International flights and layovers...a question.

[Anonymous]

ONE BILLION PERCENT layover in Europe, especially on the return. I know this is an old thread but weighing in anyway.

The reason is that Europe is smaller than the US. So, say there's an issue with your flight. There are tons of flights from European cities to the big US cities -- you can get here from Frankfurt, Vienna, London, Copenhagen, Rome, various places in Poland, Paris, etc etc etc. And if there's an issue on your transatlantic flight for whatever reason, the airline will just ship you off to another big city to hop on a transatlantic flight run by one of their partners. This just happened to me. Issue going from Vienna to the US, so they sent me to Frankfurt to catch a United flight, they sent others to Munich for a Lufthansa flight, others to Zurich for a Swissair flight. That meant sure we had to do a little inner EU flight but it took no time at all and then we were all sent on our various ways back to the US.

Whereas if there's an issue on your transatlantic flight in the US, there are just fewer "close" options that fly transatlantically. Issue going from Chicago to Europe? Maybe they'll send you over to... Denver? JFK? Just getting to those cities is a trek. Or they'll keep you in your US city until the next day when they'll try again. But if that city is not MY city, I would much rather be in Europe than in some random JFK airport hotel for a night. I would 1000% prefer to get sent on a 45 minute flight to some random European city than on a 3 hour trek across the US.

PLUS in Europe, again being small, there are just so many little dinky flights from city to city. Your Vienna to LHR connection didn't work? Much easier to hop on a small flight from Vienna to Stanstead or Gatwick. Whereas again if your connection in the US doesn't work, it's not like you can change your destination airport as easily unless you happen to live in NYC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was on a trip to Italy DCA to JFK to Rome… DCA flight was late and we got there - ran to the gate - plane was still there - but they wouldn’t let us on 😞.

Had to leave secure area and go to ticketing counter - making it impossible to make any alternative flights leaving anytime soon because we had to get re ticketed check in and do security all over again. - almost got stuck overnight in JFK - but another passenger with perks took us under her wing and insisted we be put on the same connection as she was.

Flights can get messed up from any airport, but I would much rather originate at Dulles, where you can knock out the transatlantic section first. Connecting at JFK, Newark or Chicago seems more ripe for bad things happening.

[Anonymous]

And many of the northern US airports are pretty disgusting, as are the surrounding environs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And many of the northern US airports are pretty disgusting, as are the surrounding environs.

?????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was on a trip to Italy DCA to JFK to Rome… DCA flight was late and we got there - ran to the gate - plane was still there - but they wouldn’t let us on 😞.

Had to leave secure area and go to ticketing counter - making it impossible to make any alternative flights leaving anytime soon because we had to get re ticketed check in and do security all over again. - almost got stuck overnight in JFK - but another passenger with perks took us under her wing and insisted we be put on the same connection as she was.

Flights can get messed up from any airport, but I would much rather originate at Dulles, where you can knock out the transatlantic section first. Connecting at JFK, Newark or Chicago seems more ripe for bad things happening.

PP, here. “Bad things” means missed connection and travel getting messed up. Nothing to do with the environs as suggested by other poster.

[Anonymous]

I like layovers in Europe b/c it's fun to shop the duty free.