Greece (and Hungary, and Croatia) are closer than ever thanks to SkyGreece Airlines. Deputy Chief Commercial Officer, Denis Codere, says SkyGreece “strongly believes” in travel agents. Those words are backed by an introductory 15% commission offer.

1. For the uninitiated, tell us a bit about SkyGreece Airlines. What Canadian gateways does SkyGreece fly out of and where does it fly to, and how frequently?

Codere: SkyGreece Airlines is a new airline founded in 2012 by four Greek-Canadian entrepreneurs. It was established in Greece, where they had access to the know-how and expertise of ex-Olympic Airlines employees.

SkyGreece started operating flights in summer 2014 in Europe for various tour operators and was also awarded a contract by the United Nations.

It will begin operating in Canada on May 23. SkyGreece will offer flights from Toronto to Budapest, direct nonstop on Wednesdays and Fridays, Zagreb on Mondays, Thessaloniki on Wednesdays  and Athens on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. From Montreal, we will fly to Athens on Saturday. We will also offer flights from New York to Athens starting in the summer.

We will finalize our winter schedule in the next few weeks and we will offer flights to Budapest and Athens on a year-round basis.

2. What sort of commission and incentives are you offering to travel agents?

Codere: The founders of SkyGreece Airlines have been in the travel business for more than 25 years and needless to say we strongly believe in travel agents and their capacity to direct, inform and share their knowledge and research with their clients. This is why we pay 9% commission on base fare.

We arrived late on the market, so in order to stimulate awareness, we decided to pay 15% commission on new bookings until May 15 for any new bookings on any destinations that we offer.

We believe that loyalty will come and stay from a respectful commission and not from bells and whistles.

3. What inflight experience can SkyGreece passengers look forward to?

Codere: We will use a beautiful Boing 767-300 for Canada and we will offer a total of 270 economy seats with a split of 106 seats in our premium section and 164 in our Eco section. All passengers will receive free headsets, welcome glass of ouzo, seat selection, blankets and covers. All passengers buying the Comfort Package will be upgraded in the Premium section and will be seating in seats offering 34” pitch, our Premium Mediterranean meal and service, priority boarding and more.

4. What sets SkyGreece apart from its competitors?

Codere: We will deliver a quality product, with inclusive features that competitors charge for. We also offer renowned Greek hospitality, direct flights nonstop to destinations that our competitors prefer to serve via their hubs, great prices, better commissions, friendly approach and experienced employees.

We have put together a team of seasoned professionals, with know-how and a passion for their clients that we used to see 20 years ago, and we have fun!

5. Why should passengers head to Greece this summer?

Codere: Greece is and will remain for years, one of the most beautiful countries on earth to visit or revisit. The weather is totally awesome and after the winter we just had… The people are friendly, the food is good, the culture and the history is rich. The Cyclades should be on everybody’s bucket list and definitely at the top.

When you look at pictures of Greece, you often think that they went through some Photoshop editing, but when you are there and you look at the most amazing blue sky on earth,  the Aegean  Sea, the houses, the flowers, you know that you are in a very special place and reality is even better than the pictures.