The Bottom Line
Pros
- Olympic Airlines had problems which Olympic Air seems intent on solving
- Assertive management is pursuing international code sharing, most recently with Cyprus Air
- Looks like Olympic Air intends to give Aegean a fight for money, routes, and customers
- Marfin Investment Group is buying new planes for the island routes
Cons
- Still one of only two major airlines serving domestic Greece; only Aegean offers much competition.
Description
- With the many new aircraft MIG is buying for Olympic Air, the airline will have one of the newest fleets in the world.
- Business class is expected to be substantially upgraded by the new owners.
- New uniforms brighten up the new or newly-retrained crew.
- Olympic specials are offering very low prices to Greece from locations in Europe.
- Olympic Air also offers "Weekendair" - deals on both domestic and international routes. Buy them on the weekend for travel over the following 10 days.
- Olympic is pursuing agreements with many other airlines to make getting to Greece easier from the rest of Europe and beyond.
Guide Review - Olympic Air Information
Since the official Olympic Air website often comes up with its Greek language version in search results, I've broken out the main pages here for your convenience.
Olympic Air English Language Website Links
In many searches, only the Greek language version of Olympic Air comes up - here are some of the key links to flight status, booking, and other airline essentials. The Olympic Air site is also available in French
- Olympic Airlines English Language Homepage
- Online Olympic Airlines Ticket Booking
- Olympic Airlines Flight Status
- Destinations & Timetables
- Olympic Air Schedules & Availability
- Strike and Cancellation Information
- Olympic Air Special Offers
Olympic Air also has introduced a liberal ticket change policy; all tickets, even sale ones, can be changed though there may be related fees to do so.
For reservations, passengers can book online or call 801 801 01 01 from a local (in Greece) landline or +30 210 35 50 500 from outside Greece or from cell phones anywhere in the world.
You may see a mention of "PSO" flights - those are low or no-profit "Public Service Obligation" routes, which Olympic will probably continue to serve though Aegean Airlines is putting up a fight for some of them. In the past, these flights were among the most frequently cancelled or combined, but for the near future at least, while Aegean and Olympic are competing vigorously, these lifeline flights to smaller islands should enjoy better service. In a surprise move by the Greek government, many of these PSO flights have been given over to Athens Airways and Crete-based Sky Express. These assignments are due to change in the spring of 2012.
Olympic Air Discounts
You can sign up for their "Weekend Air" email alerts, which can provide some inspiration for last-minute trips. They usually offer 4-5 Greek destinations plus at least one foreign flight, to Cyprus, Egypt, or other locations. These discounted flights can be booked Friday-Sunday and are good for flights starting the following Tuesday.
Olympic Air Flight Schedules
Olympic Air Special Offers
In addition to the regular "Weekendair" flights, Olympic also has other bargains and discounts available periodically. Check here for them.
