Stopover in U.S. vs. europe in route to Italy

No Delta is not an European carrier - about as US as it gets. I have never advised an European carrier over a US. A decade ago I would have recommended Lufthansa or British Air over a US carrier but those days are long gone. All have descended to lowest common level of service - near zero. I would go with schedule and price. All going to be about the same.

Exactly. We've only flown Delta to Italy as that's the major carrier from where we live but our planes can be Skyteam partners KLM or Alitalia. Most often we get a Delta flight for one leg and one of the others for the final leg.

I don't recommend a foreign carrier vs a US carrier, I agree with Frank that they have pretty much degenerated to the same low level and for me cost, flight duration and number of stops are more important than airline. However, I do prefer that my one-stop (if I have to have one and usually do) is in Europe rather than the US. In case of connection problems due to the first leg of the flight it is much easier to rebook and get to your destination if already in Europe. My only exception would be if, flying from Portand, I had a connection in Seattle and non-stop from there - that's not so bad and not as likely to be a problem.

Delta and KLM are interchangeable, so go w cheapest. Last Delta ticket I had (SFO-Italy RT) was exclusively on KLM and Alitalia. However, after a couple of horrible Delta/KLM/Alitalia experiences, I've decided... never again. But others are fine w them. I've had pleasant flights at good price out of SFO on Swiss. And it's my experience that the European carriers are more likely to have newer planes w seat-back entertainment. I select now based on type of plane (admittedly, they can change this), seat-back entertainment, and total transit time.

Because of our approach to handling jet lag, we do not need or use food service or seat back entertainment, so those items are not important in our selection of airlines. If we are having a two legged flight then we try to have a leg as long as possible and a short leg. We don't care whether the short leg is in the US or Europe as long as we can get long leg. For us the worst flight is a couple of five to six hour legs.

The conventional wisdom is to get to Europe on the first hop, because then if you encounter delays at least you are over there and probably with many alternative choices to your final destination.

I think there is something to that, but I find myself choosing flights that deliver me where I am going by mid-morning, the better to comply with my own jet-lag routine. Often that is the direct flight from the US hub.

It is not a question of European vs. US carrier, but of where you change planes en route to your destination. Most of us on the West Coast prefer to take the "long-haul" flight first, directly to a city in Europe, then change planes there to the final destination ( or make a short stopover in that city if you like).

Delta flies non-stop from Seattle to either Amsterdam or Paris, so it qualifies. These flights are actually codeshares with KLM and Air France, respectively, and will have a flight number on each airline. But the plane is most likely "Delta metal" as the saying goes.

I prefer to change in Europe.

If your first leg is delayed and you miss your connection in the U.S., it usually means you have to wait until the next day to get a flight to your destination.

If your first leg is delayed and you miss your connection in Europe, you can usually get another flight that same day. For example, twice I've missed my connection in LHR due to a late departure from the U.S. and I still got to my final destination on the same day.

I generally choose flight based on route.

Yep, what Lola said. The topic here is really "Travel to Europe from West Coast of US". This is one of the few times I envy people living on the East Coast.

With one exception, we've traveled Seattle to Europe or Europe to Seattle non-stop. The exception (Seattle - JFK - Rome) is what made me a believer in our usual practice. The carrier doesn't matter to much to me. We've flown Delta and they were fine. We'll be flying British Airways next spring.

Ive booked the SEA AMS flight thru both KLM and Delta. I have had difficulty getting the economy comfort purchase, seat assignments and special meal requests to stick thru the KLM purchase but have had no trouble when I can book thru Delta. Have no idea what the issues were and YMMV!

Whatever you do, check your booking every couple of weeks to make sure there are no changes. I just randomly picked Tuesday and check every other Tues until a month out and start checking every week then.

The flag on the tail is not the issue. It can be American or European, it doesn't matter much (except for the fact that the European airlines still don't charge for alcoholic beverages on international flights). However for me, also traveling from the West Coast, is really important to avoid layovers in NY or other East Coast airports. As others have said, if you miss your connection in Europe, you will likely have other flights later in the day. If you miss your connection in NY, you have to spend the night in NY because the next flight is probably the next day. This is not a rare occurrence, because the weather in the North East is often bad for air travel, with thunderstorms in summer and snow in winter. This is a very important consideration, because if you miss the connection due to weather, the U.S. airline is not obligated to reimburse you the cost of your overnight stay in NY.
The other consideration, that has not been mentioned here, is that US immigration and customs regulations require that you do your immigration and customs in the first port of entry. That means that on the way back you have to go through the grueling long immigration lines, pick up your luggage to go thru customs, check in your luggage again, then go to the domestic terminal in NY. So after 9 hours flying across the Atlantic, That layover is at least 2 hours long, and after all of that, you still have to fly another 6 hours to SEA. That makes it a very long day.
But, if your layover is in Europe and your first port of entry is SEA, after immigration and customs you are home.
Last but not least, a flight from VCE to Seattle via AMS (i.e. Via the Arctic route) is simply shorter than one from VCE to SEA via JFK, by about 1100 miles. Therefore just because of that, your time in the air will be a couple of hours shorter at the very least.

My first choice is to find a nonstop, second choice if I must have a stop (not two) is to take it in Europe. With our long flights from the west coast it just feels better to be done with the major flight right off the bat. You get off the plane, hear the different languages, get very excited, you are almost there...yay, rest a bit, and then your off to your destination. More fun that way, if you have to make a stop. More likely everything will be more smooth- considering weather, luggage, delays, etc.

Given the choice, I do prefer European carriers, but if I found a good flight with good times, and price, I wouldn't wait for a European carrier. We have flown Air Berlin, Lufthansa, Virgin, United, and Continental. I'll admit, I do prefer the free alcohol and chocolate and extra goodies, but that is really the only difference. I does seem that there are more foreigners going home on these carriers than the US carriers, so it is fun to hear more of the language spoken. Or, maybe that is my imagination! As long as you get there, that is all that matters!

Thank you all for your wonderful and helpful replies!

Pam - what do you mean when you say I should check our flight for changes every couple of weeks? Would anything significant change? or just minor things? isn't the carrier responsible to contact us if there are changes (not that they would even if they are obligated....I get it)?

thanks!

Tracy

We prefer to do stop-overs in Europe as well. Amsterdam is one of our favorites for that as it's a cleaner, more efficient airport than some others. Whichever one it is, just make sure you have plenty of time to get through immigration; then once in Venice you can pretty much just grab your luggage and go as you will already have formally entered the Schengen. Oh, and those European stop-overs can be good opportunities to get some euros from an ATM so you have them in hand when you get to your final destination.

Yes, your airline SHOULD notify you any changes - and I'd be astonished if you don't have any of those - but I don't leave anything to chance for international flights. As we book ours months in advance, we usually see quite a number of small changes.

The only airline we like to avoid when possible is Alitalia: they're fine for, say, the shorter hop from Amsterdam to Rome or Venice but their planes tend to be old and a little ratty. We got stuck on one of those for the long haul from Chicago to Rome last time and it still had the entertainment screens over the aisles instead of seat-back. Then again, if there's a huge price difference we'll just grin and bear it.

Yes, as Kathy says they should notify you of changes but they often don't. It can be a time change, plane change resulting in seat assignment issues or other things. It it amazing to me that I can get email from Delta every day with ads but cant ever get email when there is a change. I'm a Sky Miles member as well.

After a couple of problems with seat assignments on the international legs I learned to check. I do not want to sit in the middle of the middle row in regular economy on the flight over.

It is still a dice roll. Nothing is predictable. Last May we booked a New York to Rome with Delta but caught a code share Alitalia flight. We approached it with some dread given the prior reputation of Alitalia. However, it turned out to be one of our best transatlantic flight in years. The equipment was new and service was very high. However, coach seats were no different than anywhere else and Alitalia did not offer the Comfort Plus seating option that Delta has. The return flight was on Delta with the comfort plus seating.

For me, the main point is not to connect in the USA. From Seattle, Delta has a couple of flight options that do that, and they are the most common choice of our traveling staff, or you could use British (often more expensive), Lufthansa, or Iceland Air. Even if a departure from Seattle is sold by KLM or given a KLM flight number, the first leg is actually operated by Delta and also has a corresponding Delta flight number.

Ditto to what Frank said. It's a crap shoot. In 2010 we flew on Lufthansa for a trip to Turkey. On the outbound SFO/FRA segment, the seat in front of me must have been broken. When the occupant reclined, he was almost in my lap. He wouldn't adjust, and the attendant wouldn't get involved. On the return FRA/SFO, the food was the most disgusting I've ever encountered on a plane. So much for their stellar reputation.

And just for an ironic laugh about the notification of changes issue . . . On our most recent trip on United, we were twice sent emails about changes. I had to read through our itineraries really carefully to find what had changed. Both times it was a 5 minute difference in departure time. Better over carefulness, I guess, than the opposite.

Regarding your specific question 2, you should buy the cheaper one.

The flight is the same and is operated by Delta from SEA to AMS. KLM does not fly to Seattle. It's a Delta flight, in code share with KLM. Then the leg from AMS to VCE is operated by KLM.

Agree with Roberto, our flight next spring is Delta to AMS, KLM to Barcelona booked through Delta.

Concur with Pam; we made our Delta reservation in Sept., In Nov., I got an email that said our 11:20 a.m. departure from Madrid was now 6:00 a.m and we were dropped a class ( they must know we have no class). On the good side, they do have very nice customer service that were able to fix the situation by rerouting us. But, instead of returning by way of AMS, we are going through Atlanta back to SEA. Not what we wanted, but it's better than having to make a 6 a.m. flight. I will follow Pam's advice and continue to monitor things.

Absolutely check your flights and seat assignment every week or two. The further out you book, the more likely that your flights will change. Sometimes it's just a minor time change; a few minutes one direction or the other. Other times, I've had an entire leg get cancelled. Or a reasonable connection time turn into a really long or too short of connection. Also check your seat assignments. If the airline changes the airplane, the seat configuration might change. Better to find any out any of these scenarios sooner than the day you arrive at the airport.

And to answer your question, no the airlines don't have to tell you. Sometimes, you may receive an email notifying you of the change, but other times, not.

If you flights change to something that is not acceptable, before calling the airline look into your options on that airline and be ready to suggest what you want, not what they are willing to give you. For example, a couple years ago, using United miles we had flights booked from LA to Frankfurt on Lufthansa and Frankfurt to Florence on Lufthansa. The leg from Frankfurt to Florence was cancelled. We ended up with better flights than the original reservation.

I do my choices based on arrival time at my destination and 90% of the time that puts me at a US city layover. I'm on the East coast and usually my connections in NY, NJ, DC all land in Europe around 8-9am in the city i'm flying into. That way I can hit the ground running on Day 1 and start about lunch time by time i clear customs and get to the city centers.

If you have a connection say US to Berlin to Venice as an example. You'll more then likely land in Berlin in the morning then spend most of your day waiting to get to Venice. If you land in Venice at say 4pm you wasted sevearl hours with that connection. I'd pay more to fly in thru the US and land early in my city.

You could fly one stop SeaTac-Frankfort on Lufthansa. Or you can go Delta Airlines SeaTac-London Heathrow or Paris-deGaulle.

I wouldn't go Delta unless it was non-stop to and from Europe, as they'll often try to route travelers through the East Coast airports.
Hopefully Lufthansa's labor problems will be solved by May.

I feel quite the opposite of Robert from Tampa. Because jet lag makes me pretty grumpy the first day, I have no desire to arrive really early in the morning. I want to minimize the time that I have to be out and about on the first day.

You'll get a variety of opinions, but regardless I suggest you choose the route that works for you.

!. Delta is as American as Southwest, no matter the destination.
2. Go cheap, avoiding the sound box footrests in coach. If legroom is a deal for you, research that. In my experience, after an hour or so, they are all equally torture, except for that legroom issue for taller folks. It's not worth $70 to go KLM just to have gone on a 'foreign' carrier, in my opinion. I'd rather have the money to pay for the lounge at the airport in case some kid pours juice on my shirt.
4. You are right about Lufthansa. In strike season, though, partner airlines do try to help.