ATHENS AIRPORT  Passenger Reviews and Traveller Reports

ATHENS AIRPORT review :  18 February 2010 by K Spanopoulos   (Greece)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Transportation to airport is very good, airport nice and clean, with some smoking areas, and free internet to use. The only negative is the prices of food which is relatively high.

ATHENS AIRPORT customer review : 13 December 2009 by R Skopac

Customer Rating : 4/5

Spacious, clean airport, good range of shops and places for snack or coffee, great subway connection with city centre and Pireaus. Security check staff not pleasant at all.

ATHENS AIRPORT customer review : 21 November 2009 : by K Sagia

Customer Rating : 4/5

A user friendly airport. Adequate priced food courts and nice shopping area. Not a gem architecturally wise but efficient. Big drawbacks : the payment of trolley and lack of viewer's terrace

ATHENS AIRPORT customer review : 6 October 2009 : by C Rocha

Customer Rating : 4/5

The subway link to the airport is working again. It take you 40-45 minutes time from Syntagma station to the airport. Good selection of shops and food outlets. Beware that after the security checkpoints to the gates you don’t have anything beside some small kiosks with basic sandwiches and beverages. You have to pay for de luggage trolley. It is an efficiently run airport at arrivals and the departures, if you belong to the schengen area.

ATHENS AIRPORT customer review : 16 July 2009 : by Brian Cose

Customer Rating : 3/5

So many people smoking in the airport. It can get crowded at times especially at Olympic and Aegean Airlines. I found the Olympic Business Class Lounge to be a joke. I did find the Security and airport staff to be polite and helpful. They helped me numerous times with different problems. Security Screening is fast, efficient, and easy-going. No stress, which makes a difference. Overall, I was not impressed with Athens Airport, I would avoid it if I could.

ATHENS AIRPORT customer review : 14 April 2009 : by Alan Ho

Customer Rating : 5/5

A nice airport with a good range of shops and places to have a bite and coffee, interesting free airport magazine place all over the terminal building, friendly staff, nice music has been play throughout the terminal building, and pretty short walking distance (when compare to other major airports in europe) had a enjoyable experience there.

ATHENS AIRPORT customer review : 27 February 2009 : by T Karapiperis

Customer Rating : 3/5

Athens Airport must be the only Airport in the world that has more places for smoking than for non-smoking. The moment you enter the airport you can smell/see cigarette smoke.

ATHENS AIRPORT customer review : 10 December 2008 : by A Hetier

Customer Rating : 4/5

Clean and efficient. Check-in takes only a few seconds. However sometimes there are queues at passport control from Schengen to non-Schengen area (towards gates numbered A). A variety of food options which maybe could afford a little more space, but obviously shopping is a priority. Not a beautiful building, but it is functional and one does not feel uncomfortable in it. The only thing I don't really like is having to pay for baggage trolleys. Overall, Athens airport is not bad!

ATHENS AIRPORT customer review : 13 October 2008 : by B Giannakopoulos

Customer Rating : 4/5

Check in went fast with friendly staff. Well connected with majors parts of Athens like Sytagma or the intercity bus stations (ktel) and surrounding towns. by any mean of transportation (like bus, train or metro). Use time waiting for a flight by visiting the small museum and the chapel both located in the second floor. Good variety of shops and cafes - not too overpriced. On the other hand they should announce at least boarding or last calls. They use to do it before, I wonder why they stopped.

Athens Airport review by Andreas Larsen

21 January 2008   Customer Rating :

Transited through the airport there and every time I get the same good experience with clean waiting areas and enough seating space and good variety of shops available both before and after security, in addition to being well maintained. The staff are helpful every time, although they don't always smile, but at the end of a stressful day I suppose this is not always easy. What I don't like though are the high temperatures inside the terminal, sometimes I just felt so warm that I had to go out and take some fresh air while waiting for my connecting flight. All in all the airport of Athens offers good quality and always a nice experience flying through this airport.

Athens Airport review by Eric Geroulis

6 June 2007   Customer Rating :

Very spacious, clean, and despite the criticism of its architecture, the interior has an ultra-modern design. And lots of light. It does not have a huge selection of restaurants, but it certainly has more (and better quality) restaurants than much larger airports. The shopping/dining area is large relative to the main terminal's small size. I have never experienced long ques at this aiport. Distance from Athens city center is not that big.

Athens Airport review by Ira Rahmawati

27 April 2007   Customer Rating :

Better than I expected. Arrival was OK. The immigration officers were efficient. But had to wait nearly 40 minutes by the conveyor belt to get my checked-in luggage. The public transportation to the city was well- organized. Used it again for departure. I arrived 3 hours before my scheduled flight. Big mistake. They didn't have enough chairs for to spend my 3 hours before departure while they didn't let me enter the departure lounge before 1 hour prior to my scheduled flight. he shops were ok. One note for the tourists looking for souvenirs: buy them at the airport because the prices there are actually cheaper than anywhere else in Greece.

Athens Airport review by Philip Cokkinos

20 April 2007   Customer Rating : n/a

My home airport, use it at least once a month. Average but efficient, could have been better designed, considering the old 3rd world Hellenikon Airport and international examples of excellence elsewhere. Easy access by road, metro and suburban railway, efficient check-in, easy signs, polite staff, adequate free Internet terminals, clear AED (defibrillator) points. Shops quite good, quick access to Arrivals, efficient baggage retrieval in Arrivals, quick passage through Customs to taxi ramp. One long terminal with a long walk from one end to the other, not enough WCs, uninspiring architecture and decor, low ceilings in Arrivals, boring restaurant outlets, no shops after Security, last Xmas security staff went on strike and there was one long queue in the Schengen area and another huge one in the non-Schengen, inane announcements re baggage trolleys and parking restrictions, you have to pay for baggage trolleys, people smoking everywhere as this is Greece and nobody cares.

Athens Airport review by Nick Demas

29 March 2007

As the reports here have already stated, the airport is super-clean and check-in is overall extremely efficient. Of course the single problem (a weather-related flight cancellation for example) can take hours to address and even longer to solve. There are few and unimpressive stores once you pass security, and hardly a decent restaurant. For a country famous for its scenery and architecture, the airport offers neither. It is a horrible first impression and a depressing last one.

Athens Airport review by Constantine Stergides

9 January 2007

I would place Athens airport among the top 10% of international airports based on convenience: ease of parking is good, check-in is fairly easy. When you arrive, getting your luggage and getting on your way, also is quite easy and quick. However, what a disappointment this airport is in so many other respects! Architecturally it is little more than a supermarket-like structure. Whoever designed this should be ashamed of themselves! The food court is nothing less than a disgrace and is 100% fast-food. Smokers completely dominate the two (horrid) food areas of the departures level, one is far better off going to the MacDonald's on the 1st floor! The so-called gastronomic restaurant of the 1st floor is a joke and serves resort-hotel style food. Overpriced and to be avoided. Shops are few with nothing special, though the food store has a surprisingly good selection of olive oils and some good Greek wines. Another thing that drives me crazy at this airport are the inane announcements every 10 minutes or so about no parking at the entrance and no taking trolleys on the escalators. Last, but not least this airport is very clean and the staff are usually quite polite.

Athens Airport review by Xuess Wee

10 October 2006

Long queues at arrival. Horrid wait. 5 counters working and yet it seemed like eternity. Had to drop by Athens Airport a 2nd time on my way home and there was a strike by the airport staff! Imagine the chaos and long queues at customs and security check. It feels like the entire Greece is fleeing Greece. People pushing and jumping queues. Horrid. Trolleys inside the airport is not free. 2 Euros per use I think. Numerous checking counters though and the only airport I know so far with its own archaeological museum. Has a MacDonald with a great view of the landing strip from the 2nd floor. Plenty of eateries, souvenir shops and convenient stores but with the choking smell of cigarette smoke forever lingering in the air.

Athens Airport review by Fotis Marantos

24 September 2006

This is a great airport with great public transfer to city center, bus station to othert greek cities and Pireus port. Easy check in desks, easy signs to show you the way, very easy airport to be used from disable persons. The only negative is that it could be more coloured - it's very gray.

Athens Airport review by Antonis Kastrinakis

26 February 2006

The departure area is bright and airy at the check-in desks. However, once through immigration it feels cramped and underlit. The Emirates Business class lounge is comfortable. Arrivals is another matter altogether. Low ceilings, no natural light and a complete lack of decor leaves a bad impression of Athens' new international airport. In a nutshell : Boring. A pity since so much could have been done in the major entry point of a country that is so rich in tradition and history.

Athens Airport review by Andreas Kourtesis

10 February 2006

Its not the most beautiful airport but it's one of the most functional airports of its size and capacity. It is easily accessible by bus from the city centre, ports of Piraeus and Rafina and most of the suburbs. You can also go there both by Athens Metro and Suburban Rail. Metro trains depart from Monastiraki Metro Station and make a stop at Syntagma Station in the city centre. The ride takes about 45 minutes. Suburban Rail (known as Proastiakos) departs from Athens Railway Station. All these stations are connected by metro lines 1,2 & 3. The terminal is spacious. All the areas clearly signposted. You should be expecting some queues at the security checks at peak hours but there is no need to worry. Food courts great but pricey. There are free internet booths at the departure level and wireless internet in all areas of the terminal.

Athens Airport review by Alex Dallas

17 May 2005

A very fresh and clean airport that has a welcoming look and feel. Lots and lot's of light ! Very plainly laid out with very good transport systems. I found it's facilities and passenger service systems on par with most other international airports catering for a city the size of Athens. The only downside to the airport that is that it is longer than it should be wider. If you happen to walk or enter accidentally in to a wrong area it can take a while to get back to / where you need to be. The lifts to go up and down can be frustrating and there need to be more. I feel the positive aspects outweigh the negative in this airports case !

Athens Airport review by D Charlesworth

24 April 2005

This is one of those new airports that are functional, fairly basic, not a grand masterpiece of architecture but get the job done. Check in is swift, there is lots of lounge space with several executive lounges. Most of the international flight board via airbridge however local flights are via a bus transfer but this was very efficient. The connection to central Athens is excellent with a new toll road. The cost is about 30 euro taking into account bags, tolls, tip and fare. Overall however, after departing from the dogs breakfast of LHR, I just cannot see how anyone could complain about this airport.

Athens Airport review by Nick Biskinis

28 July 2004

With regard to Sergios' comment about intermediate destinations, it is fair to point out that international flights that contain a domestic destination as a stop (eg Athens-Thessaloniki- Frankfurt) will never mention the stop for the reason that only international traffic will normally be carried on that flight. So a passenger for Thessaloniki would only be allowed (normally) on a Olympic Airways (or Aegean) flight terminating there. As for Athens airport being a less than average place to fly from; well most airports these days aren't particularly enjoyable places. The 'romance' of travel has been long replaced by airports that look more like dreary shopping malls (London Heathrow in particular). But Athens isn't too bad.

Athens Airport review by Stergios Kaprinis

20 July 2004

The new Athens Airport is a major improvement compared to the old one at Hellinikon, but it is not a very functional airport. Its architecture is horrendous, the airport is just a concrete slab with a corrugated tin roof. Despite its simple design, it is difficult to navigate in and many people walk back and forth trying to located the exact way to certain gates. The airport's lower level is completely unused, a dead space. There is an extremely limited selection of stores, restaurants, restrooms and seats. Also, for people from the rest of Greece who have to transit in that airport, it is very difficult to access the departure area coming from arrivals in the lower floor (the loaded passenger has to look for badly signposted heavy doors in order to get to the elevators). It takes eons for the luggage to be delivered on the conveyor belts (very often, one has to wait for an amount of time similar to that of the domestic flight to Athens to get his or her luggage) and many times luggage lingers outside the conveyor belt area for reasons probably due to the airport's staff inefficiency. There's more to it! If one has to spend the night at Athens airport, the only options are either the exorbitantly priced Airport Sofitel or the airport floor. Also, many Olympic and Aegean flights from Athens to Europe stop at Thessaloniki, but the airport officials do not care to post Thessaloniki as an intermediate destination on the airport announcement boards. So, if you have an airline ticket from Athens to Thessaloniki on -say- OA 161 and you try to locate which check-in counter to go to, to your astonishment you will discover that your flight doesn't go to Thessaloniki but to to Frankfurt! I have written a complaint to the airport authorities about this specific problem, and the answer I received was that "most airports worldwide only post the final, and not the intermediary, destination". Their answer is an outright lie, of course. I think I have proven to all of you that despite its hype, the new Athens Airport is really a less-than-average place to fly from. It should be a world-class airport, if one takes into consideration the VAST amounts of money spent to construct it.

Athens Airport review by Ioanna Nezi

30 June 2004

The new Athens airport is industry-standard, clean, efficient and rather soulless. The old airport was probably a more accurate introduction to the country, but tell that to anyone who was stuck there for hours. Buses routes are helpful, taking you to Pireas or to the bus station for the Peloponnese (which, incidentally has lost none of its old "charm"). My main gripe with the new airport is number of toilets. You walk a long way and find there's only two stalls in some - why? I'd hate to think of the ladies' rooms queues in case of serious/generalised delays. I like the fact that this airport does not allow smoking outside certain areas, but I think ALL bars and restaurants should be smoke-free.

Athens Airport review by Nick Biskinis

6 June 2004

For those of us who used the old airport at Hellinikon, Eleftherios Venizelos Airport is a striking improvement. It did initially have teething problems, but now is a pleasant, roomy and modern airport that will boost Athens as a transport hub. I'd like to see a little more variety of shops, but there is a museum to pass the time, and (if booked in advance) a guided tour of the airport. I never thought I'd see the day where Athens functioned more efficiently than London Heathrow. With the rail link and highway, Athens will be linked relatively quickly to the airport. This augurs well for Athens' future.

Athens Airport review by George Baritakis

2 June 2004

Athens International airport "El.Venizelos", is one of the newest and most modern airports in Europe. Its size is good for the Athens standards, its clean and well organized. Moving around in AIA is easy, even if you arrive late for flight. The all new suburban railway will make travelling from AIA to the center of the city even easier than its now. One disadvantage is that you have to pay much in order to get a trolley for a few minutes. Another thing is that there is almost no area when one can watch outside in the airport area. In general, the new Athens Airport is something to be proud of.

Athens Airport review by J Bruneel

20 February 2004

Athen's Eleftheros Venizelos airport is everything a modern airport should be. It is bright, clean and well laid out. It should service travellers well for the upcoming olympics. However, what was the need to build so far away from Athens. I felt like I needed to take another flight just to get to the downtown of Athens. If you are planning on heading straight for the islands, you should consider heading for Raffina instead of making the trek down to Pireaus (the port of Athens). I sort of miss the old airport and its old world charm. Backpackers sleeping all over the place and dogs wondering in and out of the terminal.

Athens Airport review by E Rierson

27 November 2003

Athens International Airport is impressive and I wish most airports were this clean and efficient. It is a very pleasant space to spend time in while waiting to board your plane. Overall a great airport to be in although I think that they could expand some what and perhaps add some more shops and cafes.

Athens Airport review by Christos Stergiou

2 June 2003

It is functional, easy to get around, clean and very efficient. It offers good bus connections to the centre of the city and when a new rail service will begin operating to the city next year it will be even more accessible. I have travelled extensively throughout Europe and I have to admit that only Frankfurt and Milan Malpensa have impressed me this much. The Athens International Airport is a real gem for Athens and a welcoming gate to our country.

Athens Airport review by G Iliopoulos

20 May 2003

The new Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" is nothing special in terms of architectural design, but its interior is bright and spacious. It is virtually spotless and I believe it is very easy for everyone (even newcomers) to find their way in it. The airport is also equipped with excellent facilities for the disabled, including Braille signposting in the toilettes and an escort service for the shortsighted visitors who wish to check-in. The number of eating and drinking facilities is reasonable and the business class lounges are a huge improvement compared to the old airport. The rest of the waiting areas is neat and smoke-free. The number of shops available isn't great, but I believe they are enough for the size of the airport and the number of passengers who use it. I don't like the fact that there are no covered car parking facilities, even for the long term users though and the lack of proper viewing areas for its visitors. However, the airport is clean and functional, and has excellent growth potential.

Athens Airport review by George Pappas

14 April 2003

Finally Athens has a great airport with reasonable facilities for shopping and eating. In the arrivals level, there needs to be better washroom facilities as they are quite distant from the main flow of passengers and small. The airport however is a fresh approach to what ATH had before in that third world bus depot of an airport. Hellinikon. Athens is a destination point for the most part and too many shops will not succeed throughout the year. The airport is clean and spotless throughout with more than enough room and counters for even the busiest of summer days. Banking is super easy here like no other airport I have seen. Parking is very expensive and no covered car park facilities make it tough going to your car during the extreme Athens heat... but then again that's what makes Greece unique. A lot of the facilities may be a bit plain. There is no flash to the overall construct but at the end it is an efficient and very functional airport which is what an airport should primarily be. Eleftherios Venizelos has great potential in future upgrades and expansion and as such Greece finally has a main entrance she could be proud of.

Athens Airport review by Osama Salman

25 February 2003

I was told that Athens airport was rated as one of the best 10 airports in Europe. What I saw was below expectations since I couldn't find enough restaurants and cafes. The shopping facilities and lounges are even poorer. I might have this impression because I compared it to of Dubai which sets totally different standards in aviation industry.

Athens Airport review by Demetri Rizos

24 October 2002

The new Eleftheros Venizelos Airport in Athens is top notch and quite frankly a shock for those of us who traveled in and out of the old and dirty Hellinikon Airport. The airport offers departing passengers at 5:00am a wide variety of cafes, duty free shops, and a Metropolis Music Shop. The airport staff are friendly and all the facilities are spotless. The Air France business class lounge is convenient and offers a nice variety of breakfast breads, juices, and coffee. This is a breath of fresh for Athens and will be a welcoming sign for the thousands attending the 2004 Olympic Games. Congratulations - you now have an airport to be proud of!