I take your point Kojak re the prices.
I think you will fly to Rhodes, I don't know where you fly from, but there are dozens of flights to Rhodes from many airports. My local airport, East Midlands, uses a Thomson flight to Rhodes with Olympic.
You can also go to Symi with Sunvil. When I phoned to book my holiday to Naxos, they could not have been more helpful, they let me book which airline I wanted. My new friend Tracy rang back several times with details of my flights and ferry times. Not at all like some firms where you can listen to "welcome to my world" a hundred times.

I fly to Rhodes from Manchester. I've gone to Symi for 30 years and always went independently but the price of flights crept up. Now, booking early and online with Olympic is the cheapest option You may get the very odd cancellation cheapie but by the time you take transfers etc. into account the price mounts up.

I've been to Symi for many years with a few companies, including dear old Laskarina but, like Kojak, I now go with Olympic each year. Their price is indeed around the same as just the flight costs with others but include the transfers from the airport to Rhodes Harbour, ferries each way to Symi and two weeks accomodation. So far, so good and no complaints. Now we just have to persuade Olympic to include two weeks free beer.

The reason people are experiencing so many changes to flights booked with Olympic Holidays, is quite simple - Olympic and Monarch have had quite a large, and rather public, falling out.

After working together for 15 years, Monarch will not be flying for Olympic in summer 2011. Monarch state that Olympic wanted prices that were not sustainable. Olympic state that is not the case at all, and that they were only in initial conversations with Monarch which hadn't reached pricing; when Monarch walked away.

Either way its left Olympic with a massive hole in their flyingprogramme. Expect further changes, and perhaps some less well established airlines as Olympic try and patch together their programme with only a few months left. By the way I am not saying there is anything wrong with less well established carriers.

Olympic are using an airline called Torair for their flights to Preveza from Manchester.
The Torair "fleet" has one 737-400 at the moment! but it is adding two 737-300s for the summer.
Torair's website says that the 737s are so much better than the MD80/90s that other airlines use. Which airlines?
Thomson airways has about 50 planes in their fleet.

I know which airline I would choose.

Surely the destination is more important than the plane used to get you there. Limiting your holiday choice because of that is rather drastic and unnecessary. The MDs are perfectly safe planes. My comment was merely on the capacity as they would have been much too small for the particular flight I am usually booked on.

Olympic are using an airline called Torair for their flights to Preveza from Manchester.
The Torair "fleet" has one 737-400 at the moment! but it is adding two 737-300s for the summer.
Torair's website says that the 737s are so much better than the MD80/90s that other airlines use. Which airlines?
Thomson airways has about 50 planes in their fleet.

I know which airline I would choose.

I am not sure why you feel the need to churn out the same doubting posts about any airline that doesn't have Thomson or Thomas Cook painted down the side of their aircraft. Yes Olympic have had to use some small unknown operators this year, mainly due to them not being able to come to an agreement with Monarch.

Granted they are small airlines with small fleets, which may cause delays if things go wrong. But don't be fooled into thinking an airline with 50 aircraft can be any better, in the summer months all the charter airlines stretch their fleets to the max, so if your aircraft goes tech, it doesn't mean there is another spare sat there ready.

15 years ago an unknown Greek guy started an airline using one ancient 737 from Luton. Today easyJet are one of the biggest airlines in Europe. Small charter airlines with small fleets doesn't automatically mean awful. Nobody knows yet how Tor Air or any other small charter airline will perform this summer. As the post above says, its the destination that matters, as long as the aircraft can get you there safely, anything else is a bonus.

It's the safety of the airline that bothers me. It makes me wonder how some of these here today gone tomorrow airlines maintain their planes and where they get their pilots from.

Probably from Thompson or Thomas Cook...

It's the safety of the airline that bothers me. It makes me wonder how some of these here today gone tomorrow airlines maintain their planes and where they get their pilots from.

Torair are registered in Sweden and have a Swedish Air Operators Certificate. Sweden are members of EASA; as are the UK. This means that Torair have had to meet the same European certification and safety standards as your beloved Thomson.

I think that unless you have specific knowledge; you should stop trying to scaremonger on these forums.

I do not want to create any further arguments or anything, but I have worked for Olympic Holidays in Corfu for the past two years now, and have observed not only our flight programme, but also that of Thomas Cook and Thomson. Whilst all airlines are subject to delays, I noticed that this year in particular, Monarch's fleet was subject to long delays, especially on the charter flights to Corfu.

The majority of Monarch flights to Corfu were mainly of Olympic and Cosmos Holiday guests, thus using their Boeing 757, A321 and on high density and popular routes, their A300s. During the summer of 2010, we had numerous long delays, some in excess of 9 hours, and a couple in excess of 24 hours. This was mainly due to the airlines ageing fleet now, the 757's and A300's going tech more often. However, it was not just Monarch alone experiencing delays, as both Thomas Cook and Thomson Airways also suffered their fair share of heavy delays. What surprised me however, was that Jet2 & Viking Airlines, the latter more questionable to many, their flights tended to come in and depart on time.

Please don't just think I'm having a pop at Monarch here, or solely sticking up for Olympic Holidays, its just I know the team behind Olympic will have the correct plans in place to ensure anybody who has booked with Olympic Holidays, or plans to, will be transported to their chosen holiday destination by an airline that is efficient, safe, and at a competitive price. I can only comment from my experience of working with the Tour Operator and airline in question, I just hope that people who read this maintain their confidence to book.

http://www.flightontime.info/

Worth a look.

Can anyone help me with which terminal are/will Tor Air use at Manchester as I may need to change my long stay car park booking!
Thanks in advance for assistance.
Cilan537

All Terminal info can be found at:-

http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/manweb.nsf#245

Tor Air isn't listed there at present.

cilan537,

Ad-hoc charters normally use Terminal 2, but check with your airline.

Darren

Darren,
Thanks for your prompt reply - at least that gives me some hope!

On page three in the business section of today's Sunday Times there is an article on the ex bosses of XL Travel, which went bankrupt a few years ago.
They are involved with the airline Torair and were involved with Viking Airlines. Some of the bosses of Torair were involved with the bankrupt Icelandic bank Bauger.
It looks a bit dodgy to me, I make no apology in advising people to check who they are travelling with.

What do you mean by "it looks a bit dodgy" qman? These people may have been "involved" ie worked for the two businesses but that doesn't mean to say they are actively "dodgy". Some "dodgy" people "involved" with those firms might have found employment with Thompson or Thomas Cook for all you know. That being the case I presume you'll put those firms on your blacklist too...

Kojak, if you read the article you will see what I mean.
The same people seem to go bankrupt, letting many people down, then turning up again with new companies. not just in the travel business either.
I have no conection with Thomson, other than a satisfied, if squashed, customer.