Another first timer

I have already written about this. The flight is a piece of cake. I'm a very fearful flyer and I promise you this was one of the easiest ones I've experienced. The runway is shorter than some, so when they land, they apply the brakes and reverse thrust more strongly than normal, but so what? You're already on the ground safe and sound, no worries. And coming in to land, they approach from miles away over the sea, descending so gently you don't get chance to worry, it's so smooth. After experiencing many other landings, I can assure you that this is a piece of cake.

Return flight takeoff is also a doddle. They fire up the engines and accelerate really hard - but for me, that means they are taking it seriously and I relax. They don't do the usual screaming blast up into the skies to avoid noise for ground dwellers (there aren't any in the sea, so they don't need to). They get the wheels off the ground and then ease up gently to where they want to be. I swear this was probably the first time ever that I didn't clench my bum or anything else during takeoff.

Honestly, do NOT worry about it.

The real reason it has a reputation is for the plonkers who think it's fun to stand just outside the airport at the end of the runway - for incoming flights, they can pretend they can duck as it passes over. For outbound flights, the "fun" is to stand there when the plane fires up to full throttle and blasts grit and stones into their faces and threatens to blow them backwards into the sea. They are the sort of people who shout drunken defiance at lightning storms - can't understand them myself. But that's where the dodgy reputation comes from and it is totally undeserved.

Astoria hotel is where our daughter stays and she loves it (she flies there a week on Wednesday). We stayed at Villa Maria on the road behind the main road and walked past Astoria on the track every morning to the beach. I was completely amused by the funny sort of bridge thing entrance - sort of like Get Me Out Of Here jungle bridge BUT 2 feet above ground level!! So I always said, as we saw the guests taking breakfast on the terrace, "I'm a celebrity, get me a breakfast". Yes, I should get out more!!

If you like, I'd love to buy your holiday off you for a fiver to save you the worry.

Have a read of this

PS I'm 73, going on 74 (September). You'd think I'm too old to worry about losing my life in a plane, but I do.

Thanks DennisN - your report and video were really informative and reassuring. I'm looking forward to going so don't think I'll sell our holiday for a fiver!!!! I'm wondering if we'll change our lifetime practice of never returning to the same place, no matter how much we enjoyed it, and become 'boomerangers'!
We fly out on September 13th (Friday, so hope that's not an omen) so your daughter will probably have just returned home by then. Did you find the restaurants/tavernas accepted credit cards or was cash the preferred payment method?

Welcome Bettyboop, The Astoria was our first visit accommodation in 2004 before it was renovated to what it is now. Harry still runs the bar by the pool though.

Plenty of places to eat in Troulos, they will usuallt take Credit Cards, but much prefer cash.

Good video Dennis!

Thanks Woody.

We are staying at Filia Studio's... flying from Manchester..    Our first Skiathos visit..