Act fast: Book flights to Athens from multiple US cities for under $600

HOSTED BY: 1 AIR TRAVEL

Immerse yourself in ancient history with this deal: Flights to Athens, Greece, are under $600 for the next couple of days.

Wander the city’s many museums to view artifacts from ancient Greece or walk through the ruins of the Acropolis — there’s a lot to explore in the Greek capital. Now, you can do so at a discounted price.

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This deal is available from approximately 18 U.S. cities and it only applies to economy fares. Discounts to Athens haven’t cropped up for the past seven months, so book your trip before this deal ends.

Deal basics

Airlines: Delta Air Lines, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, Air Canada, Air France, ITA Airways, United Airlines, British Airways, American Airlines and Austrian Airlines. Routes: From Los Angeles; Long Beach, California; Burbank, California; Baltimore; Charlotte; Dallas; Denver; Houston; Miami; Washington; and other cities to Athens International Airport (ATH). How to book: Use Google Flights to find your best available dates, then book directly with the airline. Travel dates: September 2022 through May 2023. Book by: For two days.

Thanks to Scott’s Cheap Flights for finding this deal. You can sign up for the site’s Premium membership, which costs $49 a year, offers discounts of up to 90% and includes a 14-day free trial. Upgrade to Elite membership for $199 a year to receive Premium deals and premium economy, business-class and first-class deals. 

Sample flights

This deal has many options, particularly in California — you can fly from six different cities in the state. Of the 18 cities included in this deal, we found that Washington had the cheapest fares. Every flight in this deal also includes a layover. Here are a few standout flights:

Delta: Departs from Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport (DCA), starting at $545. Delta: Departs from Dulles International Airport (IAD), starting at $545. Lufthansa: Departs from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), starting at $552. Swiss and United: Departs from Miami International Airport (MIA), starting at $560. Swiss, United and Lufthansa: Departs from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), starting at $560. British Airways: Departs from San Francisco International Airport (SFO), starting at $569.

To book a flight, determine your best availability through Google Flights and then book directly with the airline. Airlines are more reliable if your flight faces a delay, cancellation or booking change.

Prices on Google Flights may also differ slightly from those of airlines because of third-party booking options.

For example, the cost of a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to Athens is $550 on Google Flights but is $560 when booking with an airline. Regardless of the price difference, the fare is still significantly low, as flights to Athens can cost anywhere from $590 to $1,150, according to Google Flights.

Google Flights shows nearly 20 different booking options for a flight from Los Angeles to Athens, including the option to book directly with Swiss, United or Lufthansa — but keep in mind that Swiss operates the flight.

If you book with United or Lufthansa, you cannot pay extra to select a seat for any of the flights to and from Athens — your seat will be selected for you.

We recommend booking directly with Swiss if you’d like to choose a seat or pay for any other additional perks on the flight. Swiss’ seat selection prices range from $40 to $125 for all four round-trip flights (there is a layover in Zurich).

For Swiss’ Economy Light option, you can bring one free carry-on but will need to pay an additional $75 for the first checked bag and another $90 for the second bag. On your return flight, Swiss offers dining options from Zurich to Los Angeles.

There is also the option to tack on an additional carbon-neutral fee. The fees go toward a nonprofit climate change organization and sustainable aviation fuel.

Maximize your purchase

Make sure to use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), Citi Prestige® Card (5 points per dollar on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per dollar on travel). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.

The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

Given the many cities and airlines offering discounted fares to Athens, this deal is definitely worth it. Otherwise, round-trip economy fares to Athens can be upward of $850.

And act fast with this deal — discounted fares like this to Greece don’t come often, so it’s sure not to last.

Featured photo by Sen Li/Getty Images.