prices for sas to madrid are lower than ba. flying from seattle so these are both much less time in the air than domestic carriers. any thoughts on which airline is preferrable. thank you.

SAS has suberb service, and I've never been disappointed on thier airline. Don't know anything about BA.

You don't change really terminals at Copenhagen. You do at Heathrow. And BA sometimes, sneakily, will actually be offering their best price on trips that involve changing airports (They fly to Madrid from both Heathrow and Gatwick).

All else being equal, changing at CPH is infinitely less painful than London. Actually, so is putting your hand in a red-hot fire.

And, if you're lucky, you get a much nicer view of the polar regions flying from Seattle to Copenhagen.

I've flown both and against everyone else I prefer BA. Twice I've done the Seattle to Heathrow flight, once going on to Madrid. I thought it was fine and appreciated the little baggie with socks and a toothbrush.
Took SAS to Paris connecting in Copenhagen and didn't pack my toothbrush in carry on expecting to receive one. It was the first thing I bought on landing!
I've found staff to be pleasant on both. And connecting easy enough at both airports.
Have fun!

I like BA very much, but I'm with Flanner. I would rather have a root canal than to change terminals at Heathrow. CPH is much nicer.

I've been checking fares for a trip to Vienna in the spring, and have spotted fares on SAS and BA that look appealing.

In Travelocity, BA has a better initial rate, $469, flying through Heathrow. SAS's rate, through Copenhagen, is $549, an increase of $85. However, proceeding to the next step in booking, I see the taxes and fees for BA through Heathrow are $271.85, whereas the SAS fees through Copenhagen are only $198, so the increased cost of flying via SAS is cut to only $11.

My question: Do fees and taxes differ enough at various airports, whether domestic or foreign, that they should be a factor in travel planning?

I always look at the total price. My main concern with these two flights would be which has the better timing.

Also, would you want a stopover in either Copenhagen or London, and is that possible with these flights? Copenhagen would be perfect for a brief stopover, as it's a small walking city not far from its airport.

Do taxes differ significantly betwen airports?

If they're in different countries, of course - and often dramatically.

And each airline has its own policy on what other surcharges to include in the originally quoted price.

No-one (surely?) is dumb enough to buy something on the basis that it's half price or without checking whether postage or delivery are included. Airfares are no different from books or clothes. It's the net, net price that counts.

CPH is indeed a nice airport for same-carrier transfers, while SEA-LHR-MAD will involve having to go through the BA transfer center and riding the bus to T2 from T4 at Heathrow. That said, the layover at LHR is likely to be shorter, and total travel time to Madrid via BA and LHR will be almost 4 hours less than on SAS through CPH - fewer miles flown via London. Because the SAS flight leaves SEA later than BA, the difference is an afternoon in Spain.

Although BA is currently having major problems with its flight caterer, I doubt if you'd feel the service is particularly worse on BA than on SAS. Coach comfort on BA's 747s is poor, but I'm not sure SAS is much better (not having flown SEA-CPH on the current aircraft they're using.) In the past, there was little difference in passenger comfort. Both airlines offer a "premium economy" service with more tush and legroom than plain economy, at around a 25% increase in fare in most cases. Well worth it IMO.

Doh. T4 -> T1 at LHR if it's BA all the way.

I would say that transfer are better at CPH. CPH is also a beautiful airport.

CPH is a beautiful airport and easier than LHR to navigate. As other posters mention timing is important, price is too, and don't forget airplane. Don't know if you can find out, but I'd rather be on a newer plane with individual entertainment systems, and seating that fits my desires, rather than a smaller 757 with one movie choice.

Have only traveled with BA and I agree the seats in cattle class are horrible: very narrow and short legroom. I guess the same can be said of other airlines, but I found BA's seats most uncomfortable. I don't care for free toothbrushes as they're usually not of good quality, but SAS is not the only airline that omits toothbrushes from their amenity kits (referring to economy/cattle class only).

Also I agree with those who dislike LHR. It's very disorganized--more than it is at other airports I've connected through.

Here are my thoughts...

1. What airline alliance do you belong to and when can you credit the miles? SAS is Star Alliance and partnered with United and USAirways. On BA you cannot earn miles across the Atlantic.

2. Have you tried Lufthansa? I used them to Madrid a few years ago with no issue. Connections are in Frankfurt if you are in a Lufthansa US destination. Lufthansa is really good at prompt departures. The fares can be decent for connection flights. I also found their aircraft to be in good condition. Lufthansa is also a Star Alliance member.

Consider the amount of miles you can earn on a flight other than BA, You can earn around 6000 miles

Flanneruk,

Is it time to rethink the wisdom of going off your hormone replacement therapy? You seem to be even more peevish than usual lately.

I always fly British Air between Seattle to Heathrow (then on to Amsterdam or Geneva whatever). I never thought changing terminals was any big deal.

Do make sure you have a Heathrow to Heathrow transfer not Gatwick should you decide to do it. I have always had a decent experience with BA (as good as that kind of thing gets).

I don't have SAS experience but am guessing if it's thru Copenhagen and all else is equal... that might be smoother.

thanks for all the opinions. it really sounds like sas would be a better choice. almost the same airtime. seattle to madrid on sas in march is $663. with the price of fuel i don't expect anything cheaper to come up. am i wrong? also appreciate the thought to check the type of airplane. i remember coach in BA as being almost unbearable, no wriggle room.

MaryFran:

It's neither drug nor hormonal imbalance. It's excessive recent experience of:

- using Heathrow, and
- trying to plan relatively simple journeys on the web, given airlines' increasing determination to hide most of their pricing till the last screen.

You call it peevishness. I - and anyone else who's done either of these things lately - call it pure disinterested objectivity.

I always fly with SAS from Zürich - Copenhagen - Seattle. Why?
1. Short layovers
2. Nice area in Copenhagen for the kids to play
3. Super on board entertainment(perfect for the kids)
4. Super arrival and departure times.
5. Good on board service

Definately check out departure/arrival/layover time and airport fares.

Suze: Why won't you fly with KLM directly from SEA to Amsterdam?