Globespan

Has anyone used Globespan from glasgow to Sandford . We always use BA or Virgin but have looked at Globespan and can get really good prices .It also is direct from Glasgow nonstop

my son is flying Globespan Glasgow to Sandford tmrw morning,

I will let you know how he gets on, however I have flown with Globespan quite a few times and never had any problems.

As of tmrw's flight, they have a new plane flying this route, which does not need to refuel in Maine on the way down to Florida, so it is non stop.

We've used them before and found them fine. You get what you pay for though with no free meals,no personal Tv screen and a bit more cramped.
I would be a bit wary of your flights being moved during off peak winter times, as they do have the right to move you to another flight if they don't sell enough seats and try to concentrate 2 flights into 1. Shouldn't be any problem during the busier months.

Just had an email from Globespan today and they are doing some amazing deals, especially for travel in May, if you fancy a last minute getaway. :D

Well worth checking them out. [8D]

There's plenty about them on this forum if you check previous posts and subjects. Fair to say they have a rubbish reputation, but many have said they were delighted and the prices look great. You could say the same about most of the lower cost airlines.

I have flown with Globespan twice recently from Glasgow to Sanford. Both times we suffered major delays.

In February they altered our itinerary without warning with a stop-off in Belfast. The flight was an hour late and with the Belfast stop and re-fuelling at Bangor we arrived over 3 hours later than scheduled in Sanford.

On the return leg we were meant to leave on the Saturday morning at 9am - the departures board showed a time of 9:15 - then I realised that was 9:15PM - i.e. 12 hour delay. They told us not to leave the airport as that could change - they eventually bussed us to a hotel around 4pm for a dreadful dinner - we eventually departed at 10:30pm that evening.

We are just back from our second buying trip - we were again delayed both ways. On the way out we had a 7 hour delay at Glasgow whilst a part for the Aircraft was flown up from London. Whilst we were waiting another Globespan flight en-route from Edinburgh to Spain had to do an emergency landing in Glasgow due to "equipment failure" - its landing was followed by emergency services tailing it down the runway!

On the return leg we were due to fly Friday evening at 6pm - we eventually left Sanford at 7:45am the next morning.

Fellow passengers with previous experience of Globespan had similar stories to tell.

Of course ANY airline can have delays - it happens. But Globespan are a small airline with limited resources available if anything goes wrong - therefore the knock-on effects can last for days. Once an Orlando flight is delayed they cannot catch up until they have a non-flying day on that route.

I won't be using them again.

If you search this forum you will find that i have commented quite a lot on this particular subject. I will say that they now have a completely new management team and i would expect to see some improvement. Signs are that things are already on the way up but not yet at the point where i would use them.

Hi
We flew with globspan from Glasgow to Sanford in October last year. Our flight was on time and we had no complaints. It was a cheap flight with no frills but it was good flight times for us.
Their prices for October have shot up for this year and next year but we have managed to get a good priced direct flight from Glasgow to Sanford (October 2009) with Thomas Cook.

They offer a cheap service to Florida. This would leave you with more money to spend when you are in the parks!

As for the service and delays, I can't comment on this as I have never flown with them, although they don't have the flexibility if the plane goes tech, so do get longer delays than most.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by dsv77
my son is flying Globespan Glasgow to Sandford tmrw morning,

I will let you know how he gets on, however I have flown with Globespan quite a few times and never had any problems.

As of tmrw's flight, they have a new plane flying this route, which does not need to refuel in Maine on the way down to Florida, so it is non stop.

[/quote]

I just wondered if there were any updates on the Globespan service out of Glasgow? In particular is it the new plane as expected, and what were the seats/service like? generally any up to date info on Globespan would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by John S
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by dsv77
my son is flying Globespan Glasgow to Sandford tmrw morning,

I will let you know how he gets on, however I have flown with Globespan quite a few times and never had any problems.

As of tmrw's flight, they have a new plane flying this route, which does not need to refuel in Maine on the way down to Florida, so it is non stop.[/quote]I just wondered if there were any updates on the Globespan service out of Glasgow? In particular is it the new plane as expected, and what were the seats/service like? generally any up to date info on Globespan would be very much appreciated.

Thanks[/quote]On the flight out to Orlando, the flight was on time, however the food served on the flight was of particularly poor quality. I ordered the alternative (Pasta) which was dry and tasteless. On a positive note, the seat I had was excellant with lots of legroom.. I was in the old "Premium" economy section, which globespan had s[bad language filtered out]ped last year, however I notice that this year they are reintroducing this.

The return leg was a different story altogether. I arrived at Sanford at 1.45pm for a 6pm Departure (Very early I know, but hey ho, I'm strange that way!) I looked at the board as I walked in the door to see that the inbound flight had landed at 1.30pm, however my flight was delayed from 6pm to 1.45am! It subsequently turned out that the reason for the delay was that we had to wait for the crew from the inbound flight to have thier legal 12 hours rest between flights. It seems that it is cheaper for Globespan to delay a flight in Sanford, than to fly out a crew in order that the flight leaves on time. We were given a $20 meal voucher for spending in the airport.

Speaking to other passengers, it seems that this is not the first time Globespan have done this, in fact it seems that they do it VERY often. Personally, I will be re-assessing my options when flying out to my mum and dads house. Admittedly though, and I feel I have to point this out, after flying with Globespan for 8 or 9 trips to Sanford, this is the first time I have had ANY sort of dissatisfaction with the service.

Also, with regards to the new plane, they do indeed have a new plane, however it is new to them, not new as in fresh out the factory.

It is a 767, but is probably about 15 years old. It still has the ashtrays in the armrests, and the old projection system for the inflight entertainment.

since I came back from Sanford (eventually, see post above! :)), I have been keeping an eye on Globespan flights from Sanford to Glasgow.

I work night shift in the Holiday Inn across the road from the airport, and we have an arrivals/departure screen in reception so I can see when the early morning arrivals and departures are leaving.

I thought it was worth noting that the GSM726 flight due to land at 6.15am this morning was actually going to land in sunny scotland at 22.20!!!

I was bored to tears in Sanford after an 8 hour delay, the people on that flight must have been climbing the walls!

Duncan

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by dsv77

I work night shift in the Holiday Inn across the road from the airport, and we have an arrivals/departure screen in reception so I can see when the early morning arrivals and departures are leaving.

[/quote]

Couldn't be any handier could you?

BA put me up there overnight recently when my connection was delayed. Only time I've had Haggis for breakfast!! I really enjoyed it.

Hi again

just following on from my last post above, I managed to speak to the pilots and a few passengers from the ill-fated 14 hour delayed flight from sanford.

I asked the pilot why they were so late, and he replied "because Globespan had used our plane for something else (!), we cant fly a flight without a plane, but theres nothing we can do, its just company policy"

When speaking to the passengers, they were given 2 x meal vouchers for $20 each person, but no reason why the plane was delayed. When I told them what the pilots had said, they were understandibly livid! I feel sorry for the poor girl who will be working on the Globespan desk in the morning! The passengers also commented that they were told at Sanford that Globespan make no guartenee when they will fly you home, only that they will at some point!!!

Is that the sounds of MAJOR alarm bells ringing??

I dont know how many times i have to repeat this about this shower. It seems some people will always rather save a few pounds than put the safety of thier family first. Search for similar posts against Globespan on this forum.

From this times:-

This story has been discussed on other forums visited specifically by members of the pilot community.

A budget airline is to be prosecuted for endangering the safety of passengers after allowing a 757 jet to fly “illegally” to America with faulty instruments.

The case against Flyglobespan, which flies more than 2.2m passengers a year to 30 destinations, will be the first criminal prosecution against a British airline for more than a decade.

The Sunday Times has established that the transatlantic flight is one of a number of alleged safety breaches being investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Still think they are worth taking a chance on?

The Sunday Times story was worrying. I would not use them now.

With all due respect, if the CAA were investigating an airline for breaches of safety, the said airline could & would be grounded.

All airlines flying in & out of the UK have to meet certain criteria
hence why some airlines you will never see at a UK airport.

Lynne

Pookie

Would you fly with them? Above story, Lost ETOPS and many other incidents. Remember the Helios crash in Greece? That was due to bleed switches in the wrong position. Globespan have done that twice, both times out of Glasgow (bleeds off take off). On the second occasion flying onto London despite having a rubber jungle (should have landed at the nearest suitable).I am in the business and i can assure you that this lot give cause for concern.

"With all due respect, if the CAA were investigating an airline for breaches of safety, the said airline could & would be grounded."
This statement is correct until you get to the part where where you say would.

Sorry but thats the way it is. Much money at stake.

The thing about Globespan , is they are not a BUDGET airline any more I tried to get flights in Dec 08 and found that the dates I wanted were 700.00. I could have got flights with Virgin for 500.00 [ if there was any left] I also had a young couple who wanted to rent my villa in June this year and when they tried Globespan the flights were 504.00 but I managed to get flights from Glasgow via Philidelphia for only 309.00 with usairways. Looking at their price schedule some of the flights are over 400 ONE way and thats in the ecomony [msnsad]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Upsidedown
I dont know how many times i have to repeat this about this shower. It seems some people will always rather save a few pounds than put the safety of thier family first. Search for similar posts against Globespan on this forum.

[/quote]

You're kidding - right?

Or perhaps you meant to come across as superior and arrogant?

Did it ever occur to you that many people would book with Globespan without the detailed knowledge you appear to have? Did it ever occur to you that families, looking for value for money, may have viewed Globespan as a credible choice, given their prices, the locations they fly from and the times they fly? Did it ever occur to you that the name 'Globespan' has been on the go for several years now and will be seen as many as a reputable company about which they should have no worries?

To suggest, as you have, that people have booked with Globespan to save £s, disregarding the safety of their family, is quite simply ridiculous.

John

John S

You're kidding - right? - No, i'm not kidding.

In answer to you very superior and arrogant list of "did it ever occure to you's".

Did it ever occur to you to read/search this forum and others or look at the news from time to time.
Did it ever occur to you that when you are spending £1500 or more that it might be appropriate to carry out a little bit of research.
Did it ever occur to you that warning after warning has been given against using this lot and still they continue to book. All the info is available on the net for those who are prepared to put in a few minutes of time.

Just a polite note here to keep this thread amiable [msnsmile]

Doing my best[msneek]

I know [msnsmile]
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Upsidedown
Doing my best[msneek]
[/quote]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Upsidedown
John S

You're kidding - right? - No, i'm not kidding.

In answer to you very superior and arrogant list of "did it ever occure to you's".

Did it ever occur to you to read/search this forum and others or look at the news from time to time.
Did it ever occur to you that when you are spending £1500 or more that it might be appropriate to carry out a little bit of research.
Did it ever occur to you that warning after warning has been given against using this lot and still they continue to book. All the info is available on the net for those who are prepared to put in a few minutes of time.[/quote]Well...

You have either missed my point; or perhap chosen to miss my point.

My point was that not everyone who books a holiday would have the extensive knoledge of Globespan, that you appear to have, and on that basis their research may have consisted of key criteria, e.g. prices, departure locations and times.

Not everyone is as well reseached as you, and while my response was not (necessarily) about me, I have indeed booked with Globespan. I did so knowing the background to the problems faced last year, what I had no knowledge of, however, was any suggestion that the Co may flout safety requirements. I booked on the basis that, at the time of booking, Globespan met my key requirements in a way that the competition did not.

In relation to 'safety', I'd certainly take issue with your assertion that "All the info is available on the net for those who are prepared to put in a few minutes of time" I say this because at the time of my research I found no suggestion that they were unsafe, rather I found that they were subject to delays, and offered poor customer service. In my cost/benefit analysis, I decided that I was prepared to accept the risk of that - all things being equal I'd still accept that risk.

In terms of keeping the thread "amiable" - surely we can have a difference of view? I found your comment (safety) incredulous, and still do. Your opening paragraph was indeed arrogant, and yes, perhaps my response was too, but its just a discussion forum, its certainly not personal. I dont think I've been nasty, but surely we can take issue and or challenge comments made?

Anyway... perhaps i'll post an update on my return, that is of course on the basis that we do return safely!

John

Hello
We flew with Globespan in October last year.
Before booking we looked on the net to see what people were saying about this airline.
The negatives we found were about delays and poor customer care. The positives for us were price, direct flights from Scotland and good flight times.
Not for one second did I ever think that this airline would not be safe to fly with. After reading this forum I have found that I am probably very naive but I expected that all flights from Britain would be considered to be safe and that we would have excellent measures in place to ensure that planes flying in and out of our country met very high standards.
Our flights were on time and we really had no complaints.

I wish you a safe flight John

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by shedenuk
Hello
We flew with Globespan in October last year.
Before booking we looked on the net to see what people were saying about this airline.
The negatives we found were about delays and poor customer care. The positives for us were price, direct flights from Scotland and good flight times.
Not for one second did I ever think that this airline would not be safe to fly with. After reading this forum I have found that I am probably very naive but I expected that all flights from Britain would be considered to be safe and that we would have excellent measures in place to ensure that planes flying in and out of our country met very high standards.
Our flights were on time and we really had no complaints.

I wish you a safe flight John[/quote]Thanks for your good wishes for a safe flight Sheena. I think your post has summed up, far more succinctly than I could, the reasons why we have chosen Globespan - thanks for that too.

Good to hear that you had no complaints re your flights, my view when decising to book was that we may suffer a delay, or we may not - given that the flight was from Glasgow and the price was attractive we decided to book. I felt this to be a wise choice as the savings could be used to enjoy Orlando when were there. And btw there are six of us, so the "saving" in comparison to other airline prices at the time was considerable!

If we happen to suffer a delay of an hour or so, I can live with that, in the big picture its nothing really, particularly when I see that a number of people fly with an onward connection in the States which means their flying time is longer anyway. On the other hand if we suffered delays of several hours (12 has been quoted) that would be dreadful, and yes at that stage I would question if it was really worth it???

I guess the bottom line is that we all make what we beleive to be the right decisions at the time.

I'm afraid I'm locking this thread now as this is definitely not the place to start discussing the safety records of any airline with potentially unsubstantiated comments (no matter how well intentioned).

If anyone if interested in finding out more then I would suggest Google is their friend but let's keep this forum on the main topic of vacationing in Florida [msnsmile].