don't always know who you are flying with till you get to the airport.

 

I can't understand some of the differences in allowances on the same plane when there is 5kg or 7 kg. What the plane takes in weight for cabin bags should surely be the same for all whether on a cruise holiday or a hotel holiday. They all have to go up in the locker space.

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Jim The Scot Holiday Sharing Rare

Jim The Scot

Posted
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From what I've read on here, you don't always know who you are flying with till you get to the airport.

 

I can't understand some of the differences in allowances on the same plane when there is 5kg or 7 kg. What the plane takes in weight for cabin bags should surely be the same for all whether on a cruise holiday or a hotel holiday. They all have to go up in the locker space.

 

Agree gill.

 

Dont see why some who are going on the same cruise are penalised in way of lesser baggage allowance because they are flying with a different airline or from a different airport

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WeeCountyMan

WeeCountyMan

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"From what I've read on here, you don't always know who you are flying with till you get to the airport."

 

Our ticket page clearly quoted a flight number prefixed TOM which indicates a Thomson airline flight - and we are advised of this well in advance when booking.

 

Are they also using TOM prefixes on chartered flights from other carriers ?

 

I wouldn't think so, but nothing surprises me !!!

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Little Nell

Little Nell

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Is it only the Scottish flights that are using non Thomson charters?

 

I would like to know what the impact of using non Thomson planes would be in an emergency such as the ash cloud.

 

Would we then be dependent on another company to get us home? If something like luggage allowance is affected by the carrier, then surely everything else is?

 

Does this mean that you are no longer buying the complete package?

 

Can anyone from the team answer these questions?

 

Can you also explain to us why Scottish flights (and others that I may not know about) are being outsourced? Is this cost cutting to pay for the Dreamliner? That would be ironic!

 

This happened to us when we had a dreadful Monarch flight from Edinburgh to Corfu on our last cruise I know from comments on FB that many other customers are less than impressed by this.

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Jim The Scot Holiday Sharing Rare

Jim The Scot

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Posted (edited)
"From what I've read on here, you don't always know who you are flying with till you get to the airport."

 

Our ticket page clearly quoted a flight number prefixed TOM which indicates a Thomson airline flight - and we are advised of this well in advance when booking.

 

Are they also using TOM prefixes on chartered flights from other carriers ?

 

I wouldn't think so, but nothing surprises me !!!

 

WCM

 

Having TOM on your ticket page means diddly squat.

 

There was some discussion on here start of this year regarding change of carrier.Ronjae was flying from Glasgow and had paid for pre booked seats on what was initially a Thomson flight which was changed to another carrier late on(cant remember name of the other carrier) and they could not honour his pre booked seats he had with Thomson.Cant remember the outcome.

 

As I was going a week earlier than him from Edinburgh and had also paid for pre booked seats on a Thomson flight I emailed Thomsons who assured me we would be on a Thomson flight and that they had only changed the carrier for Glasgow....

 

Yep,you guessed it,on arrival at Edinburgh it wasn`t a Thomson flight but some Canadian carrier Sunwings.Thankfully this didn`t affect our luggage allowance or pre booked seats.i

 

 

Found ronjaes post

 

What happened was we had initially booked extra leg room seats with Thomson. They sent a letter saying the flight was switched to Jetairfly, the Belgian branch of TUI and the extra leg room seats could not be booked on a different airline. I argued that my booking was with Thomson and they should transfer the seating arrangements accordingly. They wouldn't budge and refunded the booking fee.

 

We arrived at the airport early as usual and asked for aisle seats at the front and got them no problem.

 

 

 

 

Another post from the same thread

 

 

Ok here goes - not sure if this is happening all over the UK at the moment or just in Scotland ( feels like the dreaded poll tax all over again )

 

buy extra lugage allowance, prebook seats with Thoms air. They are now amedning these flight and changing passengers to Thoms jetair ( their Belguim part of the company) No problem!!!!!! However here is the fun of things

 

Thoms jet air 20kg and 6kg for hand lugg Thoms air is 20kg and 7kg of hand lugg for cruise

 

I have lost 2kg already

 

you cannot however buy extra lugg allowance or pre book seats with thom jet air, and if you already have with Thoms air - you have to fight to get your money back.

 

I put in a complaint not to my Travel agent as they tried 3 times for myself and other passengers to purchase extra lugg allowance and pre book seats ( basically their [TA] hands are tied - even member of staff has been change and unable to purchase extra lugg allowance/pre book seats.

 

My complaint went to the CEO and another director by email last Sunday - by thursday I still hadn't receved a reply or an acknowledgement - so off went another email.

 

Two hrs later I received a telephone call from customer service offering me a package to resolve my complaint.

 

I got extra luggage allowance - pay for 4kg and get 1 kg free

 

I was asked what seats I would like on the plane at no extra cost, couldn't give me Numbered seats eg..... row six aisle/middle or middle/window asked for 2 aisle seats, any row.

 

Did I get what I wanted not really - to be treated as part of a new process, with no backup in place is a disgusting way to treat a customer or passenger. I actually used the word experiment in my letter of complaint - so beware if you are booked on a Thoms air, it could be changed to their sister company Thoms jetair - with no way of buying extra lugg allowance or pre booking seats, unless you by pass the TA and email CEO direct

Edited by Jim The Scot
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kruzseeka

kruzseeka

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Posted

Linda -

Sorry can't help with your query - but very pleased to hear about your up-grade. That will be lovely!

 

Again - off topic I'm afraid :o but I've been looking for that link from the guy who does really comprehensive port reviews with loads of detail - is his name Tom? Anyway I thought I'd book-marked it but can't find it anywhere. I think you flagged it up on here though. If so, I'd be really grateful if you can post it again for me. :)

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Jakanne1

Jakanne1

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Posted
Linda -

Sorry can't help with your query - but very pleased to hear about your up-grade. That will be lovely!

 

Again - off topic I'm afraid :o but I've been looking for that link from the guy who does really comprehensive port reviews with loads of detail - is his name Tom? Anyway I thought I'd book-marked it but can't find it anywhere. I think you flagged it up on here though. If so, I'd be really grateful if you can post it again for me. :)

 

This one, Kruzseeka? I missed out the 'T'

 

http://*omsportguides.com/

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