Monarch -2

[Mr @ Spotty M]

G-MONB may well leave this week, currently undertaking an engine change, once completed hopefully it will then dept.

[Robin Pilot]

Hi all,

I've tried a search and had no luck so please don't shoot me down.

I'm getting married in Sicily in Sept, and half of my family have had letters from Monarch cancelling their flights from Gatwick. Apparently they are cancelling all flights from Gatwick during the Summer season.

Can anyone shed any light on this? The other half of the family will be flying from Manchester so is it likely they'll be cancelled too? Would love any help - not least because the bride and I will be making the long trip from Brisbane beforehand!

Thanks in advance.

[Evileyes]

Hi Robin Pilot, congrats on your upcoming nupitals.

Have you contacted Monarch and asked them? Or the agents you bought the tickets from?

Folks, PLEASE don't use PPRuNe as a substitute for customer service. The answers you receive from this anonymous website are worthless in comparison to getting factual information and/or a commitment from the company or agent you bought the tickets from.

More importantly, bad advice here can cost you money, aggravation, and a missed trip with nobody to blame except yourself.

The Mods

[squeaker]

Monarch don't do scheduled flights to Sicily, so guess it would be the charterer/tour operator you need to speak to.

[Robin Pilot]

Thanks Evileyes. Indeed, the airline were the first port of call. No further information was forthcoming, however. Only "all summer ops from Gatwick cancelled".

I realise that a large handful of salt should be taken on here - however any information would be better than the "customer service smoke screen" I have been presented with so far.

I thought, as an existing member of pprune, I would throw the question up in an attempt to find out some further info. Then I'll look at all I have and take an educated guess on whether the 30 guests I have flying from Manchester would be better off making new arrangements or risking their existing reservations.

All bookings were made directly with the airline concerned - no tour operators have been involved.

[TartinTon]

Robin, sorry mate but you can't make bookings direct with the airline to somewhere they don't fly to!

Have a look on the website and you'll see their scheduled destinations. They don't fly to Sicily and have never sold flights to Sicily as a scheduled destination.

It could have been Cosmos (the tour-operating arm of Monarch) or any number of other tour ops but it would not have been the parent company.

[airhumberside]

You can book at least some Monarch charters on their website, though Catania is only on sale from MAN

[TSR2]

All bookings were made directly with the airline concerned - no tour operators have been involved.

Before changing any existing reservations from Manchester, my advice would be to write a 'private and confidential' polite letter to the Managing Director of Monarch Mr Tim Jeans explaining your predicament and seek assurance that the Manchester service will operate as advertised.

[pabely]

I think one of the exGB exEZY A321s was handed over during the weekend did the other pass across as well Ok?

[jethro15]

I think one of the ex GB ex EZY A321s was handed over during the weekend did the other pass across as well Ok?

Yes. Both ferried Gatwick - Luton 22/23 Feb for acceptance checks, but they are not quite Monarch's yet

jethro
jethro's UK and Ireland Airline Fleet Listings

[red 5]

G-TTIH handed over today and G-TTII will be handed over to Mon Tomorrow.

[bmibaby.com]

Will Monarch be continuing their programme of flights to destinations such as the Gambia, Egypt and east-coast Canada now with the Airbus A320 or 321, or will these routes be "upgraded" to longhaul capacity? Not sure the 321 can do most of those missions, and the 320 I'd imagine would probably still struggle.

[TartinTon]

Still got 3 x 757s so can carry on until they've gone I suppose unless they upgrade the aircraft as you say. Depends on tour op demand.

[partyboy_uk]

Will Monarch be continuing their programme of flights to destinations such as the Gambia, Egypt and east-coast Canada now with the Airbus A320 or 321, or will these routes be "upgraded" to longhaul capacity? Not sure the 321 can do most of those missions, and the 320 I'd imagine would probably still struggle.

What?? Monarch do still have 4 x A300, 2 x A330, 3 x B757 and a B767 which are all capable of doing those routes you mention.

As it happens, there is rumour that some Egypt flights may be on the A321 this summer, although the summer schedule is not yet available to confirm this.

Indeed, the airline were the first port of call. No further information was forthcoming, however. Only "all summer ops from Gatwick cancelled".

Just to be clear here. If you originally made a search on the Monarch website for your flights to Sicily then you would have been redirected to the Avro (flight only and charterer's website), although admitedly you would not necessarily be entirely aware of this at the time.

Despite the Avro logo appearing in the top right-hand corner, you would have also seen the Monarch logo and Jo Public may not necessarily realise that it is Avro (one of the charterers of this flight) that you were making the booking through. However, I would expect this to appear in the T&C's, and it is them who you should contact about your flight.

I assume the "all summer ops from Gatwick cancelled" refers only to this particular route, and nothing else your post might imply. Monarch's charter flights are determined by the companies who charter them and not Monarch. In case you didn't know, it is possible to tell this is a chater flight because you would have had a flight number beginning with MON. Good luck with your booking!

[Robin Pilot]

Thanks for the help guys.

So to make sure I understand this. Despite me booking through the Monarch website (yes there was an Avro logo in the corner - but that means nothing to me), I was in the hands of a tour operator since the advertised flight I was booking was, in fact, charter. The tour operator technically "owns" the flight, and they've decided to cancel it for whatever reason. It has nothing to do with Monarch, their scheduled ops or their Gatwick ops in general. I'll get onto Avro.

Lesons learnt by my good self - thanks again guys.

TartinTon - You are correct it wasn't scheduled. They do fly to Sicily - by charter - and you can book through their website (or so it appears). And as far as I was concerned it was direct with Monarch for the reasons explained in brackets above. Or - I just made the whole thing up to waste your time. For my next post - a complaint about my cancelled EasyJet flight to Kabul.

[simonchowder]

Heard a rumour MON are basing two A321 aircraft at DUB this summer, any truth in the story?

[MUFC_fan]

Somebody has to fill the Futura Gael void....

[tubby linton]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was more than two,but no widebody this year.

[SCANDIC]

G-MONB

G-MONB departed today at 11.15am, i'm not to sure where she would be flying to. Its the end of an era for monarch, i think that the thomas cook 757 has departed for fed ex too.

[harer92]

Monarch 787

Hi,
Will The Monarch 787s Come with ptvs in all classes onboard - Premium Economy + Economy. If so will they be AVOD or just looped.