Athens, Greece. Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK Flights to Athens Get a Competitive Edge. The influx of competing airlines on the popular route to Athens is supposed to reduce our flight costs. This is somewhat true, but less noticeable during the peak month of August. We searched for the cheapest flights with each airline flying to the Greek capital, and here are our findings.
The cheapest outbound flight we found is on August 1st, priced at $78. The return flight costs $115 for a total of $193 for a round trip. It's quite rare to find prices under $200 during peak season. It should be noted that on most dates, prices are higher with Aegean, and the checked price is for a Light ticket that includes only a carry-on or backpack.
Photo: ShutterstockThe cheapest outbound flight we found with Blue Bird is the day after tomorrow, on July 13th, where you'll pay $149 for the outbound flight. The cheapest return flight we found on July 16th will cost you $119, or a total of $268. It's important to remember that the ticket price includes only a hand luggage, with an additional charge of $22 per direction for a carry-on.
Photo: blue BirdEL-AL is still operating under its ceiling price definition for several destinations, including Athens, so the price doesn't exceed $300 for a round trip. Indeed, the cheapest price we found for flights in July and August, on many dates, stands at $298 for a round trip. The price with EL-AL includes a carry-on and backpack.
EL-AL plane in Athens. Photo: Amit CotlerFlights with Israir to Athens in July-August are more expensive. The cheapest price we found in our check was at the end of August, if you can return to Israel after early September—you'll pay $334, not double that or more, as during the main summer vacation. The price does not include a carry-on.
Israir plane. Photo: ShutterstockThe cheapest flights we found with Arkia in August were at the beginning of the month, where we found an outbound flight for $156 and a return for $175, or a total of $331 for a round trip. If you can return in September, you'll pay only $87 for an outbound flight on August 29th, and $175 for the return, or a total of $262. The price does not include a carry-on.
Arkia. Photo: ShutterstockThe return of Aegean indeed shakes the price market in Israel, where on selected dates we managed to find prices under $200 during the peak tourist season. On many other dates, we found prices between $200 and $250, still significantly cheaper than with Israeli airlines.