Operating for over 2 decades, Aegean Airlines (A3) is the largest airline in Greece, connecting to over 160 destinations in Europe, 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 Southwest, Aegean can be considered a budget airline, though its prices tend to be on the costlier side. A member of the 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 low-cost carriers like Ryanair, Aegean tends to price closer to full-service Star Alliance members like Lufthansa or Turkish Airlines (which often fly nonstop to where I need to go).
For these reasons, I’ve rarely used Aegean on its mid-haul routes. The airline truly shines with coverage within Greece. It’s much faster than taking a ferry and connecting to a number of Greek islands and other destinations is a breeze with Aegean. Most flights are under an hour long and prices can be competitive with local low-cost carriers like Sky Express on certain routes and the service is good.
Fare classes
Aegean has two 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
Aegean’s economy cabin offers 3 fare tiers, each with different inclusions and flexibility. Here’s what you get with each:
Light: one piece of cabin baggage (personal item or carry-on), ticket changes for a fee and fare difference. The most budget-friendly option for flexible travelers.
Flex: two pieces of cabin baggage (personal item plus carry-on up to 17 lbs), standard seat selection, free unlimited ticket changes.
ComfortFlex: Everything in Flex plus up front seat selection and at least one checked bag included.
I usually travel with a carry-on and personal item and I’ve flown Light multiple times, adding what I need separately (a seat up front or security fast track). I’ve never had an issue, the crew either didn’t notice or chose not to enforce the one-item rule. If you’d rather avoid potential fare violations and paying onboard, book Flex.
Business
In the business cabin, A3 offers two fares: Business Basic and Business. The only real difference between these tiers is the fare policy. Basic doesn’t allow refunds (except taxes) 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. If you plan on flying Aegean on its mid-haul routes, business might be a good option, especially if you have checked bags. Business Basic will get you two checked bags up to 70 lbs each 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, just be sure to pay attention to weight restrictions.
Onboard experience
A3 operates a range of Airbus aircraft on most routes, which includes the A319, 320, 321 and 321neo. (Some of the shortest routes also feature ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft). While individual arrangements may vary by plane, the Airbuses typically feature a business class cabin, followed by a number of 3x3 rows of up-front seats and the main cabin.
The economy seats are pretty basic, even up-front. They have little cushion and feel more like a budget airline than a full-service carrier. That said, the up-front seats recline nicely and tend to be more spacious than the main cabin. On my recent flight, they felt more spacious than my transatlantic Delta economy seat.
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 the emergency exits, giving you about six feet of legroom.
Although Aegean mentions WiFi onboard, it’s only available on A320neo and A321neo aircraft, with packages for messaging, browsing and streaming. On the older A320 and A321 fleet, there’s no WiFi, so be prepared to have your own entertainment. I’d also skip the bare-bones snacks and drinks options onboard and definitely avoid the coffee.
Check-in and boarding
The A3 check-in process is fast and simple. Check-in opens 48 hours before departure (closing 30 minutes before), which I find helpful since I have one 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 through the AEGEAN Upgrade Challenge, are in Greek. Just use the translate function in your email to see what’s up.
Aegean typically boards by zone and at Athens airport, this process can be a bit disorganized. While the crew doesn’t always announce which zone is boarding, they do check individual boarding passes and will politely remove passengers from the queue if their zone hasn’t started boarding. This can lead to some confusion and minor delays.
When flying A3, I often purchase the Up-Front seat add-on because I prefer to deplane fast. Purchasing this add-on doesn’t automatically put you in priority boarding. That option is reserved for business class passengers, ComfortFlex ticket holders and Star Alliance Gold status holders.
Connecting in Athens
Flying from the US to Greek destinations beyond Athens means connecting through Athens International Airport (ATH), transferring from your transatlantic carrier to Aegean. The process involves terminal changes, passport control,and security, so these tips will help you navigate it smoothly.
US flights typically arrive at the main terminal (Hall A) in Athens, which handles non-Schengen flights. For departures within Greece and further in Europe (Schengen area), you’ll use the main terminal, though some flights may also depart from the satellite terminal (C-gates). If you do need to transfer to the satellite terminal, you’ll use an underground link with moving walkways that takes about 15 minutes to traverse. At either arrival terminal, you’ll need to go through passport control and go back up through security to access the departures area.
With the frequent delays that characterize modern air travel, typical connection times of two hours might be cutting it tight. I highly recommend purchasing an A3 add-on called Security Fast Track to help you breeze through security at 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 lounges at ATH (both Intra-Schengen and Extra-Schengen) are excellent and worth a visit. 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 on my US flight. But with the gate assignment email, I didn’t have to waste time looking for airport boards or airline reps to get that information.
Loyalty programs
Star Alliance membership with Aegean means flying A3 earns you United miles, Premier qualifying flights (PQF), and Premier qualifying points (PQP), though PQP accrual on non-United ticket stock is capped at 500 PQP for Economy and 1,000 PQP for Business. Star Alliance Gold status holders get priority check-in, boarding, extra baggage allowance and priority baggage handling when flying Aegean. Throughout Star Alliance, Silver status provides more limited benefits like priority waitlist and standby.
If you fly to Greece frequently, 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 to 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.
