By next summer they will be one company.Next winter First Choice are using Thomson planes to Sharm from my local airport so you could be flying on either.

Oh! That can't be good for us then. I always compare the prices of them both.

Actually for long haul there wont be any change while 2009 so if you book on a First Choice flight it will be on a FC aircraft and likewise for Thomson.

So if thats the case would you pay £200 more to fly to Mexico with First Choice?

No not really, they offer the same legroom, same entertainment system, in fact if they hadnt have merged i could acuse them of copying.

poley,

There isn't much to choose between FCA and TOM these days. As BEfreeTODAY says, TOM have pretty much copied what FCA did a few years ago and Thomas Cook is following suit and will introduce a similar service for summer 2008. Both carriers use Boeing 767-300/ER's. Of the two, I prefer FCA. Both carriers have 33" seat pitch in economy but FCA's are configured 2-3-2 compared to TOM's 2-4-2 so you get a little more elbow room with FCA. Also, the meals with FCA are better (in my opinion) than TOM's offerings. I prefer the lighter coloured green leather of FCA over the dark blue of TOM, it creates a lighter cabin. These are minor things though, in terms of passenger comfort, there's not a lot in it. Given a £270 saving, I'd go with TOM.

I can't wait to try TCX's (MYT) new cabins in Summer 2008. I always said FCA's star class concept aboard an A330-200 would be the ultimate long haul charter aircraft.

Darren

We travelled to Cuba 2yrs ago with FCA and to be honest the flight and service were fantastic,but if you think there is'nt alot of difference, maybe we will try TOM this year!

I echo the other comments, they are both very good, and there isn't £270 worth of difference on FCA, so go for Thomson.

If you do want to research it a little further, both companies have websites detailing their long haul service:

http://www.firstchoice.co.uk/starclass/

http://www.thomsonflysenses.co.uk/

I'm disappointed to learn First Choice will be using Thomsonfly in the future (I knew about the merger, but still...)
We have flown short-haul with FC a few times and have always enjoyed their in-flight service. This summer we tried a Thomson holiday for the first time and were not impressed at all, with the flight, the resort service, you name it really (the hotel itself was great, but with no thanks to Thomson). I said we'd never use Thomson again. The in-flight meal was awful, we were delayed for 4 hours going out and 5½ hours coming home (Ibiza - only a 2½ hour flight in the first place) and the whole experience put a downer on what would have been a great holiday.
Up to now, our FC holiday to Crete next summer is still going on a FC plane, but I've noticed whilst pricing up for some other short-haul FC holidays they'll be using Thomsonfly Let's hope Thomson adopt some of FC's good practice and customer service.

I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience cyberspacekadette. Any delay is frustrating but can and does happen to any airline. Thomson are usually great at looking after passengers.

To answer the original posters question, I would give TOM a go, but do bear in mind TOM operate in 2-4-2 config so although the leg room is the same or better you will be closer to your companion.

FCA you get a meal choice, TOM you dont (apart from the usual, vegie, no nut...)

Cyberspacekadette,

I beg to differ i have only ever flown with these two aitlines and i have to say i find Thomsonfly considerably better than FCA(Although they are already incredibly similar).I do agree about the meals- Aldo Zilli- I dont think so . But apart from that almost everything else was great.

Luk3000

I have flown on all charters short haul and found First Choice to be the most cramped even in row 1.I have stopped having meals on flights especially as Thomson have Aldo Zilli meals? Yuk!

I have just found out our August flight to Crete, booked with First Choice, and flying with FC at the time of booking, has now changed to Thomsonfly. Not happy at all, especially as I've paid for the flight meals, thinking it would be a FC plane, and now we have to suffer those disgusting Aldo Zilli meals again. After last year's bad experience with Thomsonfly I swore I would not use them again (I swore about a lot of things actually...) I may go back to the travel agents this week and ask if it's possible to have the cost of the flight meals refunded from our booking, I'd rather spend that money on a meal at the airport.

I may go back to the travel agents this week and ask if it's possible to have the cost of the flight meals refunded from our booking, I'd rather spend that money on a meal at the airport.

I don't blame you because I wouldn't give a dog the meals they served us and it will be the last meal I ever buy with Thomson....I promise you that.!

I've just returned from the East Midlands to Alicante trip and I booked the holiday as far back as February 2007 for Christmas 2007.
As we were staying in a hotel on the airport Xmas eve, my hubby convinced me to book 2 meals because we didn't know whether the hotel restaurant would be open or not being xmas eve and as it turned out, there was no restaurant in the Holiday Inn, they don't do meals, only breakfast.
Although continental breakfast was included in my booking, we planned on leaving before 4am when the "restaurant" opened, so we thought we might be very hungry, mid flight.

How can anyone disintegrate a tomato.? the breakfast was a mini omelette filled with bits of bacon, a small very spicy sausage and small pieces of cooked potato chunks...the supposedly tomato had been overcooked into a pulp and was black.

Coming back, it was even worse and I could have thrown up.
A small carton of cuis cuis,(spel?) that just looked like a carton of bird seed, chicken pomodorma or summat like that, which was basically 2 minute pieces of processed chicken on top of a pasta/tomato slop, followed by some sickly dark chocolate, synthetic cream sweet.
I (we) ate a few mouthfuls of the pasta concoction, the bread roll and the piece of cheese only.
What a complete waste of money and whoever is planning these meals, should try auditioning for Ready, Steady, Cook....or get in line at their local job centre because I wouldn't give them a job cooking porridge for a load of boy scouts.
£6 for a Thomson meal.? they'd have to pay me to just open the carton in future.

Sanjiiiiiiiiiiii

Hi Cyber

I think you should ask for your money back, you can base the request on the fact that you had awful meals with them on your last holiday, so it's not like you have changed your mind for no reason, at least you gave them a go on your last holiday.

I think the charge is 7 pounds each way now so that quite a lot for the three of you.

We had a light meal in the weatherspoons (spelling?) at Gatwick on our way out and I'm sure it was under 30 pounds for 4 people.

Doe