Looking for experiences and recommendations for flying between Athens and the Cyclades. We will be travelling in early June and going to Naxos and Santorini for 3 nights each. Would like to do the ferries in one direction and fly the other. How busy are the flights? And are they reliable ?

Have used both ferries and planes; I'd take ferries there, then fly back. Arriving in Santorini by ferry is a beautiful sight. Planes were always full (mid-May, both times); reserve in advance.

I agree with Sue. The ideal arrival in Santorini is by ferry, at dawn. If there's a night ferry from the Piraeus to Santorini, I'd take it. You may then ferry also to Naxos and fly back. The only possible problem with this is that in early June there are no flights (at least not with Olympic) on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Have used turboprop planes in July: on time and booked up.

Can the flights be booked this far in advance? Or do I wait until we get to Athens. I had the impression that schedules for the summer were not out yet.<BR>Oh, and is there a choice of airlines or is it all on Olympic?

I reserved 2 or 3 mos in advance, I think. I've only used Olympic, but I think there is another airline that serves the islands. I'd check with a travel agent. I would definitely not wait 'til I got to Athens!

Olympic Airways domestic timetables may be found at<BR>http://www.olympic-airways.gr/flights/oafltfardomuk.htm<BR>I also reserved 2 months in advance.

We did a couple of inter island flights on Olympic and they were pretty good. Although when we flew from Athens to Chania, Crete we couldn't find out why we circled the airport in Crete for nearly an hour. When we landed they informed us that the ground crew in Athens "forgot" to put any luggage on the plane. It would be arriving about 12 hours later on the next flight. So much for efficiency.

Thanks for the replies. I will check out the site for Olympic Airways. There are 3 of us travelling so finding out the plane was full or there were only 1 or 2 seats would be a problem.<BR>As to efficiency, we have gotten used to standards in Mexico and the Caribbean. If you can kick back and have a drink and say "no problem", you live longer than the folks that have a fit and raise their blood pressure.

Since Olympic may or may not be going bankrupt (the story changes often), you may wish to look into Aegean Air which many Greece travelers think offers better service. Check their site to see whether they fly where you want to go. We're flying them from Athens to Chania in June.<BR><BR>http://www.aegean-air.gr/aegeanen/home/index.asp