Dubrovnik to Athens Transportation

I'll be in Dubrovnik in mid-June and am trying to figure out how to get to Athens (to meet up with some people) in an economical and timely fashion. Some requirements: I'd like to arrive in Athens by mid-afternoon and I'm not interested in a 12 - 18 hour bus ride.

I would like to fly but my searches bring up only Airone airlines (whose flight arrives in Athens at 11 p.m.) and Austrian airlines (whose flights are around $600). Does anyone know of other airlines that fly Dubrovnik to Athens?

I would consider taking the ferry but it seems like a complicated trip: Dubrovnik to Bari (overnight), Bari to Igoumenitsa, and somehow Igoumenitsa to Athens... Is there an easier way to make this trip?

This page http://www.balkanology.com/overview/article_croatia_to_greece.html called How to travel from Croatia to Greece was very helpful but I'm wondering if I have any other choices, given my requirements.

If you have any other ideas for me, please let me know. Thanks.

I wrote that page so I don't have much to add, as everything I know on the topic is already there! But airlines and routes change every year so it's always possible that better flight options emerge. Have you checked SkyEurope? I haven't looked at their summer timetables for 2008 so I've no idea if the connection works or not.

Just to clarify one thing, I don't think the ferry option is particularly complicated. Although you could disembark in Igoumenitsa and get a bus from there, it's probably simpler to continue to Patras from where you have plenty of train and bus options and a relatively short journey - although I'm not sure if you'd make it by mid-afternoon. The main thing to watch out for is that the Dubrovnik-Bari ferry doesn't run every night so you would need to check the Jadrolinija timetable. Despite the heartfelt wishes of many posters to this forum over many years, there is no ferry that conveniently takes you straight from Dubrovnik to Greece.

Realistically you may be imposing too many constraints, trying to find flights that link up neatly enough to get you to Athens by mid-afternoon is quite ambitious - if you manage to find flights that get you there on the same day for any kind of reasonable price you're doing quite well. But as I say, it's just possible that somewhere in the web of European flights there is a connection that works for you.

NO airls do that straight: the 2 you mention are of course via their Hubs: Air1 is IT (roma), OS via Wien: you goback, and double back.
you MAY have some luck with even oder flight connections on germanwings via Koeln or any DE, the site whichbudget.com, skyscanner.net and many more list those cheap no-frills. Mnay very cheap flites from the main west-euro towns come into ATH in nightitme. In fact; do you NEED to go ATH? MANY more cheap flites direct to GR isles!
But agree with alan: this Q gets posted tipically on this branch only by unknowing antipodeans, normal euro's simply would never do it.