We do though,don't we! Whatever they throw at us!!! Paula

Gramps I agree 100%. All the add ons make it very expensive and all the tour companies are well and truly ripping people off
This has nothing to do with Goa, but about Thomas Cook. We fly with them 3 weeks tomorrow to Egypt and our tickets came in the other day and they enclosed a standard letter saying that all their flights no longer have in flight entertainment if the journey is under 7 hours.
I think that is shocking. Not that I use a lot of in flight entertainment, but its the principle of the matter.

Weve booked three weeks at the Aldeia Santa Rita from 25.01.10 with Direct Holidays. Already started buying stuff in and got leather sandals for fathers day!!!

MCB I hope you have you mastered the art of time travel or, is your holiday 25/01/11.... ...cheers Keith

Well spotted

When we stayed at the Aldeia Santa Rita many years ago we loved it and the food was excellent but now there is a great Italian restaurant right next door, hope you are B&B and not all in, be a sin not to try it

We are AI and the food is excellent at the hotel but we still like to eat out as well. It'a all part of the Goa experience.

14 nights at CDB flying the Monarch cattle shuttle 14th jan £607

Just a thought.My flights are booked with Qatar & i did notice the luggage allowance was 30kgs: is this right,dont think they have ever been that much.

Kingfisher and Jet booked in the UK give you 45Kg plus another 10Kg for your hand luggage which is not really enforced, I have seen people get on board with small suit cases and backpacks.

The ol' girl does struggle a bit going up and down the stairs but I do let her carry them one at a time.

My flights are booked with Qatar & i did notice the luggage allowance was 30kgs: is this right,dont think they have ever been that much.

Last season you got 30kgs if you were a member of their Priviledge Club or booked through an agent like Southal Travell, 20kgs otherwise.
Maybe they have increased their allowance in line with their prices !!!!!

just booked flights for three weeks leaving Manchester on Fri. 26th Nov. The last few years weve been using Emirates, but the transit of first Dubai, and then Mumbai made it about 24 hrs door to door. As Thomson has now got 33" leg room and had Manchester flights leaving on the Tues we decided just to go with them. I started the booking online, selected the flights and the price £564.98 and clicked next to find they then wanted another £30 per 20kg bag and another £20 for seats near each other. I immediatley pulled out, went onto Qatars site got the flights, luggage, and with my frequent flyer card picked my seats. And all with a saving of about £90 over Thomson. How Thomson get away with it I just dont know, pricing a charter flight dearer than with one of the five star rated sheduled carriers.
Still thats it done now, it seems that the good old days of cheap holidays in Goa are a distant memory, worse luck, all we've got to worry about now is whatever visa nonsense they have planned for next season, and what tricks they'll get up to to stop the shacks being up and running. We must all be mad putting up with it !!
Alan

In fairness to the charter companies they want to sell packages not just flights. They tend to sell off surplus seats nearer the time at reduced prices ( if they have any) and they have to have a single nights accomodation thrown in to meet regulations. They are more likely to try and amalgamate flights with little consideration to passengers. I agree that the add ons are a rip off. The cost of a small beer and a mini tin of "Pringles" is beyond my wallet for starters !
Qatar flights are now so expensive that, unless you go for a period of at least 3 weeks, for me they are not worth considering anymore. We are glad that we went to India with them twice last season because from a financial point it is starting to get very expensive getting to Goa. Add in the poorer exchange rate and increased accomodation prices ( we paid £28 per night for the Marinha Dourada last year, it's £38 this year ) and we have decided to go elsewhere for a change.
It will be interesting to see what effect the new taxes on long haul flights have. By taxing the plane rather than the passenger it will either a) reduce the number of flights or b) encourage the airlines to try and sell all the tickets which might bring prices down.
Having said that the Qatar flights we were on didn't have many empty seats anyway !
cheers Dave... oh and have a Kingfisher for me, I will miss being there !

Your right Dave you only get 20kg with Qatar, unless you have the priviledge card, you have to have flown with them once before to get 30kg, we booked to fly with them in December and booked it on there website, then i saw southall giving 30kg so i phone Qatar and ask if i could have 30kg as well, they very politly said no,said they had a deal with southall for the extra luggage allowance.The excess luggage is over £23 per kg, Oh well hubby wont be taking to much with him this time Gel

personally i wouldn,t care if there was no luggage allowance,what do you need to sit at a shack/bar all dAY????? a sarong would do me ,after a few of them strange coffees i dont care what i,m wearing

Well we didnt book with Southall but still got 30 kilos with qatar ,if you book with Standtrend travel you will get 30ks

Last season you got 30kgs if you were a member of their Priviledge Club or booked through an agent like Southal Travel, 20kgs otherwise.
Maybe they have increased their allowance in line with their prices !!!!!

I did say "like Southall Travel" not just them. I wasn't promoting them intentionally !!!!!!

I too phoned Qatar and asked them why this was the case that you are penalised for booking direct and they replied "That's the way it is I'm afraid". By our second trip we had eligibility for their Priviledge Club so we got the 30kgs anyway. We don't mind if we drop out of the latter , we'll book through an agent next time.The prices are the same, sometimes cheaper !

Well thanks for the answers to my luggage allowance,maybe i will just give a little phone call just to make sure. :tupxx

booked for next year 30/1/11 till 1/3/11 booked accommodation waiting to see if flights come down a bit with qatar, we travelled with them last year and had a fantastic flight, so hear is hopeing

Tweekers again, as per usual 20th Feb - 6th March

Trying the south this time for the first time (will travel for the meets though!)

It will be our honeymoon after proposing in the Arabian Sea 2 years ago and our wedding on 5th Feb 2011 (still thanking samtheboater for the PopInn recommendation!)

Chris & Cheryl