LAST STOP SANTORINI
 

Hi again. Keep in mind that our itinerary is still long from set. I would prefer to do Athens first(4days), ferry to Paros/Naxos and to leave Santorini (hopefully the high of our trip)for last, but would also like to loose as little time as possible transfering. Our departure flight from Athens is on 15th June at 1820. There is an Aegean flight departing from Santorini on 14 June at 2025. Our last 1/2 day in Athens will be spent doing last minute shopping. Is this do-able?

I need to add that, this itinerary will eliminate the problem of schedules for either fly to or ferry to Naxos/Paros as per previous topic.

Don't see why not. Just make sure there aren't any bus/metro/taxi strikes on the day of your departure from Athens. Most of these are announced in advance, and you can check for them on http://livingingreece.gr/strikes/. They are also on Twitter: @livingingreece.
:-)

Thanks Heimdall. Seeing as you replied to broadway79? that the Greek travel advisors tend to "err on the safe side", I was wondering if departing from Santorini the evening before our departure from Athens, was just pushing our luck.

Well, departing the evening before doesn't give you any extra margin for safety, but as I wrote, airline connections from the islands aren't much different from any other airline connection. If you were flying home, say, to the Midwest for example, and had connections in Frankfurt and New York, would you factor in a two day layover in each of those cities to make sure you didn't miss the ongoing flight?

The big difference is whether you book the tickets together, or as separate flights. You will probably book the Santorini-Athens flight separately, so wouldn't have the same protection as if the flights were booked together. All things considered, it's ideal to have a couple of days in Athens at the end of the trip.

What I am trying to say is that returning to Athens a couple of days before your flight home is sound advice. The risk of missing your connection with a same day (or night before) flight back to Athens is fairly small, but you have to consider what you stand to lose if it does happen. I have returned to Athens the same day as my flight home many times, and have had a couple of close calls, both with Sea Jets. When I have flown back to Athens I've never had a problem, but have always been aware of the possibility.

BTW, the consequences of missing a connection to Istanbul in the middle of a holiday would be less than missing a connection for your flight home at the end of the trip. That's what I meant by "you have to consider what you stand to lose", and my advice might differ for those different circumstances. ;-)