Hagan

Flying from Orlando for week's stay in Lauterbrunnen. London will probably be best first leg, then should we try for Geneva, Basel or Zurich? Do you recommend using discount Euro airline from London, or booking straight through with BA?

wally34949

Have you checked Martin Air from Orlando. With a KLM connection, they may be able to get you right where you want to be?

wally34949

If you do use London, the Orlando flights all go into Gatwick. Check Easyjet and Ryan but see if they have a flight from Gatwick. If they don't, use BA. Avoid using Stanstead or Luton airports as time and cost of getting to these airports will be costly.

JamesA

Have you looked into direct frlights to Zurich or Geneva? Then just travel on by train. There are lots of alternatives via European hubs to get to Zurich, as mentioned Martinair via AMS, lots for choice from MIA, e.g Iberia via MAD.

JamesA

I think you would be better off getting a direct flight into Zurich or a flight change straight into Zurich from a US hub rather thatn changing airlines in Europe. Perhaps via ATL or MIA would be an option.

Hagan

Thanks all for the great information! You've given me some options to check out that I hadn't thought of. Great forum.

Andre

Hagan,

Zurich is the most convenient airport to fly into, since there are hourly direct trains to Interlaken right from the airport. If you land in Geneva, you'll have to change trains in Bern and if you land in Basel you'll need to take a bus to the train station in town as there is none at the airport.

I would strongly recommend travelling on a through ticket from Orlando all the way to Switzerland. Aside from all the major airlines that can get you there with 1 plane change as well as Martinair (already mentioned), there is also Condor, which flies to Frankfurt and uses Lufthansa for its shorthaul feeder flights.
www.condor.com

Hope this helps,
Andre

clevelandbrown

I know a lot of people are fatigued after their flight, but if you are not among them, flying into Geneva and taking a train to Montreux, over the mountains to Spies, and then on to Lauterbrunnen, is a very scenic route. Of course, Zurich is a shorter route. Assuming availability, I would be inclined to fly into Geneva and return from Zurich.

I try to avoid the discount airlines in Europe. They often fly out of secondary airports, and many have sharply enforced limitations on baggage, which can turn a cheap flight into an expensive one.

simpsonc510

I would suggest flying into Zurich. It is a very easy airport to navigate. You can get off your plane, collect your bags, and be on a train bound for Interlaken within an hour or so. I just arrived two weeks ago, collected bags, and got a train to Lucerne within about 40 minutes of landing!! It was very easy.

Where will you stay in Interlaken? We were just there about a week ago, at the Beau Rivage. Lovely "old" hotel on the main street through Interlaken. Have also stayed at a Best Western near the eastern Interlaken train station. Very Quaint; cow bells on the hillside across the stream.

Enjoy your trip. Switzerland is a wonderful destination. I'm leaving ZRH for home tomorrow. (sigh)

simpsonc510

Forgot to say, I flew on Swiss Int'l out of Chicago non stop to ZRH.

cosmic_toadstool

A through fare from MCO - GVA/ZRH will often work out cheaper than buying one ticket MCO - London and a separate ticket then to Switzerland. If you have 2 different reservations, then don't expect any fall back from either airline should you miss a connection.

I don't think there would be much difference as to whether you connected via a European hub or an American one, so if I were in your position, I would base my decision upon whatever is important for you, whether that be price, FF miles, timings etc.

In terms of in-flight service going across the pond, the European carriers such as BA and Virgin utterly wipe the floor with their US counterparts.