I wasnt aware of any plans for the aircraft to enter service in 2008 as the delivery slots were booked for 2009 onwards, January 09 in fact which gives the aircraft a couple of months with test flights before the Summer 09 season began using the aircraft.

Back from my hols yesterday
Was reading an Imagine brochure on flight back home, with a page about the dreamliner and it did say it would be in service from 2009.
It also will reduce jet lag because it is pressurised at a lower altitude or something.
Mainly for long haul use to avoid refueling.
Oh and if anyone is interested the films (europe) summer 2007 going -either Eragon/Casino Royale and coming back Music and Lyrics/Charlottes web.

Basically the cabin will pressurise at a lower altitude so the environment in the cabin feels closer to that on the ground, not sure if it mentioned the dissapearing windows or not but this is going to be a major feature, the windows will black out at the touch of a button and will be larger.

No I dont think it mentioned that, as long as they remember not to make them square like that disatrous plane, its ok with me.

There are some sample images here: http://www.aircraft-info.net/aircraft/jet_aircraft/boeing/7e7/7E7Dreamliner_4.jpg

Does anyone know if its possible to book First choice accommodation only, ie outwith a package.

I know Thomson's etc do it, but I can't find anywhere with First Choice hotels.

TIA

C x

First choice run their own hotel website http://www.hotelopia.co.uk

Thanks so much, you learn something new every day eh!

Ta

C xxx

I have booked to go to jamica in oct 2007 when i booked it it stated that the hotel is premier one of the previllages being 30kg per person baggage, since I booked this the rule as changed to 23kg, do you know if first choice will honour this?

Nessa,

It depends when you booked the holiday, ie before 14th December 2006. If booked before this date, they will honor your allowance at the time of booking. As of 1st May 2007, no suit case over 23kg will be accepted for travel. For more information, have a look at FCA's baggage regulations.

Darren

have been into town today and booked for Hotel Miami in Ibiza, they matched the online price and now charge £10.00 per person to do so. They said its due to over heads and if we have any complaints or enquiries its easier than via online or the phone. Well, i have had 2 complaints with first choice before and they were both booked in store and i was told to write to head office, so, where is the point in that??!! Asked for manager and she wasnt helpful. Asked about late checkout as this is problem had with them before, have been told it's not worth it as will be collected at about 3pm. Staff couldnt confirm about courtesy room. This is definately last booking with First Choice...never again. I was doing third time lucky but maybe not!!

Hi Bouncy Blonde
I work as a manager in a First Choice Travelshop. It is true some managers will charge a handling fee to cover instore costs. Basically although we are part of First Choice, we still get paid a commission from the Holiday Department to the Travelshops, this runs at about 13%. Typically the internet is about 7% cheaper than instore, so shops will match the price but then only make 6%. Not really enough to cover costs, especially if it was a cheapish holiday. So a managers argument would be, "why did you not book it on the Internet and go for the cheaper cost and why are you booking it instore? If you want to book it in my shop, then thats fine, thanks very much but im sorry I would have to charge you an additional fee for doing so."
I personally dont charge internet pricematch customers, at the end of the day the Internet is here to stay although some customers do prefer a personal service. What I do though is try and ensure the customers buy their currency from me, they book a car, or airport parking or hotel to make up for the Internet discount - surely theres nothing wrong with that.
WIth regards the service you received instore, thats obviously down to the individual staff member and not reflective of First Choice in general. We're not all bad employees you know and to be fair, First Choice are getting better nowadays than the tinpot company they were ten years ago. However there will always be complaints and the usual "im never booking with them again" scenario!!
To finish. Last year we had a major problem with a hotel we featured. Many people who booked on the net ended up coming into the shops to make us sort out their problems they had with this hotel, as they couldnt get through on the phone. We could have referred these customers back to the call centre in a "huh you didnt book with me so why should we help you?" situation - but we didn't, we treated internet customers the same.
But if you did book at home, and you did have a problem and spent 2 or 3 hours trying to get through to the call centre, what would you do - is that extra £10 a head you paid then money well spent???
Im sure you will have a good time and im sorry you had a bad service at the shop you booked at - like I said , not all First Choice staff are like that, most of us are good at what we do and proud to be working for such a company - I just hope they remain and dont become "Thomsonfied!"
Have a good holiday!!
[/b]

Read the last post with interest and although we holiday with First Choice every year and have had no problems, I am curious as to wether this 10 pound per head charge is just for adults or whether if you're a family like ourselves, you have to pay it for kids too? if so people will say no and go back home to the internet and you will lose out on business for your store.
We normally book on line, however we did a store price match one year against another operator. I know you have to make commission somehow, however another 50 or 60 quid for a larger family is a bit much, when you can go home and pay less.

Slightly different First Choice gripe and perhaps this should be on the complaints forum? Although I am sure all tour OPs are the same.

Since booking our August holiday in April 2006 we have had three ammendments made by First Choice. Firstly they removed the kids club, then they changed the airline and along with it the flight times (expected I know when you book so far in advance) and then today I receive a letter telling me the swimming pool shown doesn't actually belong to the hotel we've booked, but to the sister hotel and we can use it. The latter I knew from HT anyway, but why did it take them over a year to tell me!!??

In each case I've been told I can change my booking FOC- very generous you might think, but not when you consider that for us to do so would mean lining their pockets by at least another £1000, since they won't honour the free child places and discounts that we had with our original booking.

So really the tour ops are free to mess your holiday about as much as they like because whichever way you look at it, it will be the customer that loses out not them. They fulfil their legal requirement by allowing you to change regardless of the fact that it isn't financially viable

Pam

Hi Bunny 74
In answer to your question, the £10 per head is totally descretionary of the Sales Consultant or Manager. Like I said, I dont charge it. I think if it came to the crunch most Managers would waive the charge rather than lose a booking, as we get Brownie Points for booking First Choice passengers anyway.
Ive asked this question before, If customers knew that the shops would match the Internet, would people then boycott the Internet and return to the shops. Lets face it the Internet has pretty much screwed up the whole of the retail industry (not just travel) so im wondering what we could do to entice people back through the doors.
Call me old fashioned, I never buy on the internet, everything I bought either goes wrong or takes ages to arrive !!!
Anyway i digress, every shop manager will haggle rather than lose you to the Internet.

Happening, I think 'knowledge' is what is required. Not long ago when looking for our 2008 holiday I went into a FC shop, hoping for information and additional insight to help us with our holiday choice.

We probably struck unlucky, but having researched through places like HT I was able to tell the sales advisor far more about our potential destinations and the pricing of the holidays than she could tell me. No way would I have even considered buying a holiday from her.

I'm not for one minute saying that she is typical of travel agents, as I say I think we just got the wrong person. But for me the premium paid in a shop would be worth it if you could be given information and advice that would help you find the right package. It's that personal touch I suppose that an internet booking site doesn't give you.

Pam

Keepupwith, I sympathise with you not being able to get the information you needed from your TA. I worked (for a very short time) for FC and my kind of holidays are different from the normal beach holidays so my own knowledge on Majorca, Ibiza etc was very limited, in fact it wasn't even limited as I have never holidayed in these places. Unfortunately not many Travel Agents can have actually visited every Country, every resort, cruised etc. This is unfortunate as the best information you can get is if someone has been there. That is what makes this site excellent lots of help and information available.

If every travel agent had the sane enthusiasm as the members of HT have then they woud have no end of custom!!

I do not want the the "I am not bothered" the "I do not care " attitude.
It is about time that travel agents got with the beat and started to give us what we want. Honesty and a personal service, it is not much to ask for

Citizen

How are travel agents trained Sugarbabe61? is there a training programme at all? The person I saw was supposed to be quite experienced yet didn't even factor in the risk of hurricane season when advising us on longhaul destinations.

I appreciate that they can't have an indepth knowledge of every country from having been there, but like us they are capable of researching the destinations they sell. I guess we assume and expect a certain level of knowledge, that's the problem.

Pam