Has anyone flown with Excel from the UK?

T

tired_boy

Bronze
Dec 4, 2003
700
0
0
46
Last week i was offered a flight over to POP with 'Excel' (hopefully that is the correct spelling).

Has anyone flown with them before? The travel agent was making out that the seats are far more comfortable with more room.........so here I am asking for anyones personal experiences

Thanks in advance.
 
T

tired_boy

Bronze
Dec 4, 2003
700
0
0
46
I can't remember the airport - it might have been Birmingham.

The price was ?750 pp for 2 weeks AI in the Flamenco leaving next Tuesday (day after BH Monday). Thats more than we have paid before but then again we have never travelled so close to the school holidays. The travel agent said all the seats were leather and that there would be more room than normal (which is good for me at over 6ft).
 
D

Dominican Babe

Bronze
Dec 9, 2002
819
2
0
I've just done a search and found their site http://www.excelairways.com/About_Us/About.asp
The seats look pretty much like the ones in the "premium" cabins on Thomas Cook, First Choice, Britannia, etc. And you normally pay a supplement of around ?200 return for those particular seats.

Interestingly, there is no mention of DR on the site anywhere, the only caribbean islands mentioned are Antigua, Barbados & St Lucia. Looks like they mostly go to Spain, Portugal, the Canaries,etc.
 
T

tired_boy

Bronze
Dec 4, 2003
700
0
0
46
Thanks for all the info Dominican Babe.

In the end I couldnt travel on the date that they suggested so it is no longer an issue but............ she definately said the flight to the DR was with them, this is all a bit too confusing for my 'tired' mind.

Anyway, thanks for the research..........:)
 
I

iainmc

New member
Sep 16, 2003
4
0
0
excel airways

We are flying with excel in 3 weeks from Gatwick to POP, they plane is a 767 - 300
has been leased by Thomas Cook. From the research I did there are 3 classes on the plane with excel one being very much like true 1st class - 24 seats ,leather, full recline, 45" seat pitch etc.

We had booked to fly Thomas Cook + service and after having being changed to excel had great trouble in making sure we were in the one cabin and supposedly we are. But I'll let you know in 5 weeks when we are back
 
T

tired_boy

Bronze
Dec 4, 2003
700
0
0
46
Thanks for the info, i was beginning to think that i was either hearing things or that the travel agent was mixed up.

However, in the end we didnt have the money when the Excel flights were offered so we have had to make do with Brittania. However we ended up getting the package for ?150 pp less by hanging on another week so i am :) :) (that's happy!)
 
P

Paulino

New member
Jan 4, 2002
190
2
0
tired_boy said:
Thanks for the info, i was beginning to think that i was either hearing things or that the travel agent was mixed up.

However, in the end we didnt have the money when the Excel flights were offered so we have had to make do with Brittania. However we ended up getting the package for ?150 pp less by hanging on another week so i am :) :) (that's happy!)
Click to expand...

Hopefully you did not book through thomsonflights.com, I've experienced that they are consistently more expensive than independent agents on the web, like a-1 travel, for the exact same flights. I've flown out of Gatwick on Britannia twice, and this was what I observed when booking, both times. If my memory serves me well the difference was in the neighbourhood of GBP 50 p/p.
 
T

tired_boy

Bronze
Dec 4, 2003
700
0
0
46
Paulino said:
Hopefully you did not book through thomsonflights.com, I've experienced that they are consistently more expensive than independent agents on the web, like a-1 travel, for the exact same flights. I've flown out of Gatwick on Britannia twice, and this was what I observed when booking, both times. If my memory serves me well the difference was in the neighbourhood of GBP 50 p/p.
Click to expand...

I actually booked with 'Global'. They sort out the flights, transfers and accomodation seperatley so it works out a bit less. The flights were with Thomson/Brittania and the hotel was booked direct. I got back today and have had a great time despite the weather. :)
 
P

pacopepe

New member
Mar 31, 2004
13
0
0
seems that they are really good

hi!!!

i have seen them in europe on major airports like brussels , amsterdam and london.
they have quite a few charters to holiday destinations worldwide.
charters in europe are run like any major, respectable carrier so not to worry..

it is not aeromar o anything like that.

have fun


el gran paco
 
T

tired_boy

Bronze
Dec 4, 2003
700
0
0
46
pacopepe said:
hi!!!

i have seen them in europe on major airports like brussels , amsterdam and london.
they have quite a few charters to holiday destinations worldwide.
charters in europe are run like any major, respectable carrier

have fun
Click to expand...

When we were flying out from Manchester we saw the planes. When i was sat there on the Brittania flight squeezing my 6ft+ frame into the seat i thought to myself ' DAmn that Excel flight sounded better'.

Maybe next time. It'll be another year now seeing as i have just been twice in 3 months.
 
B

Bartolomeo67

Newbie
Mar 18, 2004
592
2
18
57
Belgium/Holland Excel

Hi,
I flew with a Holland Excel plane to Punta Cana last July.
Here in Belgium and Holland, Thomas Cook charters these planes for the long haul destinations because their own fleet is not big enough. I suppose it is the same Excel company.
It seemed like a regular charter plane to me with usual room between seats in the tourist cabin and more room in the front section.
Bartolomeo
 
T

tired_boy

Bronze
Dec 4, 2003
700
0
0
46
Bartolomeo67 said:
Hi,
I flew with a Holland Excel plane to Punta Cana last July.
Here in Belgium and Holland, Thomas Cook charters these planes for the long haul destinations because their own fleet is not big enough. I suppose it is the same Excel company.
It seemed like a regular charter plane to me with usual room between seats in the tourist cabin and more room in the front section.
Bartolomeo
Click to expand...

No leather seats?
 
B

Bartolomeo67

Newbie
Mar 18, 2004
592
2
18
57
tired_boy said:
You didnt notice whether or not you were sat in a leather seat on your flight ? ? ?
Click to expand...

I have had a couple of other flights since, I really couldn't tell if that particular one had leather seats. It mainly struck me that it was not a Thomas Cook flight but a relatively unknown airline called Excel.
 
A

Argo

*** Sin Bin ***
Aug 5, 2004
156
0
0
iainmc said:
We are flying with excel in 3 weeks from Gatwick to POP, they plane is a 767 - 300
has been leased by Thomas Cook. From the research I did there are 3 classes on the plane with excel one being very much like true 1st class - 24 seats ,leather, full recline, 45" seat pitch etc.

We had booked to fly Thomas Cook + service and after having being changed to excel had great trouble in making sure we were in the one cabin and supposedly we are. But I'll let you know in 5 weeks when we are back
Click to expand...


"True First Class?" On what, Aeroflot?

AA offers 60" in BUSINESS, 90+ in First Cabin and 30+ in coach

Delta offers 60+ in Business elite (First)

Qanta is 75+ in Business and First

Excel appears to be somewhere between Cattle Car and business, depending on seat width. If it is 20" or less, you are getting only a comparable "coach class bulkhead or exit row" space

This is all based on International Class flights

A>
 
I

iainmc

New member
Sep 16, 2003
4
0
0
excel

Argo

'true first class' was a bad choice of wording!

We got back yesterday and the flights were very good, food was actually quite good and the service was excel lent
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom