The immigration officer at the Glasgow Airport looked at me in shock. “You flew to Glasgow from Berlin to fly to Mexico?” He just couldn’t believe it. “‘I’ve never heard of such a thing!” It’s the only time I’ve had to show proof of a flight when arriving to the UK. But with flights priced this low, it was totally worth it. And when it was time to go, Thomson Airways once again did not disappoint.
On the day of our flight to Cancun, I was a bit nervous. Their web check-in system was being redone, so no one could check in before the flight. We already were having to wake up earlier than normal so getting up even earlier was not appealing. When we arrived at the airport terminal, sure enough the line was huge. I began to worry that we hadn’t arrived early enough.
As the check-in progress began, the number of ticket agents more than doubled. They even took over computers from another airline who didn’t have a current flight. When it was our turn at the next available window, only about 20 minutes had passed. I’ve been in a line like that before that took almost 2 hours!
What was also nice was that I didn’t feel like we were being rushed through. Questions were answered, the agent was cool, calm, and friendly. I gave them my kudos as we headed toward security.
We’ve flown with Thomson Airways before, and the last plane was pretty comfortable. This one was newer and even better.
As usual, the staff were great and friendly. For example, I hadn’t brought extra cash since my new US-based bank card had a chip. However, I didn’t realize that their card terminal only works with chip+PIN cards, and ours was unfortunately a chip+signature. We ordered some drinks and a snack, and my card wouldn’t work. I had used up all my pounds in the airport. They were kind enough to let us have them anyway.
The backrest entertainment devices are quite handy, especially on such a long haul.
The meals are pretty decent, too, especially for airplane food.
Here are a couple of things you’ll need to know when traveling to Mexico from the UK:
- Make sure to bring along a pen in your carryon. Mexico requires some basic paperwork at the border control area, and you won’t be able to leave the jetway without showing completed paperwork. The cabin crew do have pens to loan out, but as you can imagine they don’t have one for every passenger.
- Upon your return, the Cancun Airport has a departure tax that is usually not included in your ticket. The fee was 900 MXN per person last year. You can also pay in USD, EUR, or GBP. Cash only regardless of the currency. They will post prices in the various currencies, but their nonpeso rate is usually higher. So, you may want to get pesos ahead of time to save a few pounds (which can really add up if you’re a family).
- As mentioned above, if your card isn’t chip+pin, make sure to bring pounds if you plan on buying any drinks or snacks on board.
If you were pondering whether or not to fly with Thomson Airways, don’t hesitate. Hit that purchase button and get ready to have a great time on your holiday.
Connect with us