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Aegean Air with a 50 minute connection time in Athens to Santorini

Has anyone had any experience flying on Aegean Air from Paris/CDG to Athens departing 12:15pm and arriving at 4:25pm with a 50 minute connection to Santorini leaving at 5:15pm arriving at 6pm? A 50 minute connection seems awfully tight to me. I tried to look up Aegean's performance time from CDG to ATH for that flight but couldn't find any info. Aegean offers it as flight choice so they must be able to deliver on it, right? I'd really much rather take this itinerary because the next option would be landing in Santorini at 8:30pm.

Also, for some odd reason, I've found that if I book the flights as one way tickets CDG to ATH then ATH to Santorini on the very same flights, the fare is $20 less. Is this because Aegean would be more likely to guarantee that you'll make that 50 minute connection if you book it as one itinerary instead of two separate one-ways? I'd appreciate some advice. Thank you in advance!

Posted by
26840 posts

I do not know the logic behind the pricing, but Aegean has no obligation to you whatsoever if you purchase two separate tickets and the first flight arrives too late for you to catch the second. Furthermore, if that second ticket is the first half of a round-trip ticket, missing the second flight will probably result in cancellation of your return ticket as well.

Posted by
265 posts

Last May we had to take shuttle bus out from the to Aegean flight to Santorini. Don't know where your cdg flight will gate but sounds awfully tight changing planes. Boarding shuttle and ride takes up valuable time.

Posted by
11056 posts

Athens airport only has one terminal which makes your chance of connecting to the second flight better.

Posted by
2119 posts

Spend the $20. The airport is small, so the 50 minute connection is fine as long as you are flying on one ticket.

With separate tickets you’ll have to pick up your bag(s) in Athens and stand in line to check them back in for the Santorini flight. Not worth the hassle or worry.

Posted by
3115 posts

FYI: If you're flying into CDG on your way to Greece that same day DO NOT attempt to make that connection unless you have at least 1.5 hours. CDG is a nightmare. Will you have to wait for your bags? If yes, you then still have to go through Passport Control and Customs before you head for the Aegean gate, which will most likely be quite far from the customs area, and in no universe is anything less than 1.5 hours enough time.

To answer your question, 50 minutes is not much time in Athens to make your flight to Santorini unless the flight from France is on time and your bags are transferred for you. I'm not sure that can happen if you're buying 2 separate tickets, although it's a logical assumption, and even if you only have carry-on bags you'll be running for the gate.

Posted by
1353 posts

I think John has provided the most pertinent advice. Athens airport uses shuttle buses to take you out to the aircraft so even if you can get to the gate in 50 minutes there is a good chance the last bus will have already departed.
We normally recommend two hours to make a connection.
Even if you have this flight booked with Aegean all on one ticket they are not going to hold the flight for you. They are responsible to get you to Santorini and will put you on the next available flight so chances are you are going to end up on that flight that gets you in at 8:30.

Posted by
269 posts

Thank you everyone. I went ahead and bought tickets from Athens to Santorini on Aegean that will take us into Santorini at 8:30pm. I'll have a 3+hr layover at the Athens airport but I won't have to fret about any delays from the Paris end or worry about making a run for the shuttle bus when we land. I did learn that flights from Paris to Athens are somewhat limited, especially if you want to fly to one of the islands straightaway as is recommended by many experienced travelers on this forum. The earliest flight from Paris to Athens leaves Paris at 12:15pm. Three years ago, we flew into Athens from Milan in the early morning and still had a whole afternoon left to walk to the Acropolis after checking into our hotel. Thanks again.

Posted by
2462 posts

Athens is a pleasant airport. I spent more time than that there waiting for a flight to Samos (only two a day). I really did not mind too much. It is sorta fun to see how different airport food is in Athens than in a US airport.

Posted by
269 posts

I totally agree that the Athens airport is fun. The timing of our layover puts us right at dinner time so I'll be sure to check out the food shops this time. The last time we were at ATH three years ago, they were giving out ouzo samples (never seen alcohol tastings like that at any airport I've been to!) and I stumbled upon a well-known skin care products shop called Korres. We ended up buying great last minute gifts to take home from both shops so I'm looking forward to poking around the various stores during the layover for things to purchase when we return to ATH on our way back to Paris.