written by ZionSutherland on 20/06/2017
Monarch want to charge me £35 for a standard 'no show' letter to give my travel insurance after I contracted food poisoning and was unable to go on holiday. The return airline... Ryanair was without charge as well as skypark,(airport parking), and the booked hotel. I contracted food poisoning 12 hours before the flight and was bed ridden for 5 days. Doctors confirmed campylobacter gastroenteritis but because I did not..... could not.... cancel prior to departure, a cancellation fee is still applicable.... £25! So... I could not show up for my holiday.... fever of over 110.... couldn't quite phone Monarch and cancel my flight.... then ask for a no show letter and was requested to pay a cancellation fee and cost of a generic letter. I don't want money from Monarch.... my insurance company will hopefully pay. Where are their morals and empathy for someone who legitimately was very ill and could not take their seats. Shame on this customer relations team: Never use Monarch again....
written by Kash324 on 15/10/2016
stayed in the all inclusive 4star Occidental hotel in Costa teguise, the hotel was comfortable,staff friendly, however the food was one star, the hotel was very noisy, children unsupervised and allowed to run through corridors knocking bedroom doors
written by Emery402 on 10/10/2016
we are a family of 7 ( 5 adults and 2 children)we always prebooked and pay for our seats to ensure we sit together. Our outward flight to Palma was fine we sat in the seats booked, NOT so lucky on the way home. We were allocated different seats, 3 in the booked seats 3 moved 3 rows back and to our horror one of the children had been seated across the isle inbetween two stargers.I queried this at the check - in desk and was advised our seats had been changed by Monarch so we could not sit in the seats we had pre booked and would need to contact them re the change. The most distressing thing about the re seating involved the lack of concern they had for children’s safety as they seated my grandson separate to other members of our family even though there are 5 adults he could have been with. With the cooperation of the other passengers we changed my grandson seat so he was sat with his brother and a very distressed mother. I emailed them for an explanation as to why our seats were changed and a child separated from the family. Their first reply took 2 week and was a standard business reply with no explanationI then emailed back as I was not happy with the reply and again asked for an explation.The second reply took 17days and still they had no explanation as to why the seats were changed as it was not their policy to separate family’s. I will never again travel on Monarch with children as I don't consider them a responsible airline
written by Mitchellpm185 on 12/04/2016
My daughter booked a holiday in Sorrento for her honeymoon in June. It was booked in January and paid two weeks ago Today she received a message from Monarch to say that the hotel was cancelled as it was overbooked We contacted the hotel in Sorrento to be told that Monarch were told in December that the hotel wasI full so why were Monarch still taking bookings and taking money My daughter has been offered another hotel which is nowhere near as good as the hotel she booked. She is devastated as this is her honeymoon and it has been ruined by this company Never again will we book a Monarch holiday
written by SueMora on 31/03/2016
Monarch holidays, decieve people on their site , you can't book in on line we waited 55 minutes in queue while flight only waited 5 minutes!! No staff nobody at resort , after 35 years traveling the the world I comfortably say they are the most incompetent least customer friendly company I have ever come across...., please trust me spend the extra rather than these amateurs ..., absolutely useless
written by bert52 on 01/02/2016
Whenever there are problems with drunk or interference by passengers sitting behind you. The cabin crew blame the victims, trying to cause the victims to get more upset. Such as, if passengers continually bang the seat tables. The front passengers complain to cabin crew!! Who then talk to you as if it is your fault to complain!!! Then, you call Monarch customer services to complain, who deny any problems!!!
written by Websterbt300 on 29/10/2015
We had booked a return flight from Funchal, Madeira. The weather was terrible and the incoming flight couldn't land, so our flight was cancelled and we were shipped to a hotel for the night. None of this was Monarch's fault, of course. However they gave us absolutely no information about the cancellation until - five hours after the planned departure time - they told us to board a bus to the hotel. Non existent communication and appalling customer service. Other airlines affected seem to deal with it in a much more customer-friendly manner I.e. They told their passengers what was happening.
written by Kerrielouiselee on 25/09/2015
Early hours this morning, 2 friends and I flew back from ibiza with Monarch. As we sat down we noticed a DRUNK couple sat behind us which baffled us. After 40/45 minutes of being on the flight, the woman started getting aggressive and trying to attack us and when the flight attendant came over, he did nothing about this, in fact the blame was put onto us. Not only that, but because I tried to get away from the woman by leaning forward, the man sat in front decided to verbally attack us in which that flight attendant again failed to do anything about it! So for the whole journey home, my friends and I were nervous wrecks and the flight attendant even had the cheek to ask if we had enjoyed our flight (sarcastically). WORD OF ADVICE - DO NOT FLY WITH MONARCH. It is the most vile, disgusting airline!!!!!!
written by lukebot on 10/09/2015
I recently used Monarch airlines to fly me to Turkey and return 24th July 2015 for 7 days (Bodrum) and took the opportunity to book a hire vehicle through them, while mistakes and issues happen it is about how they are dealt with when things go wrong that measures a company in this day and age. I had major problems with the car supplied through them, naively it is only when it goes wrong everybody washes there hands of responsibility. Monarch sub contracted the car hire out to Cartrawler and they in turn sub contracted the hire out to Sixt Car Rental in Turkey, out of seven days the car was unusable for 3 of those days, as it broke down repeatedly, I was promised a replacement car that never happened etc etc Monarch have failed to come back to me and resolve this after numerous promises, it is almost impossible to speak to any body who can deal with the issue and results in promises of Monarch curtomer service promising to get back to you but never do. I would suggest that you do not use Monarch, because if anything goes wrong and it does from time to time, you will never get any help from Monarch customer services.
written by McPherson54 on 25/06/2015
Charged extra for seats put me in touch with a car hire company who ripped me off
written by on 12/04/2015
As I intend to be a frequent flier to Gib/ Malaga, I tried to join Vantage club, I received a notice from Monarch giving me a query number. Two weeks later, I have not had a response.this leads me to conclude that their customer service is very poor/ abysmal or, they do not want frequent flyers to join their Vantage club.
written by on 09/04/2015
I'm a person with reduce mobility and I love to travel so I fly frequently. When I book a flight I ask for the special assistance wheelchair in cabin because I can't walk and I always do the check in online because I'm not a self-reliant person, meaning that I can't wear the oxygen mask in case of an emergency, so my carer has to seat next to me to give me a hand (due to the small space between seats, I can't even lean to eat or put on my ear plugs). And I found out that with Monarch airline you need to pay for your seat in order to check in online. Because I refuse to do so (I strongly believe that pay to check in online in my case would be discrimination, as they specifically ask me to bring a carer, else they can refuse to take me on board) so I contact the customer service and they say they have this strict policy because there are people that abuse the system, that sometimes they say they can't walk and then they stand up (I was not going to explain to them that there are a lot of different disabilities with reduce mobility including the ones that can stand up but not keeping the balance to walk or, in my case, not able to raise there arms up, etc.). Anyway, they say they will do it free of charge if I send a document from the doctor saying I need a special seat. As you know, I'm not carrying on a document like that with me every time I want to fly (again, that would be discrimination) so I offered my document with the percentage of disability and the type and they said it was not enough. I had to call twice and complain about being discriminated. So finally one of them talked to the supervisor and said they would do an exception and for future flights with them (I doubt it) they will need a document from my doctor with specific conditions so they can keep it in their database. After all that, when we arrived to the airport all the passengers received a letter with their apologies explaining that we would fly with another company (Privilege) as apparently their airplane had some issues and was not able to fly. NEVER AGAIN!!
written by markinsuffolk on 25/03/2015
Contacted Monarch twice now using their online contact system (no phone numbers advertised on the website). Never replied to either messages so absolute waste of time and useless company. Dread to think what they will be like when we fly with them!
written by Rylie474 on 18/02/2015
Didn't like Monarch at all. Legroom far too small, even though I'm under six foot. It felt like they are trying to be a budget carrier but charge scheduled airline rates.
written by EILEEN16 on 05/01/2015
Being a silver vantage club card holder I was somewhat bemused at my last monarch flight from east mids airport to Malaga. The queues to get to the gate were awful,(5 aircraft leaving from gates 1 to 5 within 15 mins of each other packed in a narrow corridor) However that is not my complaint. What is the point of paying extra to fly with monarch because even though I have a Silver card to get all the benefits i.e.extra luggage allowance priority check in etc.For the price I paid I could've had better treatment on a low cost airline.Allthough there was a sign near the gate for priority boarding they hadn't bothered to adhere to it and therefore blocked the priority gate,nor was it announced.I also paid for extra legroom for myself and my husband as I like to be near the front with easy access to toilets and departure from the aircraft.The toilets were shut as a lady collapsed after 10 mins into the flight(so much for screening for illness) then we were asked very nicely if we would give up our seats so they could keep an eye on her whilst landing.So all in all we were sat in small seats to land and had to wait to get off to retrieve our luggage from the front. WAKE UP MONARCH AND LOOK AFTER YOUR FREQUENT FLIERS OR SOON YOU WILL BE SHORT OF SOME !!!
Written on: 22/01/2015
Generally staff ok but when things go wrong .... they cannot resolve or cope - post your story on the Monarch Complaints Facebook Page and the guys there will help.
Written on: 01/02/2016
Monarch cabin staff have a policy of keeping passengers quiet and told not to complain about other passengers. This is confirmed by head office customer service. VERY BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE EVEN FOR VANTAGE CUSTOMERS. They are not interested!!!
written by lqBarr66 on 01/11/2014
A while back we had a family holiday in Spain. Both flights were delayed buy over two hours,and as we were with young children they had to be fed. When we put this to Monarch on our return, they refused to re-imburse our claim (we provided receipts) stating that they provided food (2 hours later and warmed up rubbish). Their attitude was a disgrace and we referred them to trading standards (who were useless) Needless to say, when travelling today we avoid Monarch
Written on: 04/11/2014
Many many similar stories on the Monarch Complaints Facebook page. unfortunately years of lack of investment and mis-management are telling their toll.
Written on: 22/01/2015
Generally staff ok but when things go wrong .... they cannot resolve or cope - post your story on the Monarch Complaints Facebook Page and the guys there will help.
Written on: 04/11/2014
Many many similar stories on the Monarch Complaints Facebook page. unfortunately years of lack of investment and mis-management are telling their toll.
written by on 27/09/2014
Have always flown with Monarch to and from Turkey BUT NO MORE -DO NOT USE MONARCH IF YOU WISH TO AVOID EXCRUCIATING DISCOMFORT FROM THEIR NEW SEATING . Not only do the seats not recline but they are thin virtually without padding and very cheap and nasty. Within a half an hour of take off I had back pain and an hour later my right leg had gone numb. The stewardesses all privately agreed that the seats were hopeless. In fact one man sitting in front of me actually sat on the cabin floor to make the flight bearable! Added to this grief is that the extra you pay for more legroom is nullified by Monarch's requirement to put your bag under the seat in front of you. Turkish airlines are cheaper, have comfortable seating and hold luggage and meals are included as standard in the ticket price.
written by evets1948 on 10/09/2014
We booked a package holidy to Malta through Monarch Holidays. When e ticket arrived we found that we were flying their on Small Planet airlines based in Lithuania. Two days before leaving we received a email changing return flight time (two hours later than we wanted) and carrier to Thomson Airlines. To cap it all the Cosmos Holidays rep never showed up at the hotel. Never fly with them - be warned. No wonder their in fincial trouble.
Written on: 19/09/2014
Unfortunately the financial problems at Monarch (seeking £60 mil external funding and reported £158 mil pension black hole) are creating vast problems at Monarch. A Facebook Page (Monarch Complaints) receives numerous posts such as yours each and every day. Will they pull out of it ? ..... I have my doubts.
written by hwGrantham74 on 27/07/2014
Flying out from Birmingham to Rome on 13 June I paid for 1 extra bag and was advised that it would be easier and more practical for me, if I paid the excess for the return journey at the same time. I was assured there would be no problem at the other hand and check-in staff in Rome would be able to see that I made my payment on their screen. It all made sense and I felt safe, thinking check-in flying home would be a breeze. 10 days later we flew back home and I spent 2 hours at check-in in Rome, as they could not find any evidence of my payment made. My receipt I was able to produce made no difference. It took 2 hours, endless phone calls from an Italian sub-contract counter clerk representing Monarch (and not doing a good job) with a long and frustrated queue of passengers behind me, all staring at me angrily. I immediately complained about this on arrival at home – over 30 days ago. Despite their assurance that I could expect a response within 28 days, nobody has come back to me yet. I normally do not fly with budget airlines because of their reputation and was proven right. Unless you have to, I would advise you to desist. I normally fly British Airways who fly to serve and have never been disappointed. The cost in fact is usually not much more neither.
written by Martinez186 on 20/05/2014
Flew to and from faro and East Midlands returning 16/05/14. I know not to expect anything much with meals but this was not the problem. We only booked meals as we were staying in a remote villa and flight times meant we might struggle to get any food when we arrived. We party £12.00 each each way for a party of 10 of us. Flying out we were told there was only a few meals on board and that we would have to battle it out amongst ourselves as to who had what, we of course did this and they served up the meals one short, so one member of us had to wait an additional 30 mins while it was put in the ovens to cook. It gets better ............. On the return flight they forgot to put the meals on board in the uk and the catering at faro didn't get any replacements to the plane in time before we took off. So we had no meals at all. We avoided eating in the airport as we were expecting to be fed in flight. The staff of course made all excuses and we were made an offer of what to do. They offer meal deals on board which consist of sandwich crisps and drink for £8.50 each. We were told that we could either purchase these and try to claim our original payment back when we get home, or, accept the deal without crisps for free and not be able to claim anything back. In our party were 4 children aged 1,4,4, and 7 and our main concern was to feed these kids as they hadn't eaten for hours and wouldn't be doing so either for hours to come. Paying again and attempting to receive a refund was unacceptable to us and of course unfeasible We of course accepted their measly offer, which again we had to battle it out as to who got what due to low stock. We paid £12.00 in advance for something everyone else on board could buy for £8.50 and they got crisps too! To say this was their error they ripped us off for it, we will be complaining and requesting a refund for our meals regardless. The airline should have got out of their way to express their apologies and compensate accordingly to what we had paid up front. It's a shame really because everything else was ok. No delays etc. I really expected better from this airline but having read many other reviews they seem shambolic. I will avoid monarch at every opportunity.
Written on: 20/05/2014
You would be better posting on the Monarch Complaints Facebook Page due to coverage. Obtaining a refund for your meals will be difficult due to the fact that once Monarch have your money they are reluctant to part with it! The fact that you had no delays is unusual as when the last records were produced (2013) they were recorded as being the most unpunctual airline in the UK. Apologies from Monarch - dream on - you may get their standard copy and paste apology if you are lucky.
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Delayed's Comment
Written on: 29/10/2015
Normal situation for Monarch I'm afraid .... they are good when things are running well however when there is a problem such as yours they have not got the resources to cope. Well known and documented fact that their crew and head office staff (in general) are on the ball however their customer services and post flight divisions are the worst in the industry ~ they even have a Facebook Complaints page which has daily posts such as yours!