Monarch/Virgin/BA - confused!

[MandyG]

Hello all,

My husband and I are planning a trip to Tobago in March, and have just started looking at flights......and need help, so apologies in advance for the million questions posted below!

Monarch are obviously the cheapest flights we've found (£501), but as we usually fly Virgin, we're wondering what the flight will be like. I presume you have to pay for drinks, but what are the meals and entertainment like? (seat-back or overhead screens - one choice of movie or several?!) Is there a stop off both ways, and if so, where and for how long? Am I correct in thinking they only fly on Wednesdays?

As far as BA goes, it's coming up at around £700, but is this a direct service? And as for Virgin, we're struggling to find what days they fly - does anyone know? Are they still direct both ways?

So....what would your advice be - we appreciate BA & Virgin flights are more expensive, but in your opinion, are they worth it in the long run, or is it better to bite the bullet, fly Monarch, and suffer the pain?!

Thanks SO much in advance, and I look forward to your feedback!

Mandy

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Mandy

Welcome aboard!

Monarch (best booked through Golden Caribbean) offer incredible value for money. The downside is that they haven't got the backup and resources of BA or Virgin so on the odd occasion that the plane hits technical problems, they can't immediately ship off a 'spare' to come and get you. Having said that, although we fly with Monarch to Tobago every year, we've only once hit a delay - and that was this year when a drunken passenger required urgent medical assistance, forcing us to overnight in Barbados.

The entertainment on the Monarch aircraft is poor in comparison to the standards of BA/Virgin. Outbound, the meals are every bit as good. However, the quality of all meals (on all flights, I believe) which are sourced from Tobago, are nowhere near as good as outbound. Virgin flies to Tobago on Thursday, I believe- BA on Thursday and Saturday. Monarch on Wednesday. Virgin is the only one to fly direct. BA fly via Antigua and Monarch via Grenada. Both stops are about an hour - but it does vary.

My advice: well, upgrade to Monarch Premium where, for the same money, you will fly in much greater comfort that either BA or Virgin standard economy, but take your own portable DVD player, Kindle or other amusement.

[MandyG]

Thanks Steve - very informative!

I have just found some Monarch flights on their official website (not Golden Caribbean) at £470, which seems like a fantastic deal!

Would still love to try and source a deal for Virgin as they're direct, but they strangely seem to only do 10/11 day deals - their flight out is coming up as Mon, and the return flight as Thursday - weird! May have to give them a call to clarify, as it seems strange not to have a 14 day option.

If anyone else has any views, then let me know!

Mandy

[Graham Jones]

Mandy
The Virgin Atlantic website is showing the following schedules for next March:

VS051 Gatwick to Tobago flies on a Monday and a Thursday. Monday's flight leaves at 9.00 am, while Thursday's is 10 minutes later. Arrival is 14:00 / 14:10. Both flights go direct to Tobago before flying on to Grenada.

VS052 Tobago to Gatwick returns on Mondays and Thursdays, leaving Grenada first and then Tobago. Departure is 19.25 from Tobago on both days arriving at Gatwick 07:50 the next day. (All times are local)

Virgin economy seats are a little on the narrow side though legroom is fairly standard. The seatbacks all have TV screens, with a choice of about 12 channels of films/ TV programmes. In addition there are a number of audio channels and the map display showing how the flight is progressing, plus a number of games such as Who Wants To be A Millionaire.

Day flights to Tobago will have a hot lunch, plus tea (roll/sandwiches & cake). There is also, usually, an ice-cream run during the films. Although my Virgin flights recently have been to St Lucia rather than Tobago, the same planes are used and I have found the food quality from the Caribbean to have been as good, sometimes better than that from the UK. Flights back from Tobago have a hot dinner, then a light breakfast prior to landing.

Certainly the direct flights are a big plus point. When we flew to Tobago (with BA in 2004) the flights were via Antigua and it was frustrating to sit on the tarmac for an hour waiting to take off again for Tobago.

Anyway hope this may help in making your decision.

[MandyG]

Graham thanks for the reply.

I totally agree that direct flights are a plus point, but for the dates we need (due to work, and to avoid pricey easter flights), Virgin are only flying out on Mondays, and back on Thursdays - I thought this was weird, so gave them a call, and yes, on the dates we want to fly, we'd have to either have a ten day break, or a 19 day holiday! Very odd, and a real shame considering they're the only direct flights.

So on this occasion we're going to go with Monarch - and with the extra £250 we've saved each, we'll enjoy some lovely meals and drinks!

Thanks again for the tips, and advice, and if anyone is looking at flights in march, book now - the prices are AMAZING!

[Jane H]

I think the odd durations are due to the change between winter and summer schedules. We've had the same issues when trying to sort out holidays at the end of October/beginning of November.

A couple of weeks earlier or later - and you would be able to book in whole weeks!

[Paul Tallet]

I have been on the old X-Cel, the new Monarch, BA and Virgin.

Virgin is best and if I can't afford it ... I go Monarch.

I have no complaints about any of them ... the only problem is the flight duration for me and it is that factor alone that makes me look at Virgin first ... they are the quickest and the only flight from which you leave the Crown Point airport in daylight (subject to delays) and have a chance of catching the sunset on your first evening.

The 747 also looks quite cool

Regards

[Pupuce]

Hi all,

After reading your posts, I got really confused. We are flying to Tobago from Montpellier, France (where we live)via Gatwick in 2 weeks. We chose BA and I booked on the Gatwick airport website (impossible to do otherwise being in France...). The both flights are on Sunday...Well, the return flight leaves Tobago Saturday evening, it's a night flight.

I hope everything is in order and that we don't end up in Gatwick for nothing...

[Steve Wooler]

Hello Pupuce

Welcome aboard!

What are you confused about?

The London Gatwick > Tobago Crown Point flights are Saturday and Wednesday - so is your outbound flight via Trinidad Port Of Spain? Please check carefully, because you don't want to be arriving at Gatwick a day late.

[Pupuce]

Hi Steve,

The outbound flight is via Port of Spain. We leave Sunday morning with BA to Port of Sapin and from there with Caribbean Airlines to Tobago.

The inbound flight is also with BA and on Saturday evening (couldn't remember it right apparently...)from Tobago directly to Gatwick. Arrival the next day so Sunday...

I read your discussion about the departures etc. and I thought how curious it was that the only website where I could book anything for the dates I requested was the Gatwick airport site...Not Virgin nor BA, they both showed no flights...But at the time I didn't care - I just wanted to get my flights booked! That's why I got confused. And actually I cannot find those flights in any of the timetables anywhere... But since they sold them to me I shouldn't worry right?

[Steve Wooler]

That explains it. Rather long way round, but I assume they didn't have seats on the direct flight to Tobago on Saturday.

I'm sure that if you booked through the Gatwick airport site (gatwickairport.com) that you have no need to worry!

[Pupuce]

Thanks Steve, I'm reassured.

So are Monarch and Virgin the only ones flying directly? And how long does a direct flight take?

Now our outbound flight is appr. 15 hours long...But good things are worth waiting, right?

[Steve Wooler]

Do you mean 'direct' or 'non-stop'. Most of us get confused by these terms.

Virgin are the only service with a 'non-stop' service to Tobago. The flight time is about 8½ hours I believe.

BA and Monarch fly 'direct' (i.e. the plane actually lands in your chosen destination rather than you having to connect with another flight) to Tobago, but via Antigua/Grenada respectively. I'm only personally familiar with the Monarch flight, but that increases the total outbound journey to about 10 hours after a 1 hour stop in Grenada. The return flight (which you will be using, I believe) is non-stop from TAB to LGW - so takes about 8½ hours.

[Ronald]

Hi

Steve say "Virgin are the only service with a 'non-stop' service to Tobago".
But I'd come down last week, leaving Gatwick on Thursday with BA, and when we made a stop at Barbados, I'd see a Virgin there, and when we arrived to Tobago, the Virgin did come in after us. Don't know if it was the same flight, but does Virgon have to flights into same area, like this?

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Ronald

Virgin Atlantic offer 6 direct non-stop flights to Barbados per week, I believe - every day except Sunday!

They also offer services to Jamaica (both Kingston and Montego Bay), Grenada and St.Lucia.

[Paul Makin]

and, just to add to the mix:

as of my search this morning, virgin schedules for Feb 2012 look decidely odd.

there is a daily (several times daily in fact) Virgin to Tobago. however, exercise caution. the only virgin flight that is direct is monday. all the others, including Thursday, are via NY, Bridgetown and Port of Spain. departures are from Heathrow and returns are to Gatwick. also, intriguingly, the Port of Spain-Bridgetown-NY legs are showing BWIA as the carrier .

i assume that this is to do with the deal between Virgin, THA and the Ministry of Tourism involving the Magdalena and landing slots at Piarco. as it stands right now it all looks a bit strange. as i understand it, if the Magdalena doesnt open on schedule, Mr B has publicly stated that he will pull the extra flight (Monday) to tobago. this could suggest that the daily flights to piarco will be at risk if the deadline is missed.

also, miles plus money on the Monday flight is more costly than straightforward purchase.

oh, and the journey time on all but the monday flight is 25 hours from the UK - pax will need to overnight on Trinidad

ho-hum

paul

[Robert T]

Hi Paul

What web site are you talking about? The official Virgin site shows two flights a week, Monday and Thursday. Both flights are direct to Tobago from Gatwick with a duration of the usual 8h 20 min.


Rob

[Paul Makin]

hi Rob

i got that from one of the search engines on google, fly.co.uk in this instance - i suspect that that site may have got it somewhat confused, although when i tried the virgin site i could sort out the monday flight no problem but it threw an error or two when itried for thursdays!

could have changed by now - it was very early when i looked and virgin's own sire was very clunky

paul

[Brian Taylor]

hear from someone who is working there that la magdalena will open friday. that should not change any schedules then...
STEPH