checked past Fodors community input on US/Europe flights, but most are several years old -
would like to hear more recent comments regarding specific airlines and any other helpful tips - planning to fly end of October, two days NYC to lessen jet lag effects, on to Spain for 10 days, back through NYC - will probably fly domestic (JetBlue/Virgin America) within US and international carrier (KLM, Iberia, Delta, Lufthansa) to and from Spain

The real jet lag is when you cross the ocean, not when going from coast to coast. And going west to east is easier than east to west (seriously, this issue is discussed all the time when east coast teams play on the I-5 corridor), so the "two days in NYC to lessen jet lag effects" is really just "two days in NYC".

Your jet lag will still suck.

And I'd probably avoid flying back to NYC if you can. There seem to be direct flights to LAX and there are direct flights from Barcelona to Chicago and Boston, both of which suck less than JFK as a transfer point (do NOT go through Miami on the way home from Europe).

I have a one stop rule and prefer that one stop be in Europe. We like to fly SFO non-stop to a hub such as Frankfurt on Lufthansa/United. Then on to Barcelona. These flights usually fly overnight so you can eat, drink, settle in and try to sleep.

It's actually worked for me on past trips, breaking up the long flight from west coast to Europe...NYC not a simple stop-over, but a visit with friends and the city itself...still looking for input regarding specific airlines, likes/dislikes

Munich with Lufthansa also has good connections to Barcelona.

If you're going to go to Barcelona from NYC, check seatguru.com and determine which airline will fly direct to Barcelona from the NYC area (United, Delta, American, etc) and which plane configuration will suck the least. There's a ton of suck available so minimizing it is key.

Would still avoid JFK on the way home. Dunno about EWR, but would think it would also suck as a US reentry point en route to cablecarville.

We did SFO to Rome via Copenhagen on SAS. It was non-stop to CPH and then we stayed overnight in Copenhagen and took easy jet to Rome. Did the reverse home. Worked great. The flight from SFO to CPH is about 11 hours, overnight so you can sleep and get there early afternoon and be good to go.

Thanks to all...Question DebitNM: which airline?

SAS, Thomas.

Flysas.com

Easyjet.com for CPH to Barcelona.

NYC has non-stops to most major cities in europe and I would never consider any flight with a stop or a change of planes if jet lag is an issue.

Different if you are coming from someplace with no non-stops. And you are not limited to JFK - don;t forget to check out EWR options.

Delta and American fly non stop from JFK to Barcelona
United flies non stop to Barcelona from Newark

I would select the airline based upon the time you want to fly and the seat choices, but unless you have a free ticket or lots of time to kill, I would never opt for a stop in Europe if I could go non-stop from NYC. The flight from JFK or Newark to Barcelona is about 8 hours. If you select a European carrier that will fly through its European hub city first you will be adding flights, and will have to change planes, etc. I would rather spend a bit more to get there and spend more time at my destination than in an airport.

OP is wanting to start the trip in San Francisco, not NYC.

Agree with Michelle. I would not want to waste time in NYC that I could use in Europe.
I usually fly UA or LH via Munich or Frankfurt. I like LH through MUC as they have flights leaving in the evenings so I can work the day, get some sleep overnight on the plane, arrive in MUC in the late afternoon, have a 1-2 hour connection and get to my final destination in the early evening so I can have a meal than go to sleep. I am than fresh for the next morning. I imagine you could do something similar with KLM via AMS or Air France via CDG or British or Virgin via LHR.

The OP is not going to just make a connection in NYC - he want to stay for a couple of days. So he would have one flight from SFO to NYC and another from NYC to Barcelona.

From NYC to Barcelona why stop anyplace in between?