Timing of sales on Aegean/Olympic flights to Santorini and Naxos

Really don't think they will tell you when the sale. If it was a fixed date, then everyone would wait. My experience, as I remember it from a couple of years with Aegean Air, is that its pricing structure is similar to Southwest with fixed pricing tiers. I would assume that their sales pricing would be at random or close to that and related to the total seats available to sell. Probably checking every week would be sufficient.

Hi BEth -- Well, Aegean isn't as transparent as formerly, about how to get e-mail alerts for the cut-price offers. Signing up for he membership doesn't do it. Just now checked website: here's what to do:
• Go to https://en.aegeanair.com On TOP menu click on CONTACT
• Up comes page w QUestions to Click including FAQ Categories
• Under FAQ Click "Prices and Offers" to pulldown menu
• On pulldown menu click "Special offers"
• There are 2 questions: #2 says "How can I get informed about news and special Offers?" The text below this says "Be the first to know when a special offer appears, as well as all our news, by subscribing to our Newsletter. Alternatively all our offers & contests are published here. CLICK on THIS
. Next screen, sentence #1 says "be first to know when a special offer appears by SUBSCRIBING (highlighted as a hotlink) to our newsletter. Click on SUBSCRIBING
• A form appears for you to fill out. Do so. Done!

Thanks Janet! You are the best.

I filled it out.

Beth

When I'm making plans for Greece, along with signing up for the Aegean email newsletter I make it a habit to check their website every couple of days to see if any new fares have been posted there. The best fares go quickly, so be sure you're ready to book when you see them, and do so immediately.

Just like any airlines, even with alerts, you have to check on a regular basis to see what deals are offered. Sometimes the alerts come too late and you miss out.

Aegean/Olympics is an excellent airlines and I have flown with them a number of times, usually on prop-driven planes which are really very safe and once inside you can't tell whether you are in a jet-engine or prop-engine plane. It's only when you look outside the window and see propellers will you realize what type of plane you are flying on.

Not to worry, prop planes are just as safe as jet-engined planes. In fact, you'll fly lower, reducing turbulence and it won't be as loud as a jet engine. It's also usually a small plane, more intimate and sometimes almost no one on the plane but you and a handful of other passengers (during off-season flights anyways)

Good advice. I will check online as well.

Beth

We just booked Athens-Santorini return on Aegean for mid-May 2018: EUR 160 pp. Not sure if that's a good deal or not, but so you can comparison shop.

Darren, a lot of people on this forum are Americans and are confused by "return" -- our usage is more commonly "round-trip." At any rate, that means €80 each way ... and that could be quite a good deal! it all depends on the time ... at the first flight of the day. (5 or 5:30 am) the price is usually good, but then it goes waaay up... so if your flight is anywhere aft 8 am, its a good price!

Beth -- There is a chance that if you wait for a sale before you book a flight, the best flights (in terms of schedule) may be gone. Or in the case of Naxos, which has a small airport, there may be no seats remaining at all.

If you're looking at specific dates and times, familiarize yourself with the schedules, prices, and seat availability right now. And then decide if you want to take a chance waiting for a sale or just book now and eliminate that uncertainty from your trip planning.

I have thought of that. We have two domestic flights we want to take--one to Santorini from Athens and a second from Naxos back to Athens. We haven't booked transatlantic flights yet so can't even consider booking the flight to Santorini. The plan is to come in early enough to fly that day but don't know yet which flights that will be. It has proven to be quite a task to coordinate across multiple cities. But, there are a fair number of flights to Santorini.

But I do know what flight we want from Naxos--the late morning one (11:40 am) which I would guess would be the one others would like too.

There are six of us so a sale matters more from a cost standpoint.

I have been watching the prices every day so can jump right on it.

But you do bring up the point that maybe it isn't worth risking not getting the flights we want to save money.

Beth

Just saw this thread. Last November I got a great seat sale from Naxos to Athens for 115 euros total for 6 of us. That was unbelievable. You should expect those seat sales to start showing up in November and December.

In all the years we have been visiting Naxos we have never seen a sale price for that flight. I think the sale this year was because Aegean stopped flying to Naxos late in 2016 and cancelled all their flights. Something to do with Government contracts.
All that to say I suspect a sale on Naxos flights isn't likely to happen again so it will be regular fares. Dont wait too long to book that flight because the aircraft are only 50 seaters and flights sell out fast.

By the way Sky Express is now also flying to Naxos. You could check out their prices and schedules as well. Their reputation isn't as good as Aegean/Olympic but they use the same ATR 50 passenger aircraft.

Good info as usual, from Stanbr. About SKY EXPRESS -- I think their basic quoted fare does NOT include a checked bag ... that will cost you about €25 up IF you pay in advance... I hear if you don't know about it, and then have to pay at the airport for checked bag, it can be waaay more. Just what I've heard; check website carefully. Aegean Air also has a lower fare called "go-lite" I think, that only allows a small carry-on of about 15 lbs (a laptop computer plus handbag) ; it also does not permit ANY change or cancellation .... the higher fare includes a standard-size checked bag (max 21"), and importantly, permits changing flights without huge fee.