Aegean Airlines Compensation: How to Claim Up to €600 for Delayed or Cancelled Flights

Flew with Aegean and your flight was disrupted? Check if you're entitled to Aegean Airlines compensation of up to €600 per person — it's free and takes under 2 minutes.

Aegean Airlines is the flag carrier of Greece and the country's largest airline, with its main hub at Athens International Airport and further bases at Thessaloniki and Larnaca. Together with its subsidiary Olympic Air, Aegean carried 16.3 million passengers in 2024 and operates around 250 direct routes to more than 160 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and, since March 2026, South Asia.

If your Aegean flight was delayed, cancelled, or you were denied boarding, you have strong legal protections. Aegean is registered in Greece, an EU member state, which makes it a European carrier under EC 261/2004. This means Aegean compensation rights apply in both directions — flights departing from Europe and flights arriving in Europe — unlike non-European carriers where only departures are covered.

This guide explains your rights when flying Aegean, how much you can claim, the Aegean Airlines refund policy for cancellations, and how FlyPayout handles your Aegean Airlines compensation claim from start to finish.

Why Aegean's registration matters for your rights

Aegean Airlines S.A. is headquartered in Kifisia, Athens, and holds a Greek air operator's certificate. Greece is an EU member state, so EC 261/2004 applies to Aegean directly as national law. This has two important consequences.

Every Aegean flight departing from a European airport is covered regardless of destination. Flights from Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Rhodes or Larnaca to anywhere in the world fall under EC 261 — including the new long-haul services to Delhi and Mumbai.

Every Aegean flight arriving in Europe from outside is also covered, because Aegean holds European carrier status. An Aegean flight from Delhi to Athens, from Cairo to Thessaloniki, or from any non-European origin to any European destination is covered.

Compare this to a non-European carrier such as Emirates or Turkish Airlines: their flights arriving in Europe from outside are not covered by EC 261 at all. Aegean's European carrier status means your return leg is protected just as fully as your outbound.

How much Aegean Airlines compensation can you claim?

The standard EC 261 compensation amounts apply to all qualifying Aegean disruptions:

Flight distance	Compensation
Up to 1,500 km	€250
1,500 km to 3,500 km	€400
Over 3,500 km	€600

 

The amount depends on the total flight distance to your final destination, not on what you paid for the ticket. Here are examples on common Aegean routes:

Route	Approximate distance	Compensation
Athens to Thessaloniki	~300 km	€250
Athens to Istanbul	~570 km	€250
Athens to Larnaca	~920 km	€250
Athens to Rome	~1,090 km	€250
Athens to Vienna	~1,270 km	€250
Thessaloniki to Düsseldorf	~1,730 km	€400
Athens to Frankfurt	~1,815 km	€400
Athens to Paris	~2,105 km	€400
Athens to Amsterdam	~2,180 km	€400
Athens to London	~2,430 km	€400
Athens to Dubai	~3,275 km	€400
Athens to Delhi	~4,985 km	€600
Athens to Mumbai	~5,155 km	€600

These amounts are per passenger. A family of four on a qualifying Athens to Mumbai flight can claim €2,400 in total.

Note the threshold at Athens to Dubai: at roughly 3,275 km it sits just below the 3,500 km line, so it falls in the €400 band rather than €600. Distance is measured as a great-circle route to your final destination.

When do you qualify for Aegean Airlines delay compensation?

Flight delays

If your Aegean flight arrives at its final destination 3 or more hours late, you qualify for Aegean flight delay compensation. The delay is measured at arrival, not departure. A flight that pushes back 90 minutes late but makes up time in the air may not qualify; what counts is when the doors open at your destination.

The delay must not have been caused by extraordinary circumstances beyond the airline's control.

Full details: Flight Delay Compensation

Aegean cancelled flight compensation

If Aegean cancelled your flight and notified you less than 14 days before departure, you're entitled to compensation at the same amounts, plus the right to choose between a full refund and rebooking on an alternative flight.

If you were notified 14 or more days in advance, no compensation is owed, but your right to a refund or rebooking remains.

Full details: Flight Cancellation Compensation

Denied boarding

If Aegean involuntarily denies you boarding because the flight is oversold, compensation must be paid immediately at the airport. The airline must first call for volunteers before bumping anyone against their will.

Full details: Denied Boarding Compensation

Missed connections via Athens

Aegean has built its network around feeding regional European traffic onto Greek island routes and, increasingly, onto long-haul services. If a delay on your first leg causes you to miss a connection at Athens, and the whole journey was on a single reservation, compensation is calculated on the total journey distance and your delay at the final destination — not on the leg that went wrong.

This matters on the new India routes: a passenger connecting from Frankfurt through Athens to Delhi on one booking is in the €600 band, because the qualifying distance is Frankfurt to Delhi.

Full details: Missed Connection Compensation

Aegean Airlines refund policy under EC 261

When your Aegean flight is cancelled, or delayed by 5 or more hours, the Aegean Airlines refund policy under EC 261 requires the airline to offer you a full refund of the ticket within 7 days, including all taxes and fees for any unused portions of the journey, plus a return flight to your original departure point if you have already completed part of the trip. Alternatively, you can choose rebooking on the next available flight to your destination, potentially on a partner airline, or rebooking at a later date of your choosing.

This refund right applies regardless of the cause of the disruption, and it overrides any "non-refundable" fare conditions. If Aegean cancels, you are entitled to your money back whether you bought the cheapest Light fare or a fully flexible ticket.

What Aegean must provide during disruptions

Regardless of whether compensation is owed, Aegean must provide care when a flight is delayed:

Delay threshold	What you're entitled to
2+ hours (flights up to 1,500 km)	Meals, refreshments, 2 phone calls or emails
3+ hours (flights 1,500 km to 3,500 km)	Meals, refreshments, 2 phone calls or emails
4+ hours (flights over 3,500 km)	Meals, refreshments, 2 phone calls or emails
Overnight delay	Hotel accommodation plus transport to and from the hotel
5+ hours	Right to abandon the journey plus full refund

If Aegean doesn't provide care at the airport, cover the costs yourself, keep every receipt, and claim reimbursement. This applies even when the disruption was an extraordinary circumstance — care obligations never switch off.

Aegean and extraordinary circumstances

Aegean is not required to pay compensation when disruptions are caused by events genuinely beyond its control: severe weather, air traffic control restrictions or strikes, security threats, and airport closures ordered by authorities.

Not extraordinary circumstances: technical faults, maintenance issues, crew shortages or illness, and strikes by Aegean's own staff. Courts have consistently held that an airline's own industrial action falls within its operational control.

Two Aegean-specific patterns are worth knowing. Greek air traffic controller strikes are relatively frequent and do generally qualify as extraordinary — but the airline still owes you care, and still owes compensation if it failed to rebook you reasonably once the strike ended. Separately, the Meltemi winds that sweep the islands each summer force diversions on routes to Mykonos, Santorini and Naxos; these are seasonal and predictable, which weakens a blanket weather defence.

If Aegean rejects your claim citing extraordinary circumstances, FlyPayout independently verifies whether the defence holds up against the actual flight data.

Olympic Air and codeshare flights

Aegean owns Olympic Air, which operates most of the smaller Greek island routes with ATR turboprops under its own brand and flight numbers. If Olympic Air operated your flight, the claim goes against Olympic Air rather than Aegean. Olympic Air is also Greek-registered, so your rights are identical either way — but the claim has to be addressed to the right entity to succeed.

The same operating-carrier rule applies to codeshares. Aegean is a Star Alliance member and codeshares with carriers including Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines and, since 2026, IndiGo on the India routes. If you bought a ticket with the Aegean "A3" code but another airline physically operated the flight, your claim goes to that airline. FlyPayout determines which carrier is responsible and files accordingly.

Aegean lost baggage compensation

Aegean is also liable for baggage under the Montreal Convention. If Aegean loses, delays or damages your checked luggage, you can claim up to 1,519 SDR (approximately €1,800) per passenger. That limit rose from 1,288 SDR on 28 December 2024 and covers destroyed, lost, damaged and delayed bags as a single per-passenger cap.

Key deadlines: damaged baggage must be reported in writing within 7 days of receiving the bag. Delayed baggage must be reported in writing within 21 days of delivery. Baggage still missing after 21 days is treated as lost, and you can claim for the bag and its contents.

See our guides to lost luggage, delayed luggage, and damaged luggage.

Time limits for filing an Aegean Airlines compensation claim

Greece applies a 5-year limitation period to flight compensation claims — one of the longest in the EU, and far more generous than the 2 years available in Italy or the Netherlands.

In practice this means disruptions going back to 2021 may still be claimable. Evidence gets harder to assemble over time, so earlier is better, but do not assume an older flight is out of reach.

How FlyPayout Claims Your Aegean Airlines Compensation

Aegean, like most airlines, doesn't always pay voluntarily. Claims may be ignored, delayed, or rejected with vague references to extraordinary circumstances. FlyPayout handles the entire Aegean claim compensation process for you.

Step 1: Check your flight. Enter your Aegean flight details into our free compensation calculator. In under 2 minutes, you'll know if you're eligible for compensation and how much you could receive.

Step 2: Submit your claim. If your Aegean flight qualifies, FlyPayout handles everything — the paperwork, the airline communication, and the case management.

Step 3: Get paid. We negotiate with Aegean on your behalf. If they refuse to pay, our legal team takes the case to court. We only charge our fee when you receive your money.

Why Choose FlyPayout?

•      Claim for Aegean disruptions from the last 5 years — it's not too late.

•      We cover all Aegean and Olympic Air flights — domestic Greek, European, Middle Eastern and long-haul.

•      No win, no fee — you never pay upfront.

•      Expert legal team ready to take your case to court if Aegean refuses to pay.

•      You submit the details, we handle the case from start to finish.

Check your compensation →

Frequently Asked Questions About Aegean Airlines Compensation

How much Aegean Airlines delay compensation am I entitled to?

Between €250 and €600 per passenger, depending on the distance to your final destination. Most Aegean routes within Europe fall in the €250 or €400 bands; the Athens to Delhi and Athens to Mumbai services qualify for €600. The figure does not depend on your fare, your cabin, or whether you booked with miles.

Does Aegean Airlines flight delay compensation apply to domestic Greek flights?

Yes. EC 261 covers domestic flights within an EU member state, so an Athens to Santorini or Thessaloniki to Rhodes flight delayed three hours or more qualifies for €250 per passenger. Island routes are among the most disruption-prone in the network, and they are fully covered.

I flew Olympic Air, not Aegean. Can I still claim?

Yes. Olympic Air is Aegean's subsidiary and is separately registered in Greece, which makes it a European carrier in its own right. Your rights and compensation amounts are identical. The claim is simply filed against Olympic Air as the operating carrier, which FlyPayout handles automatically.

My Athens to Delhi flight was delayed. Is the return leg covered too?

Yes, and this is where Aegean's European carrier status matters most. Because Aegean is registered in Greece, the Delhi to Athens leg is covered by EC 261 just as fully as the outbound. On a non-European carrier flying the same route, only the departure from Europe would be protected.

What is the Aegean Airlines refund policy for cancelled flights?

Under EC 261, Aegean must offer you a choice between a full refund within 7 days and rebooking when it cancels a flight. This applies regardless of ticket type. Even the cheapest non-refundable fare qualifies for a full refund when the airline is the one cancelling.

Greek air traffic controllers were on strike. Can I still make an Aegean claim?

Possibly. Air traffic control strikes are usually treated as extraordinary circumstances, which removes the compensation obligation — but not the obligation to provide meals, accommodation and rebooking. If Aegean failed to rebook you promptly once flights resumed, part of your delay may be attributable to the airline rather than the strike. FlyPayout assesses each case against the actual timeline.

How far back can I claim Aegean compensation?

Greece applies a 5-year limitation period, so flights disrupted as far back as 2021 may still qualify. This is one of the longest windows in the EU and considerably more generous than most member states.

Can I claim Aegean lost baggage compensation?

Yes. Under the Montreal Convention, Aegean is liable for lost, delayed or damaged checked baggage up to 1,519 SDR — roughly €1,800 per passenger. Report the problem in writing within 7 days for damage and 21 days for delay. Baggage not returned after 21 days is treated as lost.

Your Aegean flight was disrupted. Get what you're owed.

Aegean is a European carrier with full EC 261 obligations, and Greece gives you five years to act. If your flight was delayed, cancelled or you were denied boarding — on any route, in either direction — you may be entitled to up to €600 per person. Most passengers never claim.

Check your Aegean flight now — it takes less than 2 minutes, and it's completely free.

FlyPayout helps passengers claim compensation for flight delays, cancellations, denied boarding, overbooking, missed connections, and baggage claims. Our service is risk-free — you only pay when we succeed.