Aegean offering fixed-rate flight passes between European destinations
Editor's Note
A new trip-purchasing option from Aegean Airlines could offer you a unique and potentially cost-saving option for booking trips to Europe.
The Greece-based carrier, which is a member of the Star Alliance, is selling multi-flight, flexible passes that allow travelers to purchase fixed-price tickets for multiple trips between set destinations.
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TPG confirmed the offer, which was first reported by Running with Miles.
For European travelers looking to make multiple trips to Greece within a year, this could be a cost-effective way to purchase the trips at a discount. It's also an intriguing option for international travelers hoping to visit multiple destinations in Greece or another European destination on the same trip.
Aegean Pass
The "Aegean Pass" now on sale allows travelers to purchase several flights at a time, all at a fixed price. Think of it as buying your flights in bulk and paying up front. It allows you to buy a handful of flights between two specific airports, even between several airports with some of the plans.
The airline markets the pass as an opportunity to "fly to your favorite destination(s) whenever you want!"
How much you pay depends not just on the airports you want to include, but how much flexibility you need: you can choose to book a minimum of 30 days in advance, seven days in advance or even the day of the flight.
Aegean is selling the packages in groups of six or ten flights for one year, and says there are no blackout dates on the passes.
How this benefits European travelers
The most obvious travelers who stand to benefit from Aegean's new flight pass option are European travelers hoping to make numerous trips over the next year to Greece.
Related: What it's like visiting Greece right now
For instance, checking the booking page, I found you could book ten trips between London airports and Athens for approximately $78 per flight (depending on currency conversion rates) if you book at least 30 days out, or ten trips for about $85 if you book the day of the flight. There are also options to book between 0 and 30 days.
Ten flights between Paris and Athens booked 30 days in advance cost about $67 per flight or $89 per flight if booked same day of the first flight.
While you don't get as good of a rate on flights when you book packages of six flights, that option is available, and it will save you money on the total cost if you don't think you'll need ten flight passes.
There are also packages available for routes between Greece and Switzerland or Germany, and there are multiple routes within Germany.
How this benefits U.S. and other travelers
So, how would a multi-flight pass on a Greek airline stand to benefit U.S. travelers? Most likely by helping visitors to Greece hop between multiple destinations within the country during their trip without having to pay too much for flights.
There's a pass for multiple Greek destinations that allows you to fly between Athens and nine other Greek airports. Based on the booking page, each flight would have to either originate or end in Athens.
The cheapest option available for that package is for six flights, booked at least 30 days out, which costs about $35 per flight for a total of $211. If you'd like to be able to book your flight one week out, the price rises $22 per flight, and it goes up another $22 per flight if you'd like the flexibility to book your flight with zero days notice.
The cheapest rate available for this package is for 10 flights, booked with at least 30 days' notice, at approximately $31 per flight, again depending on currency conversion rates.
Another option is the Balkans pass, which starts at six flights for about $34) per flight, booked at least 30 days out. This gives travelers access to flights between Athens and four Balkan country destinations in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.
And, here's an answer to a question I know I had: no, you cannot buy a pack of ten flights and use them among multiple family members. Aegean says the each group of passes must be used by the same flyer.
Germany Pass
One of the most intriguing options for U.S. travelers hoping to book a multi-destination trip to Europe could involve the Germany pass. One thing that sets this pass apart from some of the others is that it gives travelers more flexibility in where they can depart from and land.
For instance, it appears you could fly from Athens to Stuttgard, then from Stuttgard to Thessaloniki, from there to Munich, and then back to Athens or numerous other airport combinations.
These passes start at about $82 per flight for six flights booked at least 30 days out.
Not only does this Germany pass give you flexibility to travel between numerous destinations in Greece and Germany as you please, but it also gives you more options on booking your flights to and from Europe.
For instance, if you are looking for a trip between May 2 and 9, I found round-trip airfare between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Athens on Star Alliance partner Scandinavian Airlines for $478 (with a short stop in Copenhagen).
If you'd rather use United MileagePlus miles, I found round trips options this spring for around 60,000 miles between Newark and Athens.
I also found multiple round-trip options in May between New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Athens for 60,000 miles. Or, if you'd rather have your trip start and end in Germany before flying to Greece with the flight pass deal, you could get the same rate flying to Frankfurt Airport (FRA).
Related: How I booked a round-the-world ticket
Pass particulars
Travelers using the Aegean Pass get free standard seat selection, or can receive a 50% discount on "upfront seat selection" when they book the six-flight pass. That perk comes free with the 10-flight pass.
Each pass includes a free carry-on bag. Travelers who purchase the 10-flight pass get 30% off baggage in addition to the carry-on.
One key downside is that you do have to pay airport taxes when you redeem the pass for a particular flight.
Bottom line
Multi-flight passes can always be an interesting option when airlines offer them as a way to try and save money purchasing multiple flexible tickets between a particular destination or multiple destinations.
For U.S. travelers hoping to hit multiple Greek destinations (or some others in Europe) this could be an opportunity to lock in a discount price right now, given the uncertainty over what will happen with fuel, and thus ticket prices, heading into the spring and summer months.
Be sure to do some research on what airport taxes might cost for your particular plan, but depending on your travel needs, this option from Aegean could be a way to save some money.