Mumbai05 Jan 23 1 Traveller Economy
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About Aegean Airlines
Aegean Airlines S.A., which is the national flag carrier of Greece, is also the largest airline in the country with respect to the number of passengers carried, fleet size and the slew of destinations it serves. The airline operates scheduled as well as charter services from two of its Greek destinations, Athens and Thessaloniki, to all the major destinations spread across Europe and the Middle East. It operates from three main hubs at Athens International airport in Athens, Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus and Macedonia International Airport in Thessaloniki. Some of its focus cities include Chania International Airport, Rhodes International Airport, Heraklion International Airport and Kalamata International Airport. Aegean Airlines also operates from a few more Greek airports, but they are mainly on a seasonal basis. The airline has its headquarters at Kifisia, a suburb located in Athens. Aegean Airlines joined the Star Alliance in 2010.
In 2012, Aegean Airlines announced that it was acquiring Olympic Air, formed to be part of the Greek national carrier, previously known as Olympic Airways. The buyout was eventually approved by the European Commission the following year, and the airline came into existence as Aegean Airlines' new subsidiary. They are part of the same company while functioning as individual entities. Additionally, the airline also announced to be part of Cyprus Airways' last stage of privatisation tender. Cyprus Airways, the flag carrier of Cyprus was privatised, but soon, the airline followed for bankruptcy. Following this, Aegean Airlines intervened and established a hub at Larnaca International Airport, the official international gateway of Cyprus. With this, Aegean Airlines expanded its operations and initiated scheduled flights to and from the island country to a slew of international destinations. The airline was founded in 1987 and commenced operations as a VIP/business air operation which only catered to a handful of important people. It also worked as an air ambulance service. However, from 1992, Aegean Airlines received the license to be an independent air operator by the Greek country. This was followed by the airline's move to expand its fleet and acquire more jet flights to travel the world. While it was founded as Aegean Aviation, the airline rebranded itself as Aegean Airlines, which was adopted as the airline started scheduled passenger services in 1999. The airline's first commercial flights flew from Athens to Thessaloniki, Heraklion and Crete.
The airline has acquired many airlines and private aircraft ventures since its inception. They acquired Air Greece in 1999 and by 2001, also merged with Cronus Airlines, while they functioned as one airline. In 2005, Aegean Airlines also partnered with Lufthansa to offer its loyal customers with new mileage plans such as its Miles and More programme. By 2006, the airline further entered a deal with TAP Air Portugal and eventually also announced a cooperation deal with Brussels Airlines. However, Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air stated their intention to merge and form one operator to work under the Star Alliance network. However, in 2011, the European Commission stated that they would be blocking the deal between the two airlines, citing anti-competition issues. The commissions basically believed that there would be a quasi-monopoly in Greece's transport market, following the merger with Olympic Air.
Further on this, the commission added that the merger would also result in Aegean Airlines hiking up their flight ticket prices to cater to the Greek and European passengers who are flying from Athens. There would not be any airline strong enough to match the sufficient size of fleet and operations that Aegean Airlines can accommodate. Eventually, the airline came up with a solution that enabled the merger to take place.
Theodoros Vassilakis is the current owner of Aegean Airlines as with a whopping stake of 34.17 per cent. Meanwhile, other partners who have a considerable share in the airline include Ainesco Enterprises Company Limited and Siana Enterprise Company Limited which hold 9.48 per cent respectively along with Konstantakopoulos Achilleas which has 6.39 per cent stakes in Aegean Airlines.
Fleet size of Aegean Airlines
Aegean Airlines currently owns and operates an all-Airbus fleet with 51 aircraft in total. The aircraft in service includes one Airbus A319-100, 35 Airbus A320-200s, five Airbus A3320neo and Airbus A321neo and ten Airbus A321-200s. Additionally, the airline also operates a Learjet 60, which is predominantly used for VIP and business purposes. It's mainly for executive travel and flies in a non-scheduled flight basis. With respect to fleet expansion, Aegean Airlines followed two strategies, one to eliminate all turboprop aircraft from its fleet and second, to place larger orders for Airbus A320 and A321 as a means to transform its fleet to an all-Airbus one. They managed to achieve the same as, by 2004, the airline got rid of all its turboprop planes. Similarly, the airline also transformed its fleet to acquire and sustain the only aircraft. In 2010, the airline became the first one to commit to upgrade its aircraft from Airbus family and install FANS-B+ datalink system that the aircraft manufacturing company introduced. Further, they enhanced the cabin classes of their aircraft by installing better-reclining seats across all its fleet. Aegean Airlines does plan to expand its fleet to accommodate 70 aircraft instead of its current standing of 51 aircraft.
Baggage Allowance
Aegean Airlines has enabled baggage allowance keeping the global standards and the fleet's strength in mind. Depending on the cabin class and the ticket type of the passenger, the baggage allowance policy is altered. Currently, the airline allows one piece of baggage which can weigh up to 23 kg for passengers travelling from the economy flex class. Economy GoLight cabin has no checked baggage allowance from the airlines as it majorly caters to short-haul flights and is mostly used in the domestic routes. Passengers of the business class are allowed to carry two pieces of baggage that can weigh up to 32 kg each. It is essential for the passenger to not carry a weight that exceeds the stated bracket. The baggage dimension for all the bags should be 158 cm and not more. Special reservations are made for passengers who are part of Aegean Airlines' Miles+Bonus Gold and Star Gold Alliance. Rules for cabin baggage include one hand baggage that should weigh no more than 8 kg with a dimension of 56 cm X 45 cm X 25 cm. Meanwhile, the business class passengers can carry one piece of baggage that cannot exceed 13 kg with the same dimension as mentioned for economy class.
In-flight services
Aegean Airlines' in-flight services are worth all the money spent on the ticket. With its Airbus-fleet that has the best of aircraft models, the interiors are made to bring forth comfort and convenience for the passengers. The seats are much better with recline options and more legroom. Other in-flight services also include in-flight entertainment systems for international or long-haul flights along with delicious in-flight meals. The flight attendants are also quite friendly and accommodating.
Popular routes and top cities of Aegean Airlines
Aegean Airlines, as of 2019, caters to about 94 destinations in its domestic routes and international routes. The airline majorly only flies to European countries and a handful of Middle East. As one of the top European airlines, the connectivity of Aegean Airlines is immaculate with a slew of tourist destinations. Cyprus and Greece remain its biggest market while other destinations include the top financial places on the continent. The airline has terminated a handful of cities in Russia and Ukraine. They also have seasonal flights that cater to many places during their peak season. Some of the important cities for Aegean Airlines are Yerevan, Vienna, Brussels Airport, Sofia, Zagreb, Larnaca, Prague, Copenhagen, Cairo, Tallinn, Paris, Nice, Strasbourg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Mykonos, Santorini, Thessaloniki, Budapest, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Milan, Pisa, Rome, Venice, Amman, Beirut, Marrakesh, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Lisbon, Moscow, Warsaw, Lisbon, Bucharest, Jeddah, Ibiza, Madrid, Stockholm, Geneva, Zurich, Istanbul, Birmingham, London and Manchester.
Why travel by Aegean Airlines?
Aegean Airlines has sustained a reputation in the airlines industry as one of the best carriers for tourists who wish to explore more of Greece and other European countries. Unlike some of the big players in the market, Aegean Airlines further connects to East Europe destinations. While their domestic route and international route connectivity are worth mentioning, the other services provided by the airline is what makes it stay ahead of the game.
With Aegean Airlines, passengers can do web check-ins to avoid the long airport queues. In fact, there are provisions to purchase extra baggage on the website. Further details regarding baggage allowance can be understood on the official website of Aegean Airlines. The airline's website is up to date with all necessary information ranging from flight status of the passenger to Aegean Airlines' flight schedules. In fact, passengers can also make airport shuttle bookings on the website. Additional perks are reserved for passengers who are members of the Star Alliance frequent flyers programme. The airline does cater to the needs of the passengers and ensures to offer the best airport and in-flight services.
