SCOOT FLIGHTS, AUSTRALIA TO GREECE FROM $299

When Scoot announced it was launching the “Deal of the Decade”, they weren’t lying. The budget airline has launched airfares from Australia to Greece for under $300.

Flight from Perth start from $299.00, and go up slightly to $309.00 for flights leaving from the Gold Coast, Sydney or Melbourne.

The only catch is that baggage and meals cost extra. Travel must take place from now and 30 May, 2019, with flights required to be booked by the end of February.

ATHENS VIA THE US AN ECONOMICAL OPTION

Norwegian Airlines has announced it will be introducing a new non-stop service from New York to Athens starting 2 July, 2019 and running through to 26 October, 2019 with one way fares under US$200.

Peter Vlitas who serves as the Senior Vice President of Airline Relations for Travel Leaders Group has been a key player in establishing the direct service, which he revealed was motivated by a desire to help boost Greece’s profile.

“I know how important it is for Greece to be able to move ahead from the crisis, to attract tourists, and create jobs,” Mr Vlitas told The National Herald.

“It will be the first year after a long time that there will be seven flights daily going directly to Greece this summer.”

The Athens flights from New York JFK will operate four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), with one way fares starting from US$159.90 (AUD$225.30) in economy and US$669.90 (AUD$943.89) in premium.

Meanwhile Delta Airlines will be putting on two Airbus 430s for the peak summer period until October, 2019.

American Airlines for the first time will have two direct flights to Athens – one from Chicago, and one from Philadelphia – starting 3 May, 2019.

“The fact that the airlines are taking the initiative to fly to Greece means that they have trust in the market,” Mr Vlitas said.

“They realise that it is a market that the Americans want to travel to, and that Greeks from Greece want to travel to the United States. Don’t forget that the air crafts will be going to Greece full in July, but they should also be returning full. The cargo bays should be full as well with products from Greece.”

AEGEAN AIRLINES ANNOUNCES SEVEN NEW INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS

As of 2019, Aegean Airlines has announced that it will be adding seven additional international destinations to its routes, connected via Athens.

Announced on Wednesday, there will be flights directly connecting the Greek capital to Marrakesh, Casablanca, Ibiza, Valencia, Sarajevo, Tunis and Skopje, along with another flight on the Thessaloniki-Hannover route.

By doing so, the airline is seeking to increase seat capacity by 700,000, leading to a total capacity on international routes of 10.3 million in 2019.

More flights will also be offered between Athens and western European cities Munich, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Hamburg, Zurich, Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon and Porto. While flights will commence earlier in the season between Athens and Luxembourg, Malta, Venice, Bologna, Naples, Catania and Malaga, with consideration being given to increasing routes within the Balkan and Eastern European markets.

WIZZ AIR CONNECTS KYIV WITH MAJOR GREEK CITIES

Leading low-cost carrier in Ukraine, Wizz Air has announced it will be adding two new routes from Kyiv to Athens and Thesssaloniki.

Set to commence on 20 May, 2019, the Kyiv-Thessaloniki route will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, while Kyiv-Athens will start on 21 May, 2019 also twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays.