Olympic Flights from Birmingham

[Karen22]

Hi, we're due to fly out to Plakias for the 4th time in September, we've booked with Olympic flying out of Birmingham.  We chose a morning flight paying a flight supplement for it.  We heard yesterday that the outbound flight has changed from 9:30am to 6:30pm! The inbound flight is currently 2hrs earlier than originally shown.  Not happy with losing a day of our precious holiday nor with having forked out an additional £30 each for a morning flight that's not now happening.

What I'm concerned about at the moment is that having spoken to Olympic today - first time I've ever had to and was very disappointed with their level of customer service - they are telling me that all the outbound flights have changed from Birmingham - yet they can't explain how I can be coming home on a flight leaving earlier, I always thought you flew home on the return journey of the flight you flew in on and have a nasty feeling that we'll be getting another letter from Olympic delaying the inbound flight.

Anyone else being subjected to delayed flights with Olympic?

[Voloudakis]

Hi Karen.
Yes we had exactly the same change to flight times from Birmingham. A morning flight to an evening one is not good enough. If the transfer coach is used the arrival in Plakias will be about 4am the following day!. There was no change to our return flight times however.
We have now rebooked and will be flying at 7.30am (Fingers crossed) from East Midlands Airport.
Olympic charged us just over £90 to make the change.
Hope you manage to get your problem sorted too.

[nora]

I've just looked online and my return flight has changed so instead of arriving home in the evening - i arrive in Manchester 4am the following morning. Whats worse is I have used all my annual leave in work so I would have to go straight to work from the airport!!!! I've sent an email to Olympic to see if they can help with an earlier flight, otherwise ill try asking for my deposit back. Wish me luck...

[Karen22]

Good luck with trying to change your flight Nora - I didn't get much sympathy from them today, when I asked if it would be possible to change to the Monarch flight which is around lunchtime I was told I could....... but only if I cancelled the original, lost the deposit, then re-booked the alternative.  And of course, there's no way of knowing that whether the second flight wouldn't undergo a time change either.

Have done the landing at the airport, home to shower and change and straight out to work - but not since my 20's, these days I like a day at home to get sorted before returning to the coalface!

[nora]

Thanks Karen. I have just looked on their website and they have an option of a  Jet2 flight arriving early evening at Manchester - it also seems a cheaper alternative - so hopefully this will sway in my favour.
Fingers crossed xxx
Nora

[Mike G]

Hi, we're due to fly out to Plakias for the 4th time in September, we've booked with Olympic flying out of Birmingham.  We chose a morning flight paying a flight supplement for it.  We heard yesterday that the outbound flight has changed from 9:30am to 6:30pm! The inbound flight is currently 2hrs earlier than originally shown.  Not happy with losing a day of our precious holiday nor with having forked out an additional £30 each for a morning flight that's not now happening.

What I'm concerned about at the moment is that having spoken to Olympic today - first time I've ever had to and was very disappointed with their level of customer service - they are telling me that all the outbound flights have changed from Birmingham - yet they can't explain how I can be coming home on a flight leaving earlier, I always thought you flew home on the return journey of the flight you flew in on and have a nasty feeling that we'll be getting another letter from Olympic delaying the inbound flight.

Anyone else being subjected to delayed flights with Olympic?

Hello Karen,

See the thread on "Strategic flights in doubt".

If the return flight is earlier than the outbound it is likely it is a foreign based airline, e.g Small Planet.

Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Planet_Airlines

Mike

[nora]

Well  - panic over - my flights have been changed to the earlier Jet2 ones  - I have had to pay £40 as Olympic say these flights are £20 more expensive - but I think its worth it.
Roll on September......
Nora x

[Arnaki]

We are flying from Manchester with Strategic and our outbound flight is still going out on the Tuesday morning but the return flight arrives back in Manchester at 4am on the Wednesday.  I think Strategic must have made a "W" arrangement, where the flight goes from Manchester to Plakias, picks up the returning Birmingham passengers, then brings out the new Birmingham holidaymakers, and then returns the Manchester people home.  I've been elsewhere on this arrangement, and been both the ends and the middle of the W; you do feel cheated leaving before you arrive, so to speak. 

Although at least we get one more meal in Plakias, I'm supposed to be back in work on the Wednesday morning.  More to the point our daughter is due back for her first day of the new school year.  I knew we were cutting it a bit fine, arriving back at 7pm, but I wasn't expecting 4am!  At least we live only a few minutes from the airport.

Arnaki

[nora]

I was in the same position Arnaki - why don't you request a change to the JET2 flights I have been moved from your strategic  for an additional £20 per person and no admin costs. I have cut and pasted the email


'We are pleased to confirm availability on our flights with Jet2 Airlines on the same dates as booked, departing Manchester 09.30 arrival 15.50 and departing Crete 16.50 arrival into Manchester 19.20.
 
Please note that the flight is £20.00 more expensive that the ones already booked i.e. you would incur an additional payment of £40.00 to transfer to this new flight but there will be no administrative charges for this.'
 
Nora x

[Mike G]

I've just looked online and my return flight has changed so instead of arriving home in the evening - i arrive in Manchester 4am the following morning. Whats worse is I have used all my annual leave in work so I would have to go straight to work from the airport!!!! I've sent an email to Olympic to see if they can help with an earlier flight, otherwise ill try asking for my deposit back. Wish me luck...

Changing a day flight to a night one (which this is) used to be a major change which meant you didn't suffer a penalty for changing it (or you could have a refund). Now, the only change of flight time that qualifies as major is a change of the UK departure time by more than 12hours. I'm not sure when they slipped this change in. Probably when they reduced the "free" baggage allowance to 15kg.

I'm pleased you managed to change it. Some of us deliberately avoid night flights.

Mike

[nora]

Thanks Mike. Lets hope Jet2 don't decide to change their times... its all a bit of a gamble - lucky I got such a good deal in the first place.
Nora x