mortalodyssey

I am looking to fly to Europe this fall and I am wondering which airlines people would recommend among the Euro brands, I have no interest in flying in American companies. I have heard Swiss and Lufthansa are good, any suggestions?

alanRow

Where are you flying from as there's no guarantee that a European airline will offers flights or if it does it may be codeshares on US airlines

J62

Agree with Alan. It all depends on your origin and destination. If you're going to Ireland from Boston then it makes no sense to fly Swiss or Lufthansa.

My choice would be based on
a) flight schedules - non stop always preferred. One stop at US or European hub ok. 2 stops I avoid like the plague.
b) cost
c) frequent flier status

I actually like Jet Airways - they fly from EWR and JFK to BRU, and to many points beyond in Europe. They're an Indian airline, but have BRU as a major hub.

Lufthansa is ok - always clean. Food is always a choice of chicken or pasta going eastbound, pasta or chicken westbound. Entertainment is ok, seats pretty comfortable.

In my opinion Swiss is a notch lower, but still OK. United has a relatively young fleet (eg the ones they inherited from CO) so they're a pretty good option too. Some of the older UA planes are outdated. Ditto for AA - very outdated 767s.

rkkwan

What class?

Rastaguytoday

Given the age of some U.S. based carriers, the quality of the plane's interior is important to me.

I like the A-330 and A-340 equipment. Personal monitors, etc... Compare that to the back of the 767 bus.

Try www.seatguru.com to see seat configs there are for each airline.

simpsonc510

Swiss flies the A330 from ORD. Not sure what they use from BOS. They do have the entertainment, but it doesn't always work. I don't like the LACK OF KNEE ROOM on Swiss in economy.

Lufthansa is not bad.

rkkwan

That post about 330/340 vs 767 makes no sense. For example, UA and DL's 767-400 are younger than plenty of 340s being flown by many carriers.

wally34949

Swiss has an excellent assortment of movies and video programs. Most European airlines do not edit their movies, unlike the U.S. airlines. When I flew Swiss back in November, I was impressed with how quiet the flight was. I never heard a flight attendant make an announcement--only briefings from the pilot. The fasten seatbelt sign was turned off five minutes after take-off, something that never happens on a U.S. airline. Dress for cold weather. That plane was cold.