Charter packages are the backbone of every summer season, and after years of selling them we know exactly where travelers hesitate: when to book, how the payment works and what the fine print around flight times means in practice. Here is the honest walkthrough, based on our current programs for Antalya and Crete.
Book early, and here is the real reason
A charter program has a fixed number of seats and a fixed number of rooms in each hotel. The best hotels at the best dates sell out first, months before summer. Booking early does two things for you: it locks the price at the moment of reservation, since payment is calculated in dinars at the National Bank middle rate on the day you book, and it gives you the full choice of room types, floors and dates. People who wait for June routinely end up choosing between what is left, not between what they wanted. If your dates are tied to school holidays or approved leave, January to March is the right window. If you are flexible, late deals exist, but they are a lottery, not a plan.
How the payment actually works
The system is friendlier than most people assume. At booking you pay a 40 percent deposit and the rest is due no later than 21 days before departure. If you prefer spreading the cost, there are interest free installments by credit card, up to six monthly payments, as well as payment by cheques in up to six installments, bank transfer or a tourist loan through a bank. In practice this means a summer trip booked in February is paid off in comfortable monthly pieces before you even pack. One caution: changing a confirmed booking counts as a cancellation under the general terms, and when done early it can be processed for a fee of 3000 dinars, so measure twice before confirming names and dates.
Trip length is more flexible than you think
Our Antalya program flies from Belgrade with stays of 8, 11 or 12 days covering Lara, Kemer, Side, Belek and Alanya, and shorter or longer stays are possible on request. Crete runs as a direct flight with 6 nights and departures every Sunday. This matters when you plan leave days, because an 11 or 12 day Antalya package often costs proportionally less per day than a short one, while the Crete format is ideal for a compact week of rest.
Flight times: know this before you get frustrated
Charter flight times published in advance are preliminary. The exact schedule is confirmed 24 to 48 hours before the flight, and you are expected to check it a day before departure. This is normal for charters everywhere, the airline slots get finalized late. Plan the day of travel loosely: be at the airport 2.5 to 3 hours before takeoff and avoid scheduling anything important around the assumed hours. Crete is a good example of what to expect, the outbound flight leaves Belgrade around 02.45 in the morning, which means the whole first day on the island is yours, but the night of travel is short.
Baggage, transfers and small surcharges
Checked baggage is 23 kilograms per passenger on the Antalya program and 20 kilograms on Crete, with 8 kilograms of hand luggage in both cases, and children under 2 get 10 kilograms for their gear. Airport taxes are already inside the package price, currently 47.36 euros for Antalya and 35.66 euros for Crete, both subject to change until departure. Group transfers between the airport and the hotel are included. If you want a private transfer in Turkey, it is paid per vehicle: from 140 euros return for Lara up to 300 euros for Alanya for a smaller car, more for a minivan. And remember the Greek residence tax paid at reception, 2 to 15 euros per room per night depending on hotel category.
The takeaway is simple: decide early, use the deposit and installments to your advantage, and treat the published flight times as a sketch until 24 hours before departure. The current charter season is on our packages page, and if you tell us your dates and budget we will point you to the programs where early booking currently gives the most.
