Greek Islands to Frankfurt via Athens

[rurounimaikeru]

Planning a trip to Greece and the Greek Islands (e.g. Santorini, Naxos, Paros).

Looking to fly SQ out of FRA to MEL for return leg as award availability decent.

Last destination in Greece likely to be islands. Worried about connecting from islands to FRA and missing SQ award flight if flights/ferry from Islands delayed.

So what's best of these options:
1. Ferry from Naxos/Paros to Athens, overnight Athens, then fly to FRA?
2. Fly from Naxos/Paros to FRA via Athens, then overnight in FRA?
3. Fly from Naxos/Paros to FRA via Athens, straight onto SQ flight. (allow say 3-4 hrs for transit in FRA?)

Am I worth looking at *alliance from ATH-FRA and joining on a single SQ ticket? (Getting J award on ATH-FRA could be hard?)

Any other suggestions/tips welcome.

 

[Duggo]

Planning a trip to Greece and the Greek Islands (e.g. Santorini, Naxos, Paros).

Looking to fly SQ out of FRA to MEL for return leg as award availability decent.

Last destination in Greece likely to be islands. Worried about connecting from islands to FRA and missing SQ award flight if flights/ferry from Islands delayed.

So what's best of these options:
1. Ferry from Naxos/Paros to Athens, overnight Athens, then fly to FRA?
2. Fly from Naxos/Paros to FRA via Athens, then overnight in FRA?
3. Fly from Naxos/Paros to FRA via Athens, straight onto SQ flight. (allow say 3-4 hrs for transit in FRA?)

Am I worth looking at *alliance from ATH-FRA and joining on a single SQ ticket? (Getting J award on ATH-FRA could be hard?)

Any other suggestions/tips welcome.

We have been to Athens and the Greek Islands the last 3 years running as my wife's family still own an apartment just outside of Athens in Alimos, Kalamaki Beach. Finding award seats for Star Alliance partners on SQ has really dried up and next trip we have just paid for our flights for connections. We were able to find award availability no problem into Istanbul the connect to Athens on award flights.

It has proven harder and harder each year and this year it was impossible to find awards for connections. Next year we are Syd to Paris to celebrate wife's birthday then paid flights Paris to Athens, return is Athens to Munich on paid flights then awards on SQ back to Sydney.

We have always used the ferries to the islands then if early outbound flights we stay at the Sofitel Athens airport the night before. Both Aegean and Lufthansa have been decent on awards but the trip for next year there was nothing available, the other thing is having to change your itinerary to suit award availability is not worth it for us so we just locked in what suited us at the time.

I always book my awards for the main legs and connections if available but if connections not available I book the main legs and keep checking until its time to bight the bullet. Never had a problem with SQ partners checking bags through if on separate tickets.