jerry_greece

On top of what KLouis says, Naxos is more easily reachable by boat from Piraeus (or even Rafina during summer?). Also not that much time. Milos has not that many boats and takes longer.

gonebabygone

Ah, I see. Shoot, I was hoping it was a random error rather than part of a carefully planned strategy. That does not bode well for my being able to book this award ticket anytime soon

The ferry would be a nice option, but we will already have taken three flights when we arrive in Athens from Sofia and so would prefer not to add a ferry - particular with our three young children, who, while great travelers, have their limits

Thanks again for the help!

gonebabygone

Just wanted to follow up to say THANK YOU for the advice, I ended up booking the whole itinerary shortly afterwards without the ATH-MLO portion. Months later, there are still no reward seats available for ATH-MLO - so I'm glad I didn't wait! (Especially since there are no more seats available on my original itinerary - so glad I got mine in time!!!)

One last question if you wouldn't mind? The cheapest one-way for ATH-MLO is with Sky Express. I'm not familiar with this airline. How far out would you recommend I book for a June 2018 departure? Right now it's 308 euros for 5 seats. Not sure if I should grab that before it's gone or keep waiting...?

Thanks guys

KLouis

If you are certain to fly, then go ahead and buy it NOW, I doubt that it will get any cheaper (at ~61 €/person, this is almost cheaper than a high-speed ferry). Moreover, given the size of their planes, you risk finding everything sold out if the current trend for tourism to Greece continues. Of course, don't forget to get travel insurance that covers cancellation, after all you're talking about 8 months from now...

East_and_West

My first and only experience with SkyExpress was last month, and it was on the positive side. Their product was almost identical to the one offered by OA/A3 for similar itineraries, although given the duration of your flight this shouldn't even be an issue. Unlike OA, their tickets even include a complimentary piece of checked luggage, although I didn't take advantage of it since I was travelling light. They operate (mostly or exclusively?) turboprops if this matters to you for some reason, but I guess that the same should be true for OA as well for such short hops.

What surprised me very positively was that I was granted lounge access in ATH although it was an all-coach flight, and I have no status with them. Nothing fancy of course, just a (relatively) more civilized environment where one can have coffee, light refreshments and a quick snack. Given though the complete absence of desks where one can simply work and recharge their laptop/tablet/cellphone in ATH, this was most welcome.

On the downside they do not offer online check-in... This was a hassle for me since I was connecting from an SK flight from ARN only with my hand baggage, and I had to leave the secure area and queue up for half an hour just to collect my BP (if there was any transfer desk, I didn't spot it). But if you are self-transferring, and you have checked bags, you will need to do that anyway. For which you should allow for a comfortable time window given the congestion in European (and especially Greek) airports in summer.

KLouis

Careful: Check-in closes at -30 min. (-40 min for ATH) and boarding at -20 min. I don't know, though, whether they do enforce these deadlines or not.

Knobbgb

Just be careful about just how much checked baggage you will be allowed. It can be either 13kg, 15kg or 23kg depending on the fare type (JUST FLY, PLUS or ALL IN). Carry-on baggage is limited to 6kg. I'm not sure how strictly the limits enforced but I would imagine it will be, on a fully laden ATR42 in summer. There's a charge of 3 Euro per Kilo if you're over the checked bag limit.

Baggage essentials - Sky Express | The airline of Crete

As for their service - they're absolutely fine. Some have said they're more prone to delays than OA but I haven't noticed that.

jerry_greece

They are very strict with the carry-on baggage limit (6kg). Once I had a trolley that was 7.5kg and they wanted to check that in. I blah-blahed a bit and they put a delivery-on-aircraft-label so i got in upon arrival. So they are a bit flexible but I was kind of lucky I guess

gonebabygone

That is super helpful. Thanks all around once again!

Just purchased our flights. I agree, 60 euros each seems like a great deal. OA is significantly more.