Hi we have a flight from Athens to Rhodes in a few weeks. Our flight is on Aegean. It departs at 14:15. We plan to get to the airport about 12:30. Do you think that gives us enough time? I have never been to Greece so not sure on how much time to give at the airport.
Thanks!
Following as I will be changing planes in the airport to Aegean later this week. I haven’t been in this airport for about 25 years.
Theoretically 1 hour in advance is enough for a domestic flight, plan 2 hours if you want to play it safe and if you have luggage to check in. With the Aegean app you can have your boarding pass on your phone 48 hours before the flight.
Carol, Athens airport today is not the one it was 25 years ago.
We have used Aegean/Olympic airline several times in 2018 and just last April. Good airline. Olympic handles the short hauls; Aegean the longer ones. We even use them for Italy and Turkey flights. Our practice was to use ferry for short runs (Kusadasa to Samos, Santorini to Paros/Naxos). And fly to save time. The current airport (still IST) went operational in 2001. The lines in the airport are long as both airlines (they merged in operation but not name) use the same windows - usually moves quickly tho'. 2 hours should be plenty of time. Those windows are near door 5 at one end of the terminal. Gates for local flights are usually on the lower floor and entail a bus ride to plane. The low prices are for a stripped down flight and the necessary extras about double the cost. Worth the extra money. Our experience has been that the airline is reliable, on time and the planes seem to be in good condition. Airport express bus X95 run often to/from airport to Syntagma Square. IMHO, bus better and safer than metro.
IST is Istanbul. ATH is Athens.
Frank, you are right. We literally just returned from 6 weeks in Europe, traveling more than we like. RDM to SEA to AMS to IST. Then IST to ATH to JNX back to ATH. ATH to FCO. FCO to AMS. And last AMS to KEF to SEA to RDM. Couple all that air travel with cars, trains, buses and I am surprised we even remembered enough to get home. We stay at least 3 days in each stop, preferring a week. I simply cannot imagine how anybody can enjoy traveling constantly with the hassle and lost time.
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated!
I just returned from a Rome and Athens 1 month trip. I found that flying Aegean airlines from Athens seemed to fit the lack of time adherence protocols more typical in Greece than say, Germany. My gate was changed so often, I was running up and down escalators trying to figure out which email with the changes was the correct / accurate message to follow. Also, the gate attendant showed up 10 min after the gate was supposed to open, delaying the flight . Be prepared to be bussed to the tarmac to walk up portable stairs to your airplane (straight out of the 50's). Don't cut your your time too short if flying Aegean or anywhere in Greece.
Does anyone have any experience with either lounge in the domestic - Hall B - terminal at ATH? There are 2 for priority pass (Goldair and Skyserv) and neither looks really great, but wondering if one is a little better than the other. We have a 4 hour wait between flights.
We no longer rely on info emailed/texted the same day of the flight. Use the reader boards in the airport. Emails are seldom sent with latest info. One reason local flights do not use a "skyway" is that it is not economically feasible to have a "skyway" for the multiplicity of commuter aircraft. For us in Bend/Redmond area, we have boarding stairs for all of the flights to or from here - for all airlines. Another reason is that the "skyway" and attendant gate facilities cost more - much more.
Hi Larry,
That is good to know! I'll know this for my next time in Greece. There were also issues with the SKYBoard as it only registered the gate as "Changed" and I didn't know which of my emails represented the 'change' and which gate I was supposed to actually be waiting at. Only asking around to other passengers (who were also confused) determined that I may be at the correct gate.
At FCO in Rome, the SKYBoard gave the wrong information about the check in kiosk up until 45 min before the flight, so I sat patiently in the wrong area and arrived at a very long line up to check into the flight-it was a mad scramble to check everyone in on time. I think the message here is airlines are short staffed-world-wide.
I simply cannot imagine how anybody can enjoy traveling constantly with the hassle and lost time.
I've been doing it for nine years. But I'm planning to come off the road sometime this year.
Janlynnweb, FCO is a special case for just about anything. We have seen different info on nearby reader boards and not correct with the gate at all!
Frank, good luck with the slow down. For many years, my work entailed a lot of frenetic activity - we thought that was the way to vacation too. Kids changed that part - trying to herd a gaggle of geese. As very senior citizens, we enjoy sitting in our rockers watching the world rush by. At least we would enjoy that if the world would allow it.
