Aegean is the Star Alliance airline based in Greece. While it’s generally hard to get excited about an airline just operating short haul flights within Europe, I find them to be a pleasant airline to fly with. While other airlines offer you nothing in short haul economy, Aegean still offers warm snacks.
Continue reading: Aegean Unveils A320neo With New Cabin & Livery
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As my home airline, this rebranding is a HUGE thing to be excited about and a major step forward. I was impressed particularly by the colour scheme in the cabin which I find to be the most aesthetically pleasing within Europe, and the incorporation of so many elements of rich Greek culture in the design process (I applaud Priestmangoode for that). Another thing to note is that they will be offering Amenity Kits in business class, a first for them and strides ahead of others in Europe, and I'll be flying the Munich Athens route in about a week to see how it is. But other than that, immense pride for the airline that fostered my love for aviation and congratulations on a successful and comprehensive rebranding, bringing everything to love about Greece into the image.
Can anyone explain why airlines do the blocked middle seat for Intra Europe business class? why on earth would anyone prefer that rather than US style Domestic First?
Not really impressed. More seats, no IFE (their streaming "entertainment" is worthless), no power, no change in overhead bins, and (probably) uncomfortable slimline seats. The logo looks so boring generic (and reminds me of MH). Why would they change that? 🙁
The oversized upper case sans serif font in blue looks like United. The same designers did it.
Routes online says 166 seats on board. Did they release any press stuff suggesting otherwise?
@Tennen, this is a regional carrier from a small country. They don't have to recreate the wheel, but the fact that they have and the design has so much pride of country is all I need to hear and see. Every airline is cramming more seats in. For an hour hop between islands or a bit more is not going to kill anyone. This is not Emirates or Singapore. The detail and finishes are beautiful. I flew them 4 times a couple years back and they were prompt, very friendly and efficient. I cannot wait to fly them again. Congrats on the new look inside and out and the more fuel efficient planes.
@Bruce
Thank you for summing up everything I have been feeling. As a fellow citizen, it's great to see a new flag carrier that has pride, style, and customer service.
I am Gold with Aegean, and fly them frequently. I really love the image they have generated in the frequent flyer industry,it feels special, and niche, and people always have a good thing to say about them. But - really - and I kind of almost hate to say this, but when you fly them, there is nothing special. The service is ok, ish. The hard product is very basic. They seem to have done very well with their PR, but I think they need to do a lot better with everything else to sustain this image. Still, it is nice to feel part of the fabulous PR machine!
That allows the airline to have as many "business" class seats as they need. If they need one row, they'll block the middle seat in one row, if they need 5, they'll do it in 5. Of course the U.S. system is much better but it's not easily configurable.
The flight to Lisbon (as an example) takes about 4 hours, so it's not just "an hour hop between islands or a bit more".
First Aeroflot now Aegean, another subtle, understated livery thrown out with the bath water
@Robert, please tell me how they've recreated the wheel? There's absolutely nothing about their plane that's innovative - USB ports, tablet holder, slimline seats, and livery design have all been done before. And, as @Mauricio Matos mentioned, they operate flights that are quite a bit longer than 1 hour. Many flights to Northern/Western Europe are 3~4+ hours. Their current seats are average at best. It doesn't matter if the "details and finishes are beautiful" if their new seats aren't comfortable and/or functional. Lipstick on a pig. The fact that Golds can't get free access to preferred seats, even at the gate, makes it worse.
I like that their service is consistent and that their food is pretty good. They're ahead of the curve with meal preorder (even though they don't always follow through). Their FFP is good for keeping status (and that's about it). But, there's a lot that they just don't do well, including a mediocre hard product and terrible website/reservations system. This new plane doesn't change that.
Man, you guys should really start flying more often on other non-US/EU airlines metals. Have you fly on any Asia aircrafts? All regional J is on the proper business class seats. There is *no* “business” (economy seat with “blocked” middle seat for J). I mean, keep up already. The year is 2020. Lie flat seat? Checked. Proper J seat? Checked. IFE? Checked. USB & Power ports? Checked. Flashing running lights for IG posting? Checked. Yes, regional or international. You get J as J should be. Checked.
@Tennen: The one and only airline that can satisfy your wants on an A320 is Qatar Airways.
For an airline its size, what Aegean has done is spectacular. Greece is perfectly capable of running a well-regarded airline, which another Mediterranean country has failed so miserably at. Ironically that airline had Qatar Airways involved with it.
Maybe not the most creative livery but it's clean and contemporary. BTW, Delta please take note...this is a beautiful blue on Aegean unlike your muddy cobalt with that dreary red.
@VT-CIE, why would I switch to QR? As I mentioned, Aegean does a lot of things well, but they also do a lot of things poorly, including their hard product. I pretty much agree with Lucky's bottom line.
-Their service is good.
-USB ports are nice but universal outlets would've been better.
-It's nice that A3's expanding.
-Their "A320neos aren’t much to get excited about, as the airline is squeezing even more seats onto planes."
-One thing I disagree with is the branding. I think it's uninspired and copies MH.
I'll still fly Aegean because, despite their faults, I've had good experiences with them. I want them to do better and improve, but these new A320neos don't help. At best, seat comfort maintains the status quo. Depending on the seat type, padding, and pitch, comfort may even be worse on these planes.
You have completely ignored the Greek elements in the branding that are signature of the rich culture of their homeland. Watch their brand videos again and then say with a straight face that it is uninspired. Probably the most inspired airline rebrand I’ve ever seen, a hark to the traditions and amazing culture that Greece can call their own.
Nice design! Unfortunaly they haven't installed the new XL airspace bins ... they make the cabin more futuristic
@Bruce, they can say that it was inspired by culture, architecture, angles, etc., but there's no denying that it looks extremely similar to Malaysia Airlines. Can you say with a straight face that it doesn't?
They may very well mean everything in the brand video, but it sure seems like a way to justify the fact that they copied another airline's logo instead of keeping/tweaking their existing one. Given Greece's rich culture and history, it's hard to believe that they couldn't come up with a unique logo. So, yes, I can say with a straight face that it's uninspired. Or, more accurately, it was inspired... by MH.
Very off-topic Lucky, but an interesting article nonetheless.
Has MH ever had a blue or red tail? No. Did A3 have a blue tail before now? No. But does it have one now? Yes. Icon aside, the comparisons to MH are unjustified, as MH uses plenty of red in addition to blue, while A3 uses only blue.
This iconic blue (known as 'loulaki' in Greek) is the perfect color for Aegean Airlines, as it's on the Greek flag and on doors, shutters and church domes throughout the Aegean islands. I can't think of any other airline that has a stronger claim to a white and blue livery.
I've been flying Aegean regularly since 1999 and am always impressed by the perfectly groomed flight attendants, who provide a friendly and gracious service on board. Business Class meals could be improved a bit, but perhaps that will now happen.
With Olympic all but gone, I hope Aegean spreads its wings and eventually offers flights across the Atlantic.
My complaint with this, as with all the liveries I’d this type, in no time it’ll have that gross, dirty grey square from the jet-bridge around the boarding door.
I'm no fan of these uninspired new liveries (logo/color slash on tail, white fuselage, name in large font, paint engines the same color as tail slash), which tend to be very boring. However, this one is an improvement over the last livery, which was really homely. The interior finishes look nice, but there's the issue of densification: whenever I see the pitch decrease (yet again), I find myself wishing for tatty, yet roomy, seats over stylish but uncomfortable tight spaces. Thumbs down on that.
Oh, an the inter-European thing that they call business class is an absurd ripoff. It's not normal and thankfully it's limited to Europe. Yeah, it's more flexible - for the airline. And an incredible letdown for pax. Last one of those I took was on BA from LHR to Brussels and the tight pitch was miserable. What a disappointment. Aegean could have differentiated itself from this travesty and chose not to. So, also very disappointing.
The thing I remember most about Aegean is that they have the most stunningly beautiful FAs I have ever seen.
I am extremely disappointed with the new image! I agree, the previous one was far too basic and I was hoping that with a rebrand some thought would go into the history of the country and the success of the airline! Instead, they have gone for an off the shelf, cookie cutter design! I love Aegean! I think they are a great airline as far as shorthaul European flights are concerned and they have missed a massive opportunity to shine further!
I am personally really disappointed that they keep choosing not to deliver proper business class seating. This is poor excuse for premium economy but at typically high priced business class tickets. These flights for Athens to many destinations are in excess of 3.5 hours. A competitor offers true business class seating for european business class for 2 hours or less. No problem if they dont charge, but aegean biz class for Athens can be really high.
To everybody complaining about the business class, I honestly don't know why anybody finds the US 'first class' to be superior. The seat is usually larger, but the cabin is always full and you always have someone sitting next to you. On European airlines, you often have a row of 3 to yourself, because if the flight is not full, they can just move the curtain back to give as much room as possible to business class passengers. And I personally would rather have 3 normal seats over a US style first class seat any day. Additionally, every other aspect of the service is better than the US equivalent. You get lounge access. You get a meal on every flight. I mean, even on a 5 hour+ flight in the US, if it is not at 'mealtime', they will serve you a bag of crisps and tell you to be grateful. Fly a 1 hour flight on Aegean in business and you will receive a 4 course meal. And on any European carrier, you will at least get a main and a dessert. And the guaranteed empty middle seat gives you far more personal space because if there is somebody sitting next to you, they are further away. To me, the whole package feels more premium than the North American service which is basically a premium economy seat and a bag of crisps, but no lounge, (though that is also less of a loss because the North American lounges are also generally inferior offering a cold buffet and some soup.)
@GB
Extremely well put. I think there has been a general divergence from priorities, as there are so many complaints about the blocked middle seat style but food and lounge access are not considered. Aegean offer a decent product and do not forget they are still a regional airline yet offer a superior experience to Lufthansa BA and Air France (in general). They have a streaming service which, while some European carriers have wifi, is still unique and rare within Europe. And most importantly, their crew, operational reliability and ethos are fantastic, let alone their phenomenal mileage programme!
New image much worse than the previous elegant and very distinctive one , by adding one row the galley is insufficient for the hostesses to work (has the airline consulted them ?), the worst is the toilets at rear with half the size of the previous a320 models , impossible to properly wash hands.
In a four hour flight (ath to London,Dublin,Lisbon and others) how can people waiting for toilet and hostesses stand in such a tiny area ?
During a recent flt fm Zrh to Ath crew announced that in case a tablet or phone became overheated during the use of the power points passenger to let the crew know: if there is such a risk what is the purpose of installing power outlets on each seat ?
Wifi system useless in providing accurate flt info