Hi there,

I am planning a family trip to Europe this summer.
We will be travelling to Nice, France for a couple nights before flying over to Venice, Italy.
It looks like Easyjet has some direct tickets between two cities; however, the date we would like to travel, there is no direct flight available (btw, there seems to be less flight schedules with Easyjet during July. Is it normal??).

Based on the dates we are looking into, we have a transfer option at Lyon, France; however, the layover time is only about 50 min.

I was told that the processes in European airports are fairly simple and straight forward (unlike the US) and was wondering if this would be enough.

Thanks much in advance and would appreciate any suggestions or feedbacks.

SK

"I was told that the processes in European airports are fairly simple and straight forward (unlike the US) and was wondering if this would be enough."

Whoever told you that was a naive imbecile.

ALL airports have security systems. No two airlines have exactly the same procedures for handling transfer passengers.

Anyone making inane generalisations about "European procedures" is either an ignoramus or a fool - or you're not listening.

There are occasions when it's theoretically possible to make a flight connection in 50 minutes. Even then, whether it's advisable to try depends on the airline's policy with no-shows, since you can't possibly be sure your arriving flight will be on time.

Easy Jet's policy is that if you've not dropped your bags 40 mins before departure OR haven't got to the boarding gate 30 mins before, your booking's cancelled, you don't get your money back and you've got to buy a new ticket at the rate that day.

They're a point to point airline, don't hold with vacuous gibberish about customers coming first, and that policy applies even if the inbound delay was their fault.

On a full-service airline, booked as one flight, on one ticket, it's quite possible the airline will "guarantee" connections as short as 30 mins under some circumstances. It isn't a guarantee of course - but if the inbound's late, you'll be put on the next available flight.

You need to find out from the connecting airline what the policy is on the specific flight you're planning.

EasyJet are a point to point airline, they do not check luggage through, so if you have checked luggage you will have to pick it up yourself and check it in again.

And as it's unlikely that Lyon has Flight Connections you have no option but to go landside and go through security again.

A 50 minute connection time is possible - but only at some hub airports and only if you are through-ticketed

eurokim.

I had a look at the easyjet schedule, and it appears that they only fly from Nice to Venice on Fridays, Sats, and Mons.

Could you not change your itinerary slightly to take advantage of this? There are loads of things to do in and around Nice which could fill a few more days.

Where else are you going? perhaps you could rearrange your itinerary to take advantage of direct flights.

Hey E,

Good advice above.

Take a direct flight.

Take a non-stop flight. I don't know why anyone would want a direct flight (if they even exist).

No-frills airlines such as easyJet take no responsibility for helping you make any connection. If their plane arrives late and you miss the second flight on their airline, they will not book you on a subsequent departure. You have to buy another ticket, at the last-minute price.

Take a non-stop flight. I don't know why anyone would want a direct flight (if they even exist).>>

i think that's what the rest of us mean by a direct flight ie one that doesn't stop anywhere else.

You might be able to take a scheduled indirect flight from Nice to Venice with, say, Air France, which might go via Paris. In that case your luggage probably would be taken care of for you and the airline would put you on another plane if you missed your connection, but that comes at a price of course.

___________________

in january BA are showing flights via LGW for £121, just so as you know. But nothing from Air France.

After going through the trouble of connecting through Lyon, and then the trouble of getting to and from airports, I would explore train options -- 7-9 hours depending on the time of day and train choices.

Nice Ville > Ventimiglia > Milano Centrale > Venezia Santa Lucia

Thank you all for valuable inputs.
I am now leaning towards changing our schedule so that we can take non-stop for hassle free!

It has become popular for people to refer to nonstop flights as direct flights for some reason I don't understand, started some years ago. Of course there are direct flights that exist, I take some occasionally in the US (where the plane stops but you don't have to change planes as it continues). Easyjet could have some, why not, but that takes up a lot of time as you are going to another airport, anyway.

I don't know who said European airports are so easy, the security at CDG is a zoo and can take a long time. They are worse than any airport in the US I"ve been in.

I just wouldn't book a ticket on Easyjet to continue your transatlantic flight to your final destination unless you have a lot of leeway built into the time, due to the baggage transfer, and possible security and timing issues. it would be fine for another day.

I'm not sure what nonstop flight you are planning to book, you won't be able to book one to Nice, I bet, although there might be some from NYC or somewhere.

Christine, if you understand what some people, including me, mean by a direct flight [ie one that you refer to as non-stop] why do you have to keep arguing the point?

I think that the OP gets it - ie it's easier to arrange his/her itinerary so as not to have to change planes or hang around in airports. Whether we call that "direct" or "non-stop" seems immaterial.

so altering one's itinerary so that one can fly "non stop" from Nice to Venice for example seems a sensible step to take.

I agree that it would also be sensible to allow a day or two in between arrival on a schedule flight from the US and ones onward flight with Easyjet or whoever.