I am fully aware of that, those flights are called V flights, but sometimes the ground staff do not provide crew with a full passenger manifest which lists who has meals and who does not, the odd occassion meals would then be given to all passengers.

Its compulsory to give a names list, and this names list usually has all the comments included. If the crew is not handed this names list with all meals and comments then the crew should request it off the dispatcher before closing the doors.

Haven't travelled with thomson for ages. Am think of booking hol to egypt with Portland and they want 35pounds for the in-flightmeals (3 adult 1 child.) This is 8 meals and as it's a 5 hour flight thought I might book it as it saves carrying alot of food on board. Also it gives options of 'Healthy Meals' as well as the usual nut free, gluten free, veggie options.

Can anyone comment on the quality (polite answers only please ), and I would love to know how the healthy option differs from the normal fare?

As a bonus do you think it means we will be nearer the front as so many people opt out of the meal now? Only we normally end up at the back near the toilets

I have always had good meals with Thomsons. The one & only time I couldn't eat what I was given was with first choice - it was a savoury pastry 'thing' a bit bigger than a sausage roll - and nothing else with it. It was veerrryy dry :yuck. I thought at the time I should have tried to eat this roll that cost me £5 (meal coming back was fine) but I couldn't get it past my clacker.

I have had a beef dinner, chicken dinner, spicy meatballs etc etc, all perfectly palatable, and when you have eaten all the other titbits, I find its just enough to fill your tum when you can't move after anyway. The desserts are usually very nice too.

I don't know about healthy options though, have never been given this option. If you contact customer services they may tell you more about this.

HI,Flew T C to Gambia they knew throughout the plane who had paid and who had not,cost more for a snack for those who did not pay,saying that food was rubbish as usual cheers maxie

Thanks for your comments Marie and Max

Think I'll go for the meals when I book as Egypt is different from a 2 hour hop to the med. I would probably have to buy snacks and drinks off the trolly and I expect they are expensive anyway. Just hope we can eat it. I might ring up to solve the mystery of the 'healthy option meal'. Someone I work with books the veggie option and reckons they are normally seated at the front.

in theory everyone who gets a meal has paid for it whether you pay £10 or its "Included" in the price, you are paying for it somehow anyway. Personally i will pay £10 because i know i paid it in the past when it was supposed to be "Included".

This is funny...

What your dinner might look like on various airlines

http://www.airlinemeals.net/indexMeals.html

I'm loving it (website not the food!) Couldn't find my Portland "healthy option" meal though, obviously too down-market for that web-site!

Thomsons do seat meal eaters at the front and the others at the back.

passengers will never be satisfied whether you serve a la carte or do cartwheels up the aisles

Now that I've got to see!! I never knew there was enough room in those isles!!

On a serious note, this charging for meals is a bit of a rip off. No matter what you may or may not request at the time of your booking it all seems to come down to what the Ground Staff pass onto the Aircraft Crew.

I think this is just a desparate 'money making' excersise on the part of the Travel Agents, who I believe are loosing trade now that more and more of us are going DIY, to make more profits.

I know some people had paid £10.00 per person for in flight meals on my flight to Benidorm from Humberside last October and the flight was operated by Air Europa. EVERY passenger on biard got an In Flight meal ---- TWO sandwiches and a tiny chocolate bar!!!

My advise would be DON'T pay for In Flight Meals. Take your own packed lunches. If you get served something on board well thats a bonus, but if you do'nt, then you won't go hungry as you have your own.

Yes I agree it is nice to have a meal on your flight at the start of your Holiday. The flight out is susposed to be that little bit special. But its simply not worth paying, what, £10 - £15 for something you may get free anyway.

Hi

Just a little tip if you're able to be refunded on inflight meals from your Airtours holiday price or can choose whether to purchase inflight meals from the outset...I wish I had chosen this option because, in all honesty, the food was absolutely dreadful.

One 'meal' consisted of a miniature muffin, a pottle of orange juice and a Nutrigrain bar. I have no sweet tooth and therefore had to go without. Another 'meal' was a dry tasteless ham roll accompanied by one finger of Kit Kat. I kid you not!

They did offer us one hot snack: supposedly 'Christmas dinner.' This consisted of a lump of unidentified processed flesh, a teaspoon of dry peas, and a few millilitres of congealed gravy smeared over the top.

The price for these examples of culinary excellence? £30 for the two of us.

You have been warned...

Ooh, here's a photo for you of our wonderful meal.

I love a good moan, I must be British...

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rattygeorgina/79335528/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/36/79335528_be379fabdf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_0597" /></a>

Does that mean that cost 7.50p. Thats a scandal! They must bulk buy and so are making an indecent profit on that (so called) meal.

Well, we actually had four delectable 'dinners' for our £15 each so it was actually £3.75 for that.

Still, I could have bought a Nutrigrain bar for 35p at Spar if I'd have known!

This is one of the reasons I love Easyjet and Jet2 - you simply take your own food. My daughter NEVER eats aircraft food. For 10 years she's taken her own sandwiches when flying to/from the US.

We've had some great meals when flying withBA to Gran Canaria which have been included in the price.
Helen

Just come back from Lanzarote with Airtours and when the grub was being dished out I asked a steward how do they know who has paid for the meal, he said they checkin those that haven't paid from the rear of the plane.

As we were in row 11 outbound and with a lap full it wasn't easy to confirm or deny this - I got the feeling that it was a stock answer, rather than the answer I got from a stewardess (on the same flight) when I asked the same question - she said its a mess, the lists are always wrong (well at least there is a list !) - and they were 18 meals short on the outbound flight.

On the return we were in row 26 and there didn't seem to be much of a selection process at the rear of the plane, in fact they had too many meals and were giving 'seconds' away to anyone who wanted them - it was bangers, mash and peas - not bad, a lot better than the pasta / mince offering going out.

thanks Marie35p

I've booked the meals as the thought of 5 hours staring at the seat in front without the meal to amuse me was a bit daunting. Its only 5 quid and buying the coffee on there costs a pound anyway. Can't be bothered to take enough food for 4 along with all the other hand luggage.

I'll report back on what thomsons 'healthy option' meal was like as nobody seems to have had one. It's an added bonus being seated at the front and also saves the cost of prebooking your seats cos presumably they seat you together. Just hoping not many others have booked the meals as no one seems to like them.