To sum up this flight in one word...arduous! We arrived early at Gatwick to check in at around 0720am having stayed over the previous night at the Hilton (which was very nice),to be told (when the desk opened) that our 1120am flight was delayed and would not now take off until 1345!, this actually turned out to be 1430! We were all given vouchers to the value of £3 and told to keep an eye on the screens for information.
Eventually took to the sky at 1430 and landed in St Kitts around 1830 local time, we were then sat on the tarmac for nearly 3 hours due to the cargo doors motors failing and the doors having to be manually opened and closed (some 1100 turns i'm told!!) Eventually took off again after a very heated descussion between some passengers and the Captain and landed at Crown Point at 2220! (very nearly 5hrs late!)
Soooo all in all a bit of a nightmare really,i've flown with Excel a few times now and have to say that the previous flights have been spot on time if not early so maybe this fiasco was a one off,i dont know.
I was told that the previous weeks flights (Thurs and Sat) were heavily delayed too so maybe they're having problems at the moment,lets hope they sort them out soon.
p.s Return flight last Sunday was on time and we had a free upgrade so it kind of made up for the outbound debacle.
Just out of curiosity: were the vouchers for the horrible fast food place next to the terminal? That's what we got from British Airways on a similar situation, and we preferred to throw them away.
Hi Nikos, No, the vouchers could be used in several food outlets within the terminal but they hardly covered the cost of a meal so you had to make up the difference.
Whilst being delayed can be a pain especially when waiting to go on holiday, surely safety comes first, second and last and you would not believe what silly little things can ground a plane, then you have to wait for Mr Mechanic to fix the problem, the wait for Mr Mechanic with the authorisation to sign off that the repair has been done, then the hassle of getting another slot with ATC. Planes go Tech all the time, big companies have extra planes to bring on line, someone like Excel dont, hence cheaper tickets but delays as with any airline are part of aviation.
Remember the american airline (TWA) that was brought down when the cargo door was not properly secured, killing on all board, you cannot rush something. Annoying yes, but really I would prefer to be delayed than any sort of incident happening in the air. As for passengers arguing with the Captain of the plane, this is a criminal offence and not a course of action to be advised, the Captain has overall control of the flight and responsible for all on board, he can easily refuse passengers who are causing or considered to be causing a disturbance.
Its a bit like the old driving saying, its better to get their late than not at all.
I totally agree with you Sharon, whilst it was annoying for us i certainly wasnt complaining,in fact,i was asleep throughout! I was informed of what went on when i eventually awoke.Safety of the aircraft and its passengers is obviously paramount and the Captains decisions are his,and his alone,if i were him i'd have not flown with these few people who were generally (from what i was told) being a total pain in the ass!
As a German I used Excel (booked along Golden Caribbean) the first time and just arrived at London (this morning). I normally go along with Condor.
Though the flight was a bit more than half as expensive then the Condor flight (even with the flight I had to book from Cologne to London I saved money) I have nothing to complain about. The seats are more comfortable and I could sleep for a while. The food was good, the crew was very friendly and always took very good care that all security items were kept. I felt totally save and will surely use Excel - especially Golden Caribbean - again.
I had delay with Condor (fortunately on my back flights) twice and both times with a fully day delay. They took all passengers to a hotel (Tobago Hilton and Grafton Beach) with dinner, breakfast and one time lunch for free. Who would complain? not me
Its ugly cold in England, I could jump in the next plane back!
Is it really a crime to argue with the captain of a flight? I mean I in no way try to promote anything illegal, but just a civil discussion about why the flight is not going the way it was supposed to is that also considered this way?
As a matter of interest - I have just returned from Tobago, having flown with Excel on a number of previous occasions and having always been happy with the service and fares.
Our outbound flight was more or less on time and the flight was very enjoyable - service was excellent, with plenty of soft drinks, water etc provided, along with a reasonable lunch and a few other things like hot towels provided.
We stopped over in Grenada for approx. 1 hour to allow for those holidaying there to disembark and those returning via Tobago to join the flight. No hitches or delays and everyone was happy.
Our return flight was scheduled for mid-afternoon Friday 25th and we checked our luggage in at 11:00 and then went to Shore Things for lunch and one last Carib.
We returned to Crown point at 14:30 and were then told that the plane on the apron was not allowed to depart and we would be delayed for up to two days. These were comments made by fellow passengers and there appeared to be no official version of events, with the local ground staff seeming to avoid any confirmation of the delay or provide any information relating to the reason or likely outcome.
As usual, there were those who over-reacted to the situation with mild threats and some abuse to staff, but in the main, most were good natured, if a little confused by the lack of info.
We were asked to have our boarding cards stamped and then (rather vaguely) ushered to mini-buses, which were waiting outside, after collecting our luggage from the baggage reclaim area.
If I have an observation to make, it would be that no particular person seemed to be in control and most of the staff didn't know the next stage of the 'evacuation' proceedure, which did cause confusion and upset amongst many of the passengers. Not knowing why, where, or what to expect next was the gripe of most people. A simple memo of explanation would have help in this situation.
We were transfered to The Mt Irvin Bay Hotel and others to The Grafton, settled in for an undermined period - again, not knowing for how long was a little frustrating, which lead to more complaints from those more under the influence of the booze and a little less under the inluence of Tobago than was helpful.
The sudden influx of guests was coped with well by the staff at the Mt Irvin and we had an enjoyable evening meal.
To be completely honest - I couldn't think of a better place to delayed and had no gripes at all.
We were advised that the plane would depart at noon, the following morning at breakfast and the transfers were conducted smoothly and efficiently.
Obviously, the delay was an inconvenience to others, particularly those with connecting flights or travel to catch. Those who were due to start their holidays in Grenada the previous day, had the hassle of an overnight in Tobago, which would dissapoint any one I guess.
We never did find out what the cause of the delay was, but it was rumoured to be a problem with clearance at Gatwick, before the UK departure and various safety checks and supporting paperwork not being completed in the correct manner, which required a technician to be flown in from Miami, to sign off the plane before the Tobago departure could proceed.
The return flight was preceeded with sincere apologies from both the Captain and crew and the usual very high standard of service was evident throughout the journey.
We all take air travel for granted now adays and if we have an uneventful flight, then it just goes to show how everyone has done their job well and the array of complex equipment has functioned without hiccup (or if there were any, we didn't get to know about it).
When things go wrong though and lets face it, there are so many things that can and do go wrong, I think that the real test of the service is the reaction to put things right, with the minimum amount of disruption and inconvenience to the customer.
I think that Excel did an excellent job in providing a prompt and efficient solution to the situation and most of those we spoke to thought that everything was done, that could be, given the available options.
We would have no hesitation in flying Excel again and intend to do so as soon as is possible - Tobago bound, of course.
Cheers
Steve
Take only photos - leave only footprints. I like that concept.
