Monarch Airlines - as bad as Ryanair?

Gorgeous_George

Hi

Monarch cancelled their flights yesterday due to the Spanish ATC fiasco. The Monarch website (link) offers little help for those stranded abroad and definitely no mention of the holidaymakers' rights. Yesterday (when the flight was cancelled) the only advice from Monarch was to ring the call centre on 0871 etc., but they warned that the lines were busy. Of course they were busy - everybody was asking the same question. The answers should have been on their website.

One couple that I met have incurred costs of close to £1,000 including new flights with another airline, two nights accommodation, taxi fares and meal costs. Meanwhile, friends travelling with Thomas Cook were put up in a hotel and looked after very well.

I have never flown with Monarch (nor with Ryanair) but the lack of information was a disgrace IMHO. I hope everybody collected receipts and send them to Monarch (keep copies) for a full refund. Monarch can sue the Spanish if they wish.

I will never fly with Monarch.

GG

bagand96

The Monarch website seems quite concise to me:

- Arrange a full refund of your flight online; or
- Rebook online to a flight within 10 days (you may have to pay a fee, however they will refund this fee); or
- If you cannot/do not to wish to do it online call the contact centre

As you said, they are liable for expenditure between your original flight and your re-arrange flight. Keep the reciepts and claim after you get back. No need to spend £1000 on flights with anyone else.

Give them, and any other airline their due, this was unplanned and unannounced, the airlines had no prior warning. And its not their fault either. Also happened on a weekend when airlines ops departments would be running on minimal staffing.

The difference between Monarch and Thomas Cook? Thomas Cook flights are charter flights (i.e. part of a package, even if flight only). Therefore your contract is not with an airline, but with a tour operator, who have reps in resort, and have far more responsibility for you than an airline does. Time and time again people are more than happy to book DIY holidays, but have no appreciation of the difference between that and a package (its far more than just a price differential). When thigns go wrong, people on DIY suddenly expect the protection of a package... and are sorely dissapointed.

Alcmene

I am a Vantage card holder with Monarch and fly with them on a regular basis. I do this because I like them, they seems efficient, their pricing is clear, and they are reliable.

Gorgeous_George

The best Monarch offered was a flight one week later than originally planned. If they hadn't coughed up around £600 for flights they would have paid more for accommodation AND missed 4 more days off work.

I appreciate that it is not Monarch's fault (that the strike happened) but they have a responsibility to passengers stranded abroad. Forcing them to phone a 0871 premiuRyanairm rate number from abroad is scandalous. Even the alternative number on saynoto0870 didn't work.

As I said, I will never use Monarch. They are probably worse than Ryanair IMHO who have added extra flights today (Sunday).

GG

bagand96

Monarch's CEO was on the news today saying there are extra flights today. But it depends on avalability of aircraft and crews. Monarch have flights to operate today so have to get on with todays schedule. If the next flight available is in a week then that is unfortunate.

Monarch have done nothing wrong other than lack of information which given the circumstances is unsurprising and probably the same with all airlines.

If you want the protection of a package holiday - book a package holiday, or at least a charter flight only. If you book DIY, fine, but know the risks you are taking and take adequate travel insurance.

In this case if you have adequate insurance you should be able to claim for the extra expense through that.

whatmichaelsays

If you have never flown Ryanair then how can you use them as a benchmark for all things evil in the world?

As for the Monarch site, I don't know what else the website can tell you.

Again, the TV news channels are full of people reciting the mantra: "They've not told us anything. All they've done is told us that the flight is cancelled, how to get a refund or reschedule and given us this phone number. Apart from that, they haven't told us anything!" Err, hang on, haven't they just told you everything you need to know?

apt

What the website can tell passengers delayed abroad is about Monarch's duty of care under the EU travel directive and how those stranded abroad can make use of this. Monarch behaved badly over the volcanic ash delays and does not seem to have cleaned up its act. Just because Monarch's CEO does not like the EU travel directive does not mean he can ignore it. As its very low season Monarch, which is also a tour operator, should have no trouble in finding accommodation for its stranded passengers.

Inactive

whatmichaelsays wrote: »

If you have never flown Ryanair then how can you use them as a benchmark for all things evil in the world?

I agree, I have had 2 fights cancelled by Ryanair quite recently, one for a Spanish National Strike and 2 for French Air Traffic Control strike.

( Neither of them the fault of Ryanair )

On both occasions it was a doddle to rebook them on line without any charge whatsoever.

MrSmartprice

I have flown dozens of times with Ryanair and never had any problem whatsoever. They are punctual, their staff are pleasant and helpful, and they have a fleet of new aircraft. I have had numerous bargains too, some flights for as little as 1p. Play by O'Leary's rules and you are fine.

I have also flown Monarch and they are a poor excuse for an airline. They fly old, scruffy, cramped planes. Customer Service is an alien concept to them. I have never seen such rude and apathetic cabin crew, some of whom I have seen taking medication to keep them awake. Some have smelt of alcohol too. I once raised an issue where they had disregarded safety rules and they accused me of being a troublemaker. And complaining to head office was a complete waste of time. I wouldn't fly Monarch again if they paid me.

dmg24

MrSmartprice wrote: »

I have flown dozens of times with Ryanair and never had any problem whatsoever. They are punctual, their staff are pleasant and helpful, and they have a fleet of new aircraft. I have had numerous bargains too, some flights for as little as 1p. Play by O'Leary's rules and you are fine.

I have also flown Monarch and they are a poor excuse for an airline. They fly old, scruffy, cramped planes. Customer Service is an alien concept to them. I have never seen such rude and apathetic cabin crew, some of whom I have seen taking medication to keep them awake. Some have smelt of alcohol too. I once raised an issue where they had disregarded safety rules and they accused me of being a troublemaker. And complaining to head office was a complete waste of time. I wouldn't fly Monarch again if they paid me.

I had the displeasure of travelling with Monarch to the Maldives. A couple were allowed sufficient alcohol to get them blind drunk, and even when other passengers reported them for smoking in the toilets nothing was said to them. I expected at the very least that the police would meet the plane, but the couple were allowed to go on their way. When I contacted Monarch about the incident afterwards they denied that it had happened!

budgetflyer

dmg24 wrote: »

I had the displeasure of travelling with Monarch to the Maldives. A couple were allowed sufficient alcohol to get them blind drunk, and even when other passengers reported them for smoking in the toilets nothing was said to them. I expected at the very least that the police would meet the plane, but the couple were allowed to go on their way. When I contacted Monarch about the incident afterwards they denied that it had happened!

I think short haul, they are ok. Long haul they aren't rated too well.I doubt Id suffer 10 hours in their economy
To the likes of Maldives, India etc I prefer schedule flights with decent seat back entertainment and the usual complimentary extras as opposed to the poor offerings of any the charter airlines.

Gorgeous George,never having flown Monarch or Ryanair I fail to see how you can base your opinion of Ryanair and Monarch on a few urban myths and a completely unexpected wild cat strike by people completely unconnected with either airline.