Aegean Airlines

Aegean: the airline of the Greek islands

Aegean is Greece’s flag carrier and largest airline — a Star Alliance member that, together with its regional subsidiary Olympic Air, runs the densest network across the Greek islands and on to Europe. From Athens and Thessaloniki it flies a young Airbus fleet to Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Rhodes and dozens of European cities, and has just launched its first own long-haul routes to India. As an EU (Greek) airline, it’s covered by EU 261/2004 both leaving and entering the EU.

Because it’s mostly short and medium-haul, the typical Aegean claim is €250 or €400. But it flies in one of Europe’s most disruption-prone environments: packed summer schedules, frequent Greek and European air-traffic-control strikes, and the Aegean Sea’s meltemi winds that close island airports. Knowing exactly what you’re owed at each stage of a delay — and which causes do and don’t pay — is the whole skill.

What you’re owed at each hour

What your Aegean claim is worth

The amount is fixed by the great-circle distance of your route:

Most of Aegean’s flying — the islands and the nearer European cities — is in the €250 band, with the longer European routes at €400 and its new India routes at €600. Because the European network stays inside the EU, even a long route there is capped at €400. Try a few:

Watch the 1,500 km line: Athens → Rome (~1,051 km) is €250, but Athens → Frankfurt (~1,818 km) is €400. (One note: Aegean’s “Athens–New York” flight is actually operated by Emirates as a codeshare — for that one, you’d claim against Emirates, the operating carrier. Aegean’s own long-haul is to India.)

Delays and cancellations

• Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within Aegean’s control, and you’re owed €250–600. Measured at arrival.
• Cancellations. A refund or rerouting, care, and — unless 14+ days’ notice or extraordinary circumstances — the per-passenger compensation on top.
• Care. Owed by the hour even when the cause is extraordinary — which, on Aegean’s network, it often is.

Real example. An Athens → Santorini flight (about 235 km) arrives 3 hours 15 minutes late after a technical fault. Within Aegean’s control, under 1,500 km → €250 per passenger, plus the meals you were owed. Check a delayed flight →

Real example. An Athens → London flight is cancelled five days before departure with no acceptable alternative. Under-14-days’ notice, 1,500–3,500 km → €400 per passenger, plus a refund or rerouting. Check a cancelled flight →

When Aegean doesn’t pay — and what you still get

Aegean flies in a part of Europe where a lot of disruption is genuinely outside its control: the meltemi winds that close Mykonos and Santorini in summer, and the Greek and European ATC strikes that hit the whole region. Those are extraordinary circumstances — no €250–600. But your other rights survive: a refund or rerouting, and care (meals, and a hotel if you’re stuck overnight). If Aegean fails to provide that care, pay reasonable amounts and claim the receipts back.

Real example. An Athens → Mykonos flight is cancelled by strong meltemi winds. No compensation — but Aegean must rebook or refund you and cover meals and, if needed, a hotel. By contrast, a cancellation from a crew shortage would be claimable.

How to claim from Aegean yourself

1. Gather your evidence — booking reference, flight number and date, Aegean’s stated reason, and receipts for any meals, transport or a hotel.
2. Confirm it qualifies — arrived 3+ hours late (or cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or denied boarding); the cause wasn’t extraordinary (not the winds or an ATC strike); you’re within the time limit.
3. Work out the amount from the distance band — €250, €400 or €600.
4. Submit Aegean’s claim form. Use Aegean’s contact / complaint form, selecting the EU 261 category, with the flight and the arrival delay.
5. Escalate if refused. Greece’s enforcement body is the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA); complain to Aegean first, then escalate if unresolved — or hand the claim to a specialist.

Real Aegean scenarios

• Island technical delay. Athens → Santorini 3h15 late after a technical fault → €250 each, plus care.
• European cancellation. Athens → London cancelled under 14 days out → €400 each, plus refund or rerouting.
• Meltemi/ATC — the honest no. Athens → Mykonos cancelled by strong winds, or an Athens → Paris flight grounded by an ATC strike → no compensation, but care and a refund or rerouting.
• New long-haul. Athens → New Delhi delayed 4 hours by a technical fault → €600 each.

See real won cases and verdicts →.

Aegean Airlines at a glance

Founded in 1987 and flying since 1999, Aegean is Greece’s largest airline, led by CEO Dimitrios Gerogiannis and chaired by Eftichios Vassilakis. With its subsidiary Olympic Air it carries around 17 million passengers a year on an all-Airbus fleet — now including the long-range A321neo XLR that powers its first nonstop routes to India. Its world is the Greek summer: islands, winds and strikes — a combination that produces a lot of disrupted flights, where knowing the difference between an “extraordinary” cause and a claimable one is what gets the money out.

Why use Refundio for an Aegean claim

On Aegean’s network, the line between a claimable delay and an “extraordinary” one (winds, ATC strikes) is exactly where airlines push back hardest. Refundio buys your claim and pays you upfront, usually within days, works out whether the cause really lets Aegean off the hook, and takes it on itself. No win, no fee.

Check your Aegean claim in 2 minutes →

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation will I get for a delayed Aegean flight?

For most Aegean flights, €250 — its island and short-European routes are under 1,500 km. Longer European routes (Athens to Frankfurt, Paris, London) pay €400, and its new India routes reach €600. Because most of its network is intra-EU, even a long European route is capped at €400.

My Aegean flight to a Greek island was cancelled by strong winds. Am I owed?

Probably not the cash. The meltemi winds — and Greek or European ATC strikes — are extraordinary circumstances, so no fixed compensation is due. But you keep care (meals, a hotel if overnight) and a refund or rerouting. Only delays within Aegean’s control (technical fault, crew shortage) are claimable.

Are domestic Greek flights covered by EU 261?

Yes. Greece is in the EU, so a domestic flight — Athens to Santorini, Mykonos, Crete or Rhodes — is intra-EU and covered. A 3+ hour arrival delay within Aegean’s control is worth €250.

What am I entitled to while I’m stuck waiting?

Care, by the hour, regardless of cause: meals and two calls/emails from two hours, a hotel and transfers if overnight, and a full refund at five hours. Compensation is separate and needs a 3+ hour arrival delay that was Aegean’s fault.

How do I claim compensation from Aegean?

Use Aegean’s online contact / complaint form, selecting the EU 261 category, with your flight details and the arrival delay. If refused, escalate to Greece’s HCAA — or hand it to Refundio.

How long do I have to claim from Aegean?

For flights under Greek jurisdiction generally a few years; it varies elsewhere in the EU. Older flights are often still claimable.