Thomas cook holiday-flight company changed?

ktcoil

Hi guys after little help, we booked a holiday with thomas cook last year, the flights said the provider was a thomas cook airbus both ways, we got a email saying the flights are now being provided by avion express, I have never heard of this company and with what's going on with planes at moment were a little scared and angry that we're paying for what we expect to be thomas cook planes as it says on the website when booking as well as our confirmation, it was booked online, thanks

jonesMUFCforever

Have you asked for your money back?

dzug1

Avion Express specialise in providing extra capacity to other airlines - effectively Thomas Cook are chartering extra plane/s from them


Not sure why this should cause you to be 'scared'

mum2one

I've had the same letter for a May deperature I took it as there leasing other planes etc, x

C_Mababejive

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avion_Express

http://www.flyavex.com/our-fleet

http://www.jethros.org.uk/fleets/fleet_listings/thomas_cook_airlines_uk.htm

I dont blame the OP for being concerned. Surely there is a certain amount of offhanding and subcontracting here. I will bet that a lot of these companies have older fleet.

EG "LY-VEW"

Produced in 1999 and first owned by China East airlines from 1999 to 2014 when ownership changed to Wells Fargo bank who probably own it/mortgage it to Avion who now own it

http://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/View?Registration=LY-VEW%20&DeliveryDate=24.09.2014

How old are Thomas Cook own fleet..?
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photome

C_Mababejive wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avion_Express

http://www.flyavex.com/our-fleet

I dont blame the OP for being concerned. Surely there is a certain amount of offhanding and subcontracting here. I will bet that a lot of these companies have older fleet.

Why should the OP be concerned, I cant see anything in those links to worry about..

Op if it was me I would go an the alternative and not give it a second thought

EDIT you added a bit while I was posting.

BA and Virgin use 747s delivered in the 90s

C_Mababejive

photome wrote: »

Why should the OP be concerned, I cant see anything in those links to worry about..

Op if it was me I would go an the alternative and not give it a second thought

EDIT you added a bit while I was posting.

How old are 747s

Well im not pitching as an expert..far from it...but a part of me thinks that subcontracting to various leasing companies,many of them foreign flagged, has a certain element of cost saving involved.

I believe 747s and other boeing aircraft are well proven older technology flown by pilots who learn real aviation skills and that airbuses young or old have an element of disconnect between the pilot and the aircraft and too much computerisation sits in that disconnect.

We also have a new generation of younger pilots who may only have flown the likes of airbus.

But thats just my feeling.

I do feel that if i am flying i want to be either on older long proven boeing technology or as new as possible airbus technology,,not resprayed and passed on older fleet that other airlines have decided to sell on because they dont want old fleet in their lineup.

I'm quite prepared to accept accusations of paranoia and irrationality..

May i ask OP where they are flying to???

dzug1

T Cook appear to be having new planes delivered this summer - maybe they think there might be some delay in that. Or maybe there already has been

814man

Operating modern aircraft is a very complex situation where some of the simple issues of age, type, computerisation and pilot competence are not always what they seem. I spent 22 years in the Royal Air Force flying around the world in some quite elderly aircraft and other very modern ones, you just cannot make some of the sweeping statements like those on here.
The regulatory authorities in all countries ensure that safety is the first priority for all operators and no one should be concerned about flying with any of these airlines. As the saying goes the most dangerous part of the journey to your holiday destination will be the drive to the airport not the flight itself.

C_Mababejive

814man wrote: »

Operating modern aircraft is a very complex situation where some of the simple issues of age, type, computerisation and pilot competence are not always what they seem. I spent 22 years in the Royal Air Force flying around the world in some quite elderly aircraft and other very modern ones, you just cannot make some of the sweeping statements like those on here.
The regulatory authorities in all countries ensure that safety is the first priority for all operators and no one should be concerned about flying with any of these airlines. As the saying goes the most dangerous part of the journey to your holiday destination will be the drive to the airport not the flight itself.

That may be the case and of course we must generalise to some degree but an incident on a drive to the airport has a higher likelihood of survival.

I am more than certain that the Engineering and maintenance standards of the RAF are of the highest order. I am not so certain about what might go on in commercial aircraft garages where commercial pressures prevail.

Pollycat

Here's a thread about TC & Avion from Tripadvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k8289130-Thomas_Cook_and_Avion_Express-Air_Travel.html

This is what 2 posters say:

From a convo on here I've just found on another forum they're crewed by Thomas Cook but not captained by them and are maintained by Cook's anyway so I don't see any difference really apart from the paintwork. Would you feel happier if they just painted a heart on the tail then you'd probably be none the wiser?

MyBelle is correct. The flight deck are their own crew but the cabin crew are Thomas Cook and service onboard is inline with Thomas Cook regular service. The aircraft are maintained by Thomas Cook during the period of their lease. All aircraft that fly within EU airspace have to be up to the EUs rigorous safety standards, and to fly within UK airspace they also have to meet CAA standards. Included in your holiday you paid for a flight from Cardiff to Palma, and that is what you are still getting.

If this really is the case, I would not be worried.