Recommendation airline to Europe (Paris and Italy)

I agree with the statement that US Airways is terrible. My brother who has flown all over the world, both for business and pleasure, once took US Air RT from Philly and said it was the worst transAtlantic experience he ever had in terms of service, food, etc.

In general, we both prefer to fly European carriers, although Continental has been getting pretty good ratings lately. I prefer Virgin out of Newark
personally...have NEVER had a bad experience on them.

I've flown US Air a couple of times internationally. I refuse to fly with them domestically, if I have other choices available. I have no horror stories for the international flights. The food was awful but I expected that and planned accordingly. I am flying US Air from PHL to CDG in September myself, because the price was right AND my travel companion lives in PHL and is on the same flight. However, I will be flying Southwest in/out of PHL rather than deal with US Air (coming in a day early, staying a day late). I do like US Air's in-flight entertainment system (when it works correctly).

I flew US Airways a lot in the US in the mid 90's and thought they were fine. A lot can change though in 15 years. I have not flown international with them.

I personally think the European airlines are a bit better from a Service Standpoint. Then again I mainly fly BA which has a good history behind it.

If I was in your shoes the two things I would consider are

1. There is a NonStop Seattle-Paris Air France flight. I personally find 10 hrs on a plane to be plenty for me and don't care to add time if I dont have to.

2. If I am to connect. I would not want to do it at Heathrow. I would rather do it in an Amsterdam or Frankfurt.

Are you using the same airline in both directions? If yes, make sure you make a nice 3-leg arrangement with your booking agency. With the U.S. Airways flight from SEA to CDG, it looks like you will change planes in Philadephia. Fare looks great. For coming home, note the time and flight. U.S. Airways uses their Star Alliance partner United for some of the flights. You could be changing flights twice coming home.

If you have a really early flight out of FCO, you may need to be there about 2.5hrs early for check-in. The Leonardo Express from Rome Termini will not get you there in time for anything earlier than a 9:00am flight.

It is all personal opinion but our worst experience out of ten trips was US Air through Phil. Never again. I prefer British Airline and Luftansa.

If you have an option of a non-stop on either of the legs, I'd lean towards that. If you have to change flights, take into account where you will change. Personally, I prefer changing in Europe. If you miss a connection in the U.S., it often means that you cannot get another flight until the next day. If you miss a connection in Europe, there are usually other flights or options for getting to your destination that day.

What about Delta airline? Anyone flew with Delta to Europe? How's the experience?

I've flown Delta overseas...and they're probably a notch better than most U-S airlines. Since emerging from bankruptcy protection, they seem to be putting a little more emphasis on passenger service.

Jenny,

Not sure if this would be an option for you, but you might also have a look at flying Air Transat from Vancouver. They're a charter airline and have fairly reasonable prices.

Depending on what time of year you'll be travelling and the dates of your trip, you should be able to book open jaw flights as they service both Paris CDG and Rome FCO (direct weekly flights to Rome introduced just this year).

The prices might be slightly better than other airlines?

Happy travels!

USAir merged with America West awhile back. For those of us who have flown both airlines, it's akin to the merger of cholera and dysentery.

I've flown Delta as well overseas, as recently as Dec. 2008, and I have no complaints about their level of service. I'm going back to Rome later this year and will likely fly Delta again (largely b/c I can connect via ATL). Good luck!

I used to fly Luftansa (high quality service) and Swissair (before they went out of business). In recent years I've flown mostly Northwest/KLM and have been satisfied with them. NW flies out of Seattle. I haven't checked their route, but you'd probably have a transfer in Detroit and almost certainly in Amsterdam enroute to Paris. Flights from Rome would probably route through Amsterdam although I've seen NW flights direct to Detroit. Whichever airline you choose, you will be making transfers flying from Seattle. I suggest checking on kayak.com and clicking the "multi-city" option for open-jaw into Paris and out of Rome.

Hi, why is transferring in PHL a disaster? If I need to change connection/flights between 2 flights, how many hours should I leave in between? 2 hrs? (Do I have to find my luggages when changing flights)

-To change connection in Europe: Would it be a better choice to change connection/flights in London?

-To change connection in the US: Which state would be a better choice?

Jenny,

A few comments on your last post regarding luggage. I've found that if using several flights with airlines that have "code share" arrangements, the luggage will be automatically transferred between aircraft.

For example, last year when I returned home from Munich, the first flight from Munich to Frankfurt was with Lufthansa (although the flight had been booked with Air Canada). The next two flights were with Air Canada. My checked luggage was automatically transferred between planes and was waiting for me on the carousel at the final destination.

My knowledge of U.S. airlines is a bit limited, but I'd suggest trying to find a direct flight if possible as I've heard a few "horror stories" from U.S. travellers regarding changing planes in some airports. I'm assuming the Air Transat method that I suggested in my earlier post won't work for you?

Hopefully one of the others here can provide more specific advice.

Happy travels!

I have used Delta,Continental,and TWA(remember that one?)to fly to Europe.Also flown on Alitalia,Malew(hungarian),Austrian Airlines,Lufthansa and BA to cross the Atlantic.For the same price i would pick a foreign airline over an US carrier 7 days of the week and twice on sunday.But the magic phrase is "same price".If the diference is 100-200$ i would compromise and i have.But that's just me.I agree with others here that Delta is a notch above the rest though.Good luck.

I think differently. I always fly a U.S. based carrier when going to Europe. (Truth be told, I always fly American because that's where I rack up my FF miles). Here's my reason and it's happened:

If there is a mechanical problem with the plane prior to departure, a U.S. based carrier is more likely to find a back-up plane for the flight while a foreign carrier won't. I'd hate to be delayed going to Europe.

On the return, if flying a U.S. based carrier, and there's a problem, chances are they wouldn't have a backup and I might be stuck in Europe a day or two more. And wouldn't that be terrible!!! LOL

Considering you're not on the plane that long (8-12 hours depending on where you leave from), I like my plan. Others will disagree.

Jenny -

These are my own opinions don't know what others have found. The US Air Terminal at least as I found it was trashy and it has a reputation for delays.

I would try to avoid transferring at Heathrow as to me it is a Zoo. I think I stated earlier to one of your posts I would rather transfer in Amsterdam or Frankfurt if I could.

I refuse to fly US Air anymore unless there is no other choice. Air France is next on my list of no fly airlines to Europe since their airport in Paris is the worst I have ever seen. I did not notice much of a difference between any airline in coach (Delta, Air France, BA, AA, Continental).

If you do have to change flights, make sure you pack at least two days worth of clothes and toiletries (3oz or less) in your carry-on. Also make sure you pack all your medicines in your carry-on. When we travel we assume our luggage will get lost.

Two out of the last four trips we were without our baggage for a day or two, the first time Delta misplaced it in Atlanta, the second Air France lost it in Paris.

Jenny,

After reading the previous posts I don't think anyone has mentioned 2 things:

1. If you transfer planes in the US before you board your flight over-seas (in other words, if you don't have a direct Seattle to Paris flight), you will be collecting your luggage where you transfer and re-check it for the over-seas flight. The airline does not check it all the way through.

2. If you travel with carry-on only luggage, as is usually encouraged on this website, you will avoid all of these problems. You will not worry about lost luggage, you will not have to ever wait for luggage at any airport (saves lots of time you could be sightseeing and eating gelato), you will not have difficulty transporting your luggage at any destination or lifting it onto a train, boat, bus, up/down stairs, or over cobblestones.

If you take Delta (our favorite) consider looking at flights through Pisa and Venice as well as Rome. If these cities are on your list to visit and you can shift your itinerary around a bit, you may find better fares.

(I just realized how many times I used the word "if" in this post ;-) I guess when planning travel there are many "ifs" to consider!)

I'm pretty sure Lise is incorrect about needing to transfer your luggage yourself when connecting through a U.S. city outbound. We have flown to Europe every year since 1994 and never had to do that. Homebound is another story. You have to go through Customs and Immigration at the first city where you enter the U.S. You have to get your bags so that Customs can check them for contraband (rarely happens, but you need to allow them the opportunity). We almost always fly Delta, and have no complaints. Almost always on time, decent service, occasional delayed bags delivered the next day. One year we gave into the temptation of a much lower price on BA, and were sorry. Surly attitude on the part of people at SFO, a messed up connection time requiring a much earlier departure, and the need to transfer at Heathrow. I also have heard that they no longer allow you to reserve seats in advance. No experience of that, but the surliness we encountered (in 2005) had to do with seat reservations, which our travel agents later told us they were in the process of eliminating.

Here are my tidbits from my personal experience:
1. I think the worst airport for transfers is Charles de Gaulle-Paris. We bought our tickets from Delta, with the European segments operated by Air France. We had to go through 3 security screenings just to transfer within the airport. If you must transfer here, allow at least 2 1/2 hours.
2. I like USAirways, I've never had a problem -- transfering through philadelphia was much better than Heathrow, and other European cities.
3. American tends to have more leg room, British Airways and Air France had less.
4. Delta is great too, but beware of transfer cities.
5. I am flying USAirways to Venice soon because I liked transfering through Philly.

I think we have had to collect our luggage when we flew Delta if we were booked on one of their flights operated by another carrier/partner. I know we had to do it when routed Orlando-JFK-Paris. All other times we have flown direct or carried on. I guess just check when you purchase your tickets if they route you on a partner airline. It really wasn't a big deal because there was plenty of time between flights. I still favor just taking carry-on if you are traveling to more than one or two cities.

Thanks for all the suggestion. Have another question. When flying from Seattle to CDG, there is a short connection/transfer at Cincinnati, OH (CVG). The connection time is only 54 min. would that be enough time to run from one terminal to another terminal?

Jenny - Question to ask is based upon you and your family and preferenes. If that Seattle flight goes 30/45 minutes late - how are you going to feel if you are in Cinnci with no onward flight to Europe?

You’ll have another option beginning in July. Consider Icelandair from Sea-Tac to CDG. Prices are competitive, and connections are through Keflavik airport in Reykjavik (small, spotless, and extremely efficient). It’s been a few years, but I cleared customs/immigration at Keflavik and didn’t need to go through any additional procedures upon arrival at FRA. This took about 5 minutes. I recall that there was about an hour in between connections…plenty of time. The equipment is Boeing 757, but the interiors are all state of the art brand new. You mentioned safety – this airline is one of the safest in the world according to www.airsafe.com. One benefit I should mention is that you can add up to a week at the beginning or end of your trip and stay in Iceland for awhile with no additional ticketing fee/fare charge – a great way to experience an extraordinary place you might not otherwise have an opportunity to visit. I would fly with them again. I’ve flown all of the U.S majors and prefer Delta.

We flew that exact route (arrive Paris, return from Rome) last summer on Continental, and we had a good experience. We'd fly with them again.

(And to get from Paris to Italy, we flew on Vueling, which was also a good experience).

I've used almost all the major lines and find the differences in services very minor. I pack my own food and go with the easiest connection at the lowest price. Will leave next Monday on Delta. Their price for my open-jaw route is quite a bit lower than others.