chgeeb

Hello,
We're pretty new to the travel world, we're both young 20's...we're heading overseas for the first time (pretty nervous) for our honeymoon in the Greek Islands...I've flown a few times to the Caribbean and western USA....
The cheapest flight we can find takes us from Boston (where we are) to Venice Italy through Iberia airlines...we've never heard of this!

Can anyone give any info about this airline? Is it always best just to take the cheapest airline? Or could this be an airline typical with delays/cancellations/lost baggage type stuff?
For $150 more a person we can go on Air France...any suggestions is greatly appreciated!
Thanks everyone!

Citylghts

Iberia is the flag airline of Spain and has been flying since 1927. Their main hubs are in Madrid and Barcelona. Their Madrid terminal opened in early 2007 and is a great space with lots of room and light.

They are a member of the One World alliance with American Airlines, British Airways and Qantas.

I flew Iberia a couple years ago from Chicago to Berlin via Madrid and it was fine. I thought the airport there was much less confusing than CDG and less crowded.

Many of the experienced travelers here will be able to offer a world of advice. Among the best tips I can offer is don't only look at the price when booking your flights, look at the flight times (including connections) and what airports you'll be routed through. Think about how early you'll need to arrive at the airport and how long you'll wait between flights. Also, how much time you'll have if your first flight arrives late. Think about how easy the airport is to navigate. Most people seem to dislike DeGaulle and Heathrow for various reasons.

Finally, if you're a member of an airline loyalty program, do you want to get miles for this trip? Air France is part of Skyteam with Delta/Northwest, Alitalia and KLM.

Most important, be flexible and enjoy the trip. Many things are beyond your control like canceled flights, misplaced bags, long lines and late arrivals and they can happen on any airline. You can get upset and raise your blood pressure, but it doesn't make the line move any faster or find your luggage. Have fun in Greece.

tippecanoe

I haven't flown Iberia (yet), but I'd advise you to take Air France.

Through a tip on this forum, I took advantage of a big Iberia sale this past March - Washington Dulles to Venice via Madrid for $356 during Thanksgiving week. Two weeks ago, they cancelled my outbound connecting flight. The new schedule included a six hour layover in Madrid and a 6:30 p.m. arrival in Venice. I called and asked about options (you can't make changes on-line apparently). The re-routed me from DC to Boston, then on to Venice via Madrid. Not ideal, but I'd arrive in Venice at a reasonable hour.

This morning, however, I had an e-mail informing me my Madrid-Washington return flight has "suffered a schedule change." Suffering is an apt description. The Madrid-Washington flight has been cancelled. My new itinerary gets me only as far as Boston on a flight that leaves Madrid before I arrive there from Venice. As you can imagine, this will take another phone call to sort out. And since it's four more months until I leave, it's hard telling what further changes lie ahead.

There are plenty of far worse Iberia horror stories out there. Just do a google search. Since you're new to travelling as well as heading out on your honeymoon, you should do what you can to minimize stress. While problems can crop up on any airline (I'm not even going to start on my 20 hour trip to Arizona on Northwest in June), Iberia doesn't seem to have many fans.

Air France is a good airline that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend, even if it costs more. As I'm learning now with Iberia, sometimes you get what you pay for.

dfr4848

First, I am not clear on your itinerary. Are you flying to Venice where you're catching a ship to cruise the Greek islands, or are the flights you're looking at going through Venice where you're connecting with another flight to Athens, where you're then getting a ship? IE, where's your ultimate destination? And when are you going?

I have no personal experience on Iberia, but have friends who have liked them and hated them - not unusual. As noted, they've been around since the '20s so I wouldn't be overly concerned about booking them. But I would also concentrate on price and schedule, and in particular the connection times and connecting airport. If there's no big difference, I have my own airlines that I prefer and would usually go with them (eg, Lufthansa, British Airways) but those are personal choices.

Unfortunately, the experience which tippecanoe is having is not uncommon these days as airlines continually adjust schedules to deal with current economic situation and lower traffic. You could have the same problem with any airline.

You will find lots of people who would avoid Air France's hub in Paris (CDG) at any cost - it can be a nightmare. Others have thought it's OK.

From BOS you have quite a few choices and I assume you're using a search engine like www.kayak.com or www.itasoftware.com. Just watch out to look for codeshare arrangements, like when you're shown a Delta flight, but it's actually operated by Air France. That might make a difference to you.

Hope this helps.

chgeeb

Thanks so much for the info. everyone!

To answer some of the questions...
We're leaving Boston for destination of Venice as that is where the cruise leaves from!

I'm not very familiar with any of the main hubs in Europe, but what is a usual adequate amount of time for transfers? There is a stop in Paris, with 2 hours of layover before the next flight onto Venice...should that be sufficient enough? Thanks so much!

I'll keep looking on www.kayak.com for more flights...thanks!

Gardyloo

First, of course everyone has their horror stories, and having a schedule change can be very disruptive. It happens to the best of airlines.

That said, I've flown Iberia a lot and I feel that's your best bet, with the difference being that 2 hours at Paris (CDG) can be a very tight connection time frame, while at Madrid it's no problem.

In economy class, Iberia is okay, not great but adequate. I doubt you'd find Air France any more comfortable, and if you're not experienced in negotiating foreign airports, the difference between Charles De Gaul (CDG - Paris) and Barajas (MAD) would more than make up the difference.

Congratulations!

dfr4848

gardyloo said it well. If for some reason you end up on Air France just allow more time - like 3 hrs.

BTW - we spent 15 days in Greece last year and loved it [no cruise, just on our own].

Have a great time.