Golden Caribbean charter flight with Monarch/Excel

[Steve Wooler]

Golden Caribbean has just confirmed that Excel Airways will be taking over the London Gatwick/Tobago service from Monarch with effect from 1st November 2003.

The Excel flight will operate two days per week, as currently. Up until Christmas, the Thursday flight will travel to Tobago via Grenada (GND). After Christmas, the Thursday flight will be direct. There will also be a Saturday flight to Tobago via St.Kitts (SKB). In summary, the proposed service will be:

• Thursdays (until Christmas ’03): LGW-GND-TAB-LGW
  Thursdays (from Christmas): LGW-TAB-LGW
  Saturdays (all year round): LGW-SKB-TAB-LGW

The Excel service will utilise a Boeing 767 with all-leather seating in a three class configuration, as follows:

• Economy: 229 seats. Seat pitch will be a minimum of 30”
  Premium Economy: 28 seats with a pitch of 34 inches (same as Monarch).
  Excel One: 24 seats with a seat pitch of 45 inches and a personal seatback or handheld entertainment system.

The checked baggage allowance will be 40 kg per passenger in Premium Economy and Excel One. The allowance in Economy has yet to be determined, but will be either 30kg or 40kg. Our main Air Travel page will be updated as and when this matter is clarified.

Prices for the new service remain highly competitive:

• Economy: £345 - £517
  Premium Economy: £529 - £747
  Excel One: £701 to £977

These prices apply to the coming 2003/2004 winter season and indicate the minimum/maximum adult return fare based on a one or two week duration holiday, including all UK taxes. The fares peak at Easter, but exclude far higher figures for Christmas/New Year, which have yet to be announced.

These fares are all within £11 of last winter season (lowest fares will be slightly cheaper, highest fares slightly more expensive), so I think we should give Golden Caribbean a big pat on the back.

Assuming the Excel Airways service comes up to, or beats, the Monarch standards, I think we can safely say that this service will remain the myTobago.info recommended best-value way of getting to Tobago. I look forward to reviewing the new service. Given that I’ve always been a big fan of Virgin Atlantic, I will now have the dilemma of deciding which service to try on our next visit to Tobago.

Golden Caribbean tell me that tickets are now on sale for the new service and can be purchased directly from them on 01342-316900 (UK only) or through your local travel agent.

[John Hill]

Hi Steve Back today to wet England Just a quick note to say I flew on Excell back from Gambia yes Leather seats but they are very narrow and very cramped not as good as Monarch A330 we went out to Gambia on.

[Tim W]

Hi Steve,
Always intrigued about- particularly- airlines I have never heard of. Who are Excel?! can't find any info on the web or in european airline directories.
Regards

Tm W

[Malc C]

Hi Tim,
Try http://www.excelairways.com

Malc C

[Tim W]

Thanks Malc.- helps if you don't put to ll's in excel when you try the obvious!!
Thank god I'm not doing SATS!

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Tim

Your question seems to have been answered, but I just wanted to say "Hi". Sorry I didn't get straight back to you, but I've been out of the office the last couple of days.

There seems to be mixed views about this new charter airline. Trouble is, people do tend to compare airlines directly without taking into account the major differences in price they might be paying. Let's be honest, people complain about the standards and service even on major flag carriers, so inevitably the cheaper charter flights will come in for considerable criticism too.

I just did a quick check of prices on-line for a single economy return from London to Tobago based on two weeks at the start of this coming October. Golden Caribbean Monarch service came in at £333, Virgin at £439 and BA £449. That means that BA are 35% more expensive than the Monarch service.

Anyway, we'll just have to monitor it and see how we go. I'm sure our contributors will be the first to post comment on the new service, but in fairness they will inevitably need a little settling in time on a new route.

[Joseph]

In reply to the comment about the cramped conditions on excel airways aircraft,
The Gambia flights are operated on the B767-200 which are less than roomy shall we say in some areas (rear galley not being one of them) but excel leases the 767s from air atlanta, and there for can't just start removing seat rows because they aren't our aircraft to tear apart as we choose.
how ever these flights (excels first long haul contract, WOOHOO) will be operated on the a new introduction to our fleet the B767-300, this is been specifically configured for long haul as we speak! so there is no need to worry about DVT or any of that non-sence (not to mention the fact that DVT is most common with more leg room, you have lots space, you don't do anything, you go to sleep, less leg room, you move about, get the idea)
to sum up.... this is Excels first long haul contract, as crew, we've waited a long time for it and worked Damn hard for it, so we are gona make sure we keep this contract, !!

Yours sincerely
Excel gatwick cabin-crew

PS..... Not to mention golden car. have given us alot of fredom and a generous spend per head on this whhich means lots of free goodies!!!!

[Terence H]

Thanks for info Joseph.
Hope to sample the delights of Excel in November.

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Joseph

Thanks for that. I am delighted that we have a member of the Excel team ‘on board’ and hope you will keep us posted, directly or indirectly ([email protected] – strictest confidence guaranteed) as the service develops.
As you may possibly know from reading the forum and our Airline page, I’ve long be a fan and supporter of the Golden Caribbean service – simply because it has always offered such good value for money. Trouble is, I’m also a fan of Virgin’s transatlantic crossing, so I must admit I now have something of a dilemma as to who to travel with when I return to Tobago next January. Anyway, regardless of what I decide, may I personally wish you and the entire Excel team every luck with the new service.