Travel City Direct

[nikkikk]

Travelling with them for the first time next week - anybody got any good tips ie do they do early check-ins etc. Flying Gatwick to Sanford (first time in Sanford too).

Any tips gratefully received.

Thanks
Nikki KK

[website link edited]

[armagedon]

hi, travelling with them tommorrow from manchester, you have to be there 3 hours before unless you are in the sunshine first where its 90 minutes.

hope you have a great time

mark

[george]

I saw two of 'their' planes at Sanford last week so they must have an up to date map!:D:D

[Southsider]

Travel City have a desk you cannot miss when you walk out of the aiport at Sanford, get whoever is doing the driving to go ahead and get the car organised and someone else wait for the cases, as there can be a long wait, we were an hour in the queue.

Have a great holiday!

[orlandobabe]

I've flown with them quite a bit-and usually experienced no problems.

[stabard]

I am flying with them on the 24th, I will be following your advice Southsider.

[Maureen Edwards]

TCD seem to advertise some amazing flight prices, but when I have phoned up, they seem to bump up the car hire charges and it then doesn't seem so favourable. Has anyone found a way around this one?

[Robert5988]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:TCD seem to advertise some amazing flight prices, but when I have phoned up, they seem to bump up the car hire charges and it then doesn't seem so favourable. Has anyone found a way around this one?[/quote]

Its normally not the car hire charge - that is included in the fly/drive package. It is the insurance they overcharge for.

Make sure you note the name of the agent you are talking to. Book the flight and car but insist that you will arrange your own insurance in Sanford. They cannot insist you take their insurance on a fly/drive - but will try - look at rules on Teletext. Threaten them with ABTA etc.

Throw away car hire voucher and book car elsewhere - this site is better than most.

Also decline to pay for meals - I believe that the Airline always hand out meals regardless. They did the one time I flew with them.

[phaedra]

TCDs car hire charges are way over the top, their price for a 7 seater for 2 weeks is £636 with the Gold package, renting elsewhere would save you £247 :D

[huckleberry house]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:TCD seem to advertise some amazing flight prices, but when I have phoned up, they seem to bump up the car hire charges and it then doesn't seem so favourable. Has anyone found a way around this one?[/quote]

Its normally not the car hire charge - that is included in the fly/drive package. It is the insurance they overcharge for.

Make sure you note the name of the agent you are talking to. Book the flight and car but insist that you will arrange your own insurance in Sanford. They cannot insist you take their insurance on a fly/drive - but will try - look at rules on Teletext. Threaten them with ABTA etc.

Throw away car hire voucher and book car elsewhere - this site is better than most.

Also decline to pay for meals - I believe that the Airline always hand out meals regardless. They did the one time I flew with them.


[/quote]

Becareful doing this with TCD though, they told me if you dont take their insurance ( for car hire) then they need a deposit of $1500 and if you dont turn up for the car they fine you the equivalent amount anyway. I booked with Mytravel who dont care whether you use the car voucher or not.

Lesley

[Robert5988]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Becareful doing this with TCD though, they told me if you dont take their insurance ( for car hire) then they need a deposit of $1500 and if you dont turn up for the car they fine you the equivalent amount anyway. I booked with Mytravel who dont care whether you use the car voucher or not.
[/quote]

I wonder how ABTA would view that practice. I cannot believe it is legal. I have just checked the Teletext page on Fly drives and it states that you must be able to get the car without their insurance.

It is typical TCD though. They advertise great prices and then load them with Credit Card Charges, Booking fee, Meals, over the top car hire prices. You get the impression that there isn't a standard price and the booking clerks get more commission the higher price they can extract.

[MrEktion]

I thought I was the only one who had done this Robert 5988.[msnwink]

I did the same as you on my last but one trip to Florida with TCD and demanded a no insurance deal and hired a car elsewhere for £200 less.

However, this last time I went with them, they would not let me do a no insurance deal unless I could prove I was taking out insurance before I left! I found another way around this but it will have to remain my little secret as I may need it again.

The information you quoted from teletext is unfortunately worded badly as it states passengers in possession of their own insurance should be able to get the price advertised so TCD just ask you to prove you are insured. Which as you have no intention of using their car you can't prove.

They also actually charge more for a flight only with no car hire (£40 per person) and more for any number of passengers over 4 in a 7,8, or 12 seater as they think they could sell two (or 3 )four seaters worth of insurance if you hired two (or 3) cars separately. Basically the low flight prices have to come from somewhere and bumping up the insurance is the way they subsidise the flight price.

The simple answer is do the sums on the total cost if TCD is £300 less than Virgin per person for the flight and £150 more expensive for the car then two of you are still quids in with TCD but don't just be seduced by low flight prices nothing is ever FREE.

Mr E.

[phaedra]

I've just looked at the TCD web site for our Xmas trip, for 2A & 3K (10,14,16) flights from Gatwick and a 7 seater are £1666 in economy or £2166 in Sunshine Upper with 34" seat pitch. Flights with USAirways (34" seat pitch as standard) £1467 + car hire :)

Apart from being cheaper it also means we can be more flexible on the dates and aren't limited to a 7 or 14 day holiday, we're now looking at staying for 20 days, thanks to BA being greedy and wanting over £50 more for the return flight from Gatwick to Newcastle on the 23rd we're using the price difference to pay for nearly all of an extra days car hire and hotel rental and getting home on the 24th instead :)

[Robert5988]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote: thought I was the only one who had done this Robert 5988.

I did the same as you on my last but one trip to Florida with TCD and demanded a no insurance deal and hired a car elsewhere for £200 less.

However, this last time I went with them, they would not let me do a no insurance deal unless I could prove I was taking out insurance before I left! I found another way around this but it will have to remain my little secret as I may need it again.

The information you quoted from teletext is unfortunately worded badly as it states passengers in possession of their own insurance should be able to get the price advertised so TCD just ask you to prove you are insured. Which as you have no intention of using their car you can't prove.

They also actually charge more for a flight only with no car hire (£40 per person) and more for any number of passengers over 4 in a 7,8, or 12 seater as they think they could sell two (or 3 )four seaters worth of insurance if you hired two (or 3) cars separately. Basically the low flight prices have to come from somewhere and bumping up the insurance is the way they subsidise the flight price.

The simple answer is do the sums on the total cost if TCD is £300 less than Virgin per person for the flight and £150 more expensive for the car then two of you are still quids in with TCD but don't just be seduced by low flight prices nothing is ever FREE.
[/quote]

I also have my way around their restriction on insurance, and you have given other ways they have of bumping up the price. However I have resolved never to fly with TCD as I simply don't like the way they operate. If I could be bothered I would challenge them with ABTA etc about some of their practices.

For instance on their Flight from Manchester to Sanford they wanted to charge for meals. I declined as I am not a fan of 'plastic' airline food. The Air Atlanta flight attendants gave food to everyone - including my party - and said that was normal practice.

Also I have only flown via Sanford once but I have collected and delivered friends from there many times and the queues every time have been horrendous - admittedly it has usually been at peak times.