Monarch Airlines - Credit were credit is due

We have just returned from a weeks holiday in Lanzarote. All in all it was a good week (it always is!) although the weather could have been a little kinder to us. Still, we managed to get a few days on the beach.

On our return flight the plane developed a technical problem before take off. This is the first time I have experienced such a thing and probably not the last, but I was extremely impressed with the way that Monarch handled the situation.

Our plane was pulled out ready to taxi down to the runway. And that's where the problem started - it didn't, or rather couldn't, move. We sat on the plane for a while wondering what was going on. At first I thought that we were just waiting for our slot to use the runway, but then it became more apparent that there was a problem. After sitting on the plane for around an hour the captain advised us of a technical issue and that someone was coming out to investigate and hopefully fix the problem as Monarch had an engineer on the island.

The Engineer promptly arrived and we sat on the plane for a while longer before being told that the starter motor on one of the engines had died and that we would not be able to fly until it was fixed. We were looking at a 2.30 departure - the following day!

Not long after we disembarked the aircraft and collected our luggage which had been promptly removed from the plane. After a couple of minutes of waiting in the baggage hall we were then collected by coach and taken to the nearby Hotel San Antonio in Puerto del Carmen. We were a little bit distressed at hearing that we were going to be staying in PDC, it's not our cup of tea, but to our surprise the hotel (just down near Playa de los Pocillos) was a very impressive 4 star accommodation. Not only that but Monarch had arranged for our evening meals and breakfasts to be paid for.

On arrival, the reception were ready with a passenger list and check in was fast and efficient. We settled into the room and made our way down for a very nice buffet style evening meal and then enjoyed some excellent entertainment in the bar. The staff at the hotel were first class, especially the gentleman walking the reception floor who I assume was the duty manager for the evening.

The following day we started with a fantastic buffet style breakfast and enjoyed a last couple of hours of sunshine before the coaches collected us again to take us back to the airport. The plane was a little late in departing but better to be safe than sorry when it comes to planes and technical issues!

To top it all off, as a gesture of good will Monarch provided us with free meals on the flight home.

The party I travelled with (my girlfriend and her parents) all thought that Monarch provided a fantastic and efficient service to resolve what was an unfortunate situation. Mechanical things break down from time to time, it's the nature of the beast. Its how things are put right that counts, and Monarch were top class.