Flying In and Out of Nice

I'll be flying from LHR to Nice week after next, and I don't expect any traumatic experiences. Seems like a reasonable flight and NCE seems like a reasonable airport. Definitely faster than the train, especially if you're already at the London airport. What are you concerned about?

You will be fine. The airport is very small so it is easy to get out. There is a ten minute bus to downtown.

. . We are looking to fly from London to Nice the same day we land in London............... Tickets are really cheap and the time is wayyy less than going by train.

Sounds like separate tickets ..??

If so, how much time are you planning between scheduled arrival in London and the departure to Nice?
Checked bags? Which airlines?

Use this ...https://www.heathrow.com/connecting-flights.... and plug in your proposed flights to see what is involved

Is there a reason you're not flying in to Nice and out of London? Did you check the price on "open jaw" flights? You may be saving money on flights but you're losing a day in travel.

Nice airport is one of my favorite landings out over the water with the city behind you. Get a window seat. I love flying over France: Loire Valley, lots of mountains, changes in vegetation, then the plane descends over the Mediterranean and you're there.

Changing at Heathrow is an energy drag and risky if your transatlantic flight is delayed. Of course, that's way too far of a train itinerary to waste a day unless you are on a month's long vacation.

As said above, booking open jaw would be much more efficient.

Thanks for the replies guys. I guess I just wanted to make sure that the airport/planes weren't run down or what not. I have flown many times in the southern US when I was younger and some of the planes seemed run down or were propeller planes, or the runways seemed cobblestoned because so much concrete was cracked/broken. I was fine with it, but currently my wife gets high anxiety when flying and just wanted to make sure this wouldn't make things worse.

I did look into open jaw flights, however through AA it is about 5X as expensive for the exact same flight. So I would just book the same flight on my own. The connection flight is 3.5 hrs after we land and we won't be checking bags on the way there, so I believe it would be enough time to navigate Heathrow.

3.5 hours for a self-connection (not on the same ticket) does not give you a lot of buffer, in my opinion, even without checked bags. It definitely feels very tight if you have to go to the check-in counter at Heathrow (if you are not able to get a boarding pass ahead of time), or if you have to claim luggage. You do mention that you aim to travel with cabin luggage only, but sometimes cabin bags get gate-checked...
Plus, you might have to change terminals, and I am not sure if you can do that "airside" if you do not have a proper connecting ticket.

So, perhaps aim for an extra hour or two if possible?

The route will definitely be flown by jets, not propeller planes. In Europe, those only operate on very minor routes these days...

your open jaws / multi-city differential of 5! times when it should be nearly equivalent doesn't look right to me.

are you using the multi-city option or adding together a one-way to Nice and a one-way from London?

We flew Atlanta to Nice last year. I think from plane to outside airport was 40 minutes tops, and longest part was waiting for luggage. Go out the door to the tram tracks, get a tram/bus pass from the machine, and take the tram to center of town. Check out the Nice transportation website for details.
Fyi. After our time on riviera, we took the train up to paris. Very easy and nice as well...

3.5 hours, even for the maze that is Heathrow, should be fine if you are on the same ticket. There are many, many jets between the two locations. After the Paris airports, Nice is the next most trafficked in France. (AA has a connection starting up from Philly direct to Nice starting in May, btw, but it may not have been yet reflected when you searched. There are five direct flights from the US now). And yes, taking the tram is the best choice. The direct express bus shut down, but there is slower local bus line but it is on the main road. If you have a lot of luggage, taxi fare is fixed, and Uber is also available but can be harder to connect with unless you have a phone.

“your open jaws / multi-city differential of 5! times when it should be nearly equivalent doesn't look right to me“

Brandon, take another look at Nigel’s response. I agree and wonder how you’re coming up with these prices. If you provide more info, exactly where and when you’re flying to and from, someone here can help you.

I did look into open jaw flights, however through AA it is about 5X as expensive for the exact same flight. So I would just book the same flight on my own. The connection flight is 3.5 hrs after we land and we won't be checking bags on the way there, so I believe it would be enough time to navigate Heathrow.

Like Nigel, I think a 5x difference sounds 'oddly' expensive. Care to share your origin and dates?

Are you sure your carry on bags will pass muster with airline flying the London-Nice leg? US carriers are more generous than most European carriers, especially the 'low cost' operators, as it relates to carry on

Thanks for the replies guys. Yes, I did multi city. For me to fly into Nice, it has be routed through Philly from Chicago. It was just about $500 more for me to go that route then it would be to fly into London and then book a one way to Nice.

Thanks for all the information on flying into Nice, I am going to pull the trigger!

Still think something is off. Almost all of our European flights are open jaw and we have never found an open jaw that was significantly more expensive and often cheaper.

Not sure what to tell you guys. Round trip to/from London is $1959. Add in a one way to Nice for $120. Multi city flight to Nice and from London is $2818.

Anyways, my questions have been answered. Thanks guys!

Ah, now I understand: you meant that the London-Nice leg was 5x more expensive booked as a multi-city than booked separately.
That does indeed happens.

Most of us probably understood that the the whole trip to/from the US was 5x more expensive, which felt really odd.

It's just not the case that multi-city flights are always about fhe same cost as regular round-trip flights. It depends on the US airport as well as the two European gateways. If the point of comparison is a round-trip to London, which can be very inexpensive because of heavy competition on that route, many multi-city alternatives will be a lot more costly.

You should be able to do R/T ORD-LHR

Departing flight
Wed, May 1

4:45 PM
ORD
6:45 AM+1
LHR

Nonstop
8 hr
UnitedLufthansa, Austrian, Brussels Airlines
Avg emissions

Returning flight
Tue, May 14

3:20 PM
LHR
6:15 PM
ORD

Nonstop
8 hr 55 min
UnitedLufthansa, Austrian, Brussels Airlines
+24% emissions

Price insights

$672 is low for Economy — $273 cheaper than usual

Book from $672

Here is a simpler itinerary. I used Skyscanner, one of the more efficient search engines, to look at possibilities. WARNING: I use this site for information but always book directly with the airline.
https://www.skyscanner.net/flights

Fly Chicago to Nice going east, return from London to Chicago. Connect from Nice to somewhere in the UK on your own and tour down to the capitol. Lots of flight from Nice to various British cities, some of them on bargain airlines.

The Chicago-Nice flight may involve a plane connection, depending on the line. As long as the time is comfortable, it doesn't matter where the change takes place. I do London last because it is easier to schedule a mid-morning departure and you should be offered non-stops.

I saw round trip prices in May for $900 to $1050 US. Air Portugal is cheap but not my favourite service. To combine all three flights runs from $1100 to $1700.

The trans-Atlantic flights should be booked as multi-destination, in other words a single itinerary. Aside from the price, if something goes astray or is late, the single ticket places the responsibility on the combined airlines.