vectrox

Hey there fellow travelers,

Yesterday I received a cancelation notice for my SMI-ATH flight in November this year and quickly noticed that it's due to the Renovation of the Runway and therefore closure of SMI, so a simple rebooking of +/-1 Day was Not possible.

​​​​​​I'm currently thinking about my options to solve the problem and since this forum is always very helpful, maybe you have some good Ideas aswell .

I currently have three Tickets FRA-ATH, ATH-SMI and SMI-SKG-FRA all in Eco Flex.
ATH-SMI is at the beginnig of November before the Airport closure on the 5th, so I'm pretty sure it wont be canceld.

Right now I already have the following Ideas:
​​​​​Getting rebooked from Chios and take a ferry from Samos.
But the ferry schedule for November is Not available yet and it seems like the route is Not operated daily, even know in peak saison. I'm also feeling a little bit unsure about the general reliablity of the ferry Services.

Getting rebooked from Chios or Kos and spend my vacation there (meaning i have to rebook ATH-SMI aswell). But I was really looking forward to try Out the hiking trails on Samos and I'm Not Sure about the hiking options on Chios or Kos.

Getting rebooked from a completely different greek Destination (meaning i have to rebook ATH-SMI aswell). But i would guess that A3 will probably not agree to this.

So maybe you have a completely different idea or have some advise on mine.

Thanks in advance

Nice to have:
Connecting in SKG instead of ATH
4 Segments on OA/A3 in total (you can all figure why &#128517

giorginho

Just to fill the info on the airports, which will close during part of the winter season...
https://en.about.aegeanair.com/media...a3_oa-flights/
Not sure why the two closure periods of some airports have some days included in both of them .

Knobbgb

I would take the ferry from Samos right back to Athens personally. It's been a few years since I sailed that route but I think that bit would be more frequent/predictable than a route from Samos to another island. Sure, it's a long journey (9 to 11 hrs) but you can make it comfortable. Get a cabin, some food and a good bottle of wine and enjoy the trip. If you haven't taken an overnight Greek ferry before it's actually a bit of a cultural experience and an insight into what makes the country tick in winter.

Another option, since you'll be able to cancel your entire return trip for free: you might find a ferry to Turkey (it's literally 1.5km between Samos and the Turkish mainland). I think they may only run in summer for tourists, but you never know. You could then get to Izmir and fly back from there (still via ATH if you want the segments). Ha that's just me coming up with an adventurous option - I'm the guy who never flies direct when I could stop off somewhere weird and new.

Anyway, there is some time yet. The winter ferry schedules should be out in early September. You can decide then, as no flight or ferry will be fully booked in November.

KLouis

I 100% agree with Knobbgb. The only problem with a "long" ferry route during that part of the year (mid-November) may be a "winter storm", which leads to a Coast Guard-imposed no-sailing for ferryboats and smaller passenger-carrying vessels. But this is, anyway, a) unpredictable and b) in Heraklion where I live, it often also leads to a no-fly condition issued by the civil aviation authority for certain airports... Well, November is an excellent time for visiting Greece, cheaper, emptier and greener, but it is sort of "iffy" for those whose schedule is not very flexible.

vectrox

So thanks for the Input. I checked the Izmir option, but A3 winter schedule from there does not fit my schedule, to bad.

So in the end I rebooked to Heraklion, which was free for the way back and 3€ (+Callcenter fee &#128580 per Person for the way out. Still the Ferry woudnt be cheaper and I don't have to worry about weather related cancelations (been there done that &#128517.