Hello Everyone,

I am looking for advice on airlines and airports. We will be going from Boston to Valencia, so direct flights are not an option. I had booked tickets on Iberia, through Madrid. But what was originally supposed to be a 2 hour layover has now been changed to a 5 1/2 hour layover. My tickets are refundable so I am now searching for other options.

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice re the best/most reliable airlines to use and the easiest airport for a transfer. Possible options for my route include TAP through Lisbon, Lufthansa through Frankfurt, Swiss Air through Zurich. We want to avoid transfer at CDG and Heathrow, which in our experience are just too large and overwhelming.

We do not fly business but do want to find an option ("premium economy") that allows us to pay extra to choose the front row seats with more legroom.

I'd appreciate hearing about other people's experiences. Thanks.

Have you thought of flying to Madrid and taking the train to Valencia? The train is far more pleasant than flying. I checked the schedule from the airport. Trains are very frequent and it can be done with only 1 change. Just a thought.

Good idea PM, the train would be much more relaxing and much better for the environment. Quite probably cheaper too. And you get to see something of Spain along the way.

That is actually what we did last year. And it was fine. But I posted here recently about my husband's upcoming knee replacement. Because of responses received here, we pushed our trip back a month and we are now only planning to go to Valencia (previously we were going to Malaga first). So I am trying to figure out the easiest way to travel.

Actually -- LHR is totally fine if you are arriving and departing from the same terminal. It's when one has tp transfer from T-5 to/from other terminals that it can get knarly. Otherwise I'd be OK with any of your other choices (I agree CDG is to be avoided if possible). Wherever you transfer -- I wouldn't want less than 2 hours for the connection in case Immigration is a mess.

I have flown through all three but only a few times to Lisbon and Zurich. Frankfurt is huge but efficient. If you miss your flight a higher chance of getting another flight to your destination. I would probably pick ZUR for a connection all else being equal. Have not flown PE on any of your airlines and PE quality may vary based on the plane and airline.

Try Lufthansa through Munich.

If knees are a big problem, you might want to check whether your flight/airport requires you to take the stairs from the tarmac to your plane.

This would be a very good question. I know that in most parts of the world they have lifts to get people up stairs if they can't manage. I would assume most of Europe is the same, but I would ask the question.

In my experience, in Frankfurt, it is highly likely that you will be bussed out a ways on the tarmac and have the stairs up to the plane to contend with.

Also, a couple of years ago, I missed my connection in Frankfurt due to my flight being very late leaving the US. It was 13 hours before there was another flight! Not a bad idea to check how long you would have to wait for the next flight if you miss the connection. (I ended up taking the train from the Frankfurt airport. This was not fun!)

If you are wanting to avoid big airports don't connect through Frankfurt, it might be efficient but it's huge and involves long walks and a lot of going down to then go up again and also bus rides to the plane and walking up stairs. I had 2 connections through Frankfurt this summer and thought I had seen the entire airport from multiple past trips but no, I saw a whole new to me part of the airport lol. Munich is more do-able imo.
Agree with Janis that Heathrow is ok if you are into and out of the same terminal.
I haven't had any issues with CDG but it is big.
Zurich is not terribly big but has 2 terminals. Our experience was we landed in one terminal, had to get to the other which involved a walk to go downstairs, wait for a bus which then sped through the tunnel (the terminals are separated by the runway) then upstairs and a long walk to the gate. We were short on time but if you have plenty of time this would not be a problem.

Thee are 10 daily trains from Madrid (either Chamartin or Atocha) to Valencia. Journey time: 2 hrs.

thanks everyone. Bottom line - there is no easy way. My original plan with long layover in Madrid may be the best option. Yes, the train is wonderful, but I don't want to end up being the one hauling our suitcases on and off trains, etc.

Does Renfe have a luggage service? Some rail companies do.

I’m sure you know but a small rolling case with a day back is much easier and kinder on your body than a single heavy case and can give similar capacity.

I hope you find a solution you’re happy with.

An update on the dilemma I had posted re flying to Valencia and connection times. I had been looking for a flight on a Tuesday, but discovered that there were better choices on the previous day, Monday. I now have flights booked from Boston to Valencia, through Madrid, with just 1 1/2 hour connection time. That choice was available on Monday, but not on Tuesday (or any of the other weekdays). I had not realized that the day of the week made such a difference. Also, my flights are on Iberia and I found Iberia agents to be very helpful on the phone. I easily canceled my original itinerary and got advice on the new flights.

See if you can go thru Dublin or even Shannon coming back to the US to take advantage of customs and immigration pre clearance. Sadly these are the only two European airports that offer this but it's sure worth it when you land in the US and get out right on the concourse for connections or exit. I guess there has been an agreement with Brussels since 2020 but no one can get it together yet. Speaks volumes. Not your typical transfer airports but ditching customs and that hassle is worth it even with Clear and Global Entry it's so much easier.

Whatever plans you make, gone are the days when you could count on the airlines to keep to their announced schedule. Sure, they will get you there, but how long that will take (and with what kind of layover) changes o a regular basis.

It seems you and I had very different experiences with pre-clearance in Ireland. I have Global Entry and I can breeze through US Customs on the US side. In Dublin I had to stand in the same, mile long lines with everyone else. My layover in Dublin was about 2.5 hours and I barely made my connecting flight for spending so much time in line. Unless US Customs in Dublin streamlines their process, I will avoid connections in Ireland as much as possible.

Neither is great. Whatever our experience I will agree with #17, as whatever you choose it will likely be horrible. Or at a minimum unpredictable and undependable.

On that, we agree.