Chances are, most people have never heard of Aegean Airlines and have no idea who they are. Well, Aegean Airlines is Star Alliance airline based in Greece with a fleet of 29 short haul aircraft. It’s understandable that most people have not heard of them- they do not fly outside of Europe. However, what some other people may not know is that they offer the lowest elite qualification tiers of any Star Alliance carrier- 4000 miles for Star Alliance Silver and 20000 miles for Star Alliance Gold status. With the current 1000 bonus miles promotion they are having (though it has been going on for quite a while now), that means Star Silver status (and free checked bags on Continental, United and US Airways) for a mere 3000(!) miles, and Star Gold status (free Star Alliance lounge access) for a mere 19000 elite qualifying miles, which is hard to beat. So let’s have a look at their program in detail.
Elite Status on Aegean is obtained by accruing either 4000 or 20000 elite qualifying miles (known as Tier Miles) on Aegean or Star Alliance partners, and once obtained, is valid for three years. Mileage can be obtained based on the mileage accrual tables and are determined by operating carrier- so for example, a United-coded flight operated by Hawaiian would not earn miles. Aegean bases their elite qualification earnings on an absolute sum per segment, rather than per actual mile flown. Super-discounted fares (UTPE) do not earn full mileage credit, and bonuses apply to business and full fare passengers. 500 miles per domestic and 1000 miles per international flight is the base mileage for Aegean-operated flights. Given that Aegean do not fly medium and long haul routes this is actually a better deal than it appears- especially for flights of shorter stage lengths. For partner earning, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines and Austrian adopt a similar flat mileage system, but for all other Star Alliance partners mileage is based on actual flown miles. There are a number of fare classes that do not earn miles, but on the other side they do offer 300% mileage on paid first, 200% on paid business and 150% accrual on Y fares. The class of service bonuses are greater than those at North American-based Star Alliance carriers, making it a lucrative proposition for flyers who purchase paid F or J tickets. Continue Reading
Photo by Auswandern
Air Asia flights
Our essential guide to cheap Air Asia flights provides an in-depth look at the carrier. This guide covers some general information about the airline and the routes it flies to. It also looks at how to get the cheapest possible flights, including some tricks we learned to always find the best deal. Finally, we show an unbiased view of the service onboard Air Asia flights, including seat pitch and in flight service. Continue Reading
