Off Disney Topic: Flying to Europe

[smep013]

Never done it - pricing flights for summer trip (through DVC).
Anyway, are there any carriers to stay away from, or any you prefer for these LONG journeys?

Thanks!

 

[CPT Tripss]

We had two poor experiences with Air France - on the wide body Airbus. The planes did not have the overseat adjustable vents and our area of the plane was stiffling hot. I don't know if this is just an Air France issue or an issue with all the wide body Airbus.
That said the food and wine were good!
Our next trip is Continental on a wide body Boeing. I'll report on that if this thread is still active.

 

[bavaria]

I'm not the 'normal' traveller on this site, although I am 'normal' on Flyertalk.com

I prefer Lufthansa for their (almost) lie-flat beds in business class. But I wouldn't fly them in Economy class unless it was almost my last option within Star Alliance.

You really do need to be more specific ie gateway cities. It would be like me posting 'flying to North America'. What are your departure and arrival cities? what airlines serve your route? are you looking to fly in Economy, or pay or upgrade to a higher fare class?

 

[smep013]

Thanks. I understand. I'll check out that site!

We are flying from Philadelphia to Rome.

I hope that helps.

 

[NancyIL]

I have been to Europe 3 times, and our flights have all been using FF miles on American in coach between Chicago and London, and Paris and Chicago. I didn't care for Iberia within Europe. British Airways flights were fine, but the woman manning the desk at their airline club at London Heathrow was a witch!

 

[Sleepy]

The only advice I can give you is to have patience in the Rome airport when it comes to the luggage.

 

[NJDad18]

We are flying from Philadelphia to Rome. /QUOTE]

I see that you live in Bristol, I'm about 15 minutes away from you in Westampton which is near Mount Holly. You may save some money by flying out of Newark (EWR). You'll probably have more flight choices and the prices for international flights from there are normally better. You'll also avoid US Air. It should take you approx. 45-50 minutes to get there from Bristol.

My one international flight we took was out of Neward on British Airways. Excellent experience, I highly recommend them. My parents who are always going to Europe swear by Contintental.

One other thing is that you'll most likely get a bigger plane when flying out of EWR. You'll most likely get the 747 which has a good amount of leg room which helps on the international flight which you should try to sleep on since your flight will be at night and when you land it will be the next day in the am.

 

[CPT Tripss]

We are also from the Phila area and for a transatlantic Newark is definately worth considering. Even with the commute up there trips can be "quicker" as there is a greater likelihood of getting a connecting flight out of PHL than EWR. Playing Hearts for hours in CDG is no fun!

A couple suggestions before purchasing. See what equipment is used on the flights you would consider using (based on price, time of flight, connections etc.). Then, go to seatguru.com and look the plane over and read his info on seat width, pitch, etc. I like the double aisle wide body equipment as it means a much better chance of getting window or aisle and not the dreaded middle seat.

NJDad18 - do your parents swear by or swear at CO for transatlantic?

 

[bavaria]

EWR-ROM nonstop is just over 8 hours, not really that long of a flight in the longhaul world. I routinely fly that - almost every week. 'Long' flights to me are 14 hours, or two flights of 11 hours each etc

In fact, 8 hours is barely long enough to get a decent nap for an overnight flight

 

[crashbb]

EWR-ROM nonstop is just over 8 hours, not really that long of a flight in the longhaul world. I routinely fly that - almost every week. 'Long' flights to me are 14 hours, or two flights of 11 hours each etc

In fact, 8 hours is barely long enough to get a decent nap for an overnight flight

I agree - *if* I'm flying in the front of a 777 (i.e. a lie flat bed). 8 hours feels much longer in the back.

To the OP - seatguru is good for seeing what the seating it like, but, remember, aircraft type change regularly, so choosing solely based on that is risky.

It sounds as if you may be in an area with multiple airports - many sites allow you to search all airports within a specific radius, that may help you find the best fare/schedule/airline

 

[NJDad18]

NJDad18 - do your parents swear by or swear at CO for transatlantic?

For transatlantic - swear by.

 

[bavaria]

I agree - *if* I'm flying in the front of a 777 (i.e. a lie flat bed). 8 hours feels much longer in the back.

I fly more than 8 hours in Economy almost every week. I am not in the best health and I survive perfectly fine. Most travellers here fly 2-5 hours on their vacation. 8 is still not very long!

 

[shoes99]

We flew Continental non-stop from Newark NJ to Paris CDG two years ago in May. It was fine.

 

[smep013]

Thanks all. I appreciate it.