lauramsgarden

As we try to figure out how to organize our Greece/Turkey trip next summer we are trying to decide how many internal flights we are up for (as they certainly seem easier to manage than ferry travel for some locations). My fear is that even a short flight however can end up taking up most of a day depending on how early we need to be at the airport prior to the flight, and how difficult the airport is to negotiate. For those of you who hail from the USA and have been through Athens airport, can you give me an idea of a comparable US one so I'll know what we are looking at. Thanks (i.e. are we talking Chicago or San Diego or Boston?)

greg

ATH is an underused small airport. Smaller than any of the airports you mentioned by passengers. Like other modern airports, ATH is not necessarily that close to Athens, so it adds time to get there and back. What I liked least about the ATH is the security staff. They don't tell you what you need to do before hand, but they surely love to yell at you to do this and don't do that! camera out! don't touch the tray! etc, as if it were a form of entertainment. Island airports are not that great, either. They all seem to be over capacity for the amount of passengers they handle.

Additionally, they seem to use tarmac a lot even at ATH.

Just think what lie outside the airports! I thought the ferry logistics are more thought out.

travelerjan

Laura, it's all in one bulding so you can't get lost!! International flights at one end, domestic at the other. FOr international flights, yes you have to be there 2 hrs ahead of time (even tho u will end up sitting and waiting after you check in and get thru security). For Domestic flights 1 hour, a lot easier.
If you are doing a domestic-to-domestic flight with a short interval between, you should think about carry-on, unless you buy as 1 ticket, then the airline takes care of it.

I"m not sure what Greg is talkng about ... I've been to Greece 12 x since '99 and have NEVER had any issues with security staff or check-in airline staff. Maybe he was giving them some kind of unconscious unspoken "attitude" and they responded in kind. The only hold-up I had was my passport clearance on my last trip. The official held me up. She kept looking at my passport and looking at me. I got nervous .. was I on a watch list? Did I have the same name as some criminal. Finally, she leaned over and said -- you don't look anything like your age! You look 20 years younger! ... now THAT is the kind of security staff I like to deal with !!!

pariswat

Same experience for me.

Athens airport is small, easy and staff is absolutely normal.

Besides, everybody knows what to do when going through security checks and I'd be surprised there are no posters indicating the procedure, like in all airports.

Heimdall

I'm not sure what greg is talking about either. I've been through Athens Airport many times, most recently last month. The terminal is small by international standards, and it's easy to get from Arrivals to the check-in desks (up one level) for domestic flights. Staff are friendly and helpful, and the only rule I've ever seen them enforce is "no sleeping on the floor". I will say the domestic departures area gets very busy in the mornings when flights to airports all over Greece depart.

Flights from Athens to distant islands are the way to go, but there aren't many inter-island routes, so it's best to use ferries for travel between islands. Unless you are travelling in August you don't need to book ferries over the internet, and even then usually no problem. Once a ferry from the mainland makes its first stop there are empty seats for subsequent stops.

Depending upon where in Turkey you plan to go, it may be easiest to return to Athens for a flight to Istanbul. If you plan to visit Ephesus, though, ferries to the Greek island of Samos may work out better. In that case you will need to travel to an intermediate island that has ferries to Samos.

traveller1959

I flew out of Athens three weeks ago and I confirm that it is just a normal aiport, nothing unusual with it. Compared to U.S. airports it is rather small, for European standards it is like a regional aiport. If you have to check baggage you should be at the check-in counter 45 minutes before departure but you may wait in line before you actually reach the counter, so better be there 90 minutes before. With the two-hour-before-departure rule you are on the safe side.

lauramsgarden

great that is very reassuring - sounds like the smaller airports we are used to. Now to make the hard decisions re allocating time. you are all so helpful.