Routes / FRA–ATH
1,816 km great circle · Within the EU, over 1,500 km
Frankfurt FRA to Athens ATH delay compensation
Frankfurt Main Airport to Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport is 1,816 km by great circle, Germany 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.
- 1Frankfurt FRA
- 2Athens ATH
- 3Great circle 1,816 km
- 4EU261 intra-EU €400
Which rules cover FRA–ATH
Frankfurt → 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 Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA), National Enforcement Body Air Passenger Rights for EU261 (the flight leaves Germany) or the airline's dispute scheme or the UK CAA for UK261.
Athens → Frankfurt
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 FRA 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 |
Frankfurt and Athens are both in the EU and 1,816 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 Frankfurt Main Airport (50.026706, 8.55835) and Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (37.936401, 23.9445) that is 1,816 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 316 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 9 by length.
Other routes from Frankfurt Main Airport (EDDF) on this site: London (654 km), Munich (299 km), New York (6,189 km), Chicago (6,971 km), Washington (6,550 km), Newark (6,211 km), Los Angeles (9,322 km), San Francisco (9,149 km), Atlanta (7,409 km), Dallas (8,258 km), Houston (8,402 km), Denver (8,089 km), Boston (5,889 km), Toronto (6,344 km), Vancouver (8,063 km), Vienna (621 km), Budapest (836 km), Lisbon (1,873 km), Rome (958 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), Amsterdam (2,182 km), Munich (1,518 km), Santorini (218 km), Mykonos (136 km), Heraklion (309 km), Vienna (1,279 km).
If FRA–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 Germany or Greece (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
Airport coordinates: OurAirports country file (DE); 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.