Small Greek Airlines Upset the Major Carriers

If airline route assignments in Greece were a sporting event, this would be the major upset by the underdogs. In the assignment of subsidized air routes serving smaller airports primarily in the Greek islands, both Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines have come up losers. The "winners" for these historically unprofitable short-hop lifeline routes? Athens Airways and Sky Express, two names which may not mean much - yet - to most travelers in Greece.

Kasthimerini reports that sources suggest that Aegean Airlines lost out on a technicality and that Olympic Air's offer simply wasn't good enough. But could the newly-empowered PASOK government also be announcing that there is a new sheriff in town?

What does this mean to your travel plans? I've had direct experience only with Crete-based Sky Express when trying to book a last-minute flight. I can attest that they were cordial and reasonably-priced for what I needed, but so far, they are a very small airline with planes to match, though that may change with these new routes if they become permanent. Athens Airways, sometimes mis-called Athens Airlines, boasts some bigger planes and reminds me of Aegean Airlines a few years back. But there's one possible problem affecting both - not every major booking engine may include Athens Air or Sky Express, making some travel options to the affected islands this winter and early spring invisible to the ordinary traveler.

And even on these newly-assigned temporary routes, I'm just not sure we've heard the last from Olympic and Aegean.

But however it goes, it won't stay this way for long. The rights to the routes are only good for the period from December 1st, 2009 to April 1st, 2010.

More: Sky Express

Athens Airways
Olympic Air

Aegean Airlines