best flights to take from athens to crete?

There are two airlines that fly that route--Aegean and Sky Express. I've flown Aegean. Friends have flown Sky Express. No problems.

You have to decide which airport you plan to travel to in Crete. Either one, it's still the same two airlines.

Our experiences on Agean have been great. Aircraft was on time, clean and good crew.

The two airlines already mentioned are both good ones. Aegean/Olympic would be my first choice but Sky Express is fine. Choose which airline has the most convenient schedule for your needs. If you are looking at a connecting flight in Athens then you need about 2 hours to make the connection.

As mentioned there are two major airports in Crete, Chania and Heraklion. If you are going to concentrate on central and east Crete then Heraklion makes sense. If you are planning on west Crete then Chania is a better choice. Chania airport is a much more relaxed destination than Heraklion.

Aegean or Sky Express are the two Greek airlines. Aegean gets wonderful reviews and Sky Express gets good ones.

Either would be recommended.

However, prices seem to be very expensive from Athens especially if you bring luggage.

The alternative would bed a ferry but it's a L-O-N-G trip. It depends on whether you want to sit on a seat or get a cabin which tends to be very pricey.

In addition to Aegean/Olympic and Sky Express, you will also have some flights with Volotea, a Spanish budget airline.

I only mention it to recommend not to choose it.

Stick with either Aegean or Sky Express as they are the two top Greek airlines.

Avoid any of those non-Greek airlines as they may not be as reliable as the Greek Ones.