Travel restrictions in Australia have halted the plans of many Greek Australians who were visiting Greece this year. Over the last few weeks, these Greek Australians have become disgruntled with Aegean Airlines as they desperately try to navigate their website looking for information on whether they can reschedule their flights or even receive a full refund.
In a statement released today by the CEO of Aegean Airlines, this confusion and inconsistency has been clarified to some degree.
“As we adapt to a new way of travelling, we are adjusting our tickets accordingly so that you can travel with more flexibility and confidence. All new tickets issued between 18th May and 15th June 2020, and regardless of flight dates, will have the benefits of the FLEX fare category, so that you can have one piece of checked luggage free of charge and also the option to change your ticket without rebooking fees,” Aegean Airlines CEO, Dimitris Gerogiannis, said in the statement.
The Greek Herald will endeavour to clarify any issues our readers have with this statement soon.
Here is the full statement:
| Dear passenger, First of all, we hope that you and your family are in good health. For all of us in the family of AEGEAN and Olympic Air, 2020 started on a high, with optimism and vision for the new year and our next steps. Unfortunately, the unprecedented situation we have all been faced with during the last three months, has forced us to give up doing what we love most, flying with you. We have had to stop flying with you, but we never stopped flying for you, stepping in to be by your side every time we were asked to, no matter how far we had to fly, to bring back to Greece whatever was needed. Greece has successfully tackled the first phase of the health crisis, making us all very proud of what we have achieved together. In keeping with the successful national efforts made so far, we are working diligently to face the new challenges raised by the pandemic. Having as absolute priority the health and safety of our passengers and employees and in close cooperation with the authorities, we have already modified the procedures in place for boarding, both at the gate and for aircraft access, and our inflight service. We have also reinforced the protocols for cleaning and disinfecting our aircraft. The use of a face mask has become obligatory for both our passengers and our crews, and from now on, only one personal item will be allowed in the cabin. Furthermore, the last 3 rows of seats will be kept vacant in case we should need to isolate a passenger with potential symptoms. During the week you will receive detailed information of all the protective measures and new procedures that we will be putting in place within the framework of new protocols for safe travelling. From today, as travel restrictions to the mainland and the island of Crete have been lifted and from next week, to all the Greek islands, we are ready to fly together on our domestic network. We are getting ready to gradually restore international operations in the coming weeks and months. Initially we plan to restart operations with a limited schedule from Athens to Munich, Frankfurt, Geneva, and Zurich. At the same time, we shall increase flights operating to Brussels, which is the only international destination that we didn’t suspend. Soon, more destinations will be added. As we adapt to a new way of travelling, we are adjusting our tickets accordingly so that you can travel with more flexibility and confidence. All new tickets issued between 18th May and 15th June 2020, and regardless of flight dates, will have the benefits of the FLEX fare category, so that you can have one piece of checked luggage free of charge and also the option to change your ticket without rebooking fees. In conclusion, please be assured that we shall be constantly monitoring developments and learning step by step how to successfully and carefully progress to the next one. After all, this is what we have been doing for more than 20 years at AEGEAN, always guided by our values and having you, our passengers, as our main focus. We look forward to travelling together again. Thank you for your support. |
| Dimitris Gerogiannis, Chief Executive Officer |
READ MORE: Aegean Airlines to restart international flights by end May.
