Non-Stop flight from Atlanta to Athens, Greece in March?

[Iamthesea]

I cannot find a non-stop flight from Atlanta to Athens, Greece in March.  We are looking at a cruise that leaves out of Athens. I do see that Delta has a non-stop at other times of the year, however. 

 

American out of Charlotte does not have one either. Is March just not popular enough for the two airlines to fly non-stop?

 

We have thought about flying into another airport within Greece, or another country, and staying a couple of nights before a taking a flight to Athens (non-stop.)  But not sure which airport would be a good choice.  Any suggestions?

[d9704011]

Istanbul (IST).

[CruiserBruce]

Most of the major US oriented airlines only do seasonal flights into Athens. UA does a year around flight from EWR.

 

Fact of life...there aren't non-stops from every point A to point B worldwide.

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, Iamthesea said:

We have thought about flying into another airport within Greece, or another country, and staying a couple of nights before a taking a flight to Athens (non-stop.)  But not sure which airport would be a good choice.  Any suggestions?

 

And for what purpose?  No other city will have the range of flights that ATH has, so you will have fewer options to work with.  Also, given that you were wanting a nonstop from the USA, going elsewhere will just likely entail even more connections.  Or flying budget airlines.

 

The second largest airport on the mainland is Thessaloniki Airport in northern Greece.  The second largest in Greece overall is Heraklion Airport on Crete.  Pretty much the rest is to outlying islands.

 

 

[Globaliser]

9 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

We have thought about flying into another airport within Greece, or another country, and staying a couple of nights before a taking a flight to Athens (non-stop.)  But not sure which airport would be a good choice.  Any suggestions?

 

There are lots of options for this. Most countries that are situated between the USA and Greece will have an option. And why would you want to stay for a couple of nights before going on to Athens? Most people doing this would go straight on to their destination (ie Athens). It may cost more to stop over. And it doesn't sound like you already have a reason to stop anywhere in particular.

 

Having said that, of course, it isn't difficult to find a good reason to stop in one of the many cities that you could connect in. But then it also isn't difficult to think of good reasons to have an extra couple of days in Athens.

 

8 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

UA does a year around flight from EWR.

 

I'm not sure that's the case (any more). But EK (Emirates) does seem to have a year-round flight from Newark to Athens.

[zqvol]

13 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

I cannot find a non-stop flight from Atlanta to Athens, Greece in March.  We are looking at a cruise that leaves out of Athens. I do see that Delta has a non-stop at other times of the year, however. 

 

American out of Charlotte does not have one either. Is March just not popular enough for the two airlines to fly non-stop?

 

We have thought about flying into another airport within Greece, or another country, and staying a couple of nights before a taking a flight to Athens (non-stop.)  But not sure which airport would be a good choice.  Any suggestions?

Sounds like you are in E. Tenn and want to drive to your airport of origin. In March you are going to have to stop one or two times so find the best connections and enjoy your trip. Do t over think it. 

[FlyerTalker]

In reading this a bit further, let me suggest to you that you might want to take advantage of some airline's promotion programs where you can get a free or low cost stopover on your way to your final destination.  These would allow you to visit another city along the way.

 

Programs are either at no additional cost, or a small fee to break up the air pricing.  In addition, programs offer everything from no additional benefits to free hotels, meals and/or tours.  Each program is different and have their own special rules.

 

European airlines and cities include:

 

Icelandair - Reykjavik

Turkish - Istanbul

TAP - Lisbon

TAP - Porto

Finnair - Helsinki

Iberia - Madrid

Swiss - Zurich

Aer Lingus - Dublin

KLM - Amsterdam 

Air France - Paris

 

Mideast carriers:

 

Emirates - Dubai

Qatar - Doha

Etihad - Abu Dhabi

 

There are also airlines for the Americas and Asia that I have not included.

 

Now note - these programs come and go with some carriers, so check before buying anything.

 

 

 

[Iamthesea]

13 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Istanbul (IST).

 

Thank you for that suggestion.  I would not mind seeing Istanbul a third time, but would have a hard time talking my husband into going back.  He was not too fond.

 

12 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Most of the major US oriented airlines only do seasonal flights into Athens. UA does a year around flight from EWR.

 

Fact of life...there aren't non-stops from every point A to point B worldwide.

 

I understand that, but we already have to make a stop from our homebased airport (East TN - TRI) in either ATL or CLT before heading overseas.  So adding on another connection in Europe (I am seeing Amsterdam and Paris) makes the trip more stressful.  My DH will be about 12 weeks post hip replacement, so the least amount of time in the air, and the least amount of boarding/waiting for connections and un-boarding in a 24 hour period will be better for him.

 

We did see that EWR had the Emirates flight, but that is also an extra connection for us.

 

12 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

And for what purpose?  No other city will have the range of flights that ATH has, so you will have fewer options to work with.  Also, given that you were wanting a nonstop from the USA, going elsewhere will just likely entail even more connections.  Or flying budget airlines.

 

The second largest airport on the mainland is Thessaloniki Airport in northern Greece.  The second largest in Greece overall is Heraklion Airport on Crete.  Pretty much the rest is to outlying islands.

 

 

 

The cruise goes to both of those locations in Greece, so I think we are leaning more to other areas around Europe.  DH and I discussed last night.  He is  leaning towards flying into Rome.  We have been there numerous times, but there is always something to see fairly close by either by train or private transport.  I would love to go back to Florence. 

 

I suggested Paris.  We would both like to go back to Normandy, but prefer to be there during the WWII reenactment in June (fabulous!)  There are reasonable non-stop flights from FCO or CDG to ATH.   

 

When we make these side trips, before a cruise, we stay over at least 2 or 3 nights.  It's not like we are staying overnight and back on a plane or train.  We like rest and relaxation before and after an overseas cruise.  I will look into your "program" suggestions.  Thanks!!!

 

4 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

There are lots of options for this. Most countries that are situated between the USA and Greece will have an option. And why would you want to stay for a couple of nights before going on to Athens? Most people doing this would go straight on to their destination (ie Athens). It may cost more to stop over. And it doesn't sound like you already have a reason to stop anywhere in particular.

 

Having said that, of course, it isn't difficult to find a good reason to stop in one of the many cities that you could connect in. But then it also isn't difficult to think of good reasons to have an extra couple of days in Athens.

 

We have been to Athens twice before.  Plus, the cruise has a night onboard (2 days) and we will arrive the day before the cruise for more time.  I need to do research for surrounding areas of interest, as well.  Other than seeing the Parthenon and strolling the Plaka again, I am not sure we need to visit anything else a third time.

Edited August 5 by Iamthesea

[Zach1213]

4 hours ago, Globaliser said:

I'm not sure that's the case (any more). 

 

It is not, seasonal only EWR-ATH on UA. 

 

5 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

I understand that, but we already have to make a stop from our homebased airport (East TN - TRI) in either ATL or CLT before heading overseas.  So adding on another connection in Europe (I am seeing Amsterdam and Paris) makes the trip more stressful. 

 

Would you consider driving to Nashville and doing British Airways BNA-LHR-ATH? 

Edited August 5 by Zach1213

[Globaliser]

26 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

Would you consider driving to Nashville and doing British Airways BNA-LHR-ATH? 

 

Lots of one-stop options from CLT, too - Google Maps says it's about a 3-hour drive to Charlotte. But then there are also quite a lot of flights from TRI to CLT, which is (as I understand it) quite a nice airport to connect at.

[Zach1213]

17 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

Lots of one-stop options from CLT, too - Google Maps says it's about a 3-hour drive to Charlotte. But then there are also quite a lot of flights from TRI to CLT, which is (as I understand it) quite a nice airport to connect at.

 

CLT is...okay. I connect through there a decent amount as an AA frequent flier. It's definitely overcrowded and a bit run down, but it's still fairly easy. I like clearing US immigration/customs there too, as it always seems a bit quicker than other AA hubs in my experience. 

Edited August 5 by Zach1213

[FlyerTalker]

14 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

CLT, which is (as I understand it) quite a nice airport to connect at.

 

CLT used to be a nice airport.  Because of its low costs to carriers, AA has overloaded schedules in/out of CLT.  Now it's a crowded, unattractive pit, IMO.

[Globaliser]

That's a pity. Thanks both for the update.

[Iamthesea]

1 hour ago, Zach1213 said:

 

It is not, seasonal only EWR-ATH on UA. 

 

 

Would you consider driving to Nashville and doing British Airways BNA-LHR-ATH? 

 

No, if we are going to drive 4.5 - 5 hours, we would drive to our daughters in Marietta, GA (near ATL). After a major car accident a few years ago, we try to avoid long drives as much as possible.  Plus, I think a long car ride would be harder on DH's hip than a Business Class seat on a flight. 

 

Again, trying to cut out that middle connection in Europe or U.K.  Although, we love London and the surrounding areas.  That was another discussed stop over, but a little longer to get over to Greece afterward.  Thanks for the suggestion.

 

55 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

CLT is...okay. I connect through there a decent amount as an AA frequent flier. It's definitely overcrowded and a bit run down, but it's still fairly easy. I like clearing US immigration/customs there too, as it always seems a bit quicker than other AA hubs in my experience. 

 

53 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

CLT used to be a nice airport.  Because of its low costs to carriers, AA has overloaded schedules in/out of CLT.  Now it's a crowded, unattractive pit, IMO.

 

We did not notice that the airport was "a bit run down" or "an unattractive pit" when we flew through there last fall.  I have always liked the CLT airport better than ATL, but we prefer Delta.  We will be traveling through CLT this fall, so I will take more time to look around. 😉  We enjoy the piano players, and the grandchildren love the "relaxation therapy" dogs that walk around the airport.

Edited August 5 by Iamthesea

[zdcatc12]

13 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

CLT used to be a nice airport.  Because of its low costs to carriers, AA has overloaded schedules in/out of CLT.  Now it's a crowded, unattractive pit, IMO.

I agree. I thought that the poster was being sarcastic when they posted that!!!

[Zach1213]

18 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

Again, trying to cut out that middle connection in Europe or U.K.  Although, we love London and the surrounding areas.  That was another discussed stop over, but a little longer to get over to Greece afterward.  Thanks for the suggestion.

 

 

No I get it, but unfortunately, during that time of year, your only option to connect outside of Europe is that Emirates flight out of EWR. There's just not another option. And in that case, I personally recommend just connecting in Europe because there are a lot more options of getting from, say, London or Paris or Frankfurt to Athens (or other places in Greece) that there is from the US if something goes wrong. 

[Globaliser]

6 hours ago, zdcatc12 said:

I thought that the poster was being sarcastic when they posted that!!!

 

Sadly just a case of both my experience and my information being out of date.

[Pearl64]

We did this trip last October so winter schedules were in place. We drove to ATL and then flew Delta to JFK. We had a long layover there due to my insistance over a short one. We then flew straight to ATH. It was easy peasy. The gates were right next to one another. It seemed as though our entire cruise was on this flight! We were worried about JFK but had no issues. We felt if there were issues. jFK had more options than smaller airports. If you can swing it, Delta’s Premium Select is not a bad product.

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, Globaliser said:

Sadly just a case of both my experience and my information being out of date.

 

Facts change.  I can't begin to count the number of times when my knowledge is out of date.  So there's no fault in being ill-informed, just in persisting in a view even in the face of contrary info.  Which you aren't (though some posters on CC stubbornly cling to incorrect views).

 

I'll still put you and fbgd as my go-to sources for info on the east side of the pond.

 

 

 

 

[zqvol]

On 8/5/2024 at 10:34 AM, Iamthesea said:

 

Thank you for that suggestion.  I would not mind seeing Istanbul a third time, but would have a hard time talking my husband into going back.  He was not too fond.

 

 

I understand that, but we already have to make a stop from our homebased airport (East TN - TRI) in either ATL or CLT before heading overseas.  So adding on another connection in Europe (I am seeing Amsterdam and Paris) makes the trip more stressful.  My DH will be about 12 weeks post hip replacement, so the least amount of time in the air, and the least amount of boarding/waiting for connections and un-boarding in a 24 hour period will be better for him.

 

We did see that EWR had the Emirates flight, but that is also an extra connection for us.

 

 

The cruise goes to both of those locations in Greece, so I think we are leaning more to other areas around Europe.  DH and I discussed last night.  He is  leaning towards flying into Rome.  We have been there numerous times, but there is always something to see fairly close by either by train or private transport.  I would love to go back to Florence. 

 

I suggested Paris.  We would both like to go back to Normandy, but prefer to be there during the WWII reenactment in June (fabulous!)  There are reasonable non-stop flights from FCO or CDG to ATH.   

 

When we make these side trips, before a cruise, we stay over at least 2 or 3 nights.  It's not like we are staying overnight and back on a plane or train.  We like rest and relaxation before and after an overseas cruise.  I will look into your "program" suggestions.  Thanks!!!

 

 

We have been to Athens twice before.  Plus, the cruise has a night onboard (2 days) and we will arrive the day before the cruise for more time.  I need to do research for surrounding areas of interest, as well.  Other than seeing the Parthenon and strolling the Plaka again, I am not sure we need to visit anything else a third time.

Did you check flights out of TYS?

 

you will have more options than out of TRI. 

Edited August 6 by zqvol

[Iamthesea]

The problem is not getting out of TRI.  We like to use them as much as possible.  Easy TSA, as well!  Knoxville (TYS) is low on the list of where we would drive too.  I don't like that drive at all!!!  Asheville (AVL) is closer to us.

 

Another main reason that we like to keep the connections limited is because of luggage, and the chance of it getting lost.  Happened to us in May when we went to Amsterdam and our luggage went to Frankfurt.  Long story!  Delta (and KLM.) We luckily had 3 days built-in before our cruise out of Rotterdam.  Had it not been for our AirTags and us keeping track of where the luggage was, we would not have received it before embarking. We had to take matters into our own hands and practically stalked AMS.  I found our luggage hiding in a Lufthansa luggage terminal after Frankfurt sent it back to be delivered to our hotel in Rotterdam.  That was not going to happen.  Anyway....

 

11 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

 

No I get it, but unfortunately, during that time of year, your only option to connect outside of Europe is that Emirates flight out of EWR. There's just not another option. And in that case, I personally recommend just connecting in Europe because there are a lot more options of getting from, say, London or Paris or Frankfurt to Athens (or other places in Greece) that there is from the US if something goes wrong. 

 

Let's talk Emirates!  Have any of you flown it?  What is Business Class like (or Premium Economy?)  There is a direct flight from TRI to EWR on both Allegiant and Delta out of AVL (an hours drive from us.)  Our daughter has taken that flight on Delta.  We could do that (just a little longer flight than going to ATL) and then catch the Emirates flight directly to Athens.  Of course, that would cut out any reason to stay over in another country.

 

 

10 hours ago, Pearl64 said:

We did this trip last October so winter schedules were in place. We drove to ATL and then flew Delta to JFK. We had a long layover there due to my insistance over a short one. We then flew straight to ATH. It was easy peasy. The gates were right next to one another. It seemed as though our entire cruise was on this flight! We were worried about JFK but had no issues. We felt if there were issues. jFK had more options than smaller airports. If you can swing it, Delta’s Premium Select is not a bad product.

 

Upstate, where?  I am originally from the upstate.  The Atlanta drive is a lot less in time from there.

 

In May, we flew back from Germany after a post cruise trip.  Instead of a non-stop to ATL, we went through JFK first (they had a great Business Class rate doing that route and we did not mind about the luggage because we were going home.)   Like you, we had a pleasant experience at JFK.  Going through there, pre-cruise, would be harder, with more connections for us.

 

While we prefer Business, we have tried Premium while flying overseas.  If the savings is much better, we don't mind flying it.  But I still think that DH will be better off with Business this time around.  Thanks for the post!

 

Edited August 6 by Iamthesea

[taxatty]

As Globaliser suggested, if you can handle the extra 2 hours of driving past Asheville to Charlotte (maybe spend the night in Charlotte to make it easier), it could be best to go CLT-LHR-ATH or CLT-MAD-ATH and have one fewer connection. I have flown between CLT and AVL (and the much nicer and more efficient GSP another hour down the road) many times. Those flights are fairly often delayed and sometimes cancelled, and you wouldn't want a messed-up AVL-CLT 40 minute flight connection to put your transatlantic trip in jeopardy. AVL is also now undergoing major construction that currently makes it a pain to use. 

[Zach1213]

17 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

Let's talk Emirates!  Have any of you flown it?  What is Business Class like (or Premium Economy?)  There is a direct flight from TRI to EWR on both Allegiant and Delta out of AVL (an hours drive from us.)  Our daughter has taken that flight on Delta.  We could do that (just a little longer flight than going to ATL) and then catch the Emirates flight directly to Athens. 

 

 

I don't have much experience on Emirates. Due to my loyalty, I usually transit via Qatar when I need to go to/from/through the Middle East. But I have done a few Emirates trips in Business class. They're good, but they also rely quite a lot on their reputation, even in premium cabins. But it'll be a comfortable ride in Business. No experience with any other cabins. 

 

One thing to consider - unless you are able to buy it as one ticket TRI-EWR-ATH, you are not protected if you miss the connection. Allegiant absolutely won't sell you that connection...not sure about Delta. But what this means is that if there is a delay on TRI-EWR, and you miss the EWR-ATH, you're out of luck if it's two separate tickets. Delta/Allegiant fulfilled their part of getting you to EWR, and Emirates doesn't know or care that you missed the flight. There would be a good chance you'd have to buy a last minute fare to get on the next flight. 

[Iamthesea]

We have already nixed going to AVL.  The non-stop on Delta is not offered that early, and Allegiant does not do theirs on the date we need.  United did have a non-stop, and would require a stay over in New Jersey, but we are not too keen on that.  DH really wants to do a stay-over in Rome before heading to Athens, so working on that.

 

You brought up another good point about flying out of AVL.  Early March is still snow season around here!

 

CLT is a 3 hours from here and we don't go through Asheville.  We cut through Boone, NC.  GSP is only a 2 hour drive from here.  I am originally from that area and have flown in and out a few times over the years.  I always forget to check with them.  Thanks!

 

To complicate matters further, we have found out that Delta does not do their non-stop from ATL to Rome in early March.  We have always flown in May, so just assumed.  They do start up near the end of March, however.

 

We may have figured something else out going at a later time in March.  I will report back if we decide to take the trip.

Edited August 7 by Iamthesea

[-Lew-]

Delta offers a daily non-stop beginning March 29th...