Review of Sky Express flight from Athens to Rome in Economy

INTRODUCTION

Hello FlightReporters!
2020 has been a tough year for me as for everyone and as result of the pandemic all my plans of abroad travel were dropped.
With my last flight on October 4th 2019 this had been the longest period on land for me, 711 days, almost two years. Moreover 2020 is the first year since 2008 without making any flight.

Since I've graduated in July 2021 and the italian vaccination campaign is going quite well (got my second dose on 29th July), I decided to take some courage and book an international vacation for summer.
My best friend and I evaluated many different countries (Austria-Hungary, Belgium, France, Croatia) taking into consideration prices, things to visit and Covid-19 restrictions and overall situation.

We ended up planning and booking a 8-day vacation in Greece, spending 4 nights in Nafplio and 4 nights in Athens. The first part of the trip would have been dedicated on visiting Peloponnese's archeological sites (Mykines, Argo, Tyrins, Epidauros, Olympia) and enjoying some time by the sea. Along with flights and hotels we rented a car from Europcar.
Departure was set for 15th August and return in the morning of 23rd.

A couple of weeks before leaving we started to have some doubts, due to the increasing cases of Delta Variants. Being both vaccinated with two doses we decided to buy a very strong insurance in order to be full covered against a forced quarantine in Greece.

Regarding the flights, the best solution was with Alitalia and Sky Express, a greek low-cost carrier. We payed 120 € per person for FCO-ATH route and 118 € per person for the return flight. In both cases we had to book extra-baggage.

To give some stats, this would be my first time with Sky Express, first time on a A320neo and second time on a Neo-Class Airbus.
It would be my second time visiting Greece and Athens and the first time on FCO-ATH route (the first was CIA-ATH in 2016).

BEFORE THE FLIGHT

As for the entrance in Greece, Italy requires an European Passenger Locator Form.
The website is quite similar to the Greek one and it generates the QR code in few minutes
Information requested mostly regards addresses in the originating country, the flight and vaccination

Sky Express gives the possibility to check-in online 48h before the flight
Even if we had to go to the bag drop desk we checked in from hour hotel in Athens
The procedure took no time since it only asked the booking reference number and the name of the passenger

During the booking we had already chose our seats and bought the extra baggage

Regarding the hold luggage Alitalia and Sky Express offers different solutions: while AZ has only one choose (23 kgs), Sky Express starts from 15 kgs and gives the possibility to add all the necessary kilos

In our case, we buy 17 kgs per passenger

AT THE AIRPORT

With the flight scheduled for 10:20, my friend and I decided to be at the airport around 8am
Our hotel offered a dedicated taxi service with a fixed price (35€), a bit cheaper than regular taxis (37-40€)
They adviced us to take the transfer at 7am, since Monday morning is usually very busy

Fortunately the airport motorway was not trafficated as expected, therefore we arrived at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos a bit later than 7:30

The airport, built in 2001, has only one terminal which hosts all the flights
The taxi left us in front of Entrance n° 1, where SkyExpress operations are handled

The departure hall was quite bright and well maintained, even if its design is not particular
Ryanair desks were creating a big queue just in front of the entrance

FIDS showing our flight to be handed at check-in desks 54-61, straight in front

Check-in row for SkyExpress
We were able to use "Bag Drop" queue, even if the counters were almost empty

Check-in procedure was quite fast
The agent checked our BPs, Covid Pass, PLFs and labeled our baggages

Even if the FIDS didn't show the gate yet, it was already written on the BP

Having two hours to the boarding time, my friend and I got a coffee and a cigarette before passing through security

The airport has some good shops landside, like Victoria's Secret

The airport is split in half by a food court
Gates A hosts non-Schenghen flights, gates B domestic and Schenghen

Security took around 10 minutes
There wasn't a big queue, but the process itself was a bit messier than the one in Rome

Obliged passage through a duty free and a shopping area
Some shops were closed, maybe because it was still early in the morning

Gate B3 already showing our flight, even if there were still 90' before boarding

plane SPOTTING

One hour and half of waiting could be boring, but if you put together an avgeek and large windows, the time will pass faster…

Aegean Airlines A320neo parked at our gate

Aegean Airlines A321neo taking off

Sky Express A320neo taking off

Aegean Airlines A321 in old livery taxiing

Aegean Airlines A320 in Star Alliance livery leaving the gate behind the A320neo

Since ATH has two very long runways, some planes (narrow bodies only) started their T/O run from a rapid exit taxiway located approximately 1/3 lenght, rather than from the beginning of the RWY

I've never seen something like this, but I understand the reason

Meanwhile Aegean Airlines A320neo left its gate

Olympic Air Bombardier DHC-8-400 taxiing

The tip of the terminal building offers some different views to the service apron

Aegean Airlines A321 parked at remotes

Aegean Airlines A320neo

Olympic Air ATR 42-600 taxiing

Turkish Airlines A321neo taking off

American Airlines Boeing 787 Dream)Liner

One of the best liveries ever created, imo

Meanwhile our plane pulled into gate B3

Sky Express Airbus A320neo, SX-TEC, delivered in December 2020 (0.8 years old). According to PlaneSpotters.net the plane was planned to be delivered to AirAsia Japan, but was never taken up

The loading bridge was connected around 9:55, ten minutes later than scheduled boarding time

THE FLIGHT

No doubts about the destination…

At this point the hell began…

Most of the passengers (including us) started to queue for the boarding, without knowing the first step was a PLF check. Passenger (like us) holding the QR were invited to take a seat again, while the others had to fill a paper version of the document.
No need to say Covid rules regarding social distance were not so respected at this point…

Finally, almost 20 minutes later, we had our BPs scanned…

Our ride ready to board, with an Aegean Airlines A320 parked next

The plane was not completely ready to board, so we had to wait around ten minutes in the corridor and in the loading bridge

7 minutes after scheduled departure time (10:20) we stepped onboard

Door shot, as usual…

…and wing shot, as usual

AlbaStar Boeing 737 taxiing in the background

The plane is equipped with 186 seats, all in Y

Even if the plane is kinda new, the seats looked a bit "old-style"
However they're very comfortable, with a decent pitch

The view from my seat, 8A

American Airlines Boeing 787 Dream)Liner

A few minutes later the 787 pushed back, revealing a Delta Airlines Airbus A330

The Dream)Liner taxiing to the runway and taking off

After the boarding was over, the crew delivered a mint candy
What a cozy touch

A few minutes before 11AM (almost 40' minutes after scheduled departure time), the loading bridge was disconnected and we began to pushback

United Airlines Boeing 787 Dream)Liner and Delta Airlines A330 parked at the end of the terminal

Leaving the apron toward runway 03R

EuropeAirpost (now ASL Airlines France) Boeing 737 and WizzAir and easyJet A320s parked at the satellite terminal

American Airlines Boeing 777 in the distance

Air Canada Boeing 777 just landed

Star Air Denmark Boeing 767F

Lining up on RWY03R

And there we go…

Bye bye Athens! Bye Bye Greece!
Αντίο Αθήνα
Αντίο Ελλάδα

Athens visible in the distance

Banking over Rafina, northeast from the airport

Athens International Airport

Flying over Athens, it's impressive to see its extension from air

The Olympic Park, designed by Santiago Calatrava, built for 2004 Summer Olympic Games

The city center

Above, left to right: Panathenaic Stadium, National Gardens with Zappeion, Parliament and Syntagma Square
Below: Lycabettus Hill

Acropolis, with Parthenon in the middle and the Museum in the left background

Old Ellinikon Airport

Faliro Bay and Piraeus Harbour

Salamis Island (right)

Gulf of Elefsina

Megara Airport (ICAO: LGMG)

Megara with its gulf in the background

Corinth Canal, connecting Saronic (left) and Corinth (right) Gulf through the Isthmus of Corinth

Cape Melagavi in the foreground

Rio–Antirrio Bridge and, in the background, Patras

Lake Trichonida, in the region of Aetolia-Acarnania

Agrinion Airport (IATA: AGQ, ICAO: LGAG), on the left, and Stratos Artificial Lake, on the right

25 minutes into the flight a small snack was served
It was made of a pack of biscuits (very tasty) and a small choice of drinks
I went for orange juice, which was quite good

Meanwhile we were flying over Ambracian Gulf

Aktion National Airport (IATA: PVK, ICAO: LGPZ)

Approacching Ionian Sea, we started to fly over a bed of clouds…

…which disappeared over Apulia Region

Gallipoli, a very well appreciated tourist destination among youngster

Crossing Ionian Sea coastline

Clouds made it difficult to spot any known location

Formia (in the middle) and Gaeta (the cape in the background)

Flying over Latina's territories, in southern Lazio

Around 11:30 (Italian time), we started our descent to FCO

EUR district, with Euroma Shopping Mall, Eurosky Tower and Europarco Tower, the tallest skyscrapers in Rome

The EUR original part, build for 1942 Universal Exposition (never held due to WWII)

The entire neighborhood is a masterpiece of Italian Rationalist Architecture

We flew over Rome in order to turn around north of the city and approach FCO from north, on RWY 16L or 16R

Getting out of the clouds we experienced a light turbolence, but just for a couple of minutes

Bracciano Lake

Finally alligned for landing

Crossing highway A12, connecting Rome to Civitavecchia's harbour

Last moments on air

We would land on RWY16L, generally used for European and domestic flights

At 11:43, 23 minutes after scheduled, we touched down at Rome "Leonardo da Vinci" International Airport

Landing was smooth and many passengers clapped their hand
I honestly hate it…

Vacating the runway

Livery-less Boeing 737 being towed out of the Cargo City

Poste Air Cargo Boeing 737s parked in front of the new pier, which will open by the end of 2021
It will handle domestic and Schenghen flights

easyJet Airbus A320 and Ryanair Boeing 737s parked at pier A1-10, which we departed a few days ago and where we're about to park

Alitalia Airbus A330 parked inside the engine test pad

Ryanair Boeing 737s
It's always strange for me to see FR parked at a contact gate

Our gate, A7

Alitalia A320 taxiing in the background

Blocking next to Ryanair 737

Electra Airways A320

First time I've seen it

The jetway was connected quite immediately

As for FCO-ATH the cabin crew asked all the passengers to disembark row-by-row, but it didn't happen

Passengers on row 25 who tries to disembark first need a gold olympic medal for jump or something similar…

Last view of our bird
Really like Sky Express livery, imo blue and purple always fit well together

R(H)ome Sweet Home

Differently from Athens, there was no control for PLF or Covid Pass

The way for baggage reclaim hall was quite fast and luggages took less than 10 minutes to be delivered
My baggage was the first to be thrown out from the conveyor, I've always thought it's a satisfaction I'd have never experienced…

Exiting the airport was a bit messy because meet and greeters hall was "moved" outside, with people rushing and with no social distancing

The car valet agent took around 10/15 minutes to pick us up in front of the train station

See you next report, and I really hope it will be before than 2 years like this…

Thank you for the attention