UKC

Hi UKC
Searching for cheap flights to Canada I found a carrier called Air Transat. their flights cost about £200 less than Air Canada/BA and so being a sceptic I was wondering if anyone had used them or is planning to?
atm it seems a little too good to be true...
Pete

In reply to Pete Swan: How do,

Used Air Transat to fly Manchester to Calgary just over a year ago and the in-laws used them the year before (Heathrow - Calgary). The plane was actually operated by Thomas Cook and a chunk of people on board had booked through Thomas Cook. I had a brief look into them before booking - they've existed as a carrier in Canada since the mid 80's, which gave me a bit of confidence that they weren't too likely to go bust.

As I'm crap on planes at the best of times, we decided to pay extra and fly in their "business class". For me this was an extra £100, for which I got a decent amount of legroom, free booze and a comfy seat at the front of the plane - I think other carriers sometimes offer this as a "premium economy", so don't expect BA standard business class!!. Cattle class looked cramped compared to Air Canada/BA - not much legroom and twin aisle Airbus was laid out 3-3-3 (ie: 9 seats across the plane), compared to the more normal 2-4-2. Business class bit was 2-3-2. Think they also offer emergency exit seats with legroom for an extra £40 or so.

Have a good trip,
Pete

In reply to Pete Swan: We flew with them 4 weeks ago (birmingham to toronto). We paid extra £60 for emergency exit seats which I would definetly advise as you get loads of leg room (I couldn't touch the seat in front) and the normal seats are really tight.

The 'club' class section really didn't look worth it, think you get slightly better food but still poor leg room.

Food is not great on the flight, so buy a few bits and pieces at the airport to keep you going. Inflight movies were ok and the stewards were really nice. Delay on way back due to techincal difficulties but thats the same with any airline.

In reply to Pete Swan:
For cheap flights to Canada try Canadian Affair and try to book Thomas Cook 757s rather than the Airbus.

In reply to Pete Swan:

Try and avoid Air Transat if you can and book with Thomas Cook - but beware Canadian Affair have a habit of changing you to an Air Transat flight at the last minute. They aren't a good experience, but if you just want a cheap flight without any kind of comforts then that is what you'll get with Air Transat.

Their crews can be very rude and grumpy, the seats are extremely narrow and tight which I guess is caused by the seat config going from a 2x4x2 to a 3x3x3 config despite the seat pitch being 32". You may be able to stretch your legs out a bit but you won't have much other room to move around with (seat belts are rather short too) and I still have a bad back after my recent experience with Air Transat. The food is a Presidents Choice curry or sweet and sour "ready meal" type affair with a bread roll and possibly a smidgen of butter if you're lucky.

For more info see the Skytrax airline quality website.

In reply to Pete Swan:

Signed in now - did email you a week or so ago, but maybe you didn't see it in the spam. Transat are OK. They get you from A to B (or C, to be exact) for less money than Air Canada or Rip-Off Britain Airways. As a previous poster said, it's basic. I used them when we moved to Canada in 2007. I've also used Air Canada (more expensive, nicer planes and food, very good chance of losing your bags), and Zoom (incompetent juvenile staff, dirty plane, big delays on 3 of the 4 round-trip legs due to Zoom's not have the right paperwork, then having to repair the plane twice....good riddance). Friends here have used Globespan and say they are basic, but they lived to tell the tale. It seems that with the exception of BA, you get what you pay for - but 300 quid saved is a lot of Black Diamond Expresses at 18 quid, or a sackful of Vipers at 90 quid a pop in MEC....The idea of trying to specify Thomas Cook sounds like a good one if CA don't swap your operator afterwards.

A fellow emigre's brother has just arrived on a BA flight (last night) for a visit to Calgary. He said the experience was pretty poor - the staff were rude and unhelpful, his TV didn't work, and when he asked to be moved to a seat with a TV that did work, he was treated 'like a moron'.

In reply to Pete Swan:

They're a charter operator; their flights are cheap and nasty. At 200 sheets less does this matter? Wouldnt for me like.

In reply to Jamie B.:
Flown Air Transit before (Canada is home). They`re pretty rubbish but they are cheap. So it all comes down to whether you`re willing to suffer for 7-10 hours (depending on where you`re going) to save 200 quid. I would, and I have.

In reply to Pete Swan:

Flew Vancouver - Gatwick with them last month.

The plane wasn't bad, leg room etc. seemed as good (bad) as any other coach class long haul carrier, interior not recently refurbished. No blankets, pillows or the like provided. The food was the same at every meal and the staff less then helpful. The films were up to date and continuous, if thats your bag.
But it was cheap...