Greece Airport
 

I have just had my flight times changed by Olympic Airlines and now only have 55 minutes from the time my flight arrives in Athens and my flight to Santorini takes off. Anyone else had this problem? How big is the airport?Are there any hotels near the airport as the next flight is at 5:45am. What about checked luggage making it to the island if I get on the flight but my bags don't? No other flight to take until the next day. It will cost me $368 to change my original flight from SF to Frankfurt.

I have flown Olympic Airlines to Athens from JFK, but flew Aegean to Rodos. No one can predict whether your flight will be late or not. If it is on time, you will have PLENTY of time to make your flight. Athens Airport is very small. You can walk the ENTIRE airport in less than 5 minutes.

When you get off of the plane and exit to the street, you turn right and go upstairs to get your flight to Santorini. This is the Departures Area.

Fabulously Thin

Oh, your bags will go with you as you will have to go through Customs as you exit, so you don't have to worry about the bags going on to Santorini without you. You will then have to recheck your bags.

Actually even though the Athens airport is very small indeed, i don't thing you'll make it because Aegean will accept check in up to 45minutes before i think. So if your flight arrives in time, i'm not so sure how in ten minutes you'll get off the plane, take your luggage from the other flight and check in to the next one.

Oh... now i see that you haven't mentioned if your flight to santorini is with Olympic airlines as well. Because if that's the case maybe they can deal with the luggage problem!

If you go through customs &amp; immigration at Frankfurt, <i>and</i> your luggage is checked straight through from there to Santorini, <i>and</i> they give you a boarding pass, all you will have to do is dash to the Santorini departure gate. Assuming the flight arrives on time, you should be able to make it.

On the other hand, if you have to claim your luggage at Athens, then check in for your Santorini flight, I don't see how you can do it in 55 minutes.

There are two hotels near the airport: Sofitel is on the airport itself, and a room will cost you about the same as the $368 to change your flight; Holiday Inn is 15 minutes from the airport, but rooms are a little cheaper.

Check with the airline - if you booked with Olympic straight through from SF to Santorini there must be some obligation for them to help you.

Thanks for the responses.....guess I wasn't very clear. I land in Athens via Lufthansa from Frankfurt.Silly question about my bags, as I have to get them from that flight! Does anyone know if Lufthansa is able to check bags thru to Olympic, then they could be transferred and I would just have to get to the gate? Would anyone trust this? I was without my bags for 5 days when I went to Brazil and don't look forward to that again; but I guess that is the chance that is taken will all checked bags.

If you have to call Olympic Airlines, GOOD LUCK. I tried to phone them in NYC for two weeks last summer and the line was ALWAYS BUSY--24 hours a day.

I am not joking. I will never fly Olympic again.

No, as far as I know, they don't transfer bags from one airline to a different domestic airline.

Have you considered doing a carry-on on Lufthansa? Even then you would have to alert Lufthansa on-board staff that you would have to be the FIRST off the plane, bags in hand, to make the flight.

If you decide you have to stay over, there is a little B &amp; B for about 80 &euro; that's only 10miles from airport, and will do a free shuttle from airport &amp; back -- even has a little pool (u don't say if you are going in warm weather)
http://www.stay-in-athens.com/index.htm


PS: will Olympic guarantee you on the flight the next day?

What time does your Lufthansa flight arrive in Athens? The Olympic website is showing their last flight to Santorini at 9:20PM. Is that the one you have only 55 minutes to meet?

Thinking back, something similar happened to me with Olympic. When they change from winter to summer timetables on their website, extra flights are added for morning &amp; evening, and other flights times are altered to space them out evenly throughout the day. In my case, the time change meant that I had only 30 minutes between the first ferry from Antiparos and the flight departure from Paros Airport (I made it on time!)

If their timetable change means that you can no longer make the flight, they should either offer you a refund or switch you to a later flight. After all, they are the ones who caused the problem, not you.

Heimdall is right.. they SHOULD put you at a later flight at no cost or ask also about a refund and book another flight with Aegean if the time suits you better!