Tour Operators and Travel Agents

Discussions regarding Tour Operators and Travel Agents
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Friend today as recieved a letter to say her flight and airline is being changed from Strategic airlines to easy jet on may 16th to corfu, her original time was 10 in the morning now she flys at 5.30pm or can choose another holiday, as she is on her own and wants to go to this resort and hotel she is quite happy to change
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Good for her, going on her own to Corfu, I hope she has a lovely time. Olympic are particularly generous to single travellers and I have had some really great deals from them and gone with them many times.

I have been going solo for about 30 years and really enjoy not having to consider (or go along with :roll: ) what someone else wants to do. People always chat (I think they worry I am lonely!), and I have made some good friends this way.

Started off with Greece, but now I will happily jet off alone to Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. Very rarely encountered problems or felt unsafe. Highly recommend it to anyone who is nervous about trying it.
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We've just been told by Olympic that our flight to Kos has been changed to Small Planet from Strategic and the time from 7.20am to 6.10pm. They are still offering a 7am flight with Thomson but want anorther £170 each to transfer or an afternoon EJ flight at an extra £50 each.

We are obviously cheesed off missing all of the first day out there but can't really afford the increased costs.
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Oh dear. Have to tell you that when I travelled on Tor Air last year I'm almost certain that there was a notice near my seat that said the plane was on lease from Small Planet.
Could be mistaken, might have been the Strategic plane, but I definitely saw that name on one of them.

Naughty Olympic, trying to sneak dodgy airlines in under another name! :( Good luck.
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Small Planet airlines details on Wiki here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Planet_Airlines

Shell
Limassol, Cyprus
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this is what puts me off Olympic. I know they have plenty of happy customers but I have read so many things about flights changing so when you book you don't really know what you are going to end up with. Its such a shame as they offer some great Greek destinations like Naxos and Skopelos at a price I couldnt really afford with the likes of Sunvil. I'm a nervous flyer anyway and ending up on a small plane from an airline I have never heard of is just not an option for me.
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I speak as one of their "happy customers"! We were flying to Rhodes/Symi with them next month on a Strategic flight and they asked us if we would like to transfer to SqueezyJet, leaving LGW at 4am. That meant checking in at 2am and I don't believe that there is such a time. We then asked if they would transfer us to Monarch which left at 9:10 am. No trouble. Done. Thank you, Olympic.
They must also be nearly as relieved as we are that the currently non-existent ferry services from Rhodes to Symi were finally (?) sorted out last night so it looks as though we will be able to reach our beloved Symi after all without the threatened 24 mile swim, towing our bags behind us.
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I might brave them next year. Every summer I look at their destinations and hotels and am so tempted but just chicken out.
Lucky you off to Symi, it's so beautiful, I would love to go back.
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Another thumbs-up for Olympic.
Just returned from a very inexpensive week in Cyprus (well, the holiday itself was inexpensive, Cyprus is not! Damn that Euro!)

Due to guests being a bit thin on the ground, not enough for bus transfers, we all had taxis! Very nice :tup

Don't know why not more customers. Thomson plane both ways was half empty, and Olympic's prices were crazy. And Cyprus was lovely and warm most days. Very nice break.
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Greek operator slashes peak season holiday prices

One of the biggest tour operators to Greece has slashed 25% off package prices for the peak summer period.

Olympic Holidays commercial director Photis Lambrianides admitted the decision to discount July and August holidays in early June was unusual, but he said the cuts had been prompted by a unique set of circumstances.

"Hoteliers and operators are working together to encourage the family market to commit to the Greek islands," he said.

As an example of the discounts available, Olympic has knocked £688 off a seven-night package to Rhodes for a family of four, which now costs £1,928, departing on July 25 and staying in a four-star hotel.

The biggest discounts are on packages on charter flights, on which Olympic has committed to buying the seats, and to accommodation where the operator has already committed to buying the rooms. Some of the properties are exclusive to Olympic.

The company, along with several other operators, had already been discounting departures in June and September, but this is the first major operator to announce big cuts for the peak travel period.

There have been reports than Greek hoteliers have been forced to drop their rates by up to 50%, so holidaymakers prepared to travel independently might get even better deals by booking direct.

However, the consumer's association Which? last month advised its members considering travelling to Greece this year to book ATOL-protected package holidays. It said those booking direct with airlines and hotels should pay with a credit card or check that their travel insurance provided cover against supplier failure.

With permission from Travelmole
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;) Got a VERY good deal with Olympic for week in Symi last night!
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We have a rather good deal with them for Symi next May as well. We will be spending 5 weeks there this September/October but have arranged that independently for a change.
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Ours is for few weeks time...and half price! Couldn't not ;) :rofl
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I am looking to book a holiday for this august with olympic but trying to find out if they are decent and will read through this thread, looking for greece, the cheapest place with them was rhodes and was alot cheaper than thomas cook etc, just worried if they will be ok to book through due to reading alot of bad reviews x
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I have used Olympic a few times with no problems and would def have no hesitation using them again :tup
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the only bit that worries me is that so many people are having their flights changed? I really want a holiday :( Just "town" travel agents thomsons etc are too expensive :P
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Think this was our third Olympic holiday. No problems whatsoever - even tying up the ferry from Rhodes to Symi went smoothly. Would have no hesitation booking with them again - had fantastic holiday - brilliant apartment and only £516 for both of us! I got an email last week saying they've got more half price deals up to end of August. Why not give them a ring? I rung them over something, after looking at their online site - as the flight times weren't that good (the holiday online was £60 CHEAPER than what we paid)..as we would've arrived at something like 3 in the morning and the first ferry over to Symi isn't until about 8 and was asking about what happens. He then said he could do same holiday with better flight times for £60 more - which is what we did in the end.
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I have used them in the past without problems, however this year to compete they have changed a lot of flights over to budget airlines, some of them haven't exactly been well received, i would be inclined to check out whos flights first

yasus
wizard
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