Monarch my arse! No Royal service here! (Monarch Airlines)

Member Name: garymarsh6

Product:	Monarch Airlines
Date:	03/04/09 (522 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: NONE

Disadvantages: Everything especially lack of leg room

Monarch Airlines.

I have recently flown with Monarch Airways from Gatwick airport to Luxor in Egypt. It was a specially chartered flight. The return flight was from Aqaba in Jordan.

Check in at Gatwick.

As we had upgraded tickets to premium class we were able to check in by going to a separate check in desk where they booked us in and allocated our seats. The lady checking us in was efficient but very officious. Despite going premium class they actually weighed the hand luggage and were very strict with a maximum weight of 5 Kgs so be warned. We were issued our boarding cards and a pass to the lounge which was very basic.

We boarded the flight and the boarding was swift and efficient.
There was no offer of a pre flight drink and there were some members of the crew just feeding and stuffing their faces in the galley. They looked miserable and the operation of the specially charted flight appeared that it was a chore for them to be on.

Seating
Fortunately for us on the outbound flight there was a seat spare in our row which gave us a bit of extra room and as it was an older aircraft we could lift the armrest up which gave us a bit more room to spread out.We were able to relax and settle in to the five and a half hour flight and about an hour after take off we were offered a drink. Then there was the meal run.

The return flight however was a nightmare. It was an A320 which had fixed arm seats which meant the seats were not very wide at all. We were given a bulkhead seat 1E and 1F which meant there was limited leg room it felt extremely claustrophobic and with three people in the row there was very limited arm room especially when trying to eat as the elbow room was negligible meaning the man sitting beside me had his elbows in my ribs. It was very uncomfortable. Also the oxygen supply was appallingly low and I hated every minute on the plane and couldn't wait to get off.

The safety demo was OK but it beggars belief when they are telling you to adopt the brace position in the case of an emergency landing. Who the hell are they trying to kid as even with the extra leg room it would be nigh on a physical impossibility to adopt unless you were seriously vertically challenged and about 3 foot tall. I would dearly like to force the chairman and board of directors of Monarch to sit in these seats for a five and a half hour flight so that they can experience their own delightful (not) product. It would be very interesting to find out how many people suffer from DVT's after flying with them.



The in flight meal.

Two hours into the flight they started to serve lunch. We were offered another drink with our meal and wine. The meal was promptly served. The starters were salmon served on a bed of rose sauce with lettuce and tomato and lemon. A small brown bread roll was offered with a generous helping of butter. It tasted fine no complaints from me.

There were two main courses on offer and yes you guessed it......chicken or beef which was brought to us piping hot. It was a beef dish consisting of a beef stew, baby carrots, peas, potatoes and a mini Yorkshire pudding. It was tasty and did the job as it was not that filling which was good in that you did not feel stuffed but pleasantly satisfied. It was served piping hot on both occasions. There were individual cheese portions and biscuits and a small mousse like dessert and an apple crumble on the return flight which was quite tasty. There was metal cutlery wrapped in a serviette but the glasses were plastic. I understand that the people who sat in economy had to pay for drinks.

The plane landed on time and we swiftly disembarked.

Many of the passengers who sat at the rear of the plane were complaining that leg room was practically non existent. They were not very happy at all.

Entertainment.

The film on the outbound flight was Australia which many of the passengers didn't bother watching. It was a big disappointment to find that the screens were in the ceiling of the aisle and not in the headrest of the seat in front this was a pain as the screen was not that clear and you could hardly see it due to the reflection from the windows. On the return trip there was a selection of short films which were terribly boring. I am so glad I travel with my I river and a decent assortment of reading materials.

On board sales.
The crew seem to want to sell duty free, drinks and confectionary to the passengers and seem hell bent on flogging as much as they can. There was a large selection of duty free products available.



My opinion of Monarch.

The crew on the way out were a right miserable bunch some of whom looked like they were sucking lemons or wasps. The crew on the way back were slightly better. The planes were nice and clean and both left on time arriving at their destinations earlier than scheduled. Monarch offer scheduled services and also charter flights.

The in thing these days is to charge you for extras. On board in economy you have to pay for everything from drinks to food and headphones this is in addition to your fare. The airline is very strict on weight allowances and allows you a measly 5kgs hand baggage and very strict size measurements of said hand baggage. We used Monarch as it was part of a package to Egypt and Jordan. I would not choose to use them again and wish we had made our own travel arrangements on a scheduled airline.

I can honestly say that this has been the worst flying experience I have ever had and would never fly with Monarch again and would avoid them like the plague. I would not recommend them to anyone unless you are a masochist who enjoys the feeling of pain and discomfort.


I am only going to give them 2 stars as the leg room is absolutely appalling and their customer care could do with being a bit friendlier. Do yourself a favour and get yourself on a scheduled flight.

Summary: Ghastly horrible airline with miserable staff.