The Bottom Line
Some travelers have been avoiding Olympic Air due to past problems and bankruptcy or sale speculations. Now that the airline has been sold (pending EU approval) to Marfin Investment Group, things may be changing. How quickly remains to be seen. I expect "business as usual" through the summer, but there may be changes affecting schedules by fall.
Pros
- Service on Olympic Airlines is increasingly cheerful and friendly
- Perfect on-time record on my recent 8-flight test trips on Olympic
- Great new planes with individual video screens on many Olympic Airlines flights
Cons
- Memorably bad food coming out of NY
- Planned transitions may cause further employee strikes before then
- In Spring 2009, the airline may cease operations and become Pantheon Airlines - temporarily
- Effect of sale to MIG is still uncertain, but all tickets are expected to be honored
Description
- The Olympic Airlines personnel were uniformly friendly and helpful, a change from past years.
- Now that there's real competition in the Aegean market, a more customer-oriented focus at Olympic seems to be the norm.
- Check the Olympic Airlines website for current special offers.
- Note: some low domestic Olympic Airlines fares are only available if booked in Greece.
- Bold and budget-conscious? Wait to book domestic Greek flights until you've arrived in Greece.
- OA also periodically offers special fares for senior citizens over 60. Ask.
- Flight cancellations do occur on OA. Insiders seem to think Olympic flights later in the day have a better success rate.
- Olympic Airlines is your only choice for some remote Greek island flights. Elsewhere, Aegean is competitive.
- Some things can't be handled easily on line - unused tickets must be mailed in for refunds, frequent flyer miles may go awry.
Guide Review - Olympic Airlines
Olympic Airlines gets consistently mixed reviews from travelers to Greece. On recent trips to Crete, I deliberately booked on Olympic Air rather than its competition to check what I've been hearing - that this once-troubled airline is turning around in terms of customer service, timely arrivals and departures, and upgraded equipment.
Olympic Airlines - a Test
I'm pleased to report that on one recent multiple-flight trip, from New York to Athens, then from Athens to Heraklion, Crete, all of the Olympic Airlines flights were on time, my luggage successfully checked through all the way from the West Coast to Heraklion, and the quality of the service was excellent.Can Olympic Airlines sustain this positive trend in the face of possible bankruptcy and an EU action claiming that the Greek government is illicitly helping the airline stay in the air? Here's hoping but it has become much less likely in recent months.
More on Flying to Greece Check for flights on many airlines to Greece on Kayak: Kayak Flights to Greece
Trips mentioned in this review were taken on multiple occasions over the past several years. For other recent experiences on Olympic Airlines, check my updated review
