Operating for over 2 decades, Aegean Airlines (A3) is the largest airline in Greece, connecting to over 160 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. A3 is most known for its extensive coverage within Greece, serving 31 destinations like the Ionian island of Zakynthos or the northern city of Thessaloniki. While it’s not the airline I’d choose for mid- to long-haul international flights, Aegean is a great choice for fast connections within Greece.
Why fly Aegean?
Fitting somewhere between the peace-meal cost approach of Ryanair and the great service of Sothwest, Aegean can be considered a budget airline, though its prices tend to be on the costlier side. A member of Star Alliance, Aegean seems to charge accordingly and that is one of the reasons it has never worked for me for flights in Europe or the Middle East. Let me explain.
Aegean competes with a number of airlines on mid-haul routes within Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Instead of using the point-to-point low cost model, it operates on the hub-and-spoke model, which means connecting through Athens. And unlike lowcosters like Ryanair, Aegean tends to price closer to the full-service Star Alliance members like Lufthansa or Turkish Airlines (which often fly non-stop to where I need to go).
For these reasons, I’ve rarely used Aegean on its mid-haul routes. Its coverage within Greece is where the airline shines. Much faster than taking a ferry, connecting to a number of Greek islands and other destinations travellers might want to see is a breeze with Aegean: most flights are under an hour long, prices are competitive with local lowcosters like Sky Express and the service is good.
Fare classes
Aegean has 2 main cabins of service: economy and business. Within each cabin, it offers several tiers with a certain set of rules. Let’s look at each.
Economy
In economy, A3 has 3 fares: Light, Flex and ComfortFlex. EcoLight is the cheapest, most restrictive tier. On domestic routes, it costs up to 30% less than the next tier (although the price difference tends to reduce to about 10% on the mid-haul routes). EcoLight includes 1 piece of carry-on baggage (either a personal item or a carry-on of up to 8kg). It allows ticket changes for a fee.
The EcoFlex fare includes 2 pieces of carry-on baggage (a personal item plus a carry-on of up to 8kg) and a standard seat selection. It also allows free unlimited ticket changes. The ComfortFlex fee includes everything in EcoFlex plus a free seat selection up front, 1 checked bag up to 23kg and same-day anytime change with no fee.
I usually travel with a carry-on and a personal item and I’ve flown on the EcoLight fare a number of times while adding things I need - a seat up front or security fast track - separately. I’ve never had an issue with EcoLight: the crew either did not notice or did not choose to enforce the fare rule which limits you to 1 item on board.
If you’d like to avoid potential fare violations (which means you’d have to pay for carrying an extra item on-board), you’d want to book EcoFlex.
Business
In the business cabin, A3 offers 2 fares: Business Basic and Business. The only difference between these tiers is the fare policy. Basic doesn’t allow refunds and offers changes for a fee, while Business includes both for free. Basic also has lower mileage accrual than Business.
Because I mostly fly Aegean within Greece, business has never made sense for a 50-minute flight at most. If you plan on flying Aegean mid-haul routes, business might be a good option, especially if you have checked bags. For about 20% more than ComfortFlex, Business Basic will get you 2 checked bags plus the usual business perks like lounge access, priority check-in and boarding and a better meal.
Add-ons
Similar to many budget airlines, A3 offers a number of add-ons. For a price of about 1 latte, you can book a seat up front or with extra legroom and get security fast track through Athens. I find these options immensely useful (more on that below). You can also purchase checked baggage for a fee comparable to other European airlines; be sure to pay attention to weight restrictions.
Check-in and boarding
A3 check-in process is fast and simple. It opens 48 hours before departure, which I find helpful as it leaves me with 1 less thing to worry about on the final day before my trip. If you haven’t purchased any add-ons like extra luggage or a preferential seat at booking time, you can do so during check-in.
Leading up to the flight, Aegean sends a number of email notifications. While the email alerting you that check-in is ready tends to be in English, some of these notifications, including an offer to bid for a business class seat, are in Greek (use your email provider’s translate function to translate).
Aegean typically boards by zone and at Athens airport, this process is a bit disorganised. While the crew doesn’t announce which zone is boarding, they do check individual boarding passes and remove passengers from the queue if their zone hasn’t yet started boarding. This can lead to some confusion and boarding delays.
When flying A3, I often purchase the Up Front seat add-on as I prefer to deplane fast. Take note that purchasing this add-on doesn’t automatically put you in priority boarding. That option is reserved for business class passengers and Star Alliance Premier Gold status holders.
Connecting in Athens
If you’re flying from the Canada to destinations in Greece other than Athens, you’ll have to transfer from your transatlantic air carrier to Aegean Airlines at Athens International Airport (ATH). There are a number of steps you’ll need to take to get to your A3 gate and these tips will help you have a frictionless experience.
Flights from Canada can arrive at the satellite terminal in Athens, while the departures within Greece (and further in Europe) are at the main terminal. At either arrival terminal, you’ll need to go through passport control, walk for about 15 minutes to the main terminal (if you land at the satellite), and go back up through security to access the departures area.
With frequent delays that characterize modern air travel, typical connection times of 2 hours might be cutting it tight. I highly recommend purchasing an A3 add-on called Security Fast Track to help you breeze through security once you get to the main terminal in Athens. I’ve often seen long lines at ATH security and I always opt for this option, especially because it doesn’t cost much.
The Aegean lounge at ATH is excellent and is worth a check. As a connecting passenger, I also appreciate the Aegean gate notification email. On one of my recent trips, I had a tight connection in ATH due to a delay of my flight from Canada. But with the gate assignment email, I didn’t have to waste time looking for airport boards or airline reps to get that information.
Onboard experience
On most of its routes, A3 operates a range of Airbus aircraft which includes the A319, 320, 321 and 321neo. (Some of its shortest routes also feature 2-propeller planes). While individual arrangements may vary by plane, the Airbuses typically feature a business class cabin, followed by a number of 3 x 3 rows of up front seats and the main cabin.
The economy seats, even up front, are pretty basic. They have little cushion and feel more like a lowcoster than a full-service airline. The up front seats recline nicely and they tend to be more spacious than the main cabin (on my recent flight, they felt more spacious than my transatlantic flight on Delta economy!).
For this reason, I recommend getting the Up Front add-on over the Extra Legroom: in addition to getting you closer to the front of the plane, these seats will also have extra legroom. In the main cabin, the first row may be the best option as it’s located right after emergency exits, giving you about 6 feet of legroom.
Although Aegean mentions WiFi onboard, I have yet to experience it on any A3 flight - so be prepared to have your own entertainment. I’d skip the bare bones snacks and drinks options onboard and definitely avoid the coffee.
Loyalty programs
Since A3 is a member of Star Alliance, flying it will help you accrue Air Canada Aeroplan miles, Status Qualifying Flights (SQF), and Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD). If you’re holding Aeroplan 50K status or higher, Aegean will also offer you a number of benefits like priority check-in, boarding, and baggage handling .
If you anticipate 8 flights or more to Greece per year, getting an Aegean Pass might be a good idea. The annual pass includes specific route packages (for example, an intra-Greece package or an Athens - Brussels package) and a fixed price per flight that is more cost-effective than booking each flight individually.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
