How to Save Money Flying to Athens
Cheap flights to Greece can be easy to find if you know some effective strategies. Here are several approaches to save money on your next flight to Athens, Greece.
- Book Early or Late. You can save money by either booking well in advance, ideally 60 to 90 days before departure, or by seeking last-minute deals. However, the latter is suited only for those travelers with flexible schedules.
- Break It Up. Focus on obtaining a great price to major hubs such as London, Paris, Rome, or Munich. From these locations, consider finding a budget flight to Greece on a European carrier.
- Be Flexible. Be open to traveling on any day of the week. If possible, check a day or two before your preferred arrival and departure dates.
- Consider Other Airlines. Explore airlines operating flights to Athens International Airport near your travel date. You might discover newer or smaller airlines offering promotional fares.
- Take a Tour. If you are considering a tour or cruise, investigate airfare deals your tour operator might provide and see if you can extend your trip for independent travel before or after the tour.
- Fly Direct. Look into direct flights to Kerkyra (Corfu), Thessaloniki, Rhodes, or through Chania or Heraklion on the island of Crete, as there are numerous options from Britain and Germany to these destinations.
- Try an “Open-Jaw Flight.” Fly into Athens and return from Heraklion, Rhodes, Thessaloniki, or Kerkyra.
- Comparison Shop. Analyze fares from three to five different resources to ensure you find the best value before finalizing your ticket purchase.
- Call the Airline Directly. If you encounter a fantastic price on a specific airline via a travel search, consider calling them directly to inquire about any special promotions to that destination. While the posted online fare is often the lowest, it is not guaranteed.
- Search Red Eye. Conduct your search during late night hours. Many fresh prices become available at midnight, although time zone differences may slightly obscure this phenomenon.
Important Warning About Searching for Flights to Greece
Many search engines may suggest options for flights to alternate airports “near” Athens or other locations; however, viable alternatives do not truly exist. For instance, while searching for Athens may yield results for flights to Mykonos, which is merely 94 miles away, you would still face the challenge of crossing water—requiring either a slow ferry, a more expensive hydrofoil, or an additional flight back to Athens. Similarly, flights to Santorini to reach Crete, which is “only” 70 miles away, do not serve as practical alternatives.
The only exception for airport substitutions applies to flights heading to Crete, where flying into Chania Airport instead of Heraklion is feasible, as you are at least on the same island.
Resources for Finding Cheap Flights to Greece
- Direct Flight Searches: Travelocity provides various flights and vacation packages to Europe, including numerous options to Greece.
- Europebyair.com: Specializes in uncovering deals on lesser-known regional airlines, making it a valuable resource for locating affordable flights not featured on major comparison engines.
- Bootsnall: This platform consistently showcases low fares for flights to Greece.
- Booking Wiz: Affiliated with Bootsnall, this site enables you to check most major travel providers with one entry of your flight information. If dissatisfied, you can always search individual providers for additional results.
- Aegean Airlines: Focused solely on European travel, Aegean has overtaken the former Olympic Airways in annual passenger numbers and has codeshare agreements with other airlines for flights to Greece.
- Olympic Air: Explore their bargain page, as Greece’s carrier sometimes offers discounts and has streamlined its online booking process. Codeshare arrangements dominate international flights.
- Delta Airlines: Frequently promotes flights to Athens, making it an airline worth considering.
- KLM: Another airline that often features low fares to Athens.
Affordable Flights Through Traditional Travel Agents
Often overlooked in today’s internet landscape, traditional travel agents may provide access to flight deals from consolidators that can either match or beat published prices elsewhere. Furthermore, having a real human assisting with your trip details can occasionally be invaluable. While most agents charge a ticketing fee in addition to the ticket fare, this fee is commonly affordable.
Additional Tips on Saving Money on Flights
Need to save those extra euros? Instead of taking a taxi from Athens Airport to your hotel for approximately 45 Euros, opt for the 4 Euro (or so) Airport Bus or the Metro to navigate into Athens. From there, you can take a taxi if absolutely necessary to reach your final destination. While this may require hauling your luggage a little more, you will save significantly compared to using a cab.
