Is OA really improving?
Aug 9, 2005, 9:52 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: DC
Programs: AA EXP; UAMM
Posts: 1,902
Is OA really improving?
This article seems to think so. I'm flying them later this month so I'll report back with my impressions.
Anyone else have any news re OA quality...good, bad or whatever?
Anyone else have any news re OA quality...good, bad or whatever?
Aug 10, 2005, 5:54 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Soon to be LEGT
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Which article?
OA remains the same bag of excrement it has always been. Last week, my friend's HER-SKG flight was delayed by over 3 hours. They said it was due to weather, while everyone else's flights were bang on time!!! No vouchers given out, either.
OA remains the same bag of excrement it has always been. Last week, my friend's HER-SKG flight was delayed by over 3 hours. They said it was due to weather, while everyone else's flights were bang on time!!! No vouchers given out, either.
Aug 10, 2005, 9:50 am
#3
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Location: London
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Posts: 17,057
Originally Posted by graraps
Which article?
.
.
Puzzling, yeah
? The article reference was hidden. Looks like some fluff promoted by OA's PR company....
Aug 10, 2005, 9:59 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2005
Programs: FlyingBlue Platinum, LH Senator, VA Velocity Platinum, Marriott Silver, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,010
What is the use of wasting energy on anything to do with Olympic. Simply fly Aegean and you can be guaranteed a safe flight on a clean aircraft with friendly staff all the way around.
Aug 28, 2005, 5:49 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: DC
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Posts: 1,902
2 hour delay
Sorry for the glitch on my original post.
Just returned from a trip with an ATH-FRA leg on OA.
Two hour delay caused because of overbooking problems. Seems 3 of 19 Japanese tourists were denied boarding and none of them would travel unless all did. So ticketing assigned 3 of them to middle seats in business, which are usually kept empty on these flights. It took about an hour to finally get all 19 on board, then another hour to decided to actually seat them in their (illegally) assigned middle seats. Several pax on each side of the now illegally seated latecomers were promised some sort of compensation for the inconvenience (good luck).
As this was going on the crew was also trying to decide what to do with an apparently drunk/sick young man that was in the wrong seat in business. They eventually called a doctor and ambualance to look at him but he insisted he was OK. After lots of back an forth they decided not to remove him. I was across the aisle from him and he was definitely not airworthy, at least on a US carrier.
During all this the only information given out was that the pilot would announce something soon. He did after two hours and blamed it on the gate agents.
The inability to make a simple decision was remarkable. This was a 5 minute delay problem. But it seems OA operates on the cafe-discussion model of decision making.
Many people, me included, missed connections in FRA. They won't get many repeat customers from that pax list.
Just returned from a trip with an ATH-FRA leg on OA.
Two hour delay caused because of overbooking problems. Seems 3 of 19 Japanese tourists were denied boarding and none of them would travel unless all did. So ticketing assigned 3 of them to middle seats in business, which are usually kept empty on these flights. It took about an hour to finally get all 19 on board, then another hour to decided to actually seat them in their (illegally) assigned middle seats. Several pax on each side of the now illegally seated latecomers were promised some sort of compensation for the inconvenience (good luck).
As this was going on the crew was also trying to decide what to do with an apparently drunk/sick young man that was in the wrong seat in business. They eventually called a doctor and ambualance to look at him but he insisted he was OK. After lots of back an forth they decided not to remove him. I was across the aisle from him and he was definitely not airworthy, at least on a US carrier.
During all this the only information given out was that the pilot would announce something soon. He did after two hours and blamed it on the gate agents.
The inability to make a simple decision was remarkable. This was a 5 minute delay problem. But it seems OA operates on the cafe-discussion model of decision making.
Many people, me included, missed connections in FRA. They won't get many repeat customers from that pax list.
Sep 2, 2005, 3:42 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: Mucci, BA-GGL, LH-Sen
Posts: 2,241
Sorry to disapoint you but alas, no!! Every couple of years I allow myself to try again OA in the desperate hope that they will have improved only to be let down again and again. 2 days ago flight out of ATH delayed by 3 hours in the end. No information in the lounge, none at the gate, staff seemed to not give a F**K. and wha was originally posted as a 45 minute delay kept getting postponed until we reached the 3 hours in the end. Definitely no compensation given (not that I really cared) but the staff seemed to pretend that none was due in clear violation of EU policy. I know that they try to pull those tricks all the time obviously trying to save the company money but in clear violation of legislation.
It will be another 2 years before I try that again now. I choose Aegean if have the option.
It will be another 2 years before I try that again now. I choose Aegean if have the option.
Sep 13, 2005, 1:40 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: A Sight For Roll Eyes
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Originally Posted by Cyba
It will be another 2 years before I try that again now. I choose Aegean if have the option.
bye-bye OA!
Sep 16, 2005, 6:08 am
#8
Moderator, El Al and Marriott Bonvoy, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: SIN
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Originally Posted by andre1970
I am afraid that you will choose Aegean b/c you will not have the option! I very much doubt that OA will still be around in 2 years. It is almost certain that tomorrow's EU court decision will force the Greek government to recover state financial aid granted to OA during the 90's, when the EU Commission had twice approved the granting of subsidies to OA, albeit with serious strings attached. Since OA is virtually broke, I highly doubt that the govt would even consider having OA raise the cash and return it. So you can guess what's gonna happen...
bye-bye OA!
bye-bye OA!
Sep 16, 2005, 7:37 am
#9
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: A Sight For Roll Eyes
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Originally Posted by yosithezet
Flew them a few weeks ago TVL-Athens and there was more legroom than I've had on just about any int'l economy class. Lack of in-flight magazine was a bit odd though.
Sep 16, 2005, 7:42 am
#10
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Location: DC
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Posts: 1,902
Compensation for delay?
I rarely fly intra-European flights but I understand there are some new rules that allow compensation for lengthy delays. Does anybody know how I'd go about inquiring about this with OA for my recent delay?
Sep 19, 2005, 6:34 am
#11
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: London, UK and Southern France
Posts: 18,380
Originally Posted by nor4
I rarely fly intra-European flights but I understand there are some new rules that allow compensation for lengthy delays. Does anybody know how I'd go about inquiring about this with OA for my recent delay?
Alternatively, do a search in Travel buzz.