We flew on a Monarch DC10 in July 2000. It was a very cheap deal with TCD out with Virgin stay 15 nights and back with Monarch. All for £250 fly drive in July!

It was just as the school holidays were beginning (as I recall we flew back on the 16th) and Monarch had just introduced a second flight from Manchester, needless to say all the traffic for this second flight was Florida bound and the returns for the first two weeks were empty. This is why TCD had got us such a cheap deal basically they were booking any seat outbound and getting all the passengers back on one of the empty Monarch flights.

When we checked in we found our 300+ seat DC10 only had 76 passengers on board! So most people had a full row to themselves [msnsmile2]. Great flight back you would have thought....?

Unfortunately, No! although the aircraft was only 25% full nobody could get comfortable in the 28" cramped seat rows and extra thin and narrow seats. People were constantly moving around trying to find more comfortable seats and not having any joy. It was like being involved in the worlds largest and longest game of musical chairs [msnmad]. God only knows what it would have been like with a full compliment of passengers.

Mrs E made it clear she would never fly Monarch again or any other charter with 28 inch seat pitch as they are a nightmare! Even now if we get a good offer but the flight is MYTravel, Monarch or the like she won't budge. I'm glad to see the back of that particular DC10, a fine aircraft in its day but with only with a respectable seat pitch and row arrangement I'm afraid Monarch and the like have taken cattle class a step too far.

Good to see First Choice have started to look the other way it will be interesting to see if they make a go of it and how their prices will compare.

Mr E.