Written by Charlie, Running With Miles,-
The question of when will Americans be able to travel to Greece is certainly one many are asking. Here is a look at where things stand now and when flights are scheduled to start.
Last year saw a huge drop in tourists to Greece, especially from the major origination points of the UK, Russia, and the US. Together, they make up a significant amount of the annual tourist numbers to Greece and, due to Covid-19, this all went away. This means that millions of people are wondering if they can make that dream trip to Greece this year.
When Will Americans Be Able to Travel to Greece?
At present, the Schengen Zone and most of the European Union is still closed to most people from America. There are a few exceptions but they still exclude most people from traveling to Europe. This as been in place for almost a year now.
Greece was at the front of the movement last year to open up and allow Americans to visit since the country relies so heavily on summer tourism. However, month by month went by where direct flights between the US and Greece were postponed and then canceled and Americans headed to beaches in the US or just postponed their Greek vacation until 2021.
This is a question I hear a lot – when will Americans be able to travel to Greece? We do have some early indicators of when this may happen and how, even as Greece continues to restrict most movements from people within the country.
Flights Are Scheduled
This is nothing new as US airlines had scheduled non-stop flights to Greece for months last year – and ended up canceling them. But, this cost a lot to the airlines in terms of trust. People kept being tired of booking their trips only to have to deal with postponements and outright cancellations, even as airlines assured that the trips would go on.
But, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, and United Airlines all have their non-stop flights scheduled from the US to Greece again this year – United is starting as early as April 30!
Here are the (current) start dates for non-stop flights from the US to Athens:
- United Airlines – April 30 (From Newark – Athens)
- Delta Air Lines – May 1 (From JFK – Athens)
- Delta Air Lines – May 27 (second flight every day from JFK)
- Emirates – June 1 (From Newark – Athens)
- American Airlines – June 2 (From JFK – Athens)
- American Airlines – June 3 (From Philadelphia – Athens)
- American Airlines – June 3 (From Chicago – Athens)
By June 3, there will be 7 separate non-stop flights from the US to Athens – and these flights are being sold now. Again, as we saw last year, just because they are being sold does not mean that they will actually fly them but I believe the airlines are operating with a greater deal of caution this year to encourage travelers to actually book.
All that being said, I feel that the United and Delta start dates are a tad bit ambitious. The only thing I can think is that they are flying them to bring those allowed to travel to Greece back to Greece for the Greek Easter which takes place on May 3. With churches all being closed last year during the first lockdown, this year will likely be very busy and many will want to come so these early flights may be catering to them.
Vaccination Certificates
The Greek Prime Minister has made it quite clear that he wants a regular vaccination certificate or pass to allow for easier travel for those who have received the vaccine. At the same time, he has also made it clear that having a vaccine is not a requirement for visiting Greece (and hoteliers are also not requiring a vaccine for guests to be able to stay).
