Airport layovers and Covid

In general no, most countries allow transfer passengers.

I would say generally "no" but it is sort of a moot point right now, since neither Greece or most of Europe is accepting tourists, so it is difficult to even begin to answer the question. Some issues:

Airline: If your flight transits in Paris for example, and France is not admitting US Passengers, then very few US Airlines are going to operate flights to Paris. Even if they Schedule a flight, if the date approaches and entry issues are present, the airline may cancel the flight. Happened to me for a flight to Italy this month.

Greece admission rules: If for some reason Greece does admit US tourists, but due to issues in Europe, restricts entry from France (in our example) then your Paris to Greece flight becomes in jeopardy. If your transfer is through the UK, that adds another wrinkle. Basically, while you may be fine just transiting, if most of the other people on your flight are not allowed in Greece from that Country, the Airline likely will not fly down a plane with only a few people on board.

A Greek Minister associated with the tourism industry did announce at a travel show that Greece intended to open in mid-May...but given the current surge, and lacking any formal announcement by the Greek Government, this may be more wishful thinking than set policy. It is also unclear exactly whom they will admit, it is messy politics in Europe, while Greece is a sovereign State, it does have to coordinate with both the EU and the Schengen Countries on entry issues.

I suppose one way to simplify things is to find a direct flight from the US to Athens. That avoids any transit issues and potential for a cancelled leg of your flight.

You need to call the embassy or consulate of the country or countries where you plan to transit. You may need a Covid test to change planes, or you may not be allowed to even transit, in which case you won't be allowed to board the flight. The airline holds you responsible, so I don't think relying on one of us is a good idea. Furthermore, what the country's representative tells you today could be meaningless tomorrow, much less weeks or months from now. You need to re-check up to the date of the flight.
Different countries are opening and closing, and rules are changing all the time depending upon severity of the outbreak.

In February I was flying transl-Atlantic via Paris starting in the south of France. Another passenger was flying somewhere via Amsterday but had to be re-routed via Paris because the Netherlands was requiring a PCR to transit. Today, Paris is in its own lockdown. The passenger wouldn't even be allowed to enter or leave the France except for a documented major emergency.

Hi LunaKoi,
We have the same exact issue and I'm guessing this will be a big one in the coming months. Our daughter will be going to Greece, if allowed, in late June via London. Not sure if that will work out. So much up in the air, but even with surges it does seem like more and more is opening so we're hoping the stars align... if not, it's more travel credit in the bank for 2022/23.

If you come up with a solution, please let us know. We bought tickets to Greece using United and American points. We also plan to go to Albania. American has direct flights to Athens but United is routed through Germany, which requires a test to transfer planes. Most of Europe appears to request a PCR test that was taken 48 hours before arrival. Where I am at in the US, test results are sometimes taking 3 days. In Albania and Greece, results seem to be taking less time. This is according to the websites of private clinics that I have looked at. JFK offers PCR tests that return results in 3 or 4 hours. It will take some creativity but I think it can be done. Hopefully the rules will loosen up for vaccinated folks.

mcsmith, try Walgreens for your test.

And for what its worth, the Istanbul airport has 2 hour around on PCR tests for about $30 and there are connections to Greece.

Just another wrinkle from your original question to consider....

If the Country you are planning to transit through is a Schengen Country (As is Greece); then in a way, you really are not simply transiting...meaning "Officially" not entering the country and staying airside in the International portion of the terminal. You can stay "airside", but still need to go through immigration and will then enter the Domestic Terminal of that airport for your flight to Greece. Given that, I alter my previous advice a bit, in that it is unlikely, for example, if France is closed to US passengers, then while you might be able to transit to a non-Schengen destination, you cannot "transit" to a domestic flight to a Schengen Country.

As I said, if for some reason Greece opens in exception to the rest of Schengen Europe and the EU, then you are really left to finding a direct flight from the US, or as James E noted, transit through a non-Schengen Country like Turkey, or preferably, a Country that is also open to Greece.

As always, things are fluid, until Countries actually announce policy, then all is speculation.

To the extent this anecdote is helpful, I transited through Frankfurt airport with no problem last July. The only time my passport/other travel documents were checked were at the originating airport (LAX) and the ultimate destination (Split).

I was traveling to a non-Schengen country (Croatia), so the rules certainly could be different for "domestic"/Schengen terminals. However, I also took a few Schengen to Schengen flights last summer (Budapest -> Milan, Rome -> Lisbon) and had no issues.

Calvin makes a good point. You will be best off traveling to a country that isn't part of a visa waiver block and can make their own tourist admission decisions. I'm more optimistic about traveling to, say, Sweden or Russia than I am to having tourist access to Schengen anytime soon.

I have free or nearly free villas waiting for me in Northern Italy and Greece but, at least for the immediate future, they are out of my reach.

Now I know how a person in China, North Korea or the old Soviet block view travel. You may travel anywhere you want - as long as the government thinks you should be allowed to travel.

Sweden is part of the Schengen Zone. See page 2 of this EU document:

https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/default/files/e-library/docs/schengenbrochure/schengenbrochuredr3111126en.pdf

It hasn't been updated post-Brexit (which had no impact on the Schengen Zone), but otherwise I believe the map is up to date. It's unfortunate the gray splotch in the Balkans isn't broken down by country, though.

As I said, if for some reason Greece opens in exception to the rest of
Schengen Europe and the EU, then you are really left to finding a
direct flight from the US, or as James E noted, transit through a
non-Schengen Country like Turkey, or preferably, a Country that is
also open to Greece.

If Greece opens up to US tourists, I'm sure the immigration officers at the major airports will be aware of that.

It hasn't been updated post-Brexit (which had no impact on the
Schengen Zone), but otherwise I believe the map is up to date.

Apart from the UK, the map is correct.