This has been posted before, but the images did not work so here we are with images.

Manchester - Cayo Coco Cuba

Flight Route: MAN - CCC
Flight Time : 09:36
Class: C - Premium Economy - Thomas Cook Plus
Meal: Hot Meal, After Noon Tea
Other Services: Complimentary Drinks, Duty Free

Flight Number: TCX174K
Aircraft Type: A330-200
Registration: G-OJMB

The trip started on a rather wet morning after a heavy thunderstorm, believe me it is not a good idea to not sleep before a long haul flight.

After a two hour crossing of the pennines we arrived at Manchester Airports Thomas Cook departures area, at the rather early time of 08:05. Plenty of time to check in, in a leaflet that should come with tickets for those booked in Thomas Cook Plus, (sometimes it doesn't), it advises asking at the customer services desk for the correct desk to approach for PLUS check in. At Manchester it is desk 1 which is easy enough. May have changed now.

About 4 days before I emailed pre flight services and requested specific seat numbers for the flight, which of course is free but its not guaranteed. pfs@thomascook.com

Arriving at check in desk one there was no one operating any of the desks, but someone soon appreared offering to open to PLUS check in straight away, sorry for the delay and I hope this has not affected your travel.

I have drawn together a list of all the pre flight services you get by upgrading to premium, these go upto boarding the aircraft, and then whilst on board and so on.

Pre Flight Services Associated with Premium

- Priority Check In At Most Airports
- Thomas Cook Priority Baggage labels
- Different hand luggage tags
- Fast track security services is avaiable but we didn't use it.

After checking in within 2 minutes, I decided to try the food court before passport control. It was rubbish but the windows are excellent.

The first thing I noticed is the wind from the east so we must be taking off on either 06L/R. That's two years in a row that we have taken off on 06.

10:45 AM, boarding was announced at gate 24, double air bridge one for premium passengers to the front of the aircraft and the one to the middle door.

Thomas Cook Plus passengers were called for boarding at around 11:00, and I was sat in 01D, within 5 minutes. Watching the welcome onboard flash presentation on the TV that comes out of the arm.

After boarding the plane, the seats were comfy, row one has more leg room than any other seats, it has 35" and 36" in some parts. On the seat was the amenity pack, a pillow, a blanket and a bottle of water. It was quite a hassle to handle all this at once but I managed,

The amenity packs were excellent and has lots of bits and bobs in, including the headsets free of course.

At around 11:55 we closed doors and started to push back, and then various members of the ground crew came from everywhere, back to the gate to let them off. The purser said very abruptly of the PA "Can all members of the ground crew please leave the aircraft immediately".

It was now a race against time to leave the gate on time, which we did with a few minutes to spare. As the cabin filled with the smell of jet fuel, the captain came over the PA explaining the route and that we would be using a runway. Our initial cruising altitude would be 34000ft.

We taxied to 06L. Past the aviation viewing park and onto the final taxi way to the runway, stopping for a moment to let a BY B763 to land, then spooling the engines for a rolling take off, whilst the BY B763 was still exiting the runway at the bottom. Someone actually asked if it was safe to take off with a plane at the end of the runway, which in fact wasn't at this time, it was on the taxi way.

After take off we routed above the penines heading for wallasy and Ireland. The captain explained that there would be slight turbulence for the next 5 - 10 minutes, which in fact turned into violent turbulence over Ireland and seemed to last around 1 hour, the altitude was always changing on the map channel, which was Number 10.

First a complimentary drink service was served, later followed by the choice of oriental chicken or Spanish meatballs. Of the 45 Spanish meat balls they carried for the plus cabin, they only got rid of 2, what a waste.

Later in the afternoon a small cheese sandwich was served and again another complimentary drink service. Later followed by the duty free service.

We began our decent into Jardines Del Rey just over the Bermuda triangle, the pilot over the PA "we have just started our, decent into Cuba"

Seat belts were put on, but there was a que for the toilets and they refused to move until they had been, so the cabin crew had to stand with them, most had to go and sit down.

It astounded me how many corrections have to be made during finals due to the strong winds they have there. For around 10 minutes were were gliding in the wind, spoilers up slightly and idle engines with gear down, and still going too fast due to the high winds, once he had turned onto the finals for the runway however the speed decreased by around 50mph in 2 seconds due to the change in direction against the wind for a short while.

The reverse thrust was put on full, just so we would come to a stop before the only taxi way to the newly built terminal.

Once we had pulled up we had to wait 10 minutes for the Monarch flight to depart to Gatwick Via Glasgow, due to it being 4 hours late, otherwise several people would be defened. The doors were opened and the steam from the vents poured out, i took this time to look at the touch screen panel at the front of the aircraft were the temperature read 18`, so they were keeping it very cold onboard.








Cayo Coco Cuba - Manchester

Flight Route: Jardines Del Rey - Manchester Ringway Intl
Flight Time : 08:35
Class: C - Premium Economy - Thomas Cook Plus
Meal: Hot Meal, Continental Breakfast -Corn Flakes
Other Services: Complimentary Drinks, Duty Free

Flight Number: TCX174L
Aircraft Type: A330-200
Registration: G-OJMC

After Two weeks on the wonderful cayo islands it was 15:30 and time for the transfer buses to arrive. The flight was due on time as i had checked it earlier, one advantage of Eastern time zone, and about the only.

Upon arriving at the newly refurbished Jardines Del Rey airport from the 10 minute transfer, check in way very quick at the 2 premium desks, 1 more than at Manchester. They don't even check the weight of the cases. Another set of priority stickers were added to the three cases as they were loaded onto the containers in front of our eyes. I noticed the container had a big label on it, reading "FOR PRIORTY BAGGAGE ONLY". Later not to be used clearly.

Before proceeding to the VIP lounge i went up the stairs to the viewing area to see if the aircraft was parked in, and it was, this time however it was G-OJMC which has recently been refurbished. This means i have been on both of the A330 aircraft in the Thomas Cook fleet.

The VIP lounge was nice, and it was air-conditioned, but they had to turn some away as they had over booked it

The departure boards said that the flight was due to depart the stand at 18:50, 5 minutes ahead of schedule, even though it landed an hour early. The cabin crew boarded first, they had only arrived the day before from gatwick, at this point i knew it wouldn't be long until boarding and sure enough at 17:25 boarding started. I walked across the concrete to G-OJMC. There was water dripping out from the tanks underneath the aircraft and as the cabin crew greeted us at the bottom of the steps, someone was asking why it was leaking and whether it was supposed to do that, but it happens to all aircraft. Unlike on the outbound journey the air conditioning was not steaming, so i figured they had the temperature up a little onboard, however the ice in it was cracking and the same person who asked about the water asked about the cracking noises.

Presenting the boarding card to the cabin crew they showed me to my seat

Seen as there were no wheelchair passengers i requested row one, because there is 1" more leg room and you don't get no-one reclining in front of you.

Again on the seat, was an amenity pack, blanket, pillow, bottle of water and headset. On this aircraft the PTV videos must have been slightly different because there was a welcome aboard message been shown on the screens, different to G-OJMB. It also had a picture of the plane on it, very classy i thought. As i stared at the screen falling to sleep one of the cabin crew members commented "very intresting isn't it". I took the opportunity to ask him something.

After rolling down runway 28, we did the second rolling take off again, one from Manchester and now from Jardines Del Rey, the runway is very bumpy, but the cabin didn't explain this. One of the cabin crew members was looking rater worried at one point.

As we climbed over the Bahamas we hit slight turbulence but nothing much. We went in a diagonal line over the Atlantic in the end taking a slight detour but more about that later.

The first drinks service was served, again it was fully complimentary, and this cabin crew didn't mess around, ask for 1 drink, you get 2.

Shortly after the cabin crew that are dedicated to the premium cabin cabin explained the full service onboard for the premium service. First it would be a choice of Beef and Ale Pie or Ginger Chicken. Then another 2 drinks services, followed by Duty Free, then another 2 drinks services, then continental breakfast before landing in Manchester.

We reached our alluded of 39000,.

The captain explained we would be routing over cork, dublin and then finally landing at Manchester at 07:55. O no we aren't.



We took a very strange route, towards France at first then turning up central England at the very last moment. Of all the long hauls i have been on non have done this.

After all of the drinks services and breakfast i noticed something odd, the map reached Ireland, we were south of Ireland, heading straight for Paris. We flew near to the Bay of Biscay and up over Bristol, Wales and went over Liverpool airport, then turning right over the penines and then finally landing half way down runway 24R.

This flight was getting even more strange, Gear went down about 15 minutes before touchdown, indicating that the aircraft was going too fast, and at that the air brakes were on full, and the flaps were extended, engines on idle. Must have been a really strong wind. I was not on a window seat but i took a quick glance out of the window, and could see what turned out to be the US Airways A330-300 in front, performing a series of turns to final.

In the end i reckon it was touch and go on having to go around with the US air just in front, as it had only just left the runway as we touched down.

The pilot was going too fast off the runway and had to brake really hard to stop. But just seconds after another BA aircraft landed so that's probably why he nipped off early.

We finally parked up at gate 25 i believe, but i could be wrong. The premium cabin should receive pritoty disembark, but after 5 minutes of no air bridge at the front they started to let everyone off at the middle door. As i was leaving the door, i heard them saying, the air bridge is ready now.

Can you remember i spoke about the container on the plane saying for priority baggage only, well the Cubans had got it all wrong, it was loaded on first, thus coming off the plane last, the priority baggage came off last. Yet im not complaining to Thomas cook it was a communication problem in Cuba.

Hope you enjoyed that