Wednesday newsletters all the time function a resort or flight evaluate.
At this time: Aegean Airways Economic system Class from Brussels to Mykonos
Due to the COVID19 pandemic, leisure journey to/from Belgium (my dwelling nation) was banned for nearly the complete winter and spring. The journey restrictions (to some nations) have been lastly lifted mid-Could, and early June, I went on my first journey overseas in additional than 9 months. I select the Greek island of Mykonos as my vacation spot (due to its designation as a inexperienced space, that means I may journey to/from Mykonos with out the necessity to quarantine upon return). Getting there required two connecting flights (since directs flights weren’t supplied round my desired journey dates): one flight with Greece’s flag service Aegean Airways from Brussels to Athens, and one flight with Olympic Air (an Aegean Airways subsidiary) from Athens to Mykonos. I booked the journey in Economic system Class (as I all the time do for my flights inside Europe). The journey was uneventful, however left a bitter style in my mouth due to the unjustified excessive ticket value and the unruly COVID19 habits of some passengers onboard.
Have you ever ever flown with Aegean Airways? In that case, what was your expertise? Go away a remark.
On this evaluate (extra info beneath the YouTube video):
- Worth of my ticket
- Onboard COVID19 security
- Flight from Brussels to Athens
- Layover at Athens Airport
- Flight from Athens to Mykonos
1. PRICE OF MY TICKET
I paid 520 euros (!!!) for my a method ticket from Brussels to Mykonos. Sure, you learn that proper. That’s a stunning amount of cash for a one-way Economic system Class ticket inside Europe. After I began on the lookout for my ticket (about one month previous to my departure), the common value for an Economic system Class ticket from Brussels to Mykonos (or some other Greek island) was round 370 euros (a method). Whereas I hoped that the value would decrease within the days earlier than my departure, it stored rising. Aegean Airways was the most cost effective service as one-way Economic system Class tickets with Lufthansa, Swiss and Air France have been offered for greater than 800 euros. It’s fairly disheartening that airfare is skyrocketing due to the COVID19 disaster (a mix of elevated demand and restricted availability of aircraft seats).
2. ONBOARD COVID19 SAFETY
After the shock of the value of my ticket got here the shock of the onboard expertise, not a lot the onboard service itself (Aegean is a good airline) however slightly the habits of another passengers. The flight was absolutely packed, which was already a slightly uncomfortable expertise after dwelling socially distanced for greater than 9 months. However what made it completely worse and appalling was the truth that about half of all passengers in my row, in addition to the rows in entrance and behind me, weren’t sporting their face masks correctly. Most didn’t cowl their nostril (making a face masks completely ineffective) and a few have been solely overlaying their chin whereas speaking and laughing loudly. The Aegean Airways crew didn’t intervene nor did they make any comment about it. Folks appear to have forgotten that you’ll want to put on a masks on a aircraft, not solely to guard your self but additionally – and primarily – to guard different passengers (therefore why I feel it’s completely egoistic when individuals refuse to put on their face masks correctly).
As soon as within the air, I discovered that sporting a face masks didn’t make any sense in any respect: Aegean Airways was providing a complimentary lunch snack (extra on that beneath), so all of the face masks got here down anyway. I felt that the one layers of safety I nonetheless had have been my vaccination (I obtained my two jabs with the Pfizer vaccine just a few months in the past) and my FFP2 masks (which I didn’t take away for the complete flight, not even throughout the lunch service). Some would say my concern of contamination isn’t justified, however I like to contemplate myself as cautious and prudent, particularly with regards to COVID19 as I contracted the illness myself just a few months in the past.
3. FLIGHT FROM BRUSSELS TO ATHENS
- Journey: Brussels (BRU) to Athens (ATH)
- Airline: Aegean Airways
- Plane kind: Airbus A320
- Plane registration quantity: SX-DVT
- On time departure: Sure (11 am)
- On time arrival: Sure (3 pm)
- Miles: 1300 miles
- Flight time: 3 hours
- Seat: 11F (exit row)
- Class: Economic system Class
The flight from Brussels to Athens was operated by one in all Aegean Airways’ Airbus A320 plane. The service’s A320s function 174 seats per plane in a 3-3 format, together with a small Enterprise Class cabin that consists of Economic system Class seats with blocked center seats. Aegean Airways’ Economic system Class seats have a pitch of 30 inches (76 cm) and are 18 inches (46 cm) large. For the three hour flight to Athens, I had chosen seat 11F within the exit row, which supplied extra legroom than the Enterprise Class seats.
The flight itself was uneventful. A complimentary lunch bag was supplied, which included a sandwich (selection of meat or greens), a cereal bar, and a bottle of water. The lunch bag additionally contained a flyer with directions to fly safely throughout the pandemic.
4. LAYOVER AT ATHENS AIRPORT
I had a one hour layover at Athens Airport. Athens Airport is the most important airport in Greece and named after Elefthérios Venizélos, a well-known Cretan politician & prime minister of Greece (1864-1934). Constructed at a complete price of round € 2.1 bn, it started operation on 28 March 2001 (in time for the Summer time Olympics of 2004). It’s able to dealing with 65 take-offs and landings an hour, or 600 a day. The airport at the moment has a capability of 16 million passengers per 12 months, though that may ultimately be expanded to accommodate 50 million passengers a 12 months.
My layover was a easy expertise. I needed to undergo a safety checkpoint when shifting from the worldwide terminal to the home terminal. From the home terminal, a bus took passengers from the gate to the aircraft (not excellent throughout a pandemic).
5. FLIGHT FROM ATHENS TO MYKONOS
- Journey: Athens (ATH) to Mykonos (JMK)
- Airline: Olymic Air
- Plane kind: De Havilland Canada DHC-8
- Plane registration quantity: SX-OBA
- On time departure: Sure (4.30 pm)
- On time arrival: Sure (4.50 pm)
- Miles: 94 miles
- Flight time: 20 minutes
- Seat: 16A
- Class: Economic system Class
The flight from Athens to Mykonos was operated by Olympic Air, a regional airline and subsidiary of Aegean Airways. The journey was flown by one of many service’s De Havilland Canada DHC-8, generally referred to as the Sprint 8. The Sprint 8 – the best turboprop within the skies – is named the “community builder” as a result of its quick take-off and touchdown capabilities, and environment friendly regional operations. The slightly cramped cabin of Olympic Air’s DASH 8 function 78 seats organized in a 2-2 format. I had chosen seat 16A, however sadly, the big engine blocked many of the view (solely the seats within the first rows of the Sprint 8 take pleasure in unobstructed views). Regardless of a really quick flight time of solely 20 minutes, Olympic Airways did supply a complimentary bottle of water and chocolate biscuits to all passengers, which was a pleasant gesture.
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