Advenures with Cyprus Airways

For the last 25 years my wife and I have travelled to Germany in early June to spend our summer in our flat. For the last 11 years our little dog has led the way.

We needed to travel to Frankfurt in mid-week during the day and as Cyprus Airways provided the only suitable flight we used the flight. This year CY changed the flight to Monday and although it was inconvenient we had to accept it.

In April we booked and paid for our tickets and reserved a space in the hold as excess baggage for our dog. The chosen date was Monday June 16 and all our rather complicated arrangements had been made when CY called us on the afternoon of Friday June 13 to say that our dog could not travel because the aircraft had no pressurisation in the hold.

We overcame the problems of re-arranging all the details during the weekend and were able to secure another inconvenient flight for Friday June 20.

We checked at in Larnaca. I was in my wheelchair and we were in the passport control queue when we were called back. CY had just discovered that once again our aircraft had no pressurisation in the hold.

Our baggage and dog had to be recalled and the exorbitant price for our dog’s fare had to be reclaimed. The CY staff apologised with embarrassed grins but when I asked what they were going to do to rectify the situation they had no idea. A few strong words were exchanged.

Fortunately the airport staff found that a Lufthansa flight would leave for Frankfurt two hours later and we were able to secure seats for us and a spot for our dog in the pressurised hold. During the waiting time I was able to make new arrangements in Germany as our home there is in a remote area.

We were booked to return to Larnaca on another inconvenient flight on Monday, September 22 but two weeks before the flight I contacted CY in Frankfurt to try to ascertain if the aircraft would have pressurisation in the hold. I was told that they would not know until the aircraft left Larnaca for Frankfurt on the day.

I began to try to contact CY in Frankfurt on Sunday, the day before the flight, but the office was closed for the weekend. I then began trying to contact CY in Nicosia and was subjected to the torments of a call centre which leaves you stranded and then the next call connects you to another person. After six calls I was given an assurance that the aircraft would have pressurisation in the hold.

We have had several bad experiences on CY flights but each time we have been given weak excuses but no apologies or recompense. I am also sure that my complaints were not passed up the line so that action could be taken to avoid any repetitions.

Name and address withheld

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.