SusanP

All other things being equal, if you were flying to Italy and could change planes in any of the following cities, which is easiest? Manchester, Brussels, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Munich or Zurich? Thanks!

SusanP

Maybe I should have included, this is coming from the US.

WillTravel

London Gatwick or London Heathrow?

lauralamb

I would say pick one of the smaller airports such as Manchester.

bobthenavigator

Not CDG--that is last choice.
I like the German efficiency--I would pick Munich.

ms_go

We transferred in Manchester both ways on a trip last month (on bmi, from US to Edinburgh, from T1 to T3). While busy, it is a small airport and getting from gate to gate was very easy.

But I think, in some cases, this will depend on which airlines and terminals are involved, and how much time you have. A transfer at Heathrow could be very easy, or it could be a nightmare.

nytraveler

Well. my first question is why change at all? No direct flights? If you need to change I reco Frankfurt - we always use that for Venice and it has always been like clockwork.

P_M

I have always found Heathrow to be a nightmare, but Gatwick isn't too bad. Frankfurt and Zurich were good also.

wombat7

It depends on whihc airlines you are flying and the length of your stopover.

For example if you have to change terminals at an airport it is signficantly different from flying in and out of the same terminal.

Agree with BobtheN that CDG would be at the bottom of my list - but for me FRA would be down there to. I just hate that airport - I always seem to have for miles when I am there and dodge the smoking zones

SusanP

It would be Heathrow in London. I appreciate the input. Living in rural Upstate New York, no, there are no direct flights. In fact, the closest airport is small and requires two changes to get there, something I'd like to avoid. Of course, JFK has the best connections, but that's a 4-hour drive even in good traffic (which you certainly can't depend on!). The next closest airports are Albany & Syracuse, and even Newark is closer than JFK. Guess I will definitely avoid CDG! I don't know which airline yet, I'll be using Hilton Honors Points for the flights so will go with the best connections, and Delta isn't a possibility. Was hoping to fly into Venice and out of Rome.

Gardyloo

Although I have not passed through it personally, I understand from frequent fliers that Brussels is an exceptionally easy airport to get around, and aside from Manchester probably the smallest of those you listed.

Gardyloo

Meant to add, I would rather go to the dentist than have to change terminals in a hurry at LHR.

rkkwan

I don't get it. You don't have non-stop flights from Buffalo or Albany to any airports in Europe anyways, so you'll have to change plane at a US airport to start with. JFK will give you the most choices to connect to Europe, and there are plenty of JFK-Rome non-stop flights.

Eleni

I'm with rkkwan.

StephenG

Zurich is easy and Amsterdam Too!
Definetly not LHR or CDG

SusanP

Well, rkkwan, I realize there are nonstop flights to Rome from JFK, but not to or from Venice, so we would still have to change somewhere in Europe. The problem is convincing my husband to do the 4-hour+ drive to JFK (plus he hates JFK)! We wouldn't leave from Buffalo, that's a longer drive than JFK. We might also consider leaving from Newark, about an hour less driving. Either way, we'll have to change in Europe for Venice, or for Milan as well if we flew into or out of there instead.
I appreciate the information on changing in the various European airports.

rkkwan

Well, let's put it in a different way.

It sounds like EWR is the best airport for you to depart from. Since you can fly FCO-EWR non-stop, that's the best way for you to come back. Now, there are two airlines that fly this route - Continental and Alitalia. Delta also codeshares on the Alitalia (AZ) flight, so you can buy tickets from them as well.

DL and AZ are close partners, and so are these following ones - CO, NW, AF and KL. Their main hubs in Eurpoe are Amsterdam and CDG, along with Alitalia's hubs in MXP and FCO. Therefore, for the best connections from your schedule, with the fewest flights possible from your unnamed location in NY state, your best bet is CO or AZ (DL codeshare as well) to AMS, CDG or MXP, and connect to VCE via KL, AF or AZ. On the way back, fly CO/AZ from FCO-EWR.

JudyC

From my experience, Zurich is the easiest one for transit. Heathrow is not so bad except in the early morning.

DAJ

SusanP, you may want to try your "preferred" schedule first. If you know your approximate dates do a few "mock" trips to see what gives you the best connections. My original plan was to fly into Venice and out of Rome, but I found that the best timing and route for us was to fly into Rome and out of Venice via Brussels. I printed out AA's map to see each major european airport they flew out of and worked the system that way, figuring I needed at least 2 hours for the connection in Brussels. Hope this helps.

AnneO

There is a non-stop from JFK to Venice...Delta, leaves around 8 pm, arrives around 10 am. I'm on it in 4 weeks, 6 days (not that I'm counting!)