American Airlines kicks off first non-stop flight from Charlotte to Athens, Greece

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – “It’s very exciting. It’s my first very long flight,” says Mooresville resident Olivia Fristick.  On Thursday, American Airlines rolled out the red carpet for passengers at Charlotte Douglas Airport who were embarking on its inaugural flight to Athens, Greece. Fristick tells WCCB, “We’re really excited because this is our first time going over here.”

The new route, announced last September, is part of American’s largest-ever transatlantic schedule from Charlotte. American Airlines Senior VP Ralph Lopez says, “To be able to give access to just a terrific destination filled with history, culinary delights, the Greek islands. So it’s just a fantastic addition to our network.”

Lopez says it is a part of an effort to give passengers more options. He says, “We have an incredibly robust network out of Charlotte. It’s our second largest hub. We have over 170 unique destinations.”

The Mooresville family we talked to says the flight to Athens could not have come at a better time. Mooresville resident Barbara Zayatz says, “It’s my first very long flight. And I’m so excited because it is a direct flight. If we didn’t have that, I told the girls we couldn’t go.”

At approximately 10 hours and 30 minutes, the Charlotte-to-Athens route will be the longest commercial flight American has ever operated from Charlotte. Charlotte Douglas Airport CEO Haley Gentry says, “It’s always exciting when we add new service, but to get an international route is particularly exciting. Gentry says this is a sign of what’s to come. She says, “We have American growing in the spring. We have Etihad that’s coming on with direct service to Abu Dhabi. I think you’ll see that continue here in Charlotte.”

Work on the Charlotte-to-Athens flight began last fall. The goal is to operate four daily U.S. flights to Greece by next summer.