eviljock,

Where do you want to fly from? There are other options, but there are lots of airports to choose from! Lesbos isn't the most popular island, hence a limited flight schedule. Thomson Airways is the only charter operator. Scheduled options include Aegean Airlines or Olympic via Athens. The long way round is with Iberia / Olympic (via Madrid and Athens) or Lufthansa / Bmi / Olympic (via Berlin and Athens).

Darren

Hi Darren.

Manchester would be our preferred airport. I did find a couple of flight-search sites that offered the three-leg hop via Brussels or Amsterdam to Athens and then Mytilene but the prices were astronomical - £1650 each and upwards!!! Plus the changes and times made it a two-day operation to get there and two to get back.

If you have a cheaper, shorter suggestion I'd be very grateful. But I feel we won't be revisiting Lesbos anytime soon.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Jock.

eviljock,

The ones I mentioned above were from Gatwick, you might want to check out those then add a flight from MAN to LGW with BA on top. That will certainly be a lot less than the prices you've found so far but are 2 / 3 stops. From MAN, you can fly with Easyjet or Viking Hellas to Athens, then onward to Lesbos (Mytilene) with Aegean or Olympic. You'll just have to check the arrival / deperture times to see if the connections are viable. For non-stop flights from Manchester, Thomson Airways are your best bet (TOM2420/1) and are probably the cheapest option as well providing a Thursday departure is suitable. Have a look at Monarch (charter) as well.

Darren

Thanks for the info, I'll investigate the options you've suggested.

Cheers and a Happy New Year.

Jock.

Alternatively, have you thought about getting a ferry for the last leg of the journey? Overnight ferries run to Lesbos from both Rhodes and Pireaus and whilst they make the total journey time longer, you would have a greater choice of flights and hence more flexibility with regards to the dates. If you think of the overnight trip in a reasonable cabin as the start of your holiday it can be an attraction rather than an inconvenience.

SM

Hi SMa,

I didn't think about ferries. I'll have a look and see what the options are. Thanks for the suggestion.

Regards,

Jock.

Easyjet to Athens, Olympic or Aegean to Mytilene would be my choice.
For all domestic flights from Athens use this site,
http://www.aia.gr/flight_schedule/domestic_en.htm
Hover over the destination for available airlines, then click on it for schedules.
If you sign up for Aegean & Olympic's newsletters you get an email when special deals are on offer. Get the Easyjet booked asap to get the cheapest fares, then monitor the suitable flight times with the other 2 & book that leg when the price is right.

Hi Athensfan.

Thanks for the advice, it's much appreciated. We've now decided to do a staycation in Whitby instead but we do want to go back to Lesbos at some point so I'll file your information for a later date.

Cheers,

Jock.

Hi, I've only just realised the implications of the dates you were planning for - flight prices out of the UK were always going to be very expensive flying out on Good Friday and coming back on the May Day bank holiday. But this year I think that the TOs and airlines will be cahing in even more because the extra day's holiday for THE wedding means that most people can have a 11 day break and yet only use 3 days annual leave. I suspect that you won't be the only person who decides on a staycation in the end. And Whitby is a lovely place for a spring break.

SM

Hi SMa.

You spotted my cunning plan then! Yes, only had to use 3 days annual leave to get the 11 day break. We wanted to be out of the country because the RoyalWeddingFest isn't our cup of tea and I can imagine now the endless TV and media coverage. So we'll just have to go sit on Whitby beach and get away from it that way. Mind you, we bought a beach tent and fold-up picnic table in the sales so now we can try them out.

We'd still love to go back to Lesvos but looks like it'll be 2012 now before we return. All this year's annual leave has already been booked!

Best wishes,

Jock.