Re: Excel Airways

[bellagio]

Just HAD to post this as it is to do with Excel Airways and the flight from Cayo Santa Maria that should have arrived back into London Gatwick this morning at 0650 hours.        This is the corresponding flight that I returned on two weeks ago.  Excel only fly this route fortnightly alternating it with Cayo Coco.
 
 I had intended to start a thread to say 'Welcome home Nige' - a forum member who was on the outbound flight to Santa Clara the day I was returning home.  He was also bound for the Melia.  Looks like Excel Airways have come up trumps again as this plane that should have arrived at 0650 this morning, is now not scheduled to arrive until 0230 Tuesday morning.   Now whether or not there was a delay on the outbound flight I've no idea because I didn't think to check it out yesterday.
 
 For the Brits who might read this check out teletext page 446on BBC2 this Bank Holiday morning or any one else can log on to:
 
  BAA Website
 
 and look for details of this flight:
 
 This is from the BAA website which says:
 
 Monday, 30 May 2005
       
  06.50 XLA675  DUE TUE 0230 S
 
 Poor sods.  Just hope they weren't cooped up in Santa Clara airport overnight!!!!     Neither teletext nor the BAA website says where the plane is actually coming from.    Maybe Excel have lost it - who knows.   It just goes to show what a really crappy airline they are.  
 
 Can you believe that they were actually voted Charter Airline of the Year in 2004!

[Harlequin]

Thats Evil form what i've read the airport is not geared up to cope with delays like that

[bellagio]

That's true Garin. We were cooped up there for five hours and it was bedlam.     Of course I doubt that passengers on this flight will be there.   If the flight was delayed on Sunday leaving the UK they will be enjoying an extra day at their respective resorts.
 
 Who knows, I just hope that Nige comes online on his return and tells his tale - it should be very interesting!!

[Harlequin]

True but if they do the usual trick of getting you to the airport checking you in then letting you know about the delay, if they know in  advance they don't need to take you to the airport at all, a mate spent 23hrs at Paphos airport in Cyprus with no proper info for the reps     :wall:

[bellagio]

Well I don't think it would be possible to keep 300 people at Santa Clara Airport for anywhere near that length of time.    First of all there is just not enough seats to go around.
 
 There is only one room, it's the smallest airport I've ever seen.   Holguin Airport is like Heathrow or Gatwick compared to Santa Clara!!!

[Milli]

:)  I look at the sell offs and vacation packages from Toronto and think how much easier it would be to go to Cuba from there and shorter--3.5 vs 4.5 hours. (Halifax)   Never happy!   ;)

[huskypup]

I just hope that Thomas Cook don't charter out there flights to Holguin in November, our luck we would get as far as Varadero then no further and spend two weeks on a camp bed in the arrivals lounge.
 
 Its terrible, its about time these travel companies realised they are playing with people hard earned money and most importantly there "time", we work hard for our holidays and expect to be treated better, delays are part of the course of holidays but Excel seem to be taking that to the extreme.

[bellagio]

Huskypup:
 
 Can't you arrange for a Harrier to fly direct from Wittering.   There's a large area of grass in front of the PP one of those Harrier's could easily set down there.
 
    :rof:      :rof:  
 
 You'll be OK in November.  Excel are only operating until the end of October.    How the heck did they ever get Charter Airline of the Year in 2004 though?  
 
 I would have thought that I would have had more chance of winning Wimbledon than they would have of being awarded that.
 
    :th:      :th:

[bellagio]

Latest update:
 
 Just checked on the BAA website and it's now scheduled to arrive at 0430 UK time in the morning, that's two hours later than when I first posted.
 
 Don't think I'll be waiting up to see if it lands at this new scheduled time.

[huskypup]

But Bellagio do you look as good in white tight shorts as Tim Henman does!!  :D  
 
 I think that a Harrier would blow all the palm tree's away, though it would be quicker.
 
 As the expert do you know what type of plane we will be travelling on, they have finally sorted out the flights we are now leaving at 0945hrs, but can't tell me what sort of plane it is (Holiday Hypermarket that is) and Thomas Cook can't tell me as Im not a customer of theirs but ones of Thompsons, I want to prebook seats but you have to know what type of plane it is!!

[bellagio]

Originally posted by huskypup:
  But Bellagio do you look as good in white tight shorts as Tim Henman does!!  

No, definitely not!!!
 

 I think that a Harrier would blow all the palm tree's away, though it would be quicker.

Ain't no Palm trees there, sorry.  Plenty of room to land a Harrier.
 

 
 As the expert do you know what type of plane we will be travelling on, they have finally sorted out the flights we are now leaving at 0945hrs, but can't tell me what sort of plane it is (Holiday Hypermarket that is) and Thomas Cook can't tell me as Im not a customer of theirs but ones of Thompsons, I want to prebook seats but you have to know what type of plane it is!!
 

You'll be flying on an Airbus A 330 with 354 seats. Check out this link:
 
 Thomas Cook Airlines
 
 Hey all this info has got to be worth a drink at your local pub!!!    Forgot though they won't serve mojitos, will they!!!

[huskypup]

As a part-time barperson a mean John Smith's Smooth or a Nancy measure of Benedictine and Baileys (sounds disgusting but is real smooth).  You are welcome at the S&S anyime.

[Harlequin]

How bad are Excel we are looking at a trip to sharm next year, the deal we have seen is prety good but the Saturday flights are with Excel, this would be a 4 hour flight and Saturday would be more practical

[bellagio]

Garin:
 
 They are probably quite OK with a short flight like that.
 
 They were not too bad on the flight I did with them to Calgary from Manchester on April 2nd.
 
 They have two major problems IMHO.  Firstly the type of aircraft they fly on the Cuban routes are not suited to longhaul travel as they cannot reach Cuba without refuelling.   This will not be a problem on a flight to Israel
 
 The other main problem with them is that the entertainment system is very poor, just the overhead TV monitors and with an inferior sound system.
 
 Of course you may not be flying 767's they will probably have 737's on that route.
 
 The cabin crew were first rate though in all fairness.

[westwoman]

At least they haven't creased/buckled/almost-fallen-apart (yet) like the Skyservice planes.