I just received the following email from Assist America (a travel insurer): On the afternoon of Monday, July 18, taxi drivers in Athens, Greece went on strike causing major disruptions at the Athens International Airport (ATH). They are protesting government reforms which could have a significant impact on their livelihoods. As part of their strike, they have blocked all major roads leading to the airport. Officials have estimated over 2,000 taxis are currently parked on the highway, leaving only one lane open for travelers to access ATH. The parked taxis stretch over 3 miles and are also blocking access to the Piraeus Port, which is the main port for cruise ships coming into Athens. Police may be forced to intervene if there are further disruptions. This could lead to violence between authorities and the striking taxi drivers. The strike is scheduled to last for 48 hours and has delayed flights at ATH, as airlines try to accommodate travelers caught in traffic. If you are trying to get to ATH, public transportation via shuttle trains are the best option at this point.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, United States
873 posts
Eeek...well, I guess this adds the financial pressure of potentially losing the tourism income stream.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32213 posts
Tom, I just saw this story covered on the Noon News, and the situation looked disastrous for travellers. The story showed bewildered looking passengers getting out of Taxi's and making their way towards the Port through the "gridlock" of vehicles, with their "wheelie bags" in tow. Hopefully someone will realize the damage they're doing to the tourist business and get things back to normal quickly. If they think the current cutbacks are having "a significant impact on their livelihoods", this will be considerably WORSE if the tourists stop coming! Good luck to all those currently in Athens!
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
If you were already in a taxi then sure it'd be a big deal. But both the port and airport are well served by the metro. Just expect more crowded trains.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, United States
864 posts
Fortunately there is excellent train service from the airport into Athens and the metro system is quite good. Watch out though as rail workers/metro could go on strike in sympathy. As the Greeks edge closer and closer to default expect more anger and panic from the citizens of this clearly less than functional country. Strikes and rioting are so good for the tourist industry don't you think?
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
Too bad for the tourist industry... I just left there with my ten year old grandson and despite a few concerns I am glad this did not get worse before we went or I might have had to rethink this part of our trip. It was great and we saw no signs of anything going on except some banners that appeared to be protests from citizens, but it looks like it is escalating. Again, so happy we could do our trip before this as we loved Greece. Especially Nafplio thank to rec's from posters here.