Hello fellow travelers,
Flying from Philadelphia to Milan... No non stops....can take a non stop on British air from Philly to LHR and then change to British air from LHR to Milan....
or fly out of philly..go to Laguardia and take a shuttle to JFK then non stop JFK to Milan.
so my question is. ... going thru JFK or LHR.. ugh to both !
one other option is driving to Newark and going non stop to Milan (Newark is 2 hours away)
I frequently fly in and out of Philadelphia for business. Since Geneva is my home airport, my connection is usually though Heathrow. I take the last flight out of Philadelphia so I can sleep and arrive in Heathrow early morning. The connection is easy and sleeping through the night helps with jet lag. When airfares increase in July and August, I will sometimes fly into Newark and take Amtrak to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. It usually takes about 1.5 hours. I've tried JFK and do not find it as convenient.
I'd opt for the non-stop out of EWR. Hop Amtrak and take the bus to the airport. Less hassle and avoid the daily overpriced parking fees! I couldn't imagine going to LGA And shuffling to JFK.
The Amtrak train from 30th Street Station Philadelphia takes you directly to Newark airport - no need to catch a bus.
definitely via LHR (luggage will be checked all the way to Milan) rather than La Guardia/JFK
though direct from Newark to Milan might trump both depending on costs and ease of travel to EWR
JFK will probably be everyone's last choice. Coming home with a US connection, you would have to retrieve your luggage and go through both immigration and customs before catching your connecting, domestic flight.
If the non-stop from EWR to Milan is via United, your airfare may even include the direct Amtrak train to Newark airport as Amtrak and United have a code-share agreement. Call United for details.
If you are going to LaGuardia & taking a shuttle to JFK, be sure to include traffic time. I live in northern queens, I usually give an hour to get there. You may be pleasantly surprised & it will take less time. FYI - taxi is $35-40. I don't know how much the shuttle would charge, this would also add about another hour onto the trip.
Mary
As you are on BA for both flights through Heathrow, it is a breeze to change at Heathrow. You won't have to leave terminal 5 and, while you do go through security again after immigration, it has always been quick at this particular security entrance. Terminal 5 is a nice terminal as well to bide your time. This is always my first choice as I prefer to fly BA and I like to keep things simple.
you wouldn't go through immigration at Heathrow as you're not crossing the UK border
If the non-stop from EWR to Milan is via United, your airfare may even include the direct Amtrak train to Newark airport as Amtrak and United have a code-share agreement. Call United for details.
Don't even need to call in. Just go to United's site, choose round trip, use ZFV for the Philadelphia train station and MXP for Milan and, voila, it gives you the whole trip on one ticket. You even earn miles for the train "flight".
@ Ramblin' on: It sure seems like immigration to me. If not, it is a strange security as it is a passport check just like the other immigration systems... And then there is security afterwards. I have to go though it every time I switch planes from my flight from the US to an inter-European flight.
I would rather change planes in a European city than in a US city. If there is a problem with the second leg of your flight, there is a far better chance of getting another flight to Milan from a European city than from a city in the US.
