Hi All!
Booked my flight today with Thomson, from Cardiff CWL departing 0715hrs, 7th. May. Arriving at Corfu at 1235pm. local time. Could have gone to Bristol, where there was an evening flight, but decided the flight times from Cardiff were better.
Went on line and was quoted £309 (at Christmas it was £258). I had delayed booking to give my cousin a chance to come with me, but she has to cancel due to a hospital admission/operation. Still £268 from Bristol, but the flight does not arrive until 0035hrs. 8th.May.
Decided to go for Cardiff, Gatwick was quoted at £288, but that would involve a 6 hour coach trip at £81 return, so no thanks!
I started the booking procedure, and got a surprise. Flight £309, plus taxes and charges £39.60, meals £15, baggage (used to be up to 23kg free) now £20, seat reservation £15, card surcharged at 2.5%= £10, giving a grand total of £409!
I was a bit miffed and felt I had been 'ripped off' by these 'hidden' charges.
A friend of mine works for Thomson and she told me that she wasn't surprised. The company have now reduced the scheduled flights to one a week from Cardiff, so seats are now at a premium. Thomson keep so many seats for 'all in deals', and sell flight only seats at a higher price, particularly since Corfu has been the 'start off' port for many popular cruises, so they are 'targeting' the 'spare' seats to this market.
Apparently, you can 'risk it' and leave it until the flight is almost about to leave, and if there are any 'spare' seats, they may be offered at a 'discount'. Given the fact that one plane, one date situation, I doubt there will be any 'spare' seats available.
Anyway, all done and dusted now, looking forward to my holls in Arillas!
Yammas,
Martin.
Better late than never Martin! Now you can start the serious preparations ;)
Good on you Martin you can now sit back and just wait for your hols :-)
Good news, Martin. That`s a weight off your mind, now.
I agree with you about all the extras- before long we`ll have to stump up more just to have wings on the plane - £100 off if not!!!!.
Time regulators got on the airlines` case. For years we`ve had 20kg, now 15 kg.They can`t even use that as an excuse for `greener` flying, cos if you are willing to pay, then the aircraft carries the weight anyway.
Yammas Paul
Martin, I was going to say you had done better than I had from Bournemouth. Our flights on 5 May with Palmair were £335 each, including tax, baggage and a meal. I've just checked and they are still the same but whether they will come down nearer the time remains to be seen.....but as you say, as there is only one flight a week, you run the risk that it may be full. I am going with them again on 6 October - only £59 to fly out, but £220 to come back so we are returning to Gatwick with Easyjet for £38. Good flight times each way.
There was a sale of Thomson flights in February - I kept getting emails from them. We could have flown reasonably cheaply with them from Bournemouth in May but it was a night flight and my dad can't cope with that this year. Maybe you could look out for the Thomson sale next year Martin because there did seem to be some reductions.
Well done Martin.... I also just love early morning flights. Arillas by noonish.. yayyyyyyyyy
Well done Martin. £409 sounds horrendous to me. £818 for two is more than we have paid for two weeks in July including accommodation. You are dead right - book early.
However you now know you will be there as planned and can just relax and look forward to it. Great news
Phil
Well done, Martin - bet you're more than excited now! We paid for our holiday last night - booked online early thru Thomson, staying two weeks at Kaloudis - £652 for both of us last two weeks in May.
In Sept/Oct we got flights for both of us for £190 from Manchester but thru Easyjet. Flight times not as good, arriving 10.35 pm but leaving daft o'clock (about 1.00am) but think we can just about cope with that!
See you in May!
Love
Janis x
What a relief, Martin. You may not have got the best deal ever, but at least you can just relax now knowing that it is all booked.
Just a shame we miss you this year.
Lynn & Colin xx
martin well done
warm the place up for us ....yammas
Martin mate, like our kev says, keep it warm for us. Sandy will have warmed up my bench.... she always does. We both so wish we could join you early crew to watch the fireflies. O well, we'll be there in spirit
Phil
We'll all get together for a drink and raise our glasses to you, Phil and Jen!
Janis x
Hi All!
Flight booked and all done and dusted, must confirm my arrival time with Dorita at The Bardis Sun Hotel to get my taxi transfer booked.Really getting in the Arillas mood now. The countdown clock starting to mean something at last.It will be my fifth trip to Arillas! Think I go up a 'notch' on my Arillas Forum status.
Will keep everything warm folks! I promise to test all the beer, Retsina, wine and food! Hope those firefly's aren't shy.
Looking forward to a great May 'get together'!
Yammas,
Martin.
martin
already looking forward to one of the first of the season reports from you ........yammas
Rang Dorita today. All arranged for 7th. May! Can't wait, really looking forward to my two weeks home in Arillas. Reports and photos will follow a.s.a.p. Kev, Phil, I'll try to photograph the firefly's, but the little b*****s are a bit shy on film. Got an new camera, 12 meg pixels, low light enabled, may get some results! We must have a get together Janis, Brouklis here we come! Lynne and Collin, see you in September/October?
Yammas,
Martin.
Deffo, Martin! What dates are you there in September? We're 27th Sept - 9th Oct, staying at Horizon
Janis x
Quote from: martin-w on March 10, 2010, 04:43:57 AM
Brouklis here we come! Lynne and Collin, see you in September/October?
Yammas,
Martin.
Lovely idea, Martin, if we can afford two holidays this year - sadly, not yet sure we can. Oh well, we're always there in spirit!
Yammas,
lynn xx
Hi everyone!
Great to read your posts Martin and Janis and everyone! Last July was my first to Arillas and Janis helped me then. We stayed at the Koloudis, had a lovely 2weeks - meeting a few forum members and lots of fun with Annie and family.Felt we needed a break before July so decided to go in May. I have had many holidays in Corfu as child.
Think we have had a good deal this year but wont speak too soon as I booked our May break with Complete Travel Solutions based in Cardiff. It was via a link with ice lolly holidays. I was just strolling on it and noticed a 10 day hol from east Midlands on 14 May staying at The Tria Alelpia for £179 each.
When I rung up it transpired that the outwoard flight was with Thomson May 14th 06.50am and I was able to book a meal and baggage. But coming home on 24 th May at 12noon it was with Jet 2 and had to pay appropriate extras with them.
Complete Travel Solutions did it all and were very helpful. I made the mistake of paying with a debit card costing £8 each extra as I did not click that 2% was cheaper with credit card and would have given insurance too. When I saw my bank statement the various airlines had been paid individually.
I havent a clue about how to pre check in on line for return flight with jet 2 but Complete Travel solutions said they will help.
Anyway the total was £448 all in for the two of us. When I got the paperwork it said the flight was out of Manchester and back to East Midlands but when I rang Complete Travel solutions they said it was a mistake and sent new paperwork out and both flights East mid.
So will have to see if all goes well with these flights, I have no tickets but I think you pick them up at the airport but will check nearer the time. We will need airport parking and car in Corfu which are extra we wouldnt have had for Leeds flight.
Tria accommodation should be lovely, know its out of centre but we like the quiet. We need to pick a car up from airport and am trying to organise that now.
Hope we can have a drink with Janis and Martin?? Will the fire flys be out when we go?
Best Wishes to all
Look forward to hearing your comments about my mis match of arrangements!! We normally fly from Leeds and there are some good May deals with Thomson for Kaloudis for May which would have been not much dearer but note only recently prices have come down for deals and we didnt want a week as with Leeds flights you only there 6 days!
joanna x
Hi Joanna - what a great price! We look forward to meeting you in May. We've not stayed at Tria before but have called in a few times and had a drink there and it looks pretty good. We folk from Yorkshire like good prices, don't we? lol
A few years ago I booked a holiday for 6 of us to Ibiza through ... can't remember the name now but it was part of the Co-op Travel group. Like you, every part of the booking was shown separately on my bank statements and I did worry. Then we called at Co-op Travel in Brighouse and they hadn't heard of the company....
No worries - everything came together well and we had a good time. We also paid separately for transfers and that too was spot on
See you in May!
Janis x
PS we're flying from Manchester and staying, again, at Kaloudis from 17th May for two weeks, then we're back again at end Sept and staying independently at Horizon
Hi Janis
Great to hear from you! Cant wait to meet you in May! Thanks for your reasurrance. Should be ok!!
See You soon
Joannax
Martin, great news you have booked. Thomson have gone really expensive, I've been looking for flights and easyjet is £200 cheaper! So will probably go with easyjet this year.
Hi Joanna, we stayed at the Tria a couple of years ago, you will love them, the only reason we stayed elsewhere is because we preferred to be nearer the front. They are run by fantastic people who will make you more than welcome, and the apartments are A1. You must have the lamb on sundays, it is cooked by Philips dad and just melts in your mouth and Helens roast potatoes are the best I've ever tasted.
Sharon x
We have hust got flights with easyjet (manchester) last week september £124.. all in
Flippin' 'eck, Kes lad - that's a bargain!
How long are you there for, and where are you staying?
Janis x
that is for end september Janis ..also there in May.....!!!
See you both times, then, Kes!
Janis x