Thomas Cook PE v Virgin PE

[Tinkerbellworld]

We are regular Virgin PE travellers to Orlando but finding prices for this year a bit too high (even with miles!). I have had a look at TC direct in PE which is around £200 cheaper each! (It’s not the Dreamliner)

Could I have some feedback on experiences with TC flights please - happy to use them with the big difference but would like opinions first to be sure
Thanks, I am a worrier!

[nickmad]

We have done Thomas Cook once - never again! The whole thing was a shambles from start to finish. From taking payment on a German system that meant the bank charged us for a foreign currency transaction which took weeks of argument to sort out, to the mess up with seat reservations (not us but other people on the flight) where children were separated from parents and people were walking up and down the plane asking if anyone would move. It has also been reported in the financial press that Thomas Cook are trying to sell the airline. They have been in a financial mess for a while, so I would not risk it myself!

[mick]

Flown TC PE three times from MAN in recent years and due to do it again next month. It's an Airbus 330. I've said on here a dozen times that it's the best outbound food that we've had.

We often see it £1,000 cheaper for the two of us compared with VS and we'll continue to use them if they maintain that competitiveness. Unfortunately they don't offer PE from MAN in November when we also visit so we use BA then who are also cheaper for us that VS.

We found the TC website very easy to use and certainly nothing like the problems that nickmad had. Selected seats and luggage as part of the booking process.

Not quite the selection of films that VS offer maybe but I don't pay £1,000 more for a couple more films.


Mick

[sully301]

i had a great experience with TC PE in September 2016 and it was better than BA WTplus. I think with TC its pretty good when things go right, however, when things go wrong your screwed!

[coggie]

Originally Posted by nickmad

We have done Thomas Cook once - never again! The whole thing was a shambles from start to finish. From taking payment on a German system that meant the bank charged us for a foreign currency transaction which took weeks of argument to sort out, to the mess up with seat reservations (not us but other people on the flight) where children were separated from parents and people were walking up and down the plane asking if anyone would move. It has also been reported in the financial press that Thomas Cook are trying to sell the airline. They have been in a financial mess for a while, so I would not risk it myself!

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I've booked numerous TC Airlines flights and not once been charged for a foreign currency transaction.

[mick]

Originally Posted by coggie

I've booked numerous TC Airlines flights and not once been charged for a foreign currency transaction.

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This is the site I always use. Never had any issues.

thomascookairlines/

Mick

[Thorpy]

In 2015 we went Virgin in August and Thomas Cook in October, so I was able to do a reasonably close comparison. Our experience of Thomas Cook was to be split up despite being the second family to check in. The flight was also about half an hour late. The IFE was not a patch on Virgins, and that was after the paid upgrade. Their food was better though.

Virgins product is better, but everybody has a different quality threshold and a different value threshold. One persons unbearable is another persons meh. An additional cost for one family can be something they suck up, and for another the difference between going and not.
We prefer Virgin, and usually find the necessary budget, but Sometimes the price difference is too big to ignore.

[mick]

Originally Posted by Thorpy

In 2015 we went Virgin in August and Thomas Cook in October, so I was able to do a reasonably close comparison. Our experience of Thomas Cook was to be split up despite being the second family to check in. The flight was also about half an hour late. The IFE was not a patch on Virgins, and that was after the paid upgrade. Their food was better though.

Virgins product is better, but everybody has a different quality threshold and a different value threshold. One persons unbearable is another persons meh. An additional cost for one family can be something they suck up, and for another the difference between going and not.
We prefer Virgin, and usually find the necessary budget, but Sometimes the price difference is too big to ignore.

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Thorpy

We have absolutely nothing against VS. Since we started flying into MCO instead of SFB we've maybe used VS a dozen times compared with TC and BA only three times each but to us it's a tin tube that hopefully gets us over the water safely and a couple of Yorkshire pensioners always watch the pennies.

We've never had trouble with seats either as we normally book the last row in PE - 7A & 7C if we can.


Mick

[kcanderson]

We did both virgin pe and TC pe 2018 ,if your saving £200 with tc go with them ,and as mick said tc outbound food is better ,if prices similar we would choose virgin

[mick]

Originally Posted by kcanderson

We did both virgin pe and TC pe 2018 ,if your saving £200 with tc go with them ,and as mick said tc outbound food is better ,if prices similar we would choose virgin

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To be honest if prices were similar I'd also choose VS but for maybe minor things like twilight check-in at LGW and DS check-in on the way home.

Mick