Olympic holidays just changed our flights.....

magyar

Becles wrote: »

Can you negotiate with Olympus? Ask them if you can either keep the villa for an extra day, or if they can accommodate you in another hotel.

I don't think the OP booked the accommodation with Olympus, I get the impression this was all booked separately.

magyar

I'm suspecting there's some pretty sharp practice going on here - forgive me if this is well known and I've just cottoned on to it! Most of us would pay slightly mor for daytime flights vs. night flights, so if you can get people to book onto daytime flights and then just transfer them to night flights with no compensation then that's not fair. And it appears from the comments above that Olympic had not actually contracted with the day flight operator in the first place.

So it would be entirely possible to simply know that you had night flight options, sell non-existant day flights and then switch them almost immediately.

bagand96

I'm suspecting there's some pretty sharp practice going on here - forgive me if this is well known and I've just cottoned on to it!

Its not sharp practice, it is pretty standard. All tour operators have in their T&Cs that flights can be changed +/- 12 hours without it being considered a major change. This has been the case for many years. Tour operators plan their programmes over a year in advance, they have agreements in principle with airlines/seat brokers, however over those months airlines and times can and do change. Its not new. Proably less common these days as there are less tour operators, and less charter airlines. And the big tour operators have vertically integrated airlines which virtually run a scheduled service.

So it would be entirely possible to simply know that you had night flight options, sell non-existant day flights and then switch them almost immediately.

Technically yes, that conspiracy could happen. It is not however the case with Olympic Holidays. As I've explained above, they worked with Monarch for over 10 years, and this year they couldn't finalise the contract. This left them with no flights and only 4 odd months to sort it out. They have managed to do so, but this has meant most flights have had to change and some less favourable airlines being drafted in (my opinion).

Not a good sitaution, but not a conspiracy either.

RHYSDAD

HXDave wrote: »

RHYSDAY:



Please Rhysdad, TA's are Travel Agents, TO's are Tour Operators, and i feel this had nothing to do with the Travel Agent, rather your Tour Operator - Olympic. Please, it's hard enough for us honest Travel Agents as it is, without being slated for something that isn't our fault. Can you please edit your post to correct please.

As far as your Car Hire goes, who is this booked with? i'm sure they'll have a depot LCA where you can change your pick up point to.

Regards.



HXDave

Sorry Dave, I happily stand corrected. Yes it's Olympic, the tour operator, NOT the Travel Agents. My mistake which I'm happy to make clear. I meant by my comment that 'all TA's are the same' that their T&C's state that flights are subject to change, not that they are all chancers. Someone commented re that we accepted the T&c's so Olympic are within their rights to do this. Fair enough but they must have know that these negotiations with Monarch weren't going well but we were not made aware at any time. It's a bit like us ordering a Sony telly but receiving a Beko.......

magyar

bagand96 wrote: »

Its not sharp practice, it is pretty standard. All tour operators have in their T&Cs that flights can be changed +/- 12 hours without it being considered a major change. This has been the case for many years.

OK, fair enough, but I do think that changing both the flight times and the airport is unreasonable, and frankly burying something in the Ts&Cs is not on - it should have been clearly explained at the time of sale that such changes can happen.

bagand96

OK, fair enough, but I do think that changing both the flight times and the airport is unreasonable, and frankly burying something in the Ts&Cs is not on - it should have been clearly explained at the time of sale that such changes can happen.

I agree, changing the airport isn't on. Even if it is within a tour operators T&Cs I would expect as a good will gesture they would allow a free cancellation to a flight only booking, when they are changing the destination airport!

JEMJEMJEM

Hello, my friend has booked for the 8 of us to go to Ayia napa on the 13th of july and we also have had our flights changed. We were flying out of the UK at 9am so would arive in ayia napa at around 3pm, and we where flying home at like 4pm. We have recieved a letter to say our flights have been changed so that we fly out at 5pm into ayia napa so we would get there at around 10-11pm, and we then fly home at 7am!! This means that we pretty much loose a whole day of our holiday which i think is completely unexeptable. One of my friends has rang olympic holidays to complain about this, and the best solution they gave her was for US to pay £91 EACH plus a £35 booking fee to change the RETURN flight from 7am to 5pm. I think this is crazy, and i'm not happy at all and I think because we are like 18 year olds they can try and con us into paying more money! So bascially they have shortened our holiday by a day, and they then expect us to pay an extra £100 to lengthen it again!! So i'm trying to get my dad to ring up to complain, they may listen to someone who is older i don't know! But do you think there is any better solution we are entitled too? I would really love a reply to see if i am! Also, we had booked our mini bus too the airport which now has all messed up, which is going be hard to alter. Ahhhh im so angry right now! So anyway, if anybody can help us in anyway that would be very much appreciated!

bagand96

As has been previously discussed, they can change flights by upto 12 hours without having to do anything, it is in their terms and conditions.

However, you should try again with them and keep on at them. Lay it on thick, state that you booked the holiday because of the daytime flying times, and now you have night flights out. Also labour the point that you are loosing a day in resort. Tell them this is unacceptable etc. They don't have to do anything but you may find as goodwill they may move your flights for free, or even a reduced fee (obviously free being better). Also throw into the mix that you have transport to and from the airport booked that will cost you to move... (in reality any decent minibus company should be able to move your booking without any trouble, you are giving the 4 months notice! - but don't tell Olympic that!)

There is no guarantee any of this will work - the OP on this thread is having no joy and they have changed their whole airport! But it is worth a try. Out of interest, what airport do you fly from on the 13th?

Baggieboy_2

We have our holiday booked in Cyprus for May, from Birmingham with Olympic, flying with Monarch. From this and other sources I suspect we'll be receiving something from Olympic in the near future contradicting said arrangements. Wait and see I suppose.

Richie

BillTrac

bagand96 wrote: »

Indeed. I guess this is a function of having to find your flying programme so late. It gets worse though...

A bigger partner to Olympic this summer is Tor Air. A Swedish airline with one 737; that is expanding to 3 aircraft for it's new charter work in the UK. They have an incredibly similar set up to Viking Airways, and a website that can only be described as a clone. Worryingly the similarities do not end there, it seems the same crowd behind the now defunct Viking are indeed involved in Tor Air.

Could be an interesting summer.

It appears as well that P*** W****, who masterminded the XL collapse is involved with Tor Air, and that the managing director of Viking Airlines is on the board of Tor Air.

It's almost incestous.....