To what degree will the Greek problems with the EU and their financial situation affect travelers in June/July? What about Aegean Air? Is it government run, or private? What about the Greek ferries? We have reservations, but want to be sure transportation will be moving after the referendum.
Thanks, Rebecca
I don't think even Alan Greenspan can answer your question about Greece's economic future (well, actually he did - he predicted it would bail from the Euro because it's bankrupt). I don't think you can be sure of the extent of any disruptions until at least the key loan deadlines come due in early June. If you already bought your tickets, consider it a sunk cost and don't worry about it since it's unpredictable and not under anyone's control.
You'll be fine and Aegean Airlines is stable.
Greek ferries are run by several competing companies. Whether they receive any state subsidy, I don't know, but they don't look it.
If you start at this blog post from Rick and go backward, you'll find his comments from Greece this spring: http://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/athens-great-food-big-economic-questions-and-hair-on-fire/.
rd,
It's just about impossible for anyone to predict what's going to happen in Greece at any time. There could be strikes or other labour problems, but I suspect that's the worst you would have to face. If Greece were going to exit the E.U., this wouldn't happen overnight so it's likely things will still be "business as usual" in June and July.
Greece was also facing turbulent times when I was last there a few years ago. I found that predicted demonstrations never materialized, everything was stable with the financial situation, and I had a wonderful holiday.
Regarding Aegean Air, I've flown with them a number of times and my impression has been that they're very much a "class act" and the flights were very comfortable! I believe they're a publicly traded company, and they seem to be in expansion mode, as they recently bought-out Olympic Air (both airlines will operate under separate brands). They also picked up a number of routes when Cyprus Airways went bankrupt. It should also be noted that Aegean has won quite a number of awards including the SkyTrax Best Regional Airline in Europe award at least five times, including last year. Again, no one can predict the future, but they are definitely my preferred airline for flights in that part of Europe.
