● Practical Guide · 6 min read

When you should fly within Greece (and when ferries win).

Greek domestic flights have become much cheaper since 2015. For some routes, flying saves a full day of travel. For others, the ferry experience is the point. Here's the actual decision tree.

The 4 routes where flying always wins

Athens ↔ Crete (Heraklion or Chania): Flying is 50 minutes. Ferry is 8-9 hours overnight. Flight: €40-90. Ferry deck: €35-55. Almost no time savings on price, massive time savings flying. Always fly unless you specifically want the overnight ferry experience.
Athens ↔ Rhodes: 50 minutes flight vs 16-18 hours ferry. €60-110 vs €40-70. Fly.
Athens ↔ Corfu: 60 minutes vs no direct ferry (you'd drive 5 hours to Igoumenitsa first). Always fly.
Crete ↔ Rhodes (or any inter-island long route): 1 hour direct flight vs 12+ hours indirect ferry. Fly.

Routes where ferries are usually better

Athens ↔ Santorini: Fast ferry 4-5 hours, €70-100. Flight 45 min, €70-130. Total time including airport / port arrivals are similar. Ferry wins on the experience and arrives at Santorini's beautiful old port.
Athens ↔ Mykonos: Same logic — fast ferry from Rafina is 2.5 hours. Flight is 30 min plus airport time.
Inter-Cyclades (Mykonos↔Santorini, Naxos↔Paros, etc.): Ferries dominate — direct, frequent, scenic.

Best Greek domestic airlines

Aegean Airlines (and Olympic Air): Greece's flag carrier and its subsidiary. Modern Airbus fleet, full service, on-time performance excellent. The default choice. Prices: €40-130 most domestic routes.

Sky Express: Greek low-cost carrier. Newer (mostly post-2020), modern fleet, sometimes 30-40% cheaper than Aegean. Reliable now after early teething problems. Worth comparing.

Volotea (low-cost): Spanish low-cost carrier with some Greek routes. Cheap but hand luggage only on basic fares.

Booking domestic flights — when and where

How early to book:

Peak summer (June-August): 8-12 weeks ahead for best prices.
Shoulder season: 3-4 weeks ahead.
Off-season: day-of often works.

Where to book: Aegean Airlines website (aegeanair.com) and Sky Express (skyexpress.gr) directly. Avoid third-party agents — they often add fees.

Tip: Aegean Airlines occasionally runs flash sales (€20-50 domestic). Subscribe to their email newsletter if traveling in shoulder season.

Athens airport — the practical bits

Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos, ATH) has Terminal A only — domestic and international combined. Easy to navigate, English signage everywhere, fast security.

Arrive 60-90 min before domestic flights.
Free WiFi unlimited.
Reasonable food court (better than most European airports).
Multiple ATMs in arrivals — use Greek banks (Alpha, Eurobank, NBG, Piraeus), avoid Euronet.

FAQs

Are Greek domestic flights expensive?+

Reasonable. Athens-Santorini in shoulder season: €40-90. Peak summer: €70-150. Athens-Crete: €40-100. Cheaper than Western European intra-country flights.

Are domestic flights better than ferries to Santorini?+

Marginally faster but not always 'better.' The fast ferry from Piraeus is 4-5 hours and arrives at a beautiful Santorini old port. The flight is 45 min flying time but 90 min total airport time. Most travelers prefer the ferry going at least one direction.

Can I book a multi-airline trip (e.g., fly out, ferry back)?+

Yes, easily. Many travelers do exactly this. Book the flight one direction, the ferry the other. We recommend flying TO an island (excited, want to arrive), ferrying BACK (relaxed, sunset on deck).

Are Greek domestic flights reliable?+

Yes — Aegean Airlines has excellent on-time performance (90%+). Sky Express is now reliable too. The main disruptors are weather (occasional summer thunderstorms) and labor strikes (rare but happen).

Should I check bags on a domestic flight?+

Aegean Airlines includes 1 checked bag on most fares. Sky Express basic fares are hand-luggage only — checked bags €25-35 each. Always check fare class when booking.