Flight delay - TCX329L - 17.6.2009

[Liz]

any news from macca anyone ??

[Deleted]

Heading for the airport I suspect. Maybe has packed a tent. ;D

[Mary Maggie]

We were informed by Thomas Cook that there would be a delay of 10.5 hours on the return flight, only told a week before we departed. After 6 wonderful sunny days in Halki, the return journey turned into a stressful tiring nightmare. TC doesn't give a damn about its passengers, no information, no assistance, no explanations. We were bussed from KS to the Doreta hotel but couldn't use any of the rooms unless we paid. TC also smashed Maggie's suitcase and she had to buy another in Rhodes. We also paid for taxis which made it a much more expensive holiday than expected. Were collected by taxi from the Doreta at 7 pm instead of 7.15 pm and lucky to be advised by a fellow passenger in the nick of time. Spent many long hours at Rhodes airport as delay once again due to bald tyre on plane being replaced and refuelling. You need to be totally skinny to fit into the plane seats as so cramped. Finally got home just as the birds were singing and dawn breaking, lost a day's annual leave on 18th as too late to go into work. TC gets away with it because it was just under the 12 hours delay in total but if you added on the 1.5 hours delay at Rhodes airport, it might had added up to 12 hours. We will never, ever fly with Thomas Cook again. Why oh why did they take over Direct Greece as we had many happy holidays with Jane (and Sheila) at the helm to meet us at Rhodes airport and miss her valuable assistance and cheerful welcoming smile. The way to go is independently book airline seats (certainly not with Easyjet either as they left their passengers at Rhodes airport until 11.40 the following day) and pay a deposit on a nice villa in Halki. It is easy to persuade a taxi driver to take you to Kamiros Skala and collect you a week or two later. I did it last year and it was stress free all the way from Gatwick to Halki and return. I don't want to think that it is getting harder and harder to get to our beautiful healing Halki but I fear many visitors will be put off by Thomas Cook's disgraceful treatment of its passengers. I feel better now I've got this off my chest!

[carol]

Goodness me Mary Maggie that sounds pretty grim, I was hoping someone would post on here and let us know the outcome of that very delayed flight. Like you, for years we have travelled with Direct Greece and never had a hitch but you are right, TC do not give a toss about their Halki customers, as I mentioned before most of their staff do not even know where Halki is. The only way is to book independantly but even then it is hard to avoid their flights. Last year I spoke to quite a few people on the ferry home and they said they would not return due to daytrippers and sewage work on the harbour both of which greatly disrupted their peace and quiet, if TC mess around like this a few times even less people will be returning, a great shame as Direct Greece with massive support from Jane and Sheila had built up a great business on Halki.

[anneandpeter]

I said we would let you know the outcome of the delayed flight on our return, so here goes. We eventually got home at 4.am. on Thursday,which left us so exhausted its taken me until now to get around to updating this post. Hi Mary Maggie - you have covered most of it. It was us who shared the taxi with you from the hotel to the airport.

We had spoken to Jane whilst on Halki to make sure she knew of the delayed return flight, and as expected, she advised us that the boat would leave at 10.15.am. On arrival at KS the TC coach would take us and 6 others, similarly affected, to the Doretta Beach Hotel where we would be able to use the facilities until collected by taxi for the trip to the airport. That was fine until I checked with the coach driver in KS that we were to be dropped off at the hotel before he went to the airport. Guess what = he knew nothing of this and was going direct to the airport, until he phoned his office who thankfully confirmed there were 8 of us to go to the hotel first. He duly delivered us to the hotel,4 star, very nice, but only a Courtesy Room provided for 20 minutes per couple in order to shower/change at a time you had to book in advance. I enquired about paying for a room until 7.pm. and was quoted 37 euros. I thought that was reasonable, but the bonus was it was ALL INCLUSIVE. So we had a lovely lunch in their restaurant, free drinks, and could have had dinner had there been time. I know it was a cost we should not have had, and no one else did it, but in the context of our situation it was the best buy/bargain of our holiday, giving us an air conditioned room with TV and the opportunity to relax and rest before our unwanted night flight home. As MaryMaggie said there was a further delay of 1 hour and we arrived at Gatwick at about 1.15.am.

We obviously feel disappointed and let down by TC and understand and agree with the comments being made, but we did enjoy our holiday and in travelling to Halki over the past 12 years this is the first serious problem we have had. However, I do feel that it has got to the stage with TC that if you have not had the experience of travelling to and from Halki in the past then more problems will arise from the lack of customer care provided by TC. As Fagin says in the song from 'Oliver' = We are reviewing the situation.

About Macca = Where is he? Surely he would have gone to Halki on the 10th. I don't know the guy, so wouldn't have known him if I had seen him there. What he has experienced is disgraceful.

One other thing = I have still not been able to ascertain the reason for the the flight 'delay'.

[Liz]

Looks like you made the best of a bad deal ;D but as you say if you had no experience of Halki then you would not be aware of the travelling time etc ..at the end of the day 40 quid for you dinner and drinks etc is still less than we paid when we went independantly ...the top and bottom of it is the ferry ..if there were a later ferry then it wouldn't be so bad