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Athens airport travel time

Hello, when flying from Athens to Santorini, how in advance do we have to be at the Athens airport? For example, if our flight is leaving at 12:00 PM, should we be there by 11:00 AM or earlier? Also, in your opinions, is it better to take a plane or a ferry from athens to santorini? Thanks, Jason

Posted by
1152 posts

To be on the safe side I would say 2 hours. You could get away with 1 1/2 hours but why take a chance. Athens airport is small and very efficient. Quick to check in and go through security.

If you can fly do so. It's a lot quicker than a ferry. Of course it all depends on budget. However, time is money on holiday . . . the more time you spending getting from Point A to Point B the more "fun" time you lose.

Posted by
3115 posts

It will depend somewhat on your situation. If you aren't checking any luggage and if you have printed out your boarding pass in advance you won't need a lot of time to pass through the security checkpoint to get to the departure gate. But if you have to check in with a ticket agent to get a boarding pass and/or drop off your luggage then you will need more time. 1.5 hours is more than enough time.

Posted by
1152 posts

You also have to take into account if your flight is on time and you get to Athens when you are suppose to. More than likely your flight will be on time but there have been numerous times when my flight was delayed by either back ups on the tarmac or a problem with the plane.

Give yourself a little extra time . . . as I stated Athens Airport is small, efficient and quick to move around in. Still, unexpected delays do happen, either on the originators flight or strikes, weather or just some unusual occurence. Two hours ahead of departure should be sufficient.

Posted by
3049 posts

I'm someone who is pretty lax about airport times and found myself in an hour long line just to get boarding passes (the electronic system was down) for a flight from Athens a month ago. We got a big nervous. And people say it's a small airport but the walking times are long. 2 hours minimum is what I'll do in the future so I don't sweat.