Monarch Airlines Queuing Strategy

Chomeur

I took a flight with Monarch Airlines last Saturday, from Gatwick. The queue to check-in was unbelievable, must have been 2-300 people. But no problem for me as I had only arrived an hour before departure. They sent me (along with half a dozen other people) to the front of the queue to be served straightaway.

So the moral for flying with Monarch seems to be don't bother arriving two hours before your flight. If you do you'll just be queueing for an hour until you get called forward to check-in. The queue takes so long because all the people like me who arrive later get served before you.

Ridiculous situation. Anyone else have any experiences of this?

richardw

MON or ZB flight?

Voyager2002

Chomeur wrote: »

I took a flight with Monarch Airlines last Saturday, from Gatwick. The queue to check-in was unbelievable, must have been 2-300 people. But no problem for me as I had only arrived an hour before departure. They sent me (along with half a dozen other people) to the front of the queue to be served straightaway.

So the moral for flying with Monarch seems to be don't bother arriving two hours before your flight. If you do you'll just be queueing for an hour until you get called forward to check-in. The queue takes so long because all the people like me who arrive later get served before you.

Ridiculous situation. Anyone else have any experiences of this?

Don't count on it. At some airports they refuse to bring people forward: it is your responsibility to check in before your flight closes, and a long queue to check-in is no excuse.

Chomeur

richardw wrote: »

MON or ZB flight?

ZB. Don't know what that stands for.

richardw

Monarch could make things easier for themselves if they matched easyJet's online check in procedures and hand luggage allowance for their ZB schedule flights, so these passengers can go straight to security without having to go to a check-in desk to get their boarding cards.

111KAB

richardw wrote: »

Monarch could make things easier for themselves if they matched easyJet's online check in procedures and hand luggage allowance for their ZB schedule flights, so these passengers can go straight to security without having to go to a check-in desk to get their boarding cards.

Agreed it is stupid to have to queue with only handluggage - it must surely cost them more to man (or pay for) the check in desk procedure. I have a choice of EJ/Ryan/Baby or Monarch for my regular flights ~ if the others can do it why don't Monarch?

richardw

111KAB wrote: »

... if the others can do it why don't Monarch?...

Because they want the opportunity to earn additional revenues from charging for seat selection with online check-in.

meer53

If everyone did this, the flights would always be late.

Chomeur

richardw wrote: »

Because they want the opportunity to earn additional revenues from charging for seat selection with online check-in.

This is correct. I think it's their business model.

Chomeur

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Don't count on it. At some airports they refuse to bring people forward: it is your responsibility to check in before your flight closes, and a long queue to check-in is no excuse.

Surely if this was an airline's policy they'd get lots of scenes at check-in as people tried to push in front of the queue to check-in? If you miss a flight it could cost you several hundred pounds plus delay so people would be desperate enough to queue barge.

Gloomendoom

I've flown Monarch many times and never had a problem checking in.

Fitting into their plane seats, however, is another story.