Compare 12 loyalty programs for Chicago to Athens award flights, with economy seats from 9,500 points.
Chicago to Athens is a long-haul transatlantic route with nonstop award seats on United Airlines and American Airlines. Across the 12 programs pricing it, the cheapest economy award is 9,500 points via GOL Smiles. With this many programs in play, the same seat can price very differently depending on where you book it. Pricing for all 12 programs on ORD–ATH is laid out below.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 American AirlinesAA | 9,500Lowest | 94,000pts | 57,500pts | 165,000Lowest |
 Air CanadaAC | 9,500Lowest | 69,183pts | 75,000pts | Not available |
 Air FranceAF | 9,500Lowest | 40,000pts | 146,500pts | Not available |
 British AirwaysBA | 9,500Lowest | 35,000pts | 55,000Lowest | Not available |
 IberiaIB | 9,500Lowest | 40,000pts | Not available | Not available |
 KLMKL | 9,500Lowest | 30,000Lowest | 146,500pts | Not available |
 TAP Air PortugalTP | 19,000pts | Not available | 145,000pts | Not available |
 DeltaDL | 26,100pts | 65,000pts | 166,500pts | 499,900pts |
 Scandinavian AirlinesSK | 30,000pts | Not available | 60,000pts | Not available |
 CondorDE | 35,000pts | 45,000pts | 260,000pts | Not available |
When award seats between Chicago and Athens price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 20,000 |
| Dec 2026 | 9,500 |
| Jan 2027 | 9,500 |
| Feb 2027 | No award data |
| Mar 2027 | No award data |
| Apr 2027 | 19,000 |
| May 2027 | 19,000 |
| Jun 2027 | 21,875 |
| Jul 2027 | 21,875 |
| Aug 2027 | No award data |
| Sep 2027 | No award data |
| Oct 2027 | No award data |
14 airlines with award seats between Chicago and Athens, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAAAir CanadaAC
Alaska AirlinesASBritish AirwaysBADeltaDL
EmiratesEK
Etihad AirwaysEYIberiaIB
LufthansaLH
Qatar AirwaysQRScandinavian AirlinesSK
Turkish AirlinesTKTAP Air PortugalTP
United AirlinesUAWhat to know before booking Chicago to Athens with points.
~5,450 miles; ~11h25 nonstop (approximate). Athens is 8 hours ahead of Chicago (7 for a few weeks a year, while the clocks change on different dates). Award data window: November 2026–October 2027, with calendar prices for seven months. Across well-covered months, December 2026 and January 2027 are the cheapest (9,500 points), while November 2026, June 2027, and July 2027 (20,000–21,875) run higher.
Chicago to Athens is served by Eurowings Discover, Aegean Airlines, American Airlines and 35 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 12 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 9,500 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
Flying Chicago to Athens covers about 5,450 miles, linking O'Hare International Airport (ORD) with Athens International Airport (ATH); a nonstop takes roughly 11h25, with winds moving it either way. United Airlines and American Airlines both carry nonstop award space in the data. The Boeing 787-9 appears on some of those nonstop award segments. Expect mostly connecting results: only about 1% of the award options in the data are nonstop.
Chicago–Athens is a long-haul trip, so cabin choice shapes the whole booking. The cheapest economy seat connects once; skipping the connection means an economy nonstop on United Airlines at a higher price. Taxes on the economy floor are missing from the data; check the cash portion at checkout before committing. The middle step, premium economy, costs about 3.2 times economy; business costs about 6 times, though the cheapest business award carries heavy fees.
GOL Smiles is cheapest in economy at 9,500 points. Air France-KLM Flying Blue wins premium economy at 30,000 points. Alaska Atmos Rewards takes business class at 55,000 points. Air Canada Aeroplan's 75,000-point first-class fare connects; treat it as mixed-cabin until each segment's cabin checks out. The other eight programs include United MileagePlus, Etihad Guest, and American AAdvantage. Economy also prices as a partner award, with the long leg on American Airlines.
Two airlines show nonstop award space on Chicago–Athens: United Airlines (Star Alliance) and American Airlines (oneworld). Partner programs in both alliances can price a nonstop here, not just the carriers' own. Beyond the nonstop, the cheaper connecting awards in the data change planes in London, Toronto, and Paris. Alaska Atmos Rewards sets the business-class floor as a oneworld partner, selling British Airways seats at its own rates. Award seats here come from 38 airlines, so compare several programs before transferring points.
Chicago and Athens each show a single airport in the data for this route, so the calendar is where the savings are. Two related routes to weigh at last check: Washington, D.C. to Athens at 19,000 points and Chicago to Anchorage at 10,000.
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside Chicago to Athens.
From 1,883 ptsBusiness 9,000 pts
From 5,500 ptsBusiness 29,000 pts
From 5,700 ptsBusiness 25,500 pts
From 6,293 ptsBusiness 55,000 pts
From 6,900 ptsBusiness 30,000 pts
From 7,500 ptsBusiness 25,000 pts
Common questions travelers ask about the Chicago to Athens route.
