I posted this on the Lounge, but no opinions. Hard to believe, isn't it ? I'll come here and see if any takers ?
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We are looking at flying the crew of Surfs to Stockholm next spring. It seems like an amazing kid-friendly city and I think we'd have a lot of fun. proposed itinerary: fly into Stockholm - spend 5 days or so there, maybe 1 in an island in the Archipelago, either fly or ferry to St. Petersburg and return home.

questions: (all opinions welcome... even if I choose to disagree, I will consider and think)

=> can get direct flights into Stockholm and out of Moscow on Delta. thinking of adding the last day in Moscow so we can fly direct out of there. good idea ?

=> using rewards points (we have 400k+) would required 65k/pp (Delta direct flights) or 55k/pp (Finnair connecting flights). note: Finnair connection is tight in Helsinki and they've only one flight/day, so if delayed, we'd be stuck a day.

=> using dollars would be $893/pp (Delta direct) or $690/pp (Finnair). see note about tight connection.

=> is a direct flight on Delta (757 out, 767 return) better than connecting flights on Finnair (A330) ? (connection issue ?)

=> how different is the aircraft (757/767 vs. A330) ?

=> according to seatguru the seat configuration is different for Delta's 757's. How do I find out which is used for a specific flight ?

thanks!

I saw your post in the lounge and thought it should be here but I don't have an expert opinion.

Personally, I'd fly direct with Delta but you didn't say how tight the connection was with Finnair (an hour or less is tight IMO).

To avoid tight connections in the past I have spent a stopover night. Would you consider doing that on the outward leg (Helsinki) if the price/miles is the same?

Surfmom,

Always fly the Non-Stop! A missed connection can cause unnecessary stress especially when traveling with a group. Delta to Stockholm with a return from Moscow sounds like a great idea.

The A330 is a much better airplane for passenger comfort and Delta now has a few of them thanks to their merger with Northwest Airlines.

Airlines typically set their schedules twice a year. However, Delta is still in a transition phrase from it's merger and it is hard to tell which airplane they might use on a particular route if it is too far in advance.

Most of Delta's routes to Europe are presently flown on 757/767 aircraft.

www.dmbflyingcoach.blogspot.com

A couple of questions and a couple of comments...

What reward points program would you be using? If it's the American Express rewards program, I wasn't aware that Finnair is a redemption partner.

Second, where are you flying from? I'm guessing JFK if you're looking at Delta nonstops and Finnair nonstops to Helsinki.

Now, as to comments...

Helsinki is a very easy airport to move through, and Finnair is a quality airline with generally excellent service. While the connection times through HEL might seem very short, in fact they're okay; you basically walk from one gate to another.

Finnair actually has eight or nine flights daily between Helsinki and Stockholm, so even if you were late the delay would be minimal.

In the air, Finnair's A330 offers a wider seat than either of the Delta planes, and it's set up with 2 outboard seats (4 in the center) while the Delta 757 (a narrow-body jet) is 3-3. Most people find the A330 a more comfortable plane compared to either 757s or 767s. In my experience Finnair's in-flight service is excellent.

As for your itinerary, you might have a look at flying into Helsinki then taking the ferry to Stockholm. You'd have a day to explore Helsinki (a very interesting downtown area) then take the overnight boat to Stockholm. In the spring it will be light until late in the evening, so you'll be able to enjoy the beautiful ride between the two cities.

As for Moscow, one day? Meh. It's way too big a place to see on a hurry-up basis. St. Petersburg is closer and (IMO) packs way more punch in terms of interest and accessibility for those with limited time. Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in the world to visit, too. I'd limit myself to Helsinki and Stockholm, and at least two days in St. Petersburg, if any.

@sassycat, it isn't the flight from HEL - Stockholm that I'm worried about since they go every hour. It is the St. Petersburg-Helsinki-NYC on the return. It is about 90 minutes and if we miss that flight, the next return isn't until the following day. We *could* plan on staying overnight in Helsinki on purpose, but at the end of the trip, I think we'd rather just head home.

@DMB, I agree about trying to fly nonstop - but I would rather fly (I think) on a A330 (Finnair) than a 757/767. After a little research, looks like NYC-Stockholm is the 757 and the NYC- Moscow is the 767.

Looks like the 767 is reconfiguring to in-seat video - some have them, some don't. Honestly, in seat video is more important for the way home than the way over. Looks like the 757 has more potential for in-seat video as the transcontinental config has them.

@gardyloo, these are Merrill Lynch points from our cc. We have over 460k points and the Delta flights are 65k (total 325k) while the Finnair flights require 57,500 (287k total).

We live in Philly, but flights out of there are about $500/pp (and that many more corresponding points) and connect through JFK, so we would rather shuttle it than rely on flying. The most frustrating thing is when you are *that* close to home and can't quite get there!

glad to hear that you've had good experience with Finnair - that is part of the dilemma. We are a family of 5, so depending on the configuration depends on how we sit... if it is 3-3, we usually fill the 3 and then take the window and aisle behind them hoping no one is in the middle and if they are, we'll switch. With 2-4-2, last time we took the 2 and then 3 of the 4... I think we'd rather take 2, 2, and then the aisle alone all in front/back of each other. All my oldest does is sit and read, so she's easy!

That isn't a bad thought to fly into Helsinki and then take the ferry from there... we had originally planned on taking a ferry to Helsinki and spending a few days there, then I realized how close we were to St. Petersburg and remembered what a gorgeous city that was! (in 1987...). The only reason I had thought about Moscow was that I was talking to a friend who did a day trip there from St. Petersburg and while she said it was a long day, she thought it was valuable to compare and contrast the two. I remembered that Delta had added the direct flight from JFK there and thought about sticking a quick day or two at the end of the trip there.

I don't know I don't know I don't know!