Cyprus Holiday Tip

Avoid Wednesday and Sunday arrivals and departures - at all costs

Busiest airport days as that's when most tour operators fly in. Paphos unfortunately, is just too small to cope when there is such a problem as that you mentioned.

Hopefully, once the upgrade is completed things may get better.

Regards
Cyprus100

Hi Jay, here's the article: Airline passengers don't know their rights published Sunday Mail 10 June 2007.

Marion

Marion, many thanks, thats just what I wanted.
Jay

I know it's not much help but we have never had any problems flying into Paphos or out of it. The most we have had is a one hour delay due to fog believe it or not in Paphos! We usually travel with ba and they are generally the cheapest if you book them as the flight dates are released but can be very expensive after that.

We did once have a 26 hour delay when we flew to Larnaca with Eurocypria - it was an absolute nightmare!

Having said that I have never flown in or out on a Wednesday which is reported to be the worst day. I have flown on a Sunday though.

Hopefully it will be much better once the new terminal is eventually finished!!

Viv

I have experienced quite a few delays at Paphos.

It's not the delay that causes the problem - its the lack of communication.

Tour operstors pretending everything is alright, and yet when you phone home the plane hasnt left!!

kath x

Gosh that is terrible, we also flew out of Pafos yesterday tea time, first time and I was shocked how small that departures was, it must have been a horrable trip home.

Same thing happened to us in March on our return from Paphos with XL. I booked the flights because they were good timings and then we got a 6 hour delay. They don't tell you the truth about the scale of the delay, but drip feed you bits of information, all the while extending the timescale bit by bit. We found out the truth as we walked up to Arrivals to see what time the plane was due in.
Only pity was that we'd returned the hire car so couldn't clear off for a couple of hours.There's not a lot to do in the immediate vicinity of the airport , and even less if you are misguided enough (like us) to go through Passport control 5 hours before your flight will leave.
We are flying with BA to Larnaca in September so hopefully it will be an improvement, although I'm not counting on it!

Hello jayjaya.
Which airline was this????

Hi Qatarman, it was Thomson, never again.....they treated us dreadfully, our plane was there from Manchester saw it arrive, even the crew were Manchester based, worst was the fact that we were treated as the second class citizens, our plane was re routed to Gatwick, Man passengers and crew all bused up to Manchester. They just operate within E U law......but they failed to give info at Paphos.......re E U regulations........but when they did give us this was boarding coach at Gatwick.
Spoke with person who works in industry last night, they said that this incident at gatwick, meant they had breached E U regulations.....said if I was lucky and go for it may get free vouchers with Thomson........sorry but wouldn't use vouchers as loo paper.
Jay
P.S. love Cyprus, but these airlines do it a great injustice, so many related to delays etc all at Cyprus.

Hi, you can see my posts re Thomsonfly,since the takeover by TUI they are the worst Charter Airline operating.Maybe its time loyal Thomson holidaymakers (us for the past 20+yrs) had the choice of flying by another airline.

cyprus100 wrote:

Avoid Wednesday and Sunday arrivals and departures - at all costs

Yup!

I agree about avoiding the busy days at all airports as Cyprus isn't the only place with "busy" days BUT some people don't have a choice on what day or airport they fly from especially if they go Charter.......you couldn't advocate someone from Glasgow getting down to Gatwick for a flight just to avoid a major changeover day and vice a versa really.

Those days are busy due to the flights in and out which says it all really. Hence why I always fly scheduled

I guess this is all travelers nightmare, in Paphos airports defence it is going through major changes and total refurbishment, new terminal and better waiting areas. it is at the moment terrible if you are delayed there for what ever reason...should be finished by next Christmas so at least you will be more comfortable if you are delayed.

In fairness the conditions at Paphos Airport were not too bad, they had four clerks on check in and the que at the security was small, our ordeal was down to Thomson and how the ground staff dealt with it.
Jay

Jay
my friends were on that flight and when they were checking in Thomson was asking for volunteers to go to East Midlands and be taxied up to manchester, they did not as they had work next day, like you they only found out about Gatwick when they were put on the bus to the plane and heard the airport staff say Gatwick

As they said if the staff at check in had been honest and told the whole truth they would have voulunteered to go to East Midlands due to work .

They were disgusted with the whole scenario and he has written a letter of complaint not that it will do much good.

If the airlines were honest and put up notices at check in letting passengers know the situation things would be a lot easier, its a bit like that programme Lost once you enter that airport no one seems to care about you and you are like mushrooms kept in the dark and fed a load of you know what.

The same happened 2 years ago with Airtours they were bused from larnaca to paphos and back the next morning none of the reps in the resorts could tell passengers what was happening or when they would be flying home, but I was able to phone manchester and find out that the flight was coming back next day and tell them the time the reps could not tell them anything.

There is a serious lack of communications at the airports between these companies and their reps but its not the reps fault its the companies as they do not tell them the real situation either.

The only real delay we had was with Eurocypria last year when the war broke out and all the evaccuees were shipped into Cyprus we were dealyed until next day, and flown home in an Lebonease plane on this occassion i was just glad to come home safe after seeing all those poor souls who had been stranded there for days waiting for flights home.

Hi Elizabeth, what a tangled web, shall let you know how I get on, so maybe yours friends will keep you informed how they go on
jay