Saintsman

For a short haul flight, it's not the end of the world if you can't sit together for a couple of hours....

bjh123

"For a short haul flight, it's not the end of the world if you can't sit together for a couple of hours...."

You might be happy for a small child to sit with strangers for a couple of hours but other parents and your child might not be so keen. The facility exists for airlines not to be money grabbing and mixing up sitting together out of necessity and sitting together out of choice.

Skipness One Echo

OR, and it's just a thought, NOT take a young child abroad on holiday. Kids get really stressed travelleing at the best of times and as much as they have fun it's an emotional rollercoaster for everyone.

I have NO sympathy for people who fly with babies either as it seems to me they put the baby through a lot just so they can go on holiday.

TSR2

And not a good thought at that.

lowcostdolly

You don't mention who the "we" is in your OP?

If you are with just Mr/Mrs old fart early check in should suffice without the need to pay.

If there are a large group of adults who really want to sit together then I would suggrest you pay up to guarentee this.

If you are travelling with little farts they are your ticket to a blissful flight of sitting next to them free of charge.......

Taken from www.caa.co.uk

"CAA guidlines ask airlines to develope systems for the seat allocation of family groups particularly when the family group includes children........"

It goes onto state the rationale and what should apply on a wide and narrow bodied aircraft.

Admittedly they are "guidlines" but it is a foolish UK registered airline whose cabin crew and ground staff will ignore this particularly if the pax has done their research beforehand and will quote.

Hope this helps

spaceman18

Thomas Cook wont allow a child to be sat on their own. Theres a multitude of reasons, and possibly laws that wouldnt allow it.
Even if the check in staff do this, the cabin should rectify once on board.

ThatRedHatGirl

Typical, leave it up to the cabin.

I ahve better things to do with my time than to rearrange families sitting apart (mostly because they turned up late than anything else) when a short word from the responsible adult at check-in or the gate (PRIOR to boarding) will do far more to help your case then waiting for the CC to do it onboard.

If ground staff tell you they can't do anything & the cabin crew can, DON'T BELIEVE THEM!!! They are the ones with the seat map and ability to re-issue boarding cards. We can't do it without delaying the boarding and therefore the flight. You are far more likely to get it sorted before boarding, lots of crew just chuck it in the too hard basket once pax are onboard. Of course we do what we can, especially where kids are concerned, but after a few flights of nearly EVERYONE wanting to change seats, it does get frustrating and it starts the whole thing off on a wrong note.

If you can sort it out with the people around you, even better. Just remember some airlines need you to stay in allocated seats prior to take off.

Dropline

Ground staff can't always help. Check in agents are often under strict instructions from airlines NOT to move passengers that have pre booked and paid for seats together. In the summer a large percentage of charter passengers pre book their seats, which mean check in agents are left with only a few seats to play with. The family of four, turning up last to check in for a full flight, will simply have to be given the last four seats on the aeroplane, wherever these may be. Same family of four then turn up late to the gate, and expect other passengers to be moved to accomodate them. Understandably people who have paid for their seats are usually reluctant to move. Very often the majority of passengers will already be on board so cannot be asked to move seats by the ground staff. The only option then is to send passengers on board to see the crew. The crew have one advantage over us - they have the option of offering enticements such as free drinks to passengers who offer to move. Ground staff can't do that.

Even pre seating whole flights causes problems - someone who has been presat at the back wants to sit near the front, someone given a window wants an aisle, and groups of people travelling together who have not booked together want to sit together, but have been sat apart because they were under different bookings. They then complain they have been presat in seats they didn't want. You can't win!

If you want to sit together, bite the bullet and pay up, or make sure you are the first in line at check in. Why should people who have booked and paid or turned up early be expected to give up their seats for people who haven't?

EXS258

Just booked my first long haul holiday to Mexico with Thomas Cook recently, quite anxious about what i've read about their A330s being cramped, the IFE not working and the service not being that good. Understandably this is a charter flight and to be honest im not a fussy person, as long as it gets me from A to B in relative comfort and there's something to occupy me for the 10+ hours im happy!

can anyone share personal experiences?

jack_essex

I flew with TCX A330 to Goa India this year and thought it was perfectly fine for a 9ish hour flight. Leg room fine, and I am 6ft. The IFE was acceptable for the flight duration, although not on demand.

GROUNDHOG

Not sure if they still offer it but would recommend upgrading to premium for a flight of that sector length.All depends on your definition of acceptable.

jeanyqua

SeatGuru Seat Map Monarch Airlines Airbus A330-200 (332)
Book rows 2.,,,through to 6.
We flew A330 to lanzarote,although it was monarch,and an extra legroom seat we had booked,we deliberately chose the front section,as it is quieter.

rob39

Flying TCX 13/11/11 GLA-TFS.Taking the grand kid first flight and wanting to know what is the best window seat on TCX typical cattle class.Usually this flight is on a 757 200

birdstrike

If you go to Thomas Cook Airlines - Support Home Page and follow the various links to ''booking your seat'' you will see a diagram of the seating plan. This will ensure that you avoid an over-wing seat.

Personally, I would sit on LH side going south, (and vv), this will give you the chance to see the French and Moroccan coasts rather than the wide expanses of the Atlantic.

Have a great time.

sunshine79

There is no way of saying exactly which seats have full windows (something that customers ask us all the time) but from about row 17 to 26(ish) are over the wing. When you book your seats on the website, it will advise you if its over the wing and if the seat dosen't recline.

jabird

birdstrike,

Sound advice, although I think I'd rather be on RHS for a view of Teide on approach to TFS - assuming a straight in approach. I think regulars would know which runway is used most often at each airport - never found a website which publishes this though, would be very useful to know the prevailing winds.

Don't forget the view in and out of GLA too, should get a second or two before you hit the clouds

GrahamK

jabird

Most of the times which I've flown into TFS, landing has been on runway 8, so the LHS would be better for viewing Teide.

ericlday

Graham K...spot on. Not sure of percentage but 08 in use most of the time.
Rob39....enjoy Tenerife there is plenty to see on the small island.

macdo

GLA - TFS is almost always a TANGO (oceanic) route going out to Shannon turning south and seeing nowt (apart from Funchal on a good day) till you let down directly north of the island. After that the route normally takes you down the sea gap between Tenerife and La Gomera followed by vectors to land on 08. Therefore, a left hand seat outbound, on a good day, will give you nice views of Mt Teide and the west coast resorts. The opposite will be true if you are landing on 26, but this is rare. I hope you enjoy your flight and holiday, our cabin crew do their best to make cattle class bearable and if you smile at them, likely as not, they will not treat you like cattle.

Danny_R

I agree, on the majority of my TFS trips over the past few years it has been 08 in use, can only ever recall it being 26 once out of a good 30-40 flights. As Macdo said, get a LHS and you'll get a view of the Island as you approach, you will see the cliffs of Los Gigantes followed by the resorts like Las Americas on the coast before turning to line up.

Enjoy your holiday, lovely Island with plenty to do and see! I highly recommend Siam Park, has to be one of the best waterparks on the planet!