Confused who I'm flying with

[user error]

Hi guys

I wonder if anyone can help on this one.

My friend has booked us flight to Mombasa with Thomson - I want to know which Airline is taking up there under this code: BY336A.

Many thanks in advance

[Tiger]

It will be Britannia.
Your flight home is BY 336B? Britannia uses A for O/B and B for the I/B flight ex UK

[bycrewlgw]

Lot of confusion out there at the mo as we under go a name change. We are now Thomsonfly (formally Britannia Airways). Thomsonfly will become the official and legal name of the company from Nov 1st 2005. Tui, our parent group, want to create a master brand in the UK of Thomson and Britannia didn't fit into this plan - so hence Thomsonfly. Will be the same aircraft albeit painted in the Tui colours. Also from summer 2006, the flight number code will change to TOM and the call sign will change to Thomson / Thomsonfly.

BYCREWLGW

[user error]

Thanks Tiger

I have read a few reviews about them from Skytraxx and I'm bacing myself - still tho i do hope they chnaged their seating pitch or I might request to be checked in with luggage - might have more space :D and same service:O

Hi BYCREWLGW

Thanikng you too for your quick response. It makes sense as I\'ve heard different things too and this one seems to make most sense out of them all.

thanks again

[Tiger]

I have the same problem being 6`2. I found booking extra leg room seats a must these days, and paying the extra (although I don`t agree with it if your tall) is well worth it. However, charter operators have found another way of squeezing you in...seat width! Monarch A300`s esp bad, and my BY flight wasn`t much better. Scheduled carriers much better.

[DC10FAN]

Just returned from a Thomsonfly trip from Manchester to Rhodes on a B767-300.(Configured for all economy seat) I am 6ft(just) and my knees were only 1/2 inches off the seat in front; seat width is appalling(2-4-2). I've flown on Monarch A300s(3-3-3) and found the same problem there. These 2 a/c types suffer as the fuselage widths allow charter carriers to squeeze an extra seat in each row. The aisles are also very narrow hence I was constantly being knocked by the cabin crew in the aisle. I've recently flown on a BA 767(2-3-2) and Egyptair A300(2-4-2) and the difference in space(seat/aisle width and legroom)is very noticable. IMO 4.5 hrs is the most I could take on a charter carrier.

[30W]

Perhaps he should have done his homework first and booked with First Choice. They are operating Mombassa from both Manchester and Gatwick this Winter on the 767. Difference being from the others is that their new cabin seat pitches are MUCH better. Standard economy is 33" (30" on Thompson, and only 31" on a BA 767!). If you want to travel premium you get a wopping 36" - well worth it. Both classes have seat back screens/entertainment systems (unavailable on a Thompson/Monarch or MyTravel).

Until these other carriers catch up with their cabins (and I'm sure they will given time), then there should only be one choice currently - do your homework and travel longhaul in a GOOD cabin - Firstchoice!

30W

[diesel36]

30W
yes i agree with you about first choice and the seat pitch in economy. but get all your facts correct. mytravel also have 36" in premiar gold and seat back tv,s in every seat.

[Mr @ Spotty M]

DC10FAN talks about seat width, which first choice have not done anything about.
It is not just more leg room that he is on about.
One thing that many pax do not know about, is that the worst seats to sit in the B767 are the window seats.
These seats have less room because of the sidewall shape.

[FormerFlyer]

30W something else worth mentioning is that the FCA 767s are also only 2-3-2, so one less seat across too.

Am off to SFB on 12th November with them & can't wait to experience it.....in Premier of course :E

cheers ;)
FF

[30W]

diesel36,

I'll happily stand corrected - thanks for that, I wasn't aware. All they need now then is to change the back end config........

SpottyM,

Marginally less room in a window seat width wise yes, but personally prefer them and neither I or my family have had any issue in one.

30W

[diesel36]

30W
sorry for getting on my high horse i work for mytravel and we have had premiar gold up the front since our 330,s came 6 yrs ago so really first choice are catching up with us. now we just need to catch up with them with legroom down the back.. if rumours are true it could be happening soon.....:D

[FormerFlyer]

Well I have to admit that FCA, or Air2Bob as was used to have 38" pitch in Premier cabin, before the reconfigging. Why they've reduced it heaven knows, but would that 2" make a difference?

cheers ;)
FF

[user error]

We have had a look at the flight dates and Thomson was the only one offering flights on those dates which were direct ( as original plan was to fly scheduled but then have to stop in Nairobi which we didn't want to do).

The rest of the flights were either fully booked ( or so the agents kept telling us ) or the dates were all wrong - this was best we could get for now.

But I do know that scheduled will start flying direct to Mombasa early next year (2006) so this will deffo help and who knows maybe make Mon & the rest of the cowboys realise that maybe seat reshuffle is in order.

I still can't belive they can get away with that little leg room on longhaul flights if nothing else then for health reasons !!!:eek:

Also one more question for you guys - I think ( I don't know much about this so that's why I'm asking ) that the airline is responsible for providing you with a meal on l/h flights without any additional charges ? Is that the case ?? Where can i read more about this and my rights as a passenger in general ???
If I got any with that seating pitch :uhoh: :} :uhoh:

thanks for your answers in advance.

[WHBM]

Charter carriers have not changed from their 28" seat pitch for the last 35 years, since the 130-seat 737s came along to Britannia in the late 1960s. So I would be surprised if they did so now.

Part of the appeal of the A320 over the 737/757 (and related products which have the same fuselage dimensions) is that the cabin is 6" wider, which translates into 1" extra width per seat.

Some years ago these long-haul charters (like Florida) were being done with charter-config 757s. These had the same seat pitch but one thing you couldn't do on them was put in an extra seat across compared to the scheduled operators. But from anecdotal evidence they were even worse on such routes.

Finnair still use their charter 757s on some amazingly long runs, from Helsinki to resorts in northern Brasil like Recife, or to Phuket in Thailand, both of which require two lengthy legs each way with a refuelling stop. Must be a hardy nation !

American Airlines' experience with MRTC putting in extra legroom and taking out seat rows fleetwide was that passengers put little/no value on the extra legroom, so they have taken it out again. It was a surprising discovery, I found it worthwhile and AA got business from me over BA for this very reason. The actual loss of revenue (which could only happen on a full flight, and not many were) must have been comparatively small.

I'm 6'0" and do not actually have a problem with charter seating. A former girlfriend was 5'4" and complained about BA 747 Y seating as "sardine class". So I think your personal perception plays a lot in it. And we have to recognise that, in the two generations since those Britannia 737s first came along, average height of 20-year old adults has gone up notably, for males at least by several inches.