Preveza Flights??

[njamesphoto]

booked into Preveza for the winter out of the water and need to be back in the uk for the 28th October (family wedding), preferably Stanstead. Lots of flights from Corfu and Athens but with two children dont fancy the 5 hour bus trip to athens. Apparently lots of summer only charter flights to Preveza but cannot seem to find one way back to the UK. The seaplane looks good to Corfu but will it be running and how much? Also we plan to come back april may 2012 so any thoughts on the return. Many thanks for any advice.

 

[Tranona]

One way charter are usually only available at short notice. The bus journey is not as bad as it sounds as the buses are modern and you usually get a stop halfway. There is a bus directly from the bus terminus in Athens to the airport. The alternative is a taxi to Ignoumitsa, then ferry to Corfu, then taxi again - probably as much hassle as Athens.

 

[nimbusgb]

The alternative is a taxi to Ignoumitsa, then ferry to Corfu, then taxi again - probably as much hassle as Athens.

There is a Preveza / Igo bus once a day. About 2 hours for the 80km.

 

[charles_reed]

booked into Preveza for the winter out of the water and need to be back in the uk for the 28th October (family wedding), preferably Stanstead. Lots of flights from Corfu and Athens but with two children dont fancy the 5 hour bus trip to athens. Apparently lots of summer only charter flights to Preveza but cannot seem to find one way back to the UK. The seaplane looks good to Corfu but will it be running and how much? Also we plan to come back april may 2012 so any thoughts on the return. Many thanks for any advice.

having been there and tried the alternatives:-

1. Forget about getting a charter-flight return, from Preveza, the probabilities are low and the angst of waiting around for an opportunity not worth it (it'll still be an expensive flight).
2. The bus to Igoumenitsa is awkward and flights from Corfu quite expensive. Hiring a car is the cheapest way of getting there - just need an helpful local to bring it back.
3. The bus to Athens is easily the cheapest and most satisfactory mode of return - always 1 stop (at Corinth Canal) and usually 2 and then the X93 to the airport from Kiffousis St coach station. Total travel time (if you miss all your connections 7:40hrs).

I'm afraid the return hassles and the lack of an urban hinterland are two of the disadvantages of Preveza.

 

[BurnitBlue]

having been there and tried the alternatives:-

1. Forget about getting a charter-flight return, from Preveza, the probabilities are low and the angst of waiting around for an opportunity not worth it (it'll still be an expensive flight).
2. The bus to Igoumenitsa is awkward and flights from Corfu quite expensive. Hiring a car is the cheapest way of getting there - just need an helpful local to bring it back.
3. The bus to Athens is easily the cheapest and most satisfactory mode of return - always 1 stop (at Corinth Canal) and usually 2 and then the X93 to the airport from Kiffousis St coach station. Total travel time (if you miss all your connections 7:40hrs).

I'm afraid the return hassles and the lack of an urban hinterland are two of the disadvantages of Preveza.

Just got back from six weeks in Preveza. I was surprised how difficult it was for Brits and Scandinavians to get home. I was also surprised how many folk drove their own car down there. Mostly Germans did this but a few Brits also. Most folk said that for two people the car costs were comparable to airfares. For a familly of four it was a lot cheaper. From the questions I asked when I was down there the route started with a drive to the ferry to Venice that a "holiday" drive home.

I am considering booking with Thompson Airlines. Dont know whether they are a charter outfit though ... anybody know or have experience with flying to and from Preveza (Aktio) with Thompson?

 

[affinite]

booked into Preveza for the winter out of the water and need to be back in the uk for the 28th October (family wedding), preferably Stanstead. Lots of flights from Corfu and Athens but with two children dont fancy the 5 hour bus trip to athens. Apparently lots of summer only charter flights to Preveza but cannot seem to find one way back to the UK. The seaplane looks good to Corfu but will it be running and how much? Also we plan to come back april may 2012 so any thoughts on the return. Many thanks for any advice.

The seaplane isnt running anymore - gone bust I think

 

[telford_mike]

I am considering booking with Thompson Airlines. Dont know whether they are a charter outfit though ... anybody know or have experience with flying to and from Preveza (Aktio) with Thompson?

Thompson now own Sunsail - there are UK flights every Sunday throughout the season. We've used them a lot. The flights are ok - no better or worse than other charters.

 

[tri39]

If you sail up to Monfalcone you'll have no trouble flying or driving any time you want!

 

[BurnitBlue]

Thompson now own Sunsail - there are UK flights every Sunday throughout the season. We've used them a lot. The flights are ok - no better or worse than other charters.

Thanks Mike, I will book with Thompson for early May. The advantage with getting off the plane in Aktio and walking to the boat are stupendous.

The main problem with the Athens option with EasyJet is that the flights arrive in Athens too late for the "Southern" Preveza bus route. Instead the late busses from Athens (according to the boatyard office) take the "Northern" route which aims at Preveza town which means looking for a taxi after midnight to get through that ridiculous tunnel that isolates Preveza from the South.

How did the inhabitants of a town the size of Preveza allow a cheap tunnel operator to virtually cut off their town with a so called tunnel (actually a tube lying on the sea bed) that does not allow pedestrians or bicycles is a mystery? Its either infrequent bus or taxi or private transport for a short journey of a few hundred yards. I could walk it in five minutes if it was allowed. Any London bridge over the Thames (or a New York or Paris bridge for that matter) demonstrates the stupidity of such a restricted tunnel.

The individual boatyard shuttles only run in summer (May to October) and there is no cooperation between the three big yards to provide a better year round service between them. The Airport is only open for non-military traffic from May to September. No thanks. To visit ones boat in winter is a major expedition. IMO if Messolongi got its act together it would clean up.

Ooops, this "thank you" to Mike ended up in a rant.

 

[Davy_S]

Air traffic staff threaten Easter strike

Union wants government to pay more than three months in outstanding wages

A threatened walkout by air traffic controllers over Easter could cause serious travel disruptions
Air traffic controllers on Monday threatened to stage rolling strikes over the Orthodox Easter period later this month – action that would seriously disrupt air travel – in protest at the non-payment of more than three months of outstanding wages since December.

Speaking to Skai television on Monday morning, Vassilis Alevizopoulos, the president of the Federation of Civil Aviation Authority Unions (OSYPA), said he had called on Deputy Finance Minister Filippos Sachinidis to ensure that the workers receive the three-and-a-half months in outstanding pay for night shifts.

If authorities fail to satisfy the union’s demands, Alevizopoulos said, workers will stop working night shifts and boycott public holidays and Sundays until the end of the year. Alevizopoulos said that the issue of the outstanding wages of air traffic controllers - who are civil servants - was a longstanding one and said the government owed staff an immediate solution to their problem.

Despite the repercussions of the economic crisis on household budgets, thousands of Greeks have booked flights for domestic or international routes for Orthodox Easter which falls on Sunday April

 

[BurnitBlue]

Air traffic staff threaten Easter strike

Despite the repercussions of the economic crisis on household budgets, thousands of Greeks have booked flights for domestic or international routes for Orthodox Easter which falls on Sunday April

Yes. A quick look at the EasyJet timetable from Athens to Gatwick shows an increase in fares from a normal 80 Euro to 450 Euro for Easter.

 

[nimbusgb]

Thanks Mike, I will book with Thompson for early May. The advantage with getting off the plane in Aktio and walking to the boat are stupendous.

The main problem with the Athens option with EasyJet is that the flights arrive in Athens too late for the "Southern" Preveza bus route. Instead the late busses from Athens (according to the boatyard office) take the "Northern" route which aims at Preveza town which means looking for a taxi after midnight to get through that ridiculous tunnel that isolates Preveza from the South.

How did the inhabitants of a town the size of Preveza allow a cheap tunnel operator to virtually cut off their town with a so called tunnel (actually a tube lying on the sea bed) that does not allow pedestrians or bicycles is a mystery? Its either infrequent bus or taxi or private transport for a short journey of a few hundred yards. I could walk it in five minutes if it was allowed. Any London bridge over the Thames (or a New York or Paris bridge for that matter) demonstrates the stupidity of such a restricted tunnel.

The individual boatyard shuttles only run in summer (May to October) and there is no cooperation between the three big yards to provide a better year round service between them. The Airport is only open for non-military traffic from May to September. No thanks. To visit ones boat in winter is a major expedition. IMO if Messolongi got its act together it would clean up.

Ooops, this "thank you" to Mike ended up in a rant.

Why walk to the boat? Arrange with your yard to meet you from the plane!

The inhabitants of Preveza didn't 'allow' the tunnel operator in. The tunnel was built from funds provided by the EU. ( twice apparently , the first lot seemed to have gone missing somewhere ). The yards on the south side of the channel used to have a ferry operating for a couple of drachma. The EU forced them to stop operating so that the tunnel would be profitable!

€3 each way for a 1km tunnel is not exactly cheap, especially when your Euro taxes went toward the damn tunnel in the first place!

There used to be a lot of co-operation between the yards but 'competition' and two of the yards acting in cahoots to fix prices has led to a lot of bad blood.

There was a story last season that one of the yards was deliberately trying to shut down the shoreline access road simply to try to force one yard out of business.

For the moment I'm in the cheapest of the 3 yards and I'm very happy with the service, the attitude and the professionalism of that yard.

I considered 'Messy' but following all the horror stories of the past season I'm damned glad I didn't move!

 

[nimbusgb]

Yes. A quick look at the EasyJet timetable from Athens to Gatwick shows an increase in fares from a normal 80 Euro to 450 Euro for Easter.

Easter in Greece is bigger than Christmas, Corfu is pretty manic and just about every native Corfuvian returns home for the holiday. If you are going to the Ionian at Easter it's the one time booking 4 months or more early may well be cheaper.

No good bitching about it, everybody does exactly the same thing!

 

[Dreamcatcher]

Got oneway from Preveza to Manchester for 4 people in mid Sept for about £80pp, with either Thomsons or Monarch.
I have done one way car hire to Igonomitsa arranged in advance, ferry across Taxi about E6-00 to Corfu Arport.
Coach from Igo. to Preveza was once a day at 10:45, missed that so spent night in hotel in Igo until next morning.
Ferries to Igo from Corfu, stop at about 22:00, I know having missed the thing twice, the third bench from the right is a fairly comfortable place to sleep until the ferries run in the morning.
I have not taken the coach to Athens, as with 2 adults and 2 kids, it was only slightly more expensive to hire a car.

 

[njamesphoto]

Preveza Flights

Thank you for all your suggestions, unfortunatly unless we have a much shorther sailing year the travel to and from the boat sounds grim with two small children. We are thinking of basing ourself in Gouvia for a year to properly explore the Ionian. The marina fees are a lot more but access and pool etc. are quite compeling. Are the any deals to be done there? Do they measure actual LOA or from the ships papers (davits etc....) thanks...

 

[Davy_S]

I have seen it somewhere that Ryan Air have added two flights a week to Corfu from Stanstead this year.

 

[Tranona]

Thank you for all your suggestions, unfortunatly unless we have a much shorther sailing year the travel to and from the boat sounds grim with two small children. We are thinking of basing ourself in Gouvia for a year to properly explore the Ionian. The marina fees are a lot more but access and pool etc. are quite compeling. Are the any deals to be done there? Do they measure actual LOA or from the ships papers (davits etc....) thanks...

Doubt you will get any deal except the RYA discount which is well worth having. Pretty sure they will take the length from the registration document.

Agree it is an excellent base, particularly with small children. We found the Easyjet service excellent and cheap if you weren't too fussy about dates. The passage times between anchorages are short enough to not bore children and good beaches/swimming etc.

 

[njamesphoto]

Preveza Flights

would the RYA discount be the same as the 6% Cruising Association?

 

[Tranona]

Yes.

 

[nickf]

One way from Preveza

Whilst I have enjoyed going via Athens and Corfu, I would always choose direct from Preveza. Have never had difficulty getting one ways from Preveza on the internet (between 1 May and 31 Oct) even several months in advance. Never paid over £140 and on occasions £40 - to me a bargain compared with via Athens/Corfu.
One way flights from Preveza being advertised for October at the moment.
If its useful Ryan air are flying to Corfu from July to mid oct.