Aegean changes the game: goodbye to the easier-to-scale Star Alliance program
For years, Aegean Airlines' Miles+Bonus has been considered the Eldorado of Star Alliance frequent flyers: one of the simplest programs [...]
Aegean Airlines
Star Alliance
For years, Miles+Bonus from Aegean Airlines has been considered The Eldorado of Star Alliance frequent flyers.: one of the simplest programs with which to obtain status Gold, and thus access to the lounges and benefits of the world's largest alliance.
But those times are coming to an end, indeed With this second update in less than 4 years, the program has practically zeroed out its attractiveness, especially for Italians who were banking on this strategy to keep the Gold Star Alliance card in their pockets.
In this article:
The November 5, 2026, Aegean will introduce New rules for maintaining and obtaining tier, as well as a new elite level, the Platinum, which promises great things ... but delivers very few of them.
A tougher, much tougher program
I avoid talking about the Silver level, partly because it made little sense, but all the details are in the dedicated section of the Aegean website.
Until now, it was enough to 24,000 tier miles and 4 Aegean/Olympic Air flights to become Gold-an achievable goal even while almost always flying with Star Alliance partner airlines.
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From 2026 onward, however, they will serve:
- 32 flights With Aegean or Olympic Air, or
- 24,000 tier miles with 12 flights Aegean/Olympic, or
- 72,000 tier miles in total.
Maintaining status also becomes more challenging: to retain Gold, you will need the following 18,000 tier miles (including 12 on Aegean/Olympic) or 32 flights in 12 months.
In practice, program stops being "friendly" to international frequent flyers and focuses almost exclusively on passengers who frequently fly with Aegean itself.
If before, all it took was a flight from Italy to any connecting destination beyond Athens and back, 3 round-trip itineraries with stopovers in the Hellenic capital are now required, still feasible, but certainly less "attainable" than before.
New Platinum status arrives (but don't get too excited)
The big news is the introduction of the Platinum, placed above the Gold.
To reach it, it will be necessary to accumulate 72,000 tier miles, including at least 32 flights with Aegean or Olympic Air, over a period of 12 months.
Too bad, however, that - on balance. the concrete benefits are almost nonexistent.
According to the company's statement, Platinum offers only "prestigious benefits," but without any real value addition over Gold: same Star Alliance Gold benefits, identical lounge access, and some marginal "quirks" such as additional priorities or small service upgrades.
No guaranteed upgrades, no business vouchers, no more generous mileage bonuses. In short, A status that shines on paper, but in reality is not worth the effort (and flights) required to obtain it.
Transition period and what changes for those who already have status
Aegean has planned a transition period of at least 12 months: Those who have their renewal before November 4, 2026 will still be able to take advantage of the old rules to maintain or move up tier. From the next day, however, the new system will go into effect for everyone.
Who today is Blue will still be able to rise to Silver With the old thresholds until 2026.
Who is Silver or Gold Instead, it will have to look carefully at its expiration date: if it is after November 4, 2026, the new (and much stricter) requirements will apply.
Final considerations
With this revision, Aegean gives up "shortcut" role to get Star Alliance Gold - position that for years had secured her the sympathy and loyalty of thousands of European travelers.
The new Miles+Bonus is more rigid, more "domestic" and less attractive to those who often fly with other group companies. And the new Platinum, rather than a coveted peak, appears as a marketing exercise: so much effort to get there, few real reasons to try.
