Routes / AMS–ATH
2,182 km great circle · Within the EU, over 1,500 km
Amsterdam AMS to Athens ATH delay compensation
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport is 2,182 km by great circle, Netherlands to Greece. Under EU261 that is €400 per passenger (flights within the EU over 1,500 km), and under UK261 £350, when the rule applies and you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1Amsterdam AMS
- 2Athens ATH
- 3Great circle 2,182 km
- 4EU261 intra-EU €400
Which rules cover AMS–ATH
Amsterdam → Athens
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by EU261 (the flight departs from the EU (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline). On a UK airline it is also under UK261. If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate for EU261 (the flight leaves Netherlands) or the airline's dispute scheme or the UK CAA for UK261.
Athens → Amsterdam
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by EU261 (the flight departs from the EU (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline). On a UK airline it is also under UK261. If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority for EU261 (the flight leaves Greece) or the airline's dispute scheme or the UK CAA for UK261.
Because both EU and UK rules can reach this route, a passenger may find two rules covering the same trip. Each excludes people already compensated under the other's law for the same event, so the claim is made once, under whichever the airline accepts — in money terms €400 or £350.
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at ATH (or AMS on the return), for a delay caused by the airline, per passenger, where each rule applies:
| Hours late | EU261 | UK261 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | €0 | £0 |
| 3 h 30 min | €400 | £350 |
| 4 h 30 min | €400 | £350 |
| 6 h 30 min | €400 | £350 |
| 9 h 30 min | €400 | £350 |
Amsterdam and Athens are both in the EU and 2,182 km apart, so the intra-EU rule applies: a flat €400 from 3 hours late, with no long-haul reduction.
The distance and the band
EU261 and UK261 measure distance "by the great circle route method" between the departure airport and the final destination. From the published coordinates of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (52.308601, 4.76389) and Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (37.936401, 23.9445) that is 2,182 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 682 km below this route, so the band is not in doubt. Among the 13 routes on this site in the within the EU, over 1,500 km band, it is number 3 by length.
Other routes from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (EHAM) on this site: London (370 km), Edinburgh (666 km), Barcelona (1,241 km), New York (5,848 km), Dubai (5,169 km), San Francisco (8,786 km), Atlanta (7,066 km), Detroit (6,324 km), Minneapolis (6,685 km), Boston (5,548 km), Chicago (6,612 km), Houston (8,049 km), Los Angeles (8,956 km), Seattle (7,840 km), Toronto (5,990 km), Paris (399 km), Rome (1,297 km), Prague (705 km), Copenhagen (633 km), Lisbon (1,846 km), Florence (1,058 km).
Other routes from Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (LGAV) on this site: London (2,427 km), Rome (1,085 km), Paris (2,109 km), New York (7,932 km), Newark (7,956 km), Philadelphia (8,083 km), Frankfurt (1,816 km), Munich (1,518 km), Santorini (218 km), Mykonos (136 km), Heraklion (309 km), Vienna (1,279 km).
If AMS–ATH is only one leg of your booking, measure to the final destination instead: a connection that makes you late at the end is compensated over the whole journey's distance.
If the flight is cancelled
Cancelled with less than 14 days' notice and re-routed to arrive 6 hours late, an EU261 passenger is owed €400 here. If the replacement left within the allowed early margin and landed within the re-routing window, nothing is owed; if it landed within 3 hours but outside those windows, the airline may pay half — €200. On a cancellation you may instead take a refund within 7 days.
Help at the airport while you wait
On a flight of this length, meals and refreshments are owed once the departure is 3 hours late under EU261 and UK261, and a hotel with transport if you have to stay overnight — whatever caused the delay. Keep receipts for anything you buy: it is claimed back separately from any compensation.
Claiming on this route
Claim from the operating airline directly — it costs nothing.
EU261: If the airline does not reply within two months, or the reply is unsatisfactory, complain to the national enforcement body of the country where the incident happened.
UK261: If the airline's final answer is unsatisfactory, or it has not answered within eight weeks, go to the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body the airline belongs to, or to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team if it belongs to none.
Claim pages of airlines based in Netherlands or Greece (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
Airport coordinates: OurAirports country file (NL); OurAirports country file (GR). Complaint bodies: European Commission NEB list. Rules: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex); UK Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7 (legislation.gov.uk). Checked 2026-10-21. General information, not legal advice.