Aegean Airlines — Attraction in Municipality of Spata - Artemida

REVIEW, Aegean, onboard food

Traveling to Greece on business, I was excited to try Aegean Airlines again after several years, especially since colleagues raved about their onboard food. My memories of past flights included delicious, warm meals that stood out compared to typical airline fare. As a frequent flyer and Google Local Guide, I always look forward to seeing how airlines showcase their national cuisine.

However, the boarding process in Athens left much to be desired. Announcements were mostly in Greek or German, which made it hard for international passengers to follow. With just one ticket counter open, the line grew quickly and staff seemed overwhelmed. The flight was already delayed, and the lack of clear communication only added to the frustration. For international travelers, clear signage and multilingual announcements would make a world of difference.

Meal service arrived in a nicely branded blue box with the slogan "Taste of Greece." The options were apple pie or ham and cheese pie—I chose the latter. While the crust was satisfyingly crispy, the filling was mostly ham, with barely any cheese, and not much flavor overall. As a food lover, I was hoping for more. Greek cuisine is famous for its fresh ingredients and bold tastes—think of classic dishes like spanakopita, tiropita, or a rustic Greek salad with feta and Kalamata olives. Unfortunately, this pie didn’t live up to those expectations. If you want authentic Greek flavors, I recommend visiting a local taverna where the food is homemade and full of character.

The beverage service was a highlight: complimentary beer and wine, plus coffee, tea, and juices. I went with tomato juice—fun fact, many passengers find tomato juice tastes better in the air due to changes in our taste buds at altitude. The juice was served with salt and pepper, but no stirrer, so I had to get creative. My colleague felt the coffee could be improved. Next time, I might sample the wine, as Greece is home to some underrated and delicious local wines like Assyrtiko and Agiorgitiko, which are worth trying if available.

Suggestion for Aegean: focus on quality over quantity. Even if that means offering fewer free options, providing a paid upgrade to a truly authentic Greek meal would make a great impression—think local cheeses, olives, or a small dessert like baklava. Many food-loving travelers, myself included, would happily pay extra for a taste of real Greek hospitality in the sky.

Overall, Aegean Airlines offers a reliable flight but their onboard food no longer sets them apart. For fellow Google Local Guides and travelers seeking a true taste of Greece, I recommend exploring local eateries at your destination or even at the airport. Great food is such a big part of Greek culture, and it’s worth seeking out the real thing. When booking flights, prioritize your schedule, but keep an eye out for airlines that celebrate their culinary heritage onboard—it makes the journey even...

It’s a rant- I will NEVER fly Aegean again, it wasn’t just one snafu but multiple ones which equates to incompetence and dysfunction! I was DISSATISFIED with my Aegean flight from Athens to LHR flight booked through my account with TAP Portugal as a Star Alliance partner codeshare connection. It began with my inability to check in online the day before departure because my reservation didn’t “exist” despite being able to online check in for the TAP portion of my flight and then being directed to check in online with Aegean for their flight portion; then arriving at the airport 4 hours prior to departure to check in at Aegean and received poor staff customer service: the agent abruptly informed me that I was not in the system as having a seat on my flight and his dismissive behavior as I attempted to show him my E Ticket and receipt documenting my airfare reservation was ignored AND he offered no suggestions or recommended actions to rectify it. I then had to seek out the Aegean customer service office and finally found a staffer that successfully found my reservation in the system - which did exist!! - however she experienced obstacles trying to print my boarding pass and then asked me to check in online again to get a mobile boarding pass and of course my booking didn’t exist AGAIN - after a couple of minutes she resumed her attempts and was finally able to print my boarding pass so I could then obtain a checked baggage tag - which was flagged my luggage as a TRANSFER connection. My on board experience Aegean wasn’t pleasant when I was told I couldn’t put my tote bag in the overhead bin, which had plenty of space, when 2 seconds before me the flight attendant allowed a passenger to place both her luggage AND a large shopping bag in the overhead bin!!! So I politely responded I WILL place my tote bag in the overhead bin and proceeded to do so...then before the start of the meal service a flight attendant retrieved my bag and asked me to hold it for 2 minutes (which turned out to be 10 minutes) so she could retrieve bread being stored in the same overhead bin. Aegean did not transfer my luggage to my LHR connecting flight so it wasn’t delivered to me until the next day.

!!! Incompetent and dysfunctional!!!

Overall I’d rate my Aegean experience as poor and couldn’t recommend Aegean to my friends and family. I wrote TAP Portugal about my awful experience and of course Aegean stating the star alliance codeshare partnership should comply with shared benchmarks and quality standards thus I’d highly recommend that TAP revisit the alliance with Aegean to ensure standardized service delivery before code share booking passengers on this airline or cancel...

My wife and I recently flew Aegean Airlines from Paris to Athens.

It was a terrible experience and I would advise traveller's to avoid this airline if at all possible.

First of all, the boarding in Paris was chaotic. There was no logical order to boarding, no help for those needing pre-boarding assistance (those in wheelchairs, with young children, etc) and with very limited space there was crowding with people pushing and forcing their way through the crowd and the gate agents did not take charge and control the situation. They also made the gate call early which only compounded the problem as we stood in a crowd for over 20 minutes until they were truly ready to board.

Then on the flight from Athens, not only did this chaotic gate experience reoccur, but the gate agent was discriminatory and rude. He targeted women (mainly older women) and weighed their carry on bags to force a 60 euro charge if over 7 kg (their “policy”). My wife was one of those targeted. When I joined her in line he also weighed my bag and declared it overweight. There was much wrong here: He did not apply this “policy” to all. There were many with the same bags/weight but he only selected a few. In fact there were several with much larger heavier looking bags and I asked if he was going to weigh them (or all bags) and he just ignored this…he had his ‘victims’ chosen. They were all women. He was rude to my wife and actually pushed her aside to take her bag to the counter and demand a credit card to charge. The “policy” of 7 kg would certainly have applied to 70% + of the bags on the flight, as an empty bag can be 3-4 kg. As mentioned, if applied uniformly I am sure the majority of the passengers with carry on baggage would have been paying the fee, but he did not apply consistently to all.

When I contacted customer service afterwards they stated they investigated and would offer a free checked bag on a future flight. When I said what I wanted was a formal apology and a refund they refused. I told them I would never fly their airline again, and requested they cancel my air miles account with them.

I really feel that this gate agent was discriminating against women, did not apply the “policy” fairly and consistently, and was rude and bullying towards my wife. The airline did not rectify.

A totally unacceptable experience and I advise traveller's to avoid...