TUI Airways London Gatwick to Corfu Flight Review – Is This the Best Budget Option for Your Next Holiday?
- Helena
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
On Friday, June 20th, we kicked off Sam’s birthday celebrations with an early morning flight from London Gatwick to Corfu. As seasoned travellers (who seem to have a knack for scoring extra legroom and empty seats!), we were eager to see how TUI Airways would compare to other short-haul carriers. Here’s our full TUI airways flight review. From boarding at the infamous bus gate, to finally stepping out into the Greek sun.
Booking
We didn't book this trip as part of a package holiday, so we needed to book our own flights. We always look to use points when able, and were able to book a British Airways flight for the return, but there was no availability for the outbound flight to use Avios. So we paid cash for this TUI flight instead, and warning, it wasn't cheap. For this one way flight, we paid £437 for the two of us, including one checked bag. We paid for this flight using our Barclaycard Avios Plus, and with an earning rate of 1.5 Avios per £1, we earned 655 Avios with this booking.
Check In and Security
Check in was a breeze with TUI, with clear lines for whether you were just dropping your bags (as we were) or fully checking in at the airport. The self-serve baggage drop was smooth and efficient, with staff close to hand if anyone needed help.
Security was VERY busy, even at 5:45 in the morning with 10-15 minute queues. Not exactly massive but I was just surprised by how big they were for that time in the morning.
My favourite thing that happened was watching two girls with oversized liquids chucking out some of them, whilst keeping a hold of a couple with one of them exclaiming to her friend "oh, they don't check all of them, we'll be fine". Erm, no babe! Needless to say their bags were flagged for checking (as was Sam's but that's because he had forgotten to finish all the water in his bottle).
Gatwick Airport: Breakfast on the Ground
We first took a stroll through duty free which really was more like a light jog as it was just so crowded and my brain just couldn't contemplate this many people that early in the morning!
Once on the other side we made a beeline to Pure for breakfast and a coffee. This chain do amazing vegan and diary free options so I was a happy girl.
We then meandered through the rest of the airport to our gate, 45H. The dreaded bus gates!
Boarding at Gatwick: The Bus Gate Experience
Our flight was departing from a bus gate, and our e-boarding passes (helpfully stored on our phones) indicated boarding would start at 6:35 AM. That seemed very early for a 7:25 AM departure, but once we saw the distance the bus had to cover to reach the aircraft, it all made sense.
We boarded the bus at 6:38 AM, arrived at the plane by 6:50 AM, and were seated by 6:52 AM.
Boarding was completed by 7:12 AM, with the cabin doors closing shortly after at 7:15 AM.
The Seat - Extra Leg Room All The Way
We were in Row 4 of this Boeing 737-800 with a 3-3 seating configuration.
Thanks to some travel luck, or perhaps the favour of the plane gods, we had the whole row to ourselves. We’d also paid extra for the extra legroom seats (a must when traveling with Sam), and once again, it was worth every penny.
The seats themselves were clean and spacious. They may not be the most luxurious, and the above image may make them look a little thin on the padding but for a short-haul flight, it was honestly one of the more comfortable economy seat experiences we’ve had this year. Sam had plenty of space at 6ft2 and I of course was drowning in my seat at 5ft2.
The seats, and indeed the cabin were immaculately clean and well looked after. With very little wear or tear as far as we could see.
Safety First: An Impressive Pre-Flight Briefing
The safety demonstration stood out as one of the more thorough we’ve seen. The crew provided detailed instructions on the brace position, even explaining the verbal cue we’d hear, “Head down, head down”, should we need to adopt it. Compared to the often sanitised video demos other airlines use with women elegantly folding into the brace position like they're in a pilates class, TUI’s approach struck the right balance between calm authority and clear communication of the seriousness of the procedure.
Departure: A Slight Delay but a Smooth Takeoff
Pushback began at 7:29 AM, around nine minutes behind schedule due to runway congestion. Takeoff was at 7:51 AM, with the seatbelt sign off by 7:58 AM. Given the traffic on the ground at Gatwick that morning, this was a pretty efficient operation.
In-Flight Service: Coffee, Snacks, and Payment Quirks
By 8:00 AM, the cabin crew were taking hot food and drink orders. Sam grabbed a coffee, costing only £3.40, but as I said we’d already eaten in the Terminal.
At 8:10 AM, the full onboard café service began. TUI operates just one trolley service per flight on this route, so passengers were encouraged to order all snacks and drinks at once. A quick note for travellers: TUI (along with many other UK airlines right now) are experiencing issues accepting Barclays cards inflight at the moment apparently. They also don’t accept American Express or Monzo, so we stuck with Google Pay for Sam's coffee. Always good to have a backup payment method when flying!
A Quick Trip To The Loo
Plane toilets can be very hit and miss! Sometime they can be immaculate, other times utterly disgusting and leave you thinking "can I just hold on for another 2 hours".
Thankfully TUI were very much in the first camp with spotless toilets. Yes, there is a little wear and tear here and there but that is to be expected on an older aircraft.
The Descent: Delays on Arrival, But Managed Well
At 10:15am (12:15pm Local Time), the seatbelt sign came back on as we began our descent into Corfu, touching down at 12:30pm local time.
This is where things got a little interesting.
Due to multiple UK flights landing within the same hour, ground handling was stretched thin. We reached our parking position by 12:35pm but didn’t disembark until 1:12pm. The delays were down to two factors: a shortage of buses for passenger transfer and long queues at passport control.
In hindsight, staying on the plane, cool and air-conditioned, was far preferable to standing outside in the midday sun without sunscreen. No one want's to get burnt to a crisp on their first day of holiday! The crew and captain did a fantastic job keeping everyone updated and reminding us that the onboard toilets remained open.
Passport Control and Baggage Collection: Organized Chaos
Once we finally made it off the plane, passport control took about 20 minutes, not bad considering the backlog.
The real challenge came at baggage claim. Our flight had been delayed so long that it was no longer listed on the arrivals screens, meaning we had to track down our suitcases based on memory of fellow passengers from our flight and what they were wearing. Never been so grateful to spot a knock off Armani bag in my life!
Final Thoughts from this TUI Airways Flight Review: Would I Fly Them Again?
Absolutely. Despite minor delays and some ground-handling issues at Corfu, which were completely outside TUI’s control, the overall experience was really rather positive.
The crew were attentive, the seats were comfortable (especially with the extra legroom), and the inflight service was delivered with professionalism and a smile.
For a budget-friendly short-haul airline, TUI impressed us with their level of care and attention to detail. We would more than happily fly with them again, especially if the plane gods keep blessing us with empty seats!
Helena
Points Well Made is a passion project of Sam and Helena with a loyal following. If you like what we do, and wish to help us continue to create the content you love, please consider buying us a Kofi, or subscribing monthly. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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