FWIW … but when I started planning my flight to Greece next week i was a bit afraid it would be the same experience as 10 years ago when I flew to Crete the first time.
Not so! Corfu (LGKR) airports answered my eMails within MINUTES (!) , Heraklion (LGIR) after one day… and that is really new. The last time i planned that flight, one year ago (but then didn’t go) I never got any answers and calling was just as bad and nerve wrecking.
For both flights I now contacted GOLDAIR Handling, and they confirmed that I will get a discount with the AOPA Crew Card.
To the Milos Airport I sent a friend who lives on the island: parking no problem.
I believe only Swissport get you cheap fees in Iraklion (29€). Did they tell you what the price is going to be?
In high season it can be a bit chaotic. They have an incredible talent to appear stressed…
They have an incredible talent to appear stressed…
Philipp, you really ought to consider a second carreer as a writer.
Yes, might be that Swissport is even a bit cheaper, but similar. AFAIK it’s € 26 in LGKR, absolutely ok. But when you count what only the gas costs (600 liters, both ways)… i couldn’t care less if it’s 5 Euros more or less …
The stress thing doesn’t bother me much, i’ve been there 25 times (only once by SEP, but all the time by Airline) … i have relatives in the Mediterranean :-)
The last time they tried to force me down to 2000 ft when I was in FL100 above the Aegean sea, but when I refused they let me alone. I found it completely stupid to fly a long overwater leg in 2000 ft … The nice thing is, you can always negotiate something with them, you just have to be just as stubborn as they can be.
I have used Swissport – they are good. Your AOPA card (US, UK or whatever AOPA) gets you a discount, usually.
Greece is a lot easier for airport contacts than 10 years ago. But it was never hard – I just used email2fax and fax2email 
They speak English which makes it easy – unlike some other countries in S. Europe where they don’t, or won’t to make a point.
Are you going VFR or IFR? I used to fly VFR at FL085 or so, between the islands.
I’ll fly IFR to Brac and Corfu, and then I’ll see … to Milos i can just as well fly VFR. To Heraklion I’ll file IFR, there’s a lot traffic there already and they just take you a bit ,ore serious and I’d like to fly the VOR approach ;-)
Heraklion, by the way, can have nasty weather in the winter, very high winds, and you approach pretty close to the mountains … and all they have is a VOR approach, with a VOR that doesn’t work half of the time. Not even a simple GPS/LNAV approach … and they have 747s land there and a lot of heavy iron. Airliners mostly fly visual approaches and my Lufthansa friend told me that it was “pretty interesting” some times.
Yes, of course, I remember Fax technology :-) But ten years ago I had problems with them all the time.
I was already very enthusiastic about my flight to Milos and Crete – when I learned the opening hours for Milos Airport on Monday: 15:15 to 16:20 LT ….
Now to time a flight from Munich to Corfu, plus refueling (and waiting one hour for the invoice) and getting at Milos exactly at that slot is more or less impossible. Which means I would have to stay in Corfu overnight … (I can then also take the train and ferry from Munich :-))
I would check the bit about the fuel. Last time I was at Corfu LGKR – September 2014 – the bowser was there within minutes and IIRC we paid them directly.
What I don’t know is whether it is at all possible to just land and depart, without a trip to the airside CAA office and a trip to the handler (off airside), paying some money at both places.
Peter for Corfu : He,he,he…dont even think of that. Some of those guys are so brilliant that they will happily drag you around for nothing.Depending on the traffic,plan a min 1 hour turn-over with a max of 3 hours.
getting at Milos exactly at that slot is more or less impossible
We do that every time we fly to Zürich…. arrival within half an hour after a full day of flying… all that is needed is a lot of leeway before the final leg and a good flight planning program which has realistic winds.
