47 NAT

Hi, were flying off on holiday later this week and just wondered if its worth paying any more to up grade the flight? We're off to Majoroca and flying with Monarch from Gatwick. It works out £15 per person each way.

Also how safe are the carparks and how much do they cost for 1 week?

Nath

farmer1

When you say upgrade, what exactly do you get?

Last flight I went on I pre booked seats with extra leg room for £10 each way, well worth it.

47 NAT

For this:

http://www.monarch-airlines.com/chartered/upgrades.asp

Nath

boxst

Hello

On short haul flights it isn't generally worth it: Although British Airways business class you have slightly more room. With Monarch I certainly wouldn't bother.

Parking at Gatwick is relatively safe: I have left my Supra there many times and nothing has happened. I suggest you park against a fence or in a corner as people just wander aimlessly through the cars with their bags scrapaing away at the paintwork.

Last time I think it as about £50 for the week at Gatwick.

Steve.

farmer1

If you are quite tall/get un comfortable quickyl go for it just because of the comfort benefits.

Depends on how you can cope with standard flight.

Big C

For £15, i'd say fill yer boots mate.
I've paid over £2500 in the past to upgrade to 'proper' business.


C

pbee

The monarch upgrade depends on the age of the plane you are travelling on, if it is a new one or has had a refit the upgrade gets you a better seat with more legroom, i think you get drinks ect and a better food service.

If its an older plane they use the bulkhead seats for the extra leg room, but when these are full you get a normal seat but still get the drinks ect.

it is not anything like BA club world.

Airport parking is ok and normally pretty secure, park near a camera and take your ticket with you. A lot of car parks now take a photo of the driver when you enter and take the ticket, if you claim you lost your ticket they can check with the picture taken on entry. Most likely criminal activity is stuff being nicked from it so get everything out of view.

A few years back my mum and dads bmw was striped of headlights indicators badges ect.they used a screwdriver to get them out cost about £400 in parts and 1k to sort the bodywork and respray !!.

good Parking at gatwick will set you back circa £15 a day thats what it is at heathrow, if you are going for a week or 2 weeks look into a deal with a local taxi driver even if he charges you £80 a trip you are saving money and not having the hassle of leaving your car in the car park.

messiah

Last few times I've flown, I've asked at the check-in if I can have extra legroom due to injuring my knee at football, so I couldn't bend it.

Hasn't failed yet...

just make sure you limp around the airport beforehand...

47 NAT

Thanks guys

Nath

RobJenks

Cost of up grading can be very expensive.
If you are a frequent flyer then points acrued can be used to up grade from economy to Business and business to 1st class.
Emirates debited 45000 points from me on the Perth to Dubai route.
To buy those points would have cost circa $1000 , so think carefully about -am I gettng value?
Personally I think the points could be used better - hotel accomodation /flights etc

matt.bowey

Not worth it!!!!!! Its only an hour and a half flight!!! Spend ya money on booze!!

I week at Gatwick is £32.........01293 515345, I used it & it was perfectly OK...!!

Scooby96

Dump your car in St Marys Drive (or a side street) in Crawley and get a taxi to the terminal (£3)

NACRO

quote: "Dump your car in St Marys Drive (or a side street) in Crawley and get a taxi to the terminal (£3)"

I wouldn't unless I was in a shed, Crawley is full of thieving scum who pop down from the many chavster estates surrounding the sh1thole.

Markus

Upgrades, on a short haul flight, would not bother, long haul, yup, if you can, also, see if you can use your airmiles to upgrade. I've been lucky in the past and been upgraded for free, which was great for the filght from the UK to Toronto, think I only got it as the check in chappy fancied me! lol maybe I just looked like some smart, educated, and rich chap? hmm, maybe I'm deluded

NACRO

On the kind of charter flights with Monarch that are in question someone wearing a clean tracksuit would count as an upscale customer.

Used to fly Monarch/Air 2K to Portugal a lot when I lived in the UK as I have family there and lived near Gatwick. A greater contrast to the business flights I took to the states, Amsterdam, Paris etc could not be found.
No joke, on one flight which was extra chock packed full of scumbags, some of the trash actually got off the bus which was waiting on the runway and lit up their cigarettes. Followed closely by their vile, stinking offspring who also lit up. They then proceeded to get p1ssed throughout the flight and make some really creative smells/noise for the rest of us to enjoy. The only plus point was the fact it p1ssed off the rest of the passengers (hard working middle englander types on their annual 2 week holiday to somewhere where everyone speaks english and they can drink lager).

Flying monarch gives a real window into the soul of low rent Britain.

For upgrades on normal flights for decent folk wear a suit, flirt with the male and female attendants and have the cojones to ask for an upgrade at every opportunity. I have lots of friends who are flight attendants and they tell me that the cute passengers are the ones that get the upgrades. Explains why I've often got them

Scooby96

Dump the mrs car then

It amazed me when I flew BA to Manchester to pick up my wrx that there was a business class section (front 6 or so rows) divided by a crappy curtain. We got a drink and some pretzels and business class got the same but in nicer 'plastic glasses'. Cost me £11 - business was £110 - fecking muppets, it was only 29 mins in the air!

NACRO

If your company is going to pay though I'd take business class and have done so on 60min flights to A'Dam. At least you don't have to queue with the hoy-paloy for check in and you get a decent baggage allowance.

scoobynutta555

That extra baggage comes in handy i expect for that chip your carrying around.

NACRO

A comedian, thank god for the gift of laughter.

Try to come up with an original one next time.


Thought I'd add, which category of scumbag I mentioned do you fit into?

scoobynutta555

From somebody confessing to flirting with male and female flight attendants I can say Im glad not to be in your category


If your wit was anywhere near the size of your ego you might be amusing.

NACRO

Are you a homophobe scoobynutta? Don't worry, I'll let you into a secret, most gay men don't actually fancy straight men. It seems to be the latent homosexual "straight" guys who come out with the backs against the wall comments.

Also thanks for the vote of confidence, I'm here to amuse myself and doing rather a good job of it as it happens.

Again which category that I mentioned earlier do you fit into?

scoobynutta555

I don't place myself into any categories.

Thanks for letting me in on your secret. It's comforting to know that you wouldn't be slipping a hand under my club class blanket if I'm asleep. You can save that for the stewards.

Right, this post is getting tiresome now, ciao ACORN

47 NAT

PMSL @ some of these replies

Matt, was that for on site parking?

Nath

NACRO

So you've even dreamt up a little scenario where a man slips his hand under your blanket while on an aeroplane. Tell me how long have you been having these fantasies?

dtriggs

47NAT - if you prebook on site parking from the BAA website it is much cheaper than turning up. I paid abt £40 for a week in the on site long term car park, and have just prebooked a week in the short term car park for £60 - which is a bit more convenient and more secure.