As last year, many are already experiencing difficulties obtaining cheap flight-only deals to Lesvos for 2010.
I strongly recommend you book via your local agent due to difficulties with online booking (read on).
First Choice and Thompson merged their operations in summer 2009, so you now need to book your package holiday or flight only with
Thompsonfly online or via your local Thompson agent.
Thompsonfly flight schedule to Lesvos is already online. They are advertising a schedule beginning on 15 April 2010 through to mid-October. But booking a flight is proving nigh on impossible! If you have difficulty booking online I can only suggest you contact your local Thompson agent or travel service.
Thompsonfly Gatwick to Mytilini, Lesvos schedule -
click here.
Thompsonfly Manchester to Mytilini, Lesvos schedule -
click here
I've been told that one local agent told enquirers that there were no flights to lesvos next spring. On contacting me I furnished them with the flight info and the agent found the flights! Click on the Thompsonfly flight schedule above for flight numbers and times to pass on to your agent.
The other shock is the cost. At 10/01/10 charters were quoting around £480 per person return! At the same time you could travel return via Athens for around £285 pp - see below.
FLIGHTS VIA ATHENS
There are other options available, but these require a flight change in Athens.
NOTE - 23/01/10 - Aegean have just changed their flight schedule again, and you can no longer fly from UK to Lesvos on the same day with Aegean. See below for other carriers.
You can fly to Athens with other carriers and link up with the Aegean Lesvos flight on the same (e.g. with BA from Heathrow). The main advantage of this option is that you're not necessarily tied into the Thursday flight programme of the charters with other days, inc. Saturday, available. I know a number of birders who have already switched. Detailed flight info - see below.
Budget options include
easyJet to Athens from Gatwick, Luton and Manchester. Onward flights to Mytilini are availalbe with
Aegean (see below) and
Olympic airlines. Olympic also offer flights to Athens and flights on to Mytilini.
Your best bet is to use search sites online or speak to your local agent and see what they can do for you!
Some suggested flights via Athens -
Heathrow (LHR) to Athens (ATH) - cost at 23/10/03 £150-200 return
Thurs, 22 Ap, 30 Apr, 6 May, 13 May 2010
BA640 - dep. Heathrow (LHR) 0820, arr. Athens (ATH) 1400 (allows 5.5 hrs before connecting Aegean flight to Lesvos (see below).
BA632 - dep. Heathrow (LHR) 1150, arr. Athens (ATH) 1735 (allows 2 hrs before connecting Aegean flight to Lesvos (see below).
Athens (ATH) to Heathrow (LHR)
BA641 - dep. Athens (ATH) 1445, arr. Heathrow (LHR) 1640 (allows 5.5 hrs before connecting Aegean flight to Lesvos (see below).
BA633 - dep. Athens (ATH) 1905, arr. Heathrow (LHR) 2100 (allows 2 hrs before connecting Aegean flight to Lesvos (see below).
NOTE - 23/01/10 - Aegean have recently changed some of their flight times and you can no longer fly between Uk and Lesvos on the same day.
Athens (ATH) to Mytilini (MYT) - cost at 23/10/09 €150-225 return
A3254 - dep. Athens (ATH) 1400, arr. Mytilini (MYT) 1450 (time change - was dep. 1300)
A3256 - dep. Athens (ATH) 1800, arr. Mytilini (MYT) 1900 (time change - was dep. 1940)
A3251 - dep. Mytilini (MYT) 0730, arr. Athens (ATH) 0820.
A3255 - dep. Mytilini (MYT) 1520, arr. Athens (ATH) 1610 (time change - was dep. 1425).
My own flights booked on 23/10/09 with BA and Aegean via Athens came out at £292.36 (a saving of £107.64 on Thompsonfly at the time). In early January Aegean Heathrow-Athens-Mytilini return were costing c.£285 compared to charter prices of c.£480.
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The prize - a week at the delightful Hotel Pasiphae in Skala Kallonis.
urchase a copy of A Birdwatching Guide to Lesvos before the 30 September 2009, and you could enter a competition to win:
