Aegean Airlines Flight Delayed or Cancelled? Claim EU261 Compensation Up to €600
Aegean Airlines (IATA: A3) is Greece's largest airline and a Star Alliance member, operating from Athens International Airport (ATH) across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. As a Greek EU carrier, Aegean is fully subject to EU Regulation 261/2004. Delays of 3+ hours, cancellations, and denied boarding entitle you to fixed cash compensation of €250–600 per passenger.
🇬🇷 Greece: 2-year claim window
Greek law provides a 2-year statute of limitationsfor EU261 claims against Aegean Airlines. A delayed Athens departure from 2024 is still claimable in 2026 — but a 2023 flight may no longer be. For flights departing from other EU countries (London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam), that country's SOL applies (UK 6yr, Germany 3yr, Netherlands 5yr).
Am I eligible?
Compensation amounts
| Flight distance | Example Aegean Airlines routes | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1,500 km | Athens–Thessaloniki, Athens–Sofia, Athens–Rome | €250 |
| 1,500–3,500 km | Athens–London (~2,900 km), Athens–Frankfurt (~2,100 km), Athens–Amsterdam, Athens–Madrid | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km (4h+ delay) | Athens–New York (rare/seasonal Aegean partnerships) | €600 |
Summer peak: Athens, Mykonos, Santorini
Aegean's highest-risk routes for delays are summer island connections — Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Crete, Corfu, Heraklion. These carry maximum summer loads and connect heavily with international flights in Athens. If you were delayed on an island route as part of a longer journey, the delay at your final destination is what counts for EU261 — even if each individual leg was under 3 hours.
How to claim Aegean Airlines EU261 compensation
- 1
File directly with Aegean Airlines
Submit your EU261 claim via Aegean's customer service. Include your booking reference (PNR), A3 flight number, scheduled and actual arrival times, and passenger count. Aegean must respond within 30 days.
Aegean Airlines claims → - 2
Escalate to HAC (Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority)
The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (Υπηρεσία Πολιτικής Αεροπορίας — ΥΠΑ/HAC) is Greece's national EU261 enforcement body. File a complaint if Aegean rejects or fails to respond. Free process.
HAC passenger rights → - 3
Use a no-win no-fee service
AirHelp handles Aegean Airlines claims and takes ~25% only if successful. Useful for complex itineraries or if Aegean has already denied once.
Check via AirHelp →
Aegean Airlines denial tactics to watch for
- →"Extraordinary weather" — Greek summer weather events (including Meltemi winds) can sometimes qualify, but routine turbulence or heat does not; request full documentation of the weather event
- →"Technical issue as extraordinary" — aircraft maintenance is not extraordinary under EU261; courts across Europe consistently reject this defence
- →Only compensating for the Athens connection, not your whole journey — for EU261, it's the delay at your final destination that matters
- →Offering Miles+Bonus miles instead of cash — you are entitled to cash payment; miles are supplementary
- →Olympic Air tickets operated by Aegean — Aegean and Olympic Air operate under the same parent company; always check which carrier (A3) actually flew your flight
Aegean + Olympic Air: who do you claim against?
Aegean Airlines acquired Olympic Air, and they sometimes operate the same routes. Always claim against the operating carrier shown on your boarding pass. If your boarding pass or ticket shows A3 (Aegean), claim against Aegean. If it shows OA (Olympic Air), claim against Olympic Air — both are covered by EU261 as Greek EU carriers.
Find past Aegean Airlines delays in your inbox
SubRadar scans your Gmail or Outlook for Aegean Airlines booking emails and flags disrupted flights within Greece's 2-year claim window — so you don't miss it.
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