shamus,

There's a link to seat plans on our What Aircraft? guide (link below) and lots of other information over on the Flights Forum, specifically the THOMAS COOK AIRLINES - FLYTHOMASCOOK .. Q&As Topic.

Darren

Thomas Cook have stated that our booked hotel in Lanzarote will have 'building work' going on at the time of our booking. They have recommended a move to the hotel next door - The sister hotel to 'Smartline Ficus Appartments" Costa Teguise. Apparently it is 4 mins walk away? I am sure that we will still have disturbances from the new hotel - El. Trebol.... Thomas Cook have stated that the building work is inside - toilets ect????

Can anybody tell me what my rights are regarding this? There are not any suitable hotels stated in the booking brochure... Airtours?? Regards,

For the first time in years I've actually booked what I thought was a package holiday on line with Thomas Cook, including flights, hotel and transfer, rather than putting the holiday together myself, purely because the cost worked out considerably cheaper.

I have paid the balance today and received e-mailed confirmation, which very much to my surprise included the following:

1. Thomas Cook is acting as booking agent and your contract is with the Tour Operator(s) or Supplier(s) stated above, subject to their booking terms and conditions (available from us on request). 2. Your booking does not form a package holiday organised by us.

It appears they are acting as agent for Airtours. As I don't normally do package holidays this doesn't worry me, but bearing in mind all the warnings given regarding not booking a package, and the fact that this was not made clear when I booked, i wonder what the situation would be if clients needed to rely on the cover provided by a package.

Thomas Cook website is operated by Thomas Cook Retail Ltd not TCTO, and they sell Thomas Cook, Airtours, Manos, Neilson, Flexible Trips, Club 18-30 etc and the site conditions are clear "All bookings made on this Site are subject to the relevant supplier's/tour operator's booking conditions in addition to these Site conditions."

If you booked on thomascook.com using the 'holidays' tab or the blue 'find your perfect holiday box' on the home screen, it's a package holiday. Your confirmation doesn't say it's not a package holiday, it says it's not a package holiday organised by Thomas Cook, which it isn't. It's been organised by Airtours. Airtours are a tour operator, and only sell package holidays. Airtours booking conditions are the same as Thomas Cooks booking conditions, which is clear when you read them before accepting them.

Booking through thomascook.com is the same as booking through a high street store. They are the agents for whichever tour operators holiday you choose to book. The tour operator whose operating the holiday is clearly shown during the booking process.

We're always telling people on here that complain about TR, OTB etc they should read the booking conditions. Booking on a vertically integrated company website is no different.

Thank you for putting me so firmly in my place. As I said, it doesn't bother me personally but it seems I did not read the small print.

Aslemma wrote:

Thank you for putting me so firmly in my place. As I said, it doesn't bother me personally but it seems I did not read the small print.

If I've caused offence I apologise. It wasn't meant that way. I just wanted to make it clear to anyone else that may read it that the site isn't a tour operators site, and that they are package holidays, but that doesn't mean that they will always be a TC package holiday. Also to serve as a reminder that it is always very important to read terms and conditions, before agreeing to them, irrespective of who you book via.

I should have made clear it was meant as an explanation, not a personal 'chastisement' aimed at you.

Don't worry, I've got broad shoulders. I take your point but I doubt I'm the only one who would assume that a holiday where all the elements were booked at the same time on a Thomas Cook site with one click of the button constituted a Thomas Cook package holiday.

Aslemma wrote:

Don't worry, I've got broad shoulders. I take your point but I doubt I'm the only one who would assume that a holiday where all the elements were booked at the same time on a Thomas Cook site with one click of the button constituted a Thomas Cook package holiday.

You're probably not, but it does show the organising operator right from the initial results of the search, and on every successive page including the payment page. Maybe a reminder to everyone to be more vigilant all round when booking, particularly online?

i've been looking online with a view to booking for July/August 2015.
We will be a party of 3 adults and one child age 14. We prefer to go all inclusive, so my son will be classed as an adult. I got a price for 3 adults and a child, where it stated 'your child has been priced as an adult due to age restrictions at the accommodation'.
Just out of curiosity I did a dummy booking, but this time for 4 adults. Lo and behold the price was £450 cheaper for the same room, on the same date, at the same accommodation.
Is it okay to book him as an adult or will this cause problems

I think it will be okay, I have done it myself when my grandson was 16 , I had no problems , that was a package holiday with thomas cook .

I've just had a most interesting discussion with TC on their live chat. Tunisia will impose an exit charge of 30 dinars from 28th August on all visitors, including children and infants and I wondered if TC had any further information on this. Apparently they didn't even know about it, though Thomsons have advised their customers of the bare fact, without any details. At the end of the 'chat' I was wished a good holiday and recommended to get my currency from them, which might be a little difficult as the dinar is officially a closed currency. Does anybody wonder why I don't rely on tour operators for information?

There doesn't seem to be anything on either TC or Thomsons websites to inform new bookings about the exit tax, unless I've missed it.

Well there won't be on the TC website as it seems they didn't know about it until I told them, but Thomsons have apparently already advised some of their customers. I picked the information up originally from the Tunisian press but it's now on Trip Advisor so the word is spreading. It's just a pity that the TOs don't keep an eye out for things like this as I envisage absolute chaos at departures, particularly from those travellers who have heeded the dire warnings given by TOs about using up all their dinars before leaving the country.

Is it just me or is Thomas Cook a hard work site to look at holidays? I get so frustrated at asking for one sort of hotel and they offer me something completely different or I look at a hotel and go back and the site has reset itself to the start so you need to input the information again and again and again

I look at on my IPad and I was kind of assuming that was why I was finding it hard work, but maybe it us hard work. I don't seem to get up the same level of choice I used to and then you have to sort out the flex trips from the packages etc. I don't find thomson easy either. I thought it was just me. The sites seem to have gone backwards in user friendliness.

Why would you have to sort the flex trips from the packages? Anything shown under the holidays tab are packages, as are flight and hotel bookings booked under the flight and hotels tab.

I don't find the site any harder work than Thomsons because it's very similar, but I preferred the old layouts. Just put your search into the grey search bar and take it from there. If you want to change the search criteria click on edit in the grey search bar.

I have noticed on occasions that the TC site loses the required date/length of holiday when you reach the required destination- did it recently when I was looking for holidays next February - the prices seemed sky high -til I realised it was giving me mid August 2014 departures

After I have set the board that I want and I look at the map view, which I find is important and then go back the other settings are gone including the grey ones sometimes. I don't think they will be getting any business from me. No problems with Thomson or First Choice

Out of curiosity I recently went to my first 'welcome meeting' for many years. I was disappointed, though not surprised, that the introduction of a 30 dinar exit stamp in Tunisia was seen as another money-making opportunity for the rep. We had previously been informed that this could be bought at various places including banks, post offices, hotels etc, but rather than informing us which places actually sold it (some banks did and others didn't) she offered to provide it for an extra 7 dinars "administration charge", stating that this was a bargain, as it would cost more elsewhere, She also suggested we might like to ensure a smoother flight home by booking our seats, extra luggage and executive lounge through her. Strangely enough I wasn't tempted and got my stamp at the Finance Bureau in the town. Nor was I persuaded by her suggestion that any dinars we had left over should be given to the coach driver as they would most likely be confiscated otherwise. My comment that they could be spent on refreshments airside wasn't appreciated. She'd probably have had a fit had I told her that as a regular visitor I always took dinars in and out of the country and had never even been asked - had I been I'd simply have said "just enough for a coffee".

To give her her due she didn't try to push excursions, but this might have been because she already knew (as I found out from friends a couple of days later) that all excursions were being stopped due to (unfounded) expectations of trouble with the elections. Other TC guests told me that if you needed to see the rep you had to telephone to make an appointment, though I can't comment on the truth of that as I never needed her services.