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Which Connection To Choose?

Posted by (Washington DC) on

I need to fly back home from a non-Schengen country this fall (a Wednesday in early October) to avoid the risk of overstaying the 90-day limit by testing positive in Italy near the end of a trip that would otherwise end in Venice. My solution is to return from Zagreb. If I test positive in Croatia, I'll be able to stick around as long as I need to without exceeding 90 Schengen days.

There are a lot of United frequent-flyer options with very similar costs in terms of miles and taxes. My problem is balancing transfer risk against my hatred of early wake-up calls. I don't mind rather long layovers on the way home; it's just that they're usually accompanied by terribly early departure times. In this case I'm worried about two additional factors: The on-going bottlenecks at multiple potential transfer points that are redefining what constitutes a "risky" transfer time, and my need to avoid getting stuck for too long at a transfer point in a Schengen country. Things could get dicey if I get hung up for multiple days at a Schengen airport that is experiencing a meltdown.

These first two options have semi-acceptable departure time, but the connections feel risky. However, I know nothing about the connection situation in Zurich and Vienna. What say those of you familiar with those airports?

9:15 AM: changing planes in Zurich (1 hr 10 min). I'd love this, but that connection time seems insane to me. If I don't make the connection in Zurich, there's not another non-stop, and I might end up on a later flight with a 1 hr 30 min transfer in Frankfurt, which I bet is more problematic than 1 hr 10 min in Zurich.

8:15 AM: changing planes in Vienna (1 hr 45 min). Departs earlier than I'd like, but I'd be tempted if this is a decent time allowance in Vienna. There are no later non-stops from Vienna, so if I missed the connection, I'd be changing planes at Heathrow (2 hr 20 min--seems short there), Munich (2 hr 20 min--maybe OK?) or Frankfurt (1 hr 35 min--seems too short right now).

If, as I fear, those are not good choices, I think I'm stuck with transferring in Frankfurt. I'd rather avoid it, given current conditions, but at least it has multiple daily non-stops to IAD:

9:15 AM: changing planes in Frankfurt (2 hr 30 min). In previous years I'd have been quite happy to book this, but I gather it's not a good idea these days. Missing this connection would mean a 4-hour-later flight to IAD, but it would be a non-stop.

There's an earlier departure through Frankfurt with more breathing room than the 9:15 AM flight has. Do I need to go with it?

7:45 AM: changing planes in Frankfurt (layover of either 3 hr 5 min or 3 hr 55 min). There's that later non-stop out of Frankfurt if I missed either of these connections.

What would you do?

Posted by
6970 posts

My experience with changing planes in Vienna is entirely prepandemic, but based on that it is a small airport with easy transfers and I would not be worried about 1:45 there.

And if this is about avoiding the 90-day limit, remember that Denmark will give you 90 extra days.

Posted by
28065 posts

Good point, Badger. I've been planning to hold off on Denmark and use it as a way to spend extra time in Schengen countries next year.

Croatia's a lot closer to Venice (though I realize mileage does not equal travel time in this case), and it's a lot cheaper. I think I'll really appreciate the cost difference after a trip spent mostly in Norway, Sweden, Finland, England and Venice. There's also the weather situation; even Zagreb's a bit iffy in early October (based on my 2015 experience).

Thanks for the encouraging comment about the Vienna airport. I don't remember reading any warnings about connection challenges there.

Posted by
2267 posts

Another plan/option could be to book separate tickets for an overnight layover. Say you test negative Tuesday morning in Zagreb, take a cheap to the international gateway on Tuesday afternoon and spend the night in Frankfurt/Zurich/Vienna, and have a leisurely morning there before a probably late-morning departure for North America. The Tuesday test would still cover the Wednesday flight.

A more cumbersome option, but relieves that early AM issue.

Though, airports are usually less backed up for the early flights. Not sure if that old truth applies to these wacky times.

Posted by
6970 posts

The extra days in Denmark are not "single use", you can do it both this year and next year.

Another plan/option could be to book separate tickets for an overnight
layover. Say you test negative Tuesday morning in Zagreb, take a cheap
to the international gateway on Tuesday afternoon and spend the night
in Frankfurt/Zurich/Vienna, and have a leisurely morning there before
a probably late-morning departure for North America.

That might not be the best idea if you are worried about hitting the 90 day limit.

Posted by
2857 posts

Personally would be fine with either 9:15 for Zurich or Frankfurt. The 150 minutes in Frankfurt is way more than enough, Zurich is tighter but they are incredibly efficient. I would base this on which path gives you the better flight back into the US, and also check to see if Zurich is having delay issues like a few other airports.

Posted by
28065 posts

Yep; an overnight in any of the logical connecting airports would burn two more Schengen days, so that's an undesirable choice at this point. I'm also trying to avoid non-refundable expenses to the extent possible. Even if I could get a credit for an unused budget-airline hop from Zagreb to a place like Frankfurt if I tested positive before my return, there's no guarantee I'd have a good use for that credit within 12 months. I try hard to avoid intra-European flights (though I must take two this year).

Badger, I know I can tack on extra time in Denmark every year if I want to, but October is not the time of year I'd choose for that part of Europe. I don't even really want to be in Croatia then. The days are getting noticeably shorter by October (start noticing it in late September), which makes me want to stay inside. Basically, I want to hibernate. I am not one of those who thinks a winter trip is a fine idea because the lights make all the European cities look so pretty. No no no.

Your responses so far about my connection options are more encouraging than I expected. I'll probably make a decision later today. I am loving United's policy allowing free mileage redeposit up to 31 days before departure date. I will probably keep my Venice return flight for some time, in case the US eliminates its testing requirement.

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