Palmair voted 2nd best airline for service by Holiday Which!
Article taken from Bournemouth Echo

OTHER bigger airlines may claim to be the world's favourite and take more care of you, but Bournemouth-based Palmair really is and does.

Despite being knocked off its number one perch by Singapore Airlines, the Palmair subsidiary of the Bath Travel empire is still flying high in the annual passenger poll conducted by Holiday Which?

With just two aircraft taking around 70,000 passengers a year to a dozen destinations from the Canaries to Corfu, Palmair was voted second favourite in the Consumer Association's bi-annual airline satisfaction survey.

And with Jet2, the budget airline arm of Channel Express, which will be launching a Belfast service from Hurn later this month, placed third in the poll, Bournemouth can claim two of the top three smoothest operators.

Nearly 20,000 passengers were canvassed for their thoughts on a range of comfort criteria from checking in to cabin cleanliness, in-flight service and meals.

The Holiday Which? report enthused: "Pocket dynamo Palmair continues to punch above its weight. Once up in the air, cabin crew on Singapore and Palmair were in a class of their own," added the report, which also found that only Air New Zealand gave more leg room to its passengers than Palmair.

Company chairman Peter Bath, whose personal meeting and greeting of passengers boarding at Bournemouth has long been a Palmair trademark, said the Holiday Which? results showed small was beautiful when it came to giving friendly service.

"Once you get to be number one you can't go any higher, but we are very pleased to get second," said Mr Bath.

Ian Doubtfire, managing director of Jet2 said: "We treat our passengers well, have smart cabin crew and leather interiors.

"We'll be flying on time every day with low fares when our Belfast service launches."

First published: March 1

Theres a rumour going around that TOM will base a third 737 at BOH in time for the summer. TOM are said to be taking on 2 ex easy planes. Anyone heard anymore???

It would be a very bold and positive move by Thomsonfly if that were to happen. Wouldn't they need to announce routes etc quite soon for a S05 start??

I wonder what routes a third airframe would operate.........

With Thomsonfly starting tomorrow

Any ideas when we will see the First Plane will arrive at Bournemouth


Anybody know when its being delivered down south.

From the Thomsonfly arrivals page they will be in as follows

TOM001 Coventry - Bournemouth 22:10 Expected 22:13

TOM005 Coventry - Bournemouth 22:55 On time 22:54

How on Earth do they know that the arrival is going to be 3 mins late and the other 1 min early as it only just the start of the day.

TOM001 Coventry Bournemouth 22:10 Expected 23:36

TOM005 Coventry Bournemouth 22:55 On time 22:54

Latest info from Thomsonfly.com

I also wondered how they can know estimated arrival times so far in advance, even for 2mw!

Good luck Thomsonfly @ BOH!! :D

How did T-Fly do today?

Good loads on all the flights departing BOH so far today

Thomsonfly.com has taken off from Bournemouth
22.03.2005


The first Thomsonfly.com low fares flight took off from Bournemouth Airport early this morning.

The first flight was bound for Valencia in Spain at 6.45am. Each one of the 148 seats on the Boeing 737-300 aircraft was occupied with people from Bournemouth and the surrounding area keen to take the opportunity to fly from their local airport at low prices. As predicted the flights have been selling rapidly since they went on sale at the beginning of December last year; bookings are fast approaching 150,000 sector passengers.

The airline is operating two aircraft from the airport. The first day of flying will see holidaymakers and business travellers flying off to Amsterdam, Pisa, Malaga, Valencia and Paris. Flights start to Palma on Wednesday (23 March) and Faro on Thursday (24 March).

All passengers travelling on Thomsonfly.com flights on the first day will receive a celebratory gift bag containing a number of travel and Thomsonfly.com goodies. Passengers on the first flight were able to toast the new airline with Bucks Fizz.

At the end of a GREAT DAY for Bournemouth

TOM733 Bournemouth Malaga 20:00 On time 20:00
TOM965 Bournemouth Amsterdam 20:25 Expected 20:34
TOM966 Amsterdam Bournemouth 21:55 Expected 22:15
TOM734 Malaga Bournemouth 23:20 On time 22:59

Not bad so far.

The first Jet2 flight from Belfast has come and gone! Its been a hectic couple of days at BOH!!

The terminal was very red with Girls giving out Jet2 Leaflets.

I was given 6 leaflets and was only going to the toilet.

A Very Good Week

Bournemouths New Arrivals Lounge

Well done - This has been a long waited project that has been needed for years. No Longer do you get soaking wet to meet passengers arriving.

The seats have been upgraded from White Garden Chairs at the beginning of the week to School Chairs is a row like the doctors waiting room.

There seems to be a missing opportunity to advertise anybodys flights in there with No banners / Signs / Leaflets only Trueprints.

There is a coke machine in the arrivals - Tonight to cold for Coke but does need a Coffee machine and Vending machine (Bmth Airport Please Note)

The arrivals screen is welcomed as nobody ever new what flights they where meeting in the cold and dark outside.

Well done and so good to see all flights comming and going all day over Bournemouth.

I have read on !!!!!!!!!!!!!! that Thomsonfly may be basing a third a/c at BOH. They currently have 2 aircraft due which are not allocated a base - G-THOJ and G-THOK (both 733's ex-easyJet).

Does anyone have any further info on this?

I heard a similar rumour, they were due to add a 3rd aircraft at Bournemouth from early summer 2006, but because bookings and loads have exceeded all expectations, and BOH is no.1 performing base definately 1 more B733 is heading for Bournemouth. Start date is rumoured to be July, can anyone confirm?

A Thomsonfly (Britannia) B757-200 has arrived at Bournemouth this afternoon to operate some TOM flights - Paris and Amsterdam today I believe.

I have been told Thomsonfly have tech probs with one of their 737's hence why they have been using a B752 at COV and now BOH.

the reason the B752 is at BOH is due to previous weather delay of earlier services. Crew went out of hrs. Playing catch up.

Fair enough Nakata77. Some people will have lots of room on their flights today!! ;)

The delayed Thosmonfly 737 was diverted to Gatwick last night from Bournemouth due to bad weather.