Flying to Greece
Getting a Cheap Flight to Greece

Let's face it. There is nowhere else in the world like Greece and the Greek islands for the summer and every year I try to find the best and cheapest way of getting there. Keeping in mind that airlines sell blocks of tickets at different prices, obviously the cheap seats go first so it is to your advantage to book early. If you are going to Greece between Easter and late summer you can get a good deal if you book at the right time but they get more expensive the longer you wait, especially since the airlines have lost every shred of decency and have used any excuse to jack up the ticket prices and instead of adding extra flights to Athens they keep their one flight and just charge more for tickets. By going to Greece in the off-season when you won't be doing much sunbathing but you can do a lot more exploring you can find flights for under $800 from the USA. Unfortunately with the taxes and sir-charges these now come out to about $1000 and even this price takes some searching for. (See www.athensguide.com/weather.html if you want to know what the seasons will have in store for you)

Airlines and Travel Web-sites

There are a number of companies that advertise with paid ads on various travel pages and by visiting their websites and filling out the forms you can find bargains. I recommend shopping around because what one site has, another may not. Some sites where you fill out the form and pick specific dates you should try a variety of dates to get the best price because a cheap seat that is sold out on one flight may be available on another.

For those flying from the USA you can contact David at Greeceflights by using this form and he does the work for you and comes back with a price. The thing I like about David is his honesty. If he knows you can find a cheaper flight on your own he will tell you.

People flying from the UK or other European cities are better off either booking locally or again looking for google ads for cheap flights on travel sites. Same with those in Australia. In Europe check with airlines like Ryan-Air, Easyjet, Air Scotland, British Air, Olympic and Condor among others. There are also ads in the travel sections of some newspapers for cheap seats on charter flights that have not been filled.

Airline Sales

Keep your eyes and ears open for sales. When airlines are hard-up for cash they have sales and companies like Expedia, Travel-o-city and others will advertise them. You can also register with David at Greeceflights and he will let you know when something comes up. But be nice. If he is taking the time to watch the rates and inform you don't go off and book that flight somewhere else so you can save $5. Contact David at Greeceflights by using this form

Travel Insurance

You would have to be deaf, dumb and blind to not realize that many airlines are in trouble. (Just check out the food they serve these days) So what happens if you have a flight to Greece and the airline shuts down, or the pilots go on strike? Probably you are out of luck. Does it happen? Rarely. But that does not mean it can't happen in the future and the way things are going it could happen more frequently. Anyway for what it costs it seems like a good idea. It's about 5% of the cost of your trip. For more information see Travel Insurance

If you found this page helpful see my Guide to Flying too

Don't under estimate the peace of mind one has when he knows there is someone waiting at the airport to take them to their hotel and basically all you have to do is get your passport stamped, pick up your bags and enter the main terminal and find him, which is pretty easy if you know how to read and can recognize your own name on a sign. For this reason I always use a taxi transfer, either booking directly with George the Famous Taxi Driver, or through a Greek travel agency. For those people who have booked hotels, ferries and tours through an agency your trip to and from the airport is part of the package. For those who have booked hotels and ferries on their own you will need to do this on your own. I think it is worth it. The cost is between 55 and 65 euros depending on where you are going.