Tom/fca Aircraft

[Welsh Bobby]

Just returned from my annual summer hols,this time CWL- LPA.

Flew on a FCA liveried 752 (G-OOPA) aircraft operated under the new Thomson Airways and what a disappointing experience!
Outbound had row 17 as our prebooked (!) seats and to my horror no window,not even a slight view! Forward ovens went u/s so delay in meals being served as they all had to be preapred at rear.
Return leg - had a window seat after making sure after the outbound experience that the holiday rep pursued this for me. This time the IFE audio in a number of rows including ours was not working so we had to lip read the films on the 3hrs 40 mins flight back from LPA to CWL!

Will CWL always have the old crappy ex FCA 752s based there or was this just bad luck in both directions?!

[Mr @ Spotty M]

The old crappy ex TCA a/c is younger than any of the ex BRI fleet other than some of its B737-800s.
Built 2000/2001 and l can tell you in far better nick than some of the ex BRI crappy B757s.
All l can say is get a grip on life, just because you end up with no window to look out, the odd oven is u/s and a duff IFE system does not mean the a/c is a piece of Cra*
Suggest you use easyjet, Ryanair or even Jet2 next time and enjoy there IFE system, which l can guarantee you 100%, will be defect free.
I do not work for either TCA or TOM, so this is unbiased.
By the way l think you will find it was G-OOBA.

[Avman]

Very unfair of you to suggest Bobby gets "a grip on life" Mr Spotty. If the airline offers IFE as part of the package then in my book it's not unreasonable to be slightly miffed if your seat's equipment is U/S. If half the ovens don't work and the airline is incapable of arranging seat rows so that all rows have at least a partial window then that's a poor show too. It doesn't make the aircraft unsafe, but I'd call it "crappy" too.

The B737 variants also generally have a windowless row with many carriers. I noticed recently on a Brussels Airline's flight that they avoided this with some intelligent configuration. Just shows that it can be done - if you care about your customers.

[Welsh Bobby]

Mr Spotty @ M
Thats teling me! Obviously touched a nerve.
I thought this was the 'spectators balcony' where we can give observations/feedback?
I am a loyal TOM customer and have never experienced these poor issues before.
I will assume that this was a 'one off' bad experience?!

By the way its FCA not TCA!

[Mr @ Spotty M]

Point taken.
Does it say you will get IFE on short-haul flights?

[oldbalboy]

some of the ex fca 757 planned to get a cabin upgrade this winter, the problem is they were all leased in 2nd hand so no consistancy re galley/ife equiptment and its proving a nightmare for engineers to keep these things servicable

[Welsh Bobby]

re the window or lack of one on row 17A - why,any reason?
How often are the based aircraft changed around?

[FL370 Officeboy]

Windowless rows are on some types due to the main spar being located at that point. Not saying that is why the 757 has a windowless row but it's one reason some aircraft do.