Portland, Oregon to Zurich, Frankfurt or Amsterdam?

I just checked on Delta, and to fly from Portland-to-Zurich Sept. 7 and Frankfurt-to-Portland Sept. 21 is only $904 a person!

You mention "direct flights" which infact can have multiple stops before reaching your destination. You would be better served to find "non-stop flights" which do not have any stops on the way to your selected destination. I have flown from Seattle to Europe for 14 of the last 15 years and have booked non-stop flights every time except once when we were flying on miles that had us making one stop in Texas. We also always try to fly European airlines as we prefer them greatly over US airlines. Several European airlines that use to fly out of Seattle no longer do so. That has greatly reduced our choices. We booked British Air last June (headed to London) only to be put on a Delta flight. We were told that it was a "code sharing" deal. As it turned out, the Delta flight was "non-stop" and a pleasant enough experience. However, the food on Delta is not nearly as good as what we have gotten on European airlines. We have taken 14 RS tours and the Switzerland tour was certainly the most majestic. Happy travels.

I flew Air Canada from PDX to Vancouver then transferred to a different plane on Air Canada Rouge to fly direct to Dublin. Was also my first Air Canada flight, so wasn't sure what to expect. Since I am tall, I always fly economy comfort. Was surprised to see that the Rouge flight had no business or first class, only Economy Comfort and Economy. Enjoyed the flight. No problems. They gave me an iPad loaded with movies, music and games at no cost. Food was typical airline food. Service first rate. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

I always try to book the entire trip with a single airline, as opposed to just getting over there and then booking a hopper flight. We have had a couple of instances where our flights were late and if I hadn't booked all the way through, we would have been responsible for that last flight. However, since it was all with the same airline, they rebooked us on a later flight and took care of all the details.

If you set up a search in google flights they will notify you of price changes to your itinerary, then when you see a schedule and fare that suits you, you can book it.

Hey everyone, Thanks for the advice!

First of all I should have said I don't want to book a flight where I can't choose my seats.

Jean, Delta as you may know, now has 6 different types of fares, 3 in the coach/economy. The cheapest I found for my dates was a bit over 1200.00 each (not bad) BUT you cannot book your seats until you check in - which pretty much means middle seats and probably not together. Not really into that for international travel. We used to book economy comfort seats on Delta for about 100.00 more per person but those seats were over 4,000.00 each now. The middle option they call Main Cabin, is simply economy with the ability to choose your seats when booking and each seat was a bit over 1500.00.

Charlie, forgive me, I did mean non-stop to Europe with a change for final destination - that is the Portland to Amsterdam flight we usually book but Delta doesn't go through to Zurich. I will look into a hopper to Seattle and then non-stop to Europe in case those fares are better. We could even drive to Seattle and stay in a hotel with long term parking there if it is worth the cost savings.

Patricia, so glad to hear the good report on Air Canada, we may end up trying them this time. Their fares are pretty good. When using them were your bags checked all the way through? I assume so.

April, I so agree with you to check the bags through all the way really makes the trip easier. In past years we have flown on Lufthansa (no direct to Europe flights from PDX any longer) and Delta. Had a bad experience with Delta last time routing us through Minneapolis with a change to Air France which was the worst flight we have ever endured going to Europe. I want no part of Air France! Just my personal experience.

Thank you all for the input. Lucky its early and I will put some routes in various search engines and try to figure it out. Sometimes I miss the days of calling the travel agent and letting them handle this part!

My flight to Athens in fall of 2015 booked with United become a code share Air Canada Rouge flight out of Toronto. It was the worst flight I've ever been on. The 'Rouge' designation is Air Canada bare bones economy service. I previously had not heard of the Rouge designation. Google it and see all the complaints.

I see a previous poster had a good experience but mine was awful. There wasn't any seatback entertainment and if we wanted Ipad to view a movie, there was a charge. The overhead seat lights didn't work....they had to pass out clip on book lights. The service was horrible. Call buttons were not answered. After the evening meal, they didn't pick up empty trays or trash until preparation for landing in the morning. The plane was not booked full, so passengers stacked trays and trash on empty seats. Not that it was important to me, but no complimentary beer or wine which is usually available on international flights. The plane was older, cramped (I think more than most) and although a bought a carry-on bag that complied with Air Canada website specifications, it would not fit in the bin except sideways. Luckily since the plane was not full, I was able to stow it that way.

As this was booked round trip with United, it was not a reduced fare for economy airline. My flight back from Europe was United all the way with the expected movies, drinks, and service included. Completely different experience.

Just wanted to give you heads up to investigate before booking Air Canada Rouge.

Flew to Frankfurt last year, on Lufthansa, Premium Economy. For us, (let's just say we are past 'middle'age...) -well worth the extra $$ if it's in your budget, it was approx $280.00 extra (each) for the RT ticket. It compares to First Class on US airlines, domestic. You can fly PE on the overnight journey - separate cabin, double the space, 2 abreast instead of 3, larger seat, nice food presentation etc, the extra space was worth it. -- Fly coach on the way back to save a bit, easier to deal with as it's a daytime flight. PE on European airlines is 100% better than the so called PE on US airlines.

Prior to that, flew Air France - coach - quite a different experience from 18 years ago! - and not a good one. They also have a Premium Economy option but read multiple dissatisfied reviews so nixed that.
Air Canada - good schedules, great fares (Tango fares are really low) - good rep, and they too have a Premium Economy if desired, and again, you can mix the cabins on the outbound and return flights, if you want. Good service, you can check 2 bags - handy for the return flight if you accumulated too much 'stuff'.
As you choose each leg separately, you can also fly into one city and fly out of another (open-jaw) - have done this many times, very convenient and basically the same fare based on how flight prices are now structured.
I would suggest comparing Air Canada with Lufthansa for your same dates/itinerary. Also, we did use Easy Jet for a cheap flight from Krakow to Paris, painless experience for only $69.00. Pay for your checked bag when getting the ticket.
At CDG we headed straight for the TI and bought Museum Pass, and they also arranged a Supershuttle to our hotel, picked us up in 8 minutes, cost total $36.00 for 2 people. Hassle free, no luggage hauling on train/metro, and drop off at hotel. We were slightly delayed as traffic was bad, but that's it. Excellent service, we use them in the states, too. Have fun planning. :)

I fly Condor regularly to Europe out of Seatac. I've done Air Canada as well but my goal is always a nonstop flight from Seattle to somewhere in Europe that I am willing to start my trip so I don't do the Air Canada that often as there's always a stop in Toronto for me. Condor is fine - I buy Premium Econ with them and it's usually about $1100 per ticket if you purchase in advance. They'll sell you the leg to Zurich as well.

Sounds like you are savvy enough to know NOT to simply shop on price alone - that's how you end up in misery. Do your homework, and check out exactly what seat on what aircraft your flight would be in - and get the seat dimensions (seatguru) and reviews.

Jays,in response to your question about baggage being checked through -- I didn't check bags on the way over but did on the way back. So long as your ticket is booked through to your final destination your bags will be checked all the way through no matter where you go. However, if you fly back to PDX via Canada, you will go through US customs in Canada.

And, oh, about choosing seats. I won't fly unless I can get Economy Comfort, and I couldn't find a way to book that online through Delta on an upcoming flight to Europe. So I paid a travel agent to do it for me. Interestingly, she also had trouble through Delta. It could do it if she booked the same flight through KLM (a Delta codeshare partner). It cost me $50 for the travel agent, an expense I considered well worth the while, as I could not have booked it that way myself.

What sometimes works on codeshare flights (I don't claim that it works all the time) is to book the flight and then, once you have the ticket locator number, go to the website of the airline operating the flight to select a seat. The problem for those who want to pay for the extra-legroom seats, etc., is that you probably won't know what's available until you have booked and paid for the flight. And if the operating airline charges for selecting a seat in advance, you're not going to avoid paying that.

Hi, I just checked Delta again (posted earlier), and it's still $900 for main cabin. It allows me to choose any seats (highlighted in white), and everything in Rows 30+ is available as entire Main cabin rows & empty across the entire aisle. If you're wanting to save money, this looks like a great option to me compared to prices you had mentioned.

I see the same Delta prices that Jean does, in Basic Economy, with what look like seat selection options (I did not go too far). At first glance, the only downside to that is that the transfer point is either Atlanta or JFK. The same if I search from Seattle in September. Whereas, for travel in May, Delta will book a connection via Amsterdam or Paris.

So, it makes me wonder whether Delta is changing or in the process of re-negotiating their partnership with KLM/Air France, which has plenty of service from Amsterdam to Zurich.

Hi fellow travelers,

Thanks again for the information!
Lynn, yes, I have read mixed reviews about Air Canada and Condor as well for that matter. I guess it's the luck of the draw on what you end up with to some degree. Good to know about the Rouge designation!
celtic0103, yes I love Lufthansa. I am focusing on getting economy comfort seats wherever I end up booking and I totally agree about Air France, terrible experience for us.
Valerie, Condor is a serious contender, thank you.
David, you are SO right! Paying a bit more for economy comfort is way worth it to me when it is a long haul flight. 10-12 hours from Portland.
Patricia, good to know about the bag checking! I also had a hard time booking economy comfort with Delta and KLM a couple of years ago. Never thought to have a travel agent help, great idea!!
acraven, I sure wish it worked ALL the time to book, select the seat and pay for any upgrades you want. Why do they make it so hard?
Jean, you are right about Delta but I am trying for economy comfort so holding off on that for now. Thank you!
Laura, thanks. I don't especially want to connect via east coast. When possible, I fly from PDX direct to Europe (wherever I can get to) and hop from there - hopefully with one ticket so bags can be checked through all the way. I also wonder if changes are in store for Portland.

And last but not least to Tom_MN - this is exactly what I am leaning towards right now! Two one-way tickets using Icelandair going and Condor coming home. The Condor coming home is especially good as it is direct Frankfurt to Portland, easiest!
I have lots of alerts set up and will continue monitoring - always the hardest knowing when to make the plunge and buy! Makes me nervous to buy too early (if connections) as there are so many changes that could happen and mess with the schedule.
You guys are the best, thanks again!