Transfer in Athens

It’s just coming up to 15h by the time I step off the plane in Athens. I have thirty minutes before my flight to Tirana starts boarding. By the looks of it, it is not possible to do an airside transfer.

So I exit through customs, make a left turn and then head one floor up to the departures level. There is a separate security checkpoint for the non-Schengen departures on the A gates right behind immigration. There is a Fast Track available for Business Class passengers through immigration and security, which is very swift and painless.

Behind security, I’m ejected – of course – into the non-Schengen duty free area. I must say, this part of the terminal is much nicer and looks newer than the Schengen departures lounge, which is very narrow and cramped.

Aegean Airlines Non-Schengen Lounge

All the airline lounges are located above the shopping area. The Aegean lounge is on the third floor.

It‘s rather a nice looking, spacious lounge. I wonder just how many non-Schengen destinations Aegean has, looking at the size of this place.

There is a very wide selection of sweet and savoury cold dishes, all of which look quite enticing. There is also a small selection of hot snacks.

The views from the lounge are also very good, with aircraft touching down right in front of me.

Boarding

At 15h30 I make my way to the departure gate at A12. I take my time though, figuring I‘ll let the initial scrum settle before I try to get on board.

The Cabin

Here‘s a cabin shot I was unble to provide on the last leg. By the way, it turns out that there are two USB ports in each row of three seats. On this flight there are only two rows of Business Class. The seat next to me stays empty.

The Crew & Service

The crew on this flight is very similar to the one on the previous flight. They‘re all female and all nicely turned out. Before departure, welcome drinks are offered. However, due to the short flight time of only one hour, there are no hot towels and no menus.

The Meal – Snack

The meal consists of a small plate with two canapé sandwiches. One is shrimp, and the other is smoked trout. There is also a small chocolate and a packaged towel on the tray.

Arrival

The approach into Tirana is spectacular and takes us over a landscape of high, rugged mountains and deep valleys. It strikes me how rural most of the country is. Outside of Tirana it looks as though there are hardly any properly paved roads.

And as an added benefit, there are no airbridges in Tirana. We park on a stand close enough to arrivals to allow us to walk to the terminal.

So, I use the opportunity to take a photo of my aircraft.

Getting into Town

In Tirana it usually helps to agree to the fare with your driver before you get in the taxi. In most places you can pay in either Euro or Lek, the local currency. In taxis at least, my suggestion would be to always pay in Lek.

The trip to the city takes about 30 minutes and will cost the equivalent of about EUR25.

Conclusion

Overall, I am quite impressed with the level of service on Aegean Airlines. The crews were friendly and disciplined and the quantity and quality of the food offerings was good.