Flight Review - Aegean Airlines Economy Class London to Athens to Rhodes (kinda!)

Just as I was reviewing how many points my booked travel would deliver towards my Star Alliance Gold renewal, a 50% off offer popped into my inbox from Aegean airlines. For £211, that opened up the short cut to Gold renewal as the point requirement is halved if you take 4 flights on Aegean aircraft.
I tried to upgrade this flight using one of the upgrade vouchers you receive then you achieve gold, but the flight was very full and the upgrade did not come through... So for the 4 hour leg down to Athens I was in economy, in a very cramped seat... At least the in-flight service was unexpectedly good...
Good seat maps for many airlines can be found at www.aerolopa.com
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⏰ Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
3:02 - Heathrow T2
6:14 - LHR - ATH
9:26 - The Inflight Service
13:46 - Athens
15:23 - Rhodes to Athens

[@markuskuhl1376]

I flew Aegean in 2016 from Frankfurt to Thessaloniki on board of an A321. They offered a hot meal and wine. In 2020 I flew with an A320 neo from Athens to Düsseldorf and they offered a drink service, a bottle of water and a sandwich. That was during the peak of Covid so I am glad that Aegean is again the airline with the best Economy service in Europe, while airlines like Lufthansa rise their fares and lower their service.

[@MattsPlanet]

Certainly a hidden gem from Southern Europe...

[@dospalmascb]

Sad to hear about your Australian friend. One of my friends traveled from the uk to Oz in 2019, he was in his 60s, he ended up in hospital down under with something similar, he then developed some form of infection and has subsequently had both feet amputated, all his fingers on one hand and 3 on the other. Dvt is definitely a concern. He’s recovered pretty well after 8 months in hospital. Great video Matt.

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks. Not something to be blasé about for sure.

[@jimmyjames6492]

Thanks for the great video! Hoping your friend has a speedy recovery! I try to get up and move around every hour or so when on long flights for that exact reason. DVT is more common than most people realize.

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks Jimmy. I'm sure everyone thinks their immune right up until they realise they aren't... My mate is doing well - his high level of fitness probable helped avoid disaster even if it didn't held him avoid the problem....

[@richardstreet7518]

Your vlogs just get better and better.. very slick... a good reminder too - book the best available seat in the booked class of travel, not the assumed or hoped for !!

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks very much! I try... Hope for the best but plan for the worst!

[@jessclifford8060]

This video was a joy to watch! I was just looking for a better look at the plane to see if I will be comfortable (I have chronic pain) and I am so pleased to have found myself laughing all the way through your video. You cannot go wrong with British sarcasm.

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks Jess... I try to hold people's interest!

[@miltiadisorfanidis7489]

Aegean is my favourite airline I always fly with them when going to Greece.

[@MattsPlanet]

Good to know!

[@evandrinks]

Great video! I just wanted to say that I took your advice when it came to choosing a loyalty program. I’ll be flying to Europe and all around Greece in June, and after calculating the miles I would earn, it was clear that Aegean was the best option. I should just make it to gold by the end of my trip, but I really appreciated how you pointed out the benefits to the program.

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks for that. I hope you have a great trip!

[@JettTyler17]

Well after watching this video Matt, I think you've convinced me to do a flight with Aegean next year! But I'm sticking to economy on the grounds I'm committing to a big trip in 2023 too!

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks. Keep an eye open for sales - they're pretty regular. And buying a seat with legroom after getting a fare in a sale ends up still being very reasonable...

[@luisstransport]

Great video Matt

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks!

[@jochenschulz6690]

Great video Matt, I agree with your findings 100%! I cannot remember to have an issue with my legs in the old A320 on Aegean, but since most routes use the A320neo that really pushes me to purchase the priority seats. Seems A320neo has the same plane dimensions, but 1 row (6 seats) more which results in noticeable less space for each row. I understand the economic argument of an airline to push more seats into a plane, but in my opinion that limit has been exceeded for flights >1 hour. Thanks for the seatmap link, I will definitely check that for my next booking to choose my seat wisely! :) As for the senator difference: true, often the food is no difference, but I appreciate the slightly quieter and more upscale atmosphere among senators (who reach 100000 miles/year).

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks Jochen. 28 inches is the lowest I think I've seen on any scheduled airline... And thanks for the words on the Senator lounge - I actually felt extremely relaxed sitting in there for an hour so there is something to be said for it!

[@Marco78710]

Hello,nice video,keep up the neat work!! In August I've flown with Aegean 4 flights in bussines OTP-ATH-RHO RHO-ATH-OTP for holiday.On the 1st trip we had 2 hours connecting so no problems. But on the return leg,it was a hell of a trip .We had 1h connecting time in Athens,and the plane left with 45 minutes delay from Rhodes and we end up having 10 minutes as a connection. Aegean didn't help us with the connection and we had to run and arrive there in 7 minutes,they were calling us on the station.When we landed they informed us that our luggage didn't make it and are in Athens. They sent it to us the next morning with no problem,they even gave us 4 bussines vouchers for free To Upgrade. Luckily for me I'm Silver and thanks to your advice I can become gold. Yes Aegean is a great airline,but the transfers in Athens are horrible

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks mate. My trips seem to have gone the other way - I think the shortest connection I've ever had was 3 hours! Which is quite relaxing and allowed a lot of lounge time.... ATH isn't the best airport though although that new lounge is a very nice development - I'll review it in the next video about the trip back.

[@simofran6456]

Aegean’s complimentary food service is back😍😍

[@MattsPlanet]

And very tasty it was too!

[@peetbothma6982]

As usual very entertaining and lessons learnt😇 Watching this one from SAA lounge at OR Tambo en route to Nairobi. This time Ethiopian in business class. Hard luck on yiur seat choice😊👍🇿🇦

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks Peet. Have a good flight - hope you have better legroom!

[@peetbothma6982]

@@MattsPlanet sure it will be Matt, normally is at the pointy end of the plane🤣👌🥂

[@khalid969]

A lot of very valuable information.

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks!

[@haddockman30]

I have flown Aegean many times and the experience has always been good. Decent hard product and good food.

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks H-Man. Proud to be an Aegean member!

[@rtb5365]

Enjoyed this, though I am very sorry to hear about your friend. Hopefully he makes a full recovery. I also hope that once your adventures on Aegean are concluded for this trip that you'll do a video (or at least part of one) that details the booking, points you earned, and progress towards gold. 28" is not a lot of leg room, but I suspect Aegean will justify it if the flights like yours are consistently full. Removing one row of seats in the jet would make a ton of difference.

[@MattsPlanet]

Hi RTB. I did! I shared the journey to gold in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4fUh3Z9asp4nK8

[@rtb5365]

@@MattsPlanet Indeed Have seen that. Thanks. I'm one of those strange folks that are always fascinated by the trip planning/booking/points process as much as the trip itself sometimes.

[@ethanjwarren]

Matt, another good'un. Aegean has been always an airline that's passed me by. However, seeing the food service and comparing it to BA's offering has me very inclined to consider them if heading to that part of Europe. Seat pitch isn't really a concern for me luckily because I'm a shortass. Have a good week.

[@MattsPlanet]

They're worth a look!

[@A35X]

Another fine video, being based in Manchester I can never decide which is the best loyalty scheme to go for. Have thought about Aegean for all the same reasons as you but won’t be going to Greece anytime soon. Will stick with BA for now, covers most destinations, if the Shuttles don’t get cancelled that is!

[@MattsPlanet]

Cheers Mark - Getting *A status through Aegean might be really helpful if you decide to use Lufty to get anywhere... Whether transferring through FRA is any better than LHR is the question I suppose!

[@IWTBF]

10:46 totally agree. I hooked up to the wifi once and was weird texting people. Next time I won’t bother. I prefer the break and being disconnected 😅

[@MattsPlanet]

There's few places left where that's possible!

[@richt71]

Hey Matt. I flew this week for the first time with Aegean London heathrow to Athens. The negatives for me where as you pointed out the lack of leg room (very tight seat pitch) although I had a row to myself. The check in lady was a jobsworth weighing cabin bags and telling people they were only allowed 1 cabin bag yet the flight was only a 3rd full. I had a whole overhead bin to my bag! The meal I had was the worlds smallest meal for the money I paid compared to someone like BA. I did like the flight crew and the charging port in the seat back though. Not sure I'd choose Aegean if I was paying £180 return next time.

[@MattsPlanet]

In economy BA doesn't give a meal these days, so a small one is better than nothing! And it is annoying if you hit a jobsworth!

[@Da__goat]

Aegean is a quirky little airline, just like the country it calls home. Of all airlines I have taken it does offer a comparable experience with surprisingly good food

[@MattsPlanet]

As I said at the end of the video - get an emergency exit row and the whole experience would have been excellent!

[@johndereck304]

Boss content mate. Everything is sound. Is T2 going to be renamed the King's terminal now?

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks John. Good question! I think Charles may get the next terminal named after him... Or perhaps the third runway?

[@johndereck304]

@@MattsPlanet I think T2 should just be renamed after Chuck, and become the King's terminal because honestly I do not think Liz will ever walk through it again. She needs to be let rest in peace and in history. She is a done deal. It should be the King"s terminal.

[@wingitoneworld]

Great video Matt, quick question do you get extra tier points with your upgrade or are they similar to oneworld BA and only give you the points for class originally booked? Oliver.

[@MattsPlanet]

Cheers Oliver - you get what you booked. Which I think is fair enough!

[@wingitoneworld]

@@MattsPlanet Thanks Matt, I thought it would be, I have done just what you did, apart from I’m off to Cario instead of Rhodes. Bid for the upgrade for the longest part to Athens, let’s see how it goes. Sadly I have to start from Blue but happy to do 4 hours just not in row 37. Who know what luck and money bring 😄 Keep up the great work. Oliver

[@scottprice4813]

So you’ve covered this pretty extensively and when I retire soon I may try the Aegean qualification for gold. From a hassle perspective residing in North America doing this as a pretty patient person what type of challenge will this initially be on a scale of 1-10 with higher number being a greater struggle ?Just your opinion

[@MattsPlanet]

Doing it on Aegean would be better than doing it on virtually anyone else!!! It's a 2 stage process with 2 flights on Aegean "shortcutting" Silver then 4 more "shorecutting" gold. So with some careful planning it would not be too difficult... Then renewal is very easy with the 4 Aegean flights - trickier without, and getting 4 is trickier from North America.... I'd schedule out what flights you might take after retirement then whack them though Wheretocredit to see what sort of Aegean haul you'd get to see how hard it's going to be... From Europe its only a 2 or 3...

[@nuckymcnuck]

Aegean isn't back to full service yet. They had a winter flight from DUB to ATH that got cancelled this Christmas with no plans to start it back up again (assuming lack of demand) per their rep on the phone... So I got refunded as they couldn't get us an alternate routing. Low and behold they brought the flight back for a few days just before and after Christmas, at a drastically increased price and a horrible departure time necessitating a long layover

[@MattsPlanet]

That's not helpful...

[@nuckymcnuck]

​@@MattsPlanet I have a feeling if I had of waited a bit longer instead of getting a refund that I'd have been rescheduled onto the new flights. Difficult to tell in retrospect. The new flight dates don't work for my schedule anyway, so a moot point for me. There has to be demand for a DUB-ATH route off peak as Ryanair now have it year round, which was a bit of a surprise to me. An even bigger surprise was that the airport slots are during reasonable times in winter, with 2 flights a week. There would be no way Aegean could reasonable compete with Ryanair given the latters cash reserves and promotional tactics

[@vasilisconstantinides4476]

I’d say 28 inches of legroom is adequate for most people as most people are not 6 foot 4

[@MattsPlanet]

Absolutely true and a good point. But it won't be as good for shorter travellers as a seat offering 30 inches!!!

[@Vromiaris778]

I agree with you on Aegean’s horrible leg room situation - I was in a A321 in rown 38 - my knees were jammed up into the seat ahead of me and I am not that tall at 1,80m! I used to enjoy flying Aegean, but my last two flights with them were horrible! On a bright side, though, their in flight snacks / food are still the best in Europe. I just wish I had circulation to my feet while eating!

[@MattsPlanet]

Thanks - it does seem to get worse as you go further back - so next time I'll try to be in the first row behind business

[@scottprice4813]

28”?? I’ve only ever seen anything like that on perhaps Allegiant or a now defunct cut rate charter line called Champion where I used to get round trips to Las Vegas for $70. You see these urban legend type articles about people maybe being required to stand up on a cut rate flight . 28” seems like going too far on a regular mainline carrier.

[@MattsPlanet]

I'd seen the 30 inches on seatguru so hadn't been too worried... But sitting in the seat, you could tell it wasn't 30! Aeroplopa says that some of Aegean's A321s only have 32 rows, so they've chosen to squeeze people in... Which you wouldn't know if you just relied on Seatguru! I'll know to check how many rows an airline offers in A321s now...

[@justme-fe2sf]

Great review. I love flying with Aegean, I flew to Italy from Greece recently on an Italian airline and they didn't offer us even water. Aegean on the way back it was full on service of drinks, snacks and a small meal. One thing that you mentioned about the militaristic almost look. I personally prefer it to be honest. I have flown with so many airlines and living in the US I am tired of unsmiling flight crew, or if not that then often unpredictable grooming standards that often dont look professional. I much prefer a uniformed look. Yes all the aegean crew tend to be attractive, with great make up and hair and on the slender side. But as much as that could be interpreted as sexist, is it so bad to have someone who smiles and takes an effort in their appearance welcoming you or some badly made up, cranky , hair all over the place flight attendant on American or Canadian airlines?

[@MattsPlanet]

I think I agree although I fear it would be dangerous to say that in a video!

[@j2simpso]

So does this trip now make you a Rhodes scholar? 🤔😂

[@MattsPlanet]

Very good! I've done a bit of research for the video I'm making about Rhodes town so I probably am!!!!

[@IWTBF]

12:03 sad to hear

[@MattsPlanet]

He's doing much better... Still not 100% but he has been able to fly again and should continue to improve. Whether he'll ever be 100% is unclear.

[@mikiewifnoe360]

I do enjoy your reviews. You have just mentioned your age; I realized you could be my son, well, based on age alone. ;-{) Don't you just love random thoughts from strangers.....

[@MattsPlanet]

Ha ha! Age is just a number... Does that mean you thought I looked older?

[@mikiewifnoe360]

@@MattsPlanet LOL no, it is I always forget my age until I pass a mirror of someone mentioning theirs, and then I think they could be my kid, grandkid, or great-grandkid.