Aegean Airlines has just announced significant changes to its Miles+Bonus loyalty program, marking what many frequent flyers are calling the end of an era. Starting November 5, 2026, the Greek carrier is introducing substantially tougher requirements for both earning and retaining elite status, while adding a new Platinum tier at the top of the program hierarchy.
For years, Aegean Miles+Bonus has been regarded as one of the easiest pathways to Star Alliance Gold status. That reputation is about to change dramatically, particularly for members who don’t regularly fly through Greece.
The Core Changes: What’s Getting Harder
The most significant impact hits the hybrid qualification method that allowed members to earn status with a modest combination of Aegean flights and tier miles. Previously considered the “sweet spot” of the program, this route is now being tripled in its flight requirements.
Gold Status Retention sees the most dramatic shift. Under current rules, maintaining Gold requires just 4 Aegean or Olympic Air flights plus 12,000 tier miles within a 12-month period. From November 2026, that jumps to 12 Aegean flights plus 18,000 tier miles—a 200% increase in flight requirements and 50% increase in mileage.
Similarly, Silver Status doubles its minimum flight requirement from 2 to 4 Aegean segments when using the hybrid method.
The program is also introducing a new flights-only route to status, where members can qualify purely through segment counts with no mileage requirement: 16 Aegean flights for Silver, or 32 for Gold. This clearly signals Aegean’s intent to reward passengers who actually fly the airline, rather than those crediting partner flights.
The New Platinum Tier: Exclusive but Demanding
The new top-tier Platinum status launches on November 5, 2026, with steep requirements: 72,000 tier miles AND 32 Aegean/Olympic Air flights within 12 months. Unlike lower tiers, there’s no alternative pathway—both conditions must be met.
Platinum benefits include several exclusive perks that distinguish it from Gold:
- Complimentary Gold tier gift – the ability to grant someone else Gold status for 12 months
- Dedicated customer service team available 24/7
- Miles+Bonus account coordinator – assign a coordinator with certain rights (e.g. a travel assistant)
- Free selection of all seat types including Extra Legroom seats (Gold only gets discounts on some)
- 2 extra pieces of baggage on Aegean/Olympic flights (versus 1 extra for Gold)
- Lounge access for up to 8 guests in the same booking
- 6 free 48-hour parking coupons at Athens Airport’s Long Term lot
- 4 Executive Valet Parking coupons at Athens Airport
- 30% extra award miles on Aegean/Olympic flights instead of 20%
Platinum members also receive full Star Alliance Gold privileges, maintaining consistency with the global alliance benefits that have made Aegean status attractive.
Complete Requirements Breakdown
Here’s the full comparison of old versus new qualification rules:
| Status Level | Old Requirements (until Nov 4, 2026) | New Requirements (from Nov 5, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Earn Silver (from Blue) | 2 Aegean/Olympic flights + 12,000 tier miles OR 35,000 tier miles | 4 Aegean/Olympic flights + 12,000 tier miles OR 36,000 tier miles OR 16 Aegean/Olympic flights |
| Retain Silver | 2 Aegean/Olympic flights + 8,000 tier miles OR 35,000 tier miles | 4 Aegean/Olympic flights + 9,000 tier miles OR 36,000 tier miles OR 16 Aegean/Olympic flights |
| Upgrade Silver to Gold | 4 Aegean/Olympic flights + 24,000 tier miles OR 70,000 tier miles | 12 Aegean/Olympic flights + 24,000 tier miles OR 72,000 tier miles OR 32 Aegean/Olympic flights |
| Retain Gold | 4 Aegean/Olympic flights + 12,000 tier miles OR 70,000 tier miles | 12 Aegean/Olympic flights + 18,000 tier miles OR 72,000 tier miles OR 32 Aegean/Olympic flights |
| Platinum (NEW) | N/A | 32 Aegean/Olympic flights + 72,000 tier miles (no alternatives) |
The pure mileage route—qualifying entirely through tier miles without the minimum Aegean flights—sees only modest increases (35,000 to 36,000 for Silver; 70,000 to 72,000 for Gold). However, this has always been the most difficult qualification path, requiring substantial flying on Star Alliance partners.
Enhanced Benefits for Silver and Gold
While the requirements are getting tougher, Aegean is sweetening existing tiers with enhanced benefits effective November 5, 2026:
Silver additions:
- Free Standard seat selection (previously paid)
- 30% discount on Up Front seats (new)
- 50% discount on Extra Legroom seats (new)
Gold additions:
- Free Standard seat selection
- 50% discount on Up Front seats (upgraded from 30%)
- Free Wi-Fi with “Stream” package on eligible flights
- Security Fast Track access extended to friends and family in the same booking
- Lounge access extended to friends and family in the same booking (up to 4 guests total)
Implementation Timeline: The 12-Month Transition
Aegean emphasizes a minimum 12-month transition period to give members time to adjust. Here’s how it works:
- Tier renewals before November 5, 2026: Use current (old) requirements
- Tier renewals on or after November 5, 2026: Must use new requirements
- New tier upgrades from November 5, 2026 onward: Must use new requirements
This means if your status renewal date falls in October 2026, you’ll renew under the old rules one final time. Your next renewal (in October 2027) will require meeting the new thresholds.
What This Means for Different Types of Flyers
For European travelers: If you were visiting Greece once or twice annually to maintain Gold status, you’ll now need at least three round-trips (12 segments) through Athens or Thessaloniki to hit the flight requirement. Island-hopping itineraries become more appealing, as short domestic hops count equally toward the 12-flight threshold.
For North American and long-haul flyers: Previously, you could credit four long-haul Star Alliance flights to Aegean while taking a couple of positioning flights in Greece to maintain Gold. Now, even flying business class on United transcons won’t help much unless you’re also making frequent trips through Athens. The pure mileage route (72,000 tier miles) would require approximately 29 one-way transcontinental business class flights in a year—more than one every other week.
For Greek residents: The new flights-only pathway (32 segments for Gold) could actually be easier for domestic travelers who regularly fly between Athens and the islands. Frequent island-hoppers may find this simpler than tracking tier miles.
For status chasers: Aegean is no longer the “easy” Star Alliance Gold program it once was. Those seeking the fastest path to Star Alliance Gold may need to look at alternatives like Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, though those programs have their own challenges.
What to Do Before November 2026
If you currently hold Aegean status or were planning to pursue it, here are your options:
- Lock in one more renewal under old rules if your expiration date falls before November 5, 2026
- Consider a status run in late 2025 or early 2026 to qualify under current requirements, giving you until late 2027 before facing the new thresholds
- Evaluate alternative Star Alliance programs if you don’t regularly travel through Greece—though most have tightened requirements in recent years
- Plan Greek island-hopping itineraries if you’re committed to maintaining Aegean status, as domestic segments now carry more weight
- Purchase tier miles strategically—Aegean allows purchasing up to 3,000 tier miles annually for Gold members at €50 per 500 miles, which could help bridge small gaps
How to achieve Gold status after November 2026
Even though it is much harder to retain your status, here are some usable tips to retain Gold even under the new requirements.
The classic route
By flying 3 times from Europe to a Greek island in one requalification year, you are getting already very close to the requirements of Gold retention. Combine this with a holiday trip to a European country (e.g. Spain) with TAP Portugal in Business Class (which earns 200% award & tier miles with Aegean), you’ll very much earn the necessary required miles.
Six round trips to Athens
By using the option of an Aegean Pass, it is possible to fly economically and earning a generous amount at the same time.
For 888 euro, you get 12 flights between Athens and Brussels excluding taxes. Considering a cost of +/- 40 euro taxes per flight, you end up paying about 1400 euro to retain your Gold status and 6 round-trips to Athens from Brussels.
The Segment route
Now that Aegean allows to requalify Gold using segments, some AV geeks may enjoy using Aegean Pass on the Domestic network to reach the 32 segments.
The cheapest pass is 360 euro, which includes 20 flights between Thessaloniki and Heraklion excluding taxes. Considering a cost of +/- 25 euro taxes per flight, a 20 segment pass of 360 euro and a 12 segment pass of 288 euro, you end up paying 1448 euro and a lot of island hopping (to the same island!).
