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A good sale to Athens.

ITA will price this at $523 Basic Economy with United, using those dates on Lufthansa should reprice to $595 (Regular Economy) / $506 (Basic Economy).

The $595 fare is the regular economy fare with advance seat assignment, normal size carry-on and ONE checked bag.

United and its partners Air Canada, Austrian, Lufthansa and Swiss Air also have a $506 fare, but that is a Basic Economy fare. There are slightly variations but the one common theme across all these airlines with European Basic Economy fares, you will pay $60 each way for ONE checked luggage, more for additional bags.

United’s version of Basic Economy for European travel includes:

• Advance seat assignment
• One normal size carry-on plus one personal item

In contrast, its partners like Air Canada, Austrian, Lufthansa, and Swiss:

• Charges for advance seat assignment
• One carry-on up to 18lbs

In general, it is better to take United’s version of the Basic Economy for European fare versus the partners.  Remember, if the flight has an United flight number but operated by a partner like Air Canada or Lufthansa, the Basic Economy rules of that carrier applies. If you fly on all United planes, the United version is actually reasonable for most travelers even for those with just a carry-on because of the advance seat assignment and normal size carry-on

 

Sample Travel Date:

• May 1st – 8th, 2019

• This is just ONE SAMPLE travel date, for more availability, please follow the “Fare Availability” and “How to Search for Availability” instructions below

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel from January 2019 – early May 2019 for Sunday through Wednesday departures and Tuesday through Thursday returns. A 7 day minimum stay is required. Availability is limited. Must purchase at least 28 days in advance of departure

• Please note that while this fare is valid at time of posting, if this post is more than two days old, the fare is likely gone.

How to Search for Availability:

• This is just to search for availability. To buy your tickets, scroll down to “How to Buy” section of this post

• Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and use the following search criteria:
  • Departing from: IAD
  • Outbound Advanced Routing Code:
    • Textbox 1: LH LH
    • Textbox 2: maxconnect 240
      • This is instructing ITA to search for the Basic Economy fare. Using those dates on Lufthansa and you will be presented with an option to upgrade to the regular fare.
  • Destination:  ATH
  • Return Advanced Routing Code: 
    • Textbox 1: LH LH
    • Textbox 2: maxconnect 240
  • (Click on Advanced Routing Codes link to enable advanced routing code input)
  • Select “See calendar of lowest fares”
  • Length of stay “3-10” (This is just a sample, you can use any 7 day date range like 3-10, 7-14 etc)
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

• The ITA search page should be like below when all values are inputted

 

• You cannot buy tickets using ITA. To buy, follow our instructions in the “How to Buy” section below.

Fare Class:

• K

Routing:

• IAD – MUC (Munich) – ATH (Athens) – MUC – IAD

Stopover:

• Not permitted
• How to Take Advantage of a Stopover

Mileage:

Lufthansa is a member of the Star Alliance and United partner. Mileage earning with United is as follows:

• Miles Flown: 10,384 miles or 5.7 cents per mile
• Elite Qualifying Miles: 10,384 miles
• Redeemable Miles: 2,596 miles

How to Buy:

• Support us by using our Lufthansa link to book with dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search.
  • Lufthansa labels Basic Economy as “Economy Light” = no checked luggage
  • Lufthansa labels Regular Economy as “Economy Basic” = ONE checked bag included

 

Accommodations

• TripAdvisor - One of the leading hotel meta-search engines. Find the lowest hotel prices from 200+ sites.

Car Rentals

• Rental Cars - One of the world’s leading car rental agencies. Includes all the major brands like Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise etc.

Activities and Tours

• Viator – The world's largest marketplace for destination activities and tours

Background Information:

• Visa: US Citizens – Not required. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Euro (EUR). $1USD = 0.88 EUR

Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:

• No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards to save on international purchases
• Don’t get hit with Dynamic Currency Conversion
• Get your taxes refunded when shopping
• How to Avoid International Data Roaming Charges

For more of the latest cheap Washington D.C. / Baltimore Flight Deals:

• Go to the The Washington D.C. / Baltimore Flight Deals page

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* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Lufthansa, accommodation, car rental, activities, or travel insurance affiliate links to make a booking or apply and is approved for a credit card using our link above. Thank you for your continuing support.

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