Getting to and from Tobago on Excel Premium - July 2005

[Nick Gage]

Hi there.

For anyone that’s interested, I thought I’d give a report of our flights with Excel Premium on 21st July and 4th August.

My Wife, Daughter and I decided to treat ourselves to an upgrade when we booked our holiday. I was a bit disappointed to be told that paying the extra for premium did not guarantee we would be sitting together, and if we wanted that we should pay an extra £44 for ‘pre-booked’ seats. This I did.

Premium and Excel one passengers have their own dedicated check-in at Gatwick and it was nice not to have to queue for a change. There was one couple in front of us compared to huge queues for economy. When we got to the desk the young lady told me that they did indeed have us down for pre-booked seats, but we had been allocated a window and two aisle seats either side of the centre seating. In Premium the seating is 2-3-2, which meant none of us were sitting together! Not a problem, the lady assured us, as Premium wasn’t full she quickly rearranged our seating and gave us 3 together in the front row – great.

The departure lounge and shops/food places were very busy as there were a lot of flights leaving, so it was a bit uncomfortable waiting to be called for the flight. We were called to Gate 92 on time. Gate 92 is one of the gates nearest the terminal at Gatwick, but although doesn’t involve a long walk to the plane, does involve a bus ride. The bus ride to the plane was VERY long…. I didn’t realise Gatwick was that big! Anyway, because all the passengers had to be bussed out to the plane and the distance the plane was parked from the terminal, we were hour late leaving. The pilot did apologise and said he had no idea why the plane had been parked at the back end of the airport.

First impressions of Premium were very good, with large leather seating and a separate cabin of just 28 seats. I believe the seat pitch is around 34” in Premium, but as mentioned, we were given the front row seats, which meant we got extra (didn’t have a tape measure with me, so can’t say exactly). The drawback of the extra knee room at the front row is that you can’t really stretch your legs out as the bulkhead is in the way. In hindsight, a row further back would have been better for my 6’2” body. Another drawback of the front row is that the arms are fixed as they have the tray tables in them. All other rows had moveable arms… much better for getting comfortable. On the whole the seats were comfortable, although I think the seat pad was a bit compressed on my seat and could do with being replaced. I had a very sore butt by the end of the flight, but to be fair, is there such a thing as a totally comfortable seat for 8 hours?

The one big positive of the middle front row is that you have unrestricted view of the entertainment screen, which is on the bulkhead in front of you. Be warned, if you have kids with you, I think they’d find it hard to get a good view of the screen from any other seat. However, the projector was out of focus and colour synch was off which meant a terrible blurred picture (which may have been better further back). This was mentioned to the cabin crew, who said they would report it. I’m sure it’s onlt a quick adjustment that is needed and could be checked before each flight?? Has anyone ever experienced an on-board video projector that is sharp, in focus and great quality??? I would have expected seat-back entertainment for the extra money Premium costs.

Meals and drinks are free in Premium, but snacks, such as Pringles and chocolate, have to be paid for. The meals were typical airline food, but we were given a choice of chicken or beef going out and chicken or pasta coming back, which surprised me as I’d never been given a choice before.

The flight was uneventful and the pilot managed to make up some time, but we had to circle Tobago for 25 minutes waiting for a clear runway, which meant we were still an hour late. Nice views of Tobago if you had window seats!

Excel One and Premium passengers were let off the plane first, which was a blessing, because passport control at Tobago is not the fastest in the world. However, we still had to wait for our bags for over a hour after getting through passport control, so nothing gained really. Anyway, finally out of the airport and on our way to the Grafton Beach Resort to start our holiday proper.

The return flight was the same in many respects. Check-in at Tobago is a bit small and crowded. There was a separate check-in for Premium passengers, but it wasn’t marked and we queued with everyone else for 15 minutes before someone saw our tickets and directed us. After checking-in, you have to go to another window to pay your departure tax of TT$100 each – about £10. The queue for this was long and slow. The departure lounge is small with a few shops, but enough seating – just. We boarded on time, but then had to wait about an hour for approximately 20 passengers coming in on a delayed flight from Trinidad.

Had the same seats on the way back, mainly so that my daughter had a good view of the screen, which was in the same condition as on the outbound journey! Obviously, no-one has been trained in the use of the projector remote control! As the return flight is overnight, the lights are dimmed and most people slept or tried to for a good portion of the flight. Two lots of the three centre seats were unoccupied and I tried to get my daughter to use them like a bed, but she decided she’d rather watch ‘Spongebob Squarepants’! Other passengers quickly made use of them in the same way though.

Again the pilot made up time, and again we had to circle for 25 minutes before landing, so were 45 minutes late. However, after quickly clearing passport control, we had to wait over an hour before our bags appeared – I’ve always found it very quick at Gatwick before.

In conclusion

It was nice to bypass the queues at check-in and the larger seats were nice, but I’m not sure that justifies the extra money. Slightly more comfortable seats and individual screens and I think I’d be more positive. I hear that towards the end of the year Premium is being scrapped to make room for extra Excel One seating, which has the aforementioned extras. It remains to be seen, how much will be charged for Excel One.

Wow. This has turned out to be quite an epistle. Apologies.

Regards

Nick