Arillas Forum
Welcome to Arillas => Corfu Flight Board => Topic started by: smoosh on August 28, 2007, 11:07:26 AM
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I know this is a bit off topic as far as Arillas goes, but I've got a feeling I'll soon be asking you lot what I should have for tea tonight!!!
Has anyone flown First Choice to Corfu? We're flying from Bristol and I've just been looking on the website and it says in order to sit together you have to pay £24 each way! I'm not the greatest flyer and I'm worried I'll have a meltdown if I'm not allowed to sit next to Julian! Can we not just arrive the required 2 hours ahead and ask for seats together? That's what I've always done with other airlines... EEK!
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We have also done the same just arrived early for years and never had any trouble, seems a bit steep does that im sure friends of our's booked their seats last year for £10 each. Viv
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Hi Smoosh, we have flown with First Choice. you can either prebook to sit together or not pay extra and do it at the airport when you arrive. I pay the extra to guarantee i'm not on the wing. If i haven't prebooked, I make sure I turn up at airport extra early to guarantee first in queue. The only problem then is the return flight because you have no choice in queue. To me it's worth it, if I had to sit on my own, or over the dreaded wing, i'd go gaga. x
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just to add to Viv's reply, don't think it was £24 each, more like £10, check it out on website.
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It said £24 on the website - assuming that's £12 each though...
We'll just have to arrive super early. Our flight from Bristol is at 19.45 so if we make sure we get there for about 17.00 we should be ok. I would lose the plot if I had to sit by a stranger!
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Smoosh..we have travelled with first choice & all the other airlines..we never pay extra to sit together..we always get to the check in 3 hrs before take off and kindly ask for window seats & seats together. always get them we have never been split up on flights..we also never pay for the inflight meal 7 again more often than not get one. Same comeing home as well
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Thanks Kes. They just added the price of the in flight meal on to our booking charges - it can be a bit confusing booking hols on line sometimes! I've always flown to Cyprus with Cyprus Airways and they're always really accommodating, but I've always found them a nice, informal airline. They'll bend over backwards for you - unlike some others!
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When booking online always look for the boxes with ticks in...then untick them all and review the options given...I have noticed that the option to use the companies insurance is sometimes ticked as well.
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Yep i always untick everything in the boxes online, you'll be amazed at how much the price then drops!
But as everyone has said, just arrive in plenty of time and you'll be able to get seats seated together.
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As i'm not on commission I should be ok posting this :)
The charge you pay is to 'guarantee' seats together, instead of playing the lottery at checkin. Of course if you checkin for the flight early there is a very good chance you will get seats together anyway but I never said that. Paying the charge means you will sit together, not paying the charge means you will probably sit together :)
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Yes, there's usually no problem going, it's the return i pay for really. I paid £40 altogether to Mytravel for this. I rang mytravel to do pay it over the phone, said it was because i needed to be away from the wing, she said we would have same seats going out and returning (window and middle seat at front). On return flight we queued for ages at corfu airport and were allocated two aisle seats right on the wing! We took them and I said to billy i would complain on return to britain to mytravel. I was shakin thinking of the flight home. We were sat in lounge waiting for departure when our names were called out over tannoy to return to check-in, we both looked at each other, like oh god that's us, one security guy was lookin at us very suspiciously, anyway it turned out the check-in girl had wrongly allocated us and we were given the seats I had prebooked. So i do think it's worth it for the return flight.
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Thanks everyone - and thanks for the unofficial professional viewpoint Joe!
I just think it's daft that if you book two tickets together you're automatically not sat together. I should imagine there are much fewer single travellers on these holiday type flights to popular destinations so most people will be in groups. I can understand it for cheap airline flights to Paris or Brussels where there will be lots of single seats booked but you'd think it'd be common sense that holiday makers will want to travel with their partners/kids etc!
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HI ALL
just arrive the required 2 hours ahead and ask for seats together? That's what I've always done with other airlines and had no trouble it is just more money for the companies. anyway have a good flight and holiday
kevin
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We got there 3 hours ahead because of all the checkins at Gatwick... had no problems all sitting together.
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It was something that was brought in at passengers request and of course it is designed to bring in extra revenue and thus keep fares low :-) and best of all it is an optional charge.
The configuration of most short-haul route aircraft 3-3 will invariably mean people will get split up, Booking your seats in advance just gives you that extra peace of mind. Seasoned travellers will know that you have a good chance of sitting together but not everyone will know this. As a business model its works very well pleasing both the passengers and the airline.
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Booking pre-bookable seats is still not 100% guarantee that you will be seated right next to each other.There is a possibility that you can be in the same row but separated by an aisle-one in each aisle seat as in Joe's 3-3 configeration example-or you can be allocated one seat behind the other.At least it safe guards you from being at totally different ends of the aircraft in odd seats.
If you don't want to pre book seats then as most people have said if you arrive at the check in desk in plenty of time they will do their best to seat you together.
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Indeed being split by the aisle is considered seats together which I think is fair enough, however we did used to conisder seats behind each other as seats together, after many many many complaints we no longer adopt this, not sure if it is the same for other carriers.
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Do you work for First Choice Joe?
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I like arriving at the Check-In desk as late as possible, in the hope my wife and I will be allocated seats at opposite ends of the aeroplane. ;-)
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Do you work for First Choice Joe?
Ha Ha. No I work for Thomas Cook Flight Operations in their main offices at Manchester Airport. My main role is to update and amend the technical documents the pilots need and use in the Flight deck, I also supply IT support when our "outsourced" in-house IT lets us down, there are other things to but I won't bore you all.
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We travelled with First Choice in August this year and there were 12 of us, we got to the airport 3 hours before and all sat together.We also had no problem on the return journey,even with the queues at Corfu Airport.The flight crew were the best ive ever been with.
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Looks like Pete & I will be coming back with First Choice on 22nd, Hope there's no delay as got an importent wedding to go to in the afternoon. Viv
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i think first choice are great.
next year im going with thomas cook from manchester to tunisia
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Touched down in Corfu at 0400 bags first off put in a taxi by libra rep were at Horizon by 0500. Think it might be a record.
Came back with first choice got to airport check in already opened Ian at the airport moved us to the frount, we were on the plane before we know it and got into Manchester early and would fly with first choice again even tough breakfast wasn't very nice.lol Viv
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We got there early and didn't have any problems. The planes were far too small for me though - made me a bit nervous!
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We went out last week with First Choice. The plane was only a third full, after take off we were told we could move to the seats by the centre doors (more leg room). We were given a meal even though we hadn't paid for one. Excellent - only paid £30 each too!!
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That's amazing! Our plane was packed and we had pre-ordered food and they checked the whole lot. I actually didn't find the stewarding staff as friendly on First Choice as I have on other airlines but then it's not that long a flight so I don't suppose it matters.
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Tha was really good value for money Pecked hen!!