Flying to Europe: 2002
How do you find the best airfare to Europe — a flight that's cheap, convenient, and reliable? Rick and the ETBD team let their trusted travel agents do the research for them. But some people prefer to call consolidators directly. And more and more savvy travelers are finding their own deals on the Web. What's your strategy? And how do you make sure your flight investment is safe?
Lufthansa/Pets
I am an American who has resided in Europe for over 20 yrs, and have traveled
Europe, Asia & much of the rest of the world extensively. I found the 'pet
post' interesting. As a traveler, I consider it to be MY responsibility
(especially if so severely allergic to animals) to inquire of the airline
as much in advance possible, as to what exactly their pet policy is, and
if any pets will be riding in the cabin. It also helps when dealing with
the airlines to ensure we are at least fairly knowledgeable of what their
particular flight policies are & review those policies prior to booking.
This has been made quite a bit easier nowadays as much of this info is readily
available on the Internet. In the event of any uncertainty, take the responsibilty
of self-educating as best as possible; and also by simply asking the airline
for specifics, when in doubt. I'd also like to say all of my dealings w/
Lufthansa over the yrs have been completely satisfactory.
Katey <email>
Venice, Italy 12/30/02
Student/Faculty Airfares
Just another "plug" for Student Universe. I have been trying to find cheap
airfares for my ETBD trip to France this June and found Student Universe.
I didn't think I would qualify but graduate students do. The price I got
was over $300 less than the other guys. As Ashley mentioned, you do not
need an International Student Card.
Jen
Tampa, FL USA 12/29/02
SAS
I forgot to mention why flying via Copenhagen is so convenient: SAS flies
nonstop from Seattle to Copenhagen.
Peter
Brussels, Belgium 12/26/02
Random tips
If you're in the Northwest, and heading anywhere in northern or eastern
Europe, consider flying on SAS (Scandinavian) via Copenhagen. CPH is a
very nice airport, and an uncrowded hub; also, the airline uses new A340s
on this route, which have individual seatback entertainment consoles —
even in economy class. Noice-cancelling headsets are an excellent idea.
Even if you choose not to listen to the music, they'll still reduce the
loud roar of aircraft engines to a muted rumble. Especially in winter,
consider taking along some plain saline nasal spray. The air on board
is extremely dry, and keeping your nasal passages moist will help discourage
cold viruses etc. from attacking them.
Peter <email>
Brussels, Belgium 12/26/02
Lufthansa Warning
I do feel that the warning about Lufthanas is a little unfair. Lufthansa
is a EUROPEAN airline and here in Europe we do things differently ( after
all if Europe was the same as the USA why bother to travel ? ) Many European
airlines allow animals on board, particularly in cases where those animals
are assistants for people with disabilities. The most obvious instance is
the use of 'seeing eye' dogs as used by blind people. Would anyone want
to stop the disabled from travelling just because another person has an
allergy to dogs? I hope that would never happen! In the same way as a blind
person has the duty to inform an airline of their disability so also does
a person with a severe allergy ( be it to animal hair, nuts or whatever
). Travellers have a duty to themselves to enquire about these issues but
sadly most are only interested in how low they can get the price down to
and that is all. If you do have an allergy by informing an airline of a
potential hazzard you give them every chance to take maximum account of
that fact and accommodate you safely and comfortably ( sometimes even with
a free upgrade ). I have travelled all over Europe and to many parts of
Africa with Lufthansa and know them to be a fair and equitable company.
One final note in defence of Lufthansa - on the 11th of September 2001 it
was Lufthansa who threw open their business lounges in Frankfurt to all
USA passport holders ( even if they only held economy tickets or were not
on Lufthansa flights ) so that Americans could get to a TV screen and get
facts not rumours about the tragedy. The USA airlines invoked no such policy.
Alan Bishop <email>
UK 12/20/02
Great Discounts for Students, Youth and Teachers
If you are a student, under 26, or a teacher, you can get amazing airfares
through STA (Student Travel Agency) and other student agencies like Council
Travel. Their fares are usually far lower than "adult" fares, and have considerably
more flexibility. The majority of student tickets allow for a date change
(though no route change) anytime within a year for a mere $25. You can also
buy one-way tickets for almost half the price of a roundtrip fare, and considering
that it is rare for a one-way to be less (sometimes it's more!) than a roundtrip,
this is a fabulous deal. In order to get the discounts, you have to purchase
an ISIC card (International Student ID Card), IYIC (International Youth
ID Card), or ITIC (International Teachers ID Card) from STA or any other
student agency. For the fantastic price of $22 you can receive discounts
to many attractions in Europe such as theatre and opera performances, museums,
rail tickets, tours, and even some hotels and hostels, in addition to the
above-mentioned phenomenal airfares, for one year after the date of purchase.
I also use my ISIC card for discounted student admission to movies and museums
in the States. Check with STA or Council Travel for official info, but I
believe the requirements are the following: For the ISIC card, you can be
a student of any age or level, as long as you can provide proof of student
status; I just bring my school id into the store with me. For the IYIC card,
you just have to show proof that you're under the age of 26 on the date
you purchase the card. For the ITIC, you have to bring your teacher's id
or a letter on your school's letterhead.
Susannah <email>
NY, NY USA 12/19/02
Lufthansa Warning
I recently experienced a very frightening and miserable flight from Atlanta
to Frankfurt on Lufthansa due to an onboard cat that I had a terrible reaction
to. I am extremely allergic to cats, and always make a point of asking a
new friend if they have one before entering their home. I had no idea pets
were allowed onboard with passengers, so I didn't know what I was getting
into when I boarded my flight. Due to a delay from my connecting flight,
I was one of the last passengers to board my plane, and therefore didn't
see my neighbor's cat (they were directly in front of me) when I took my
seat. Almost immediately, I had a horrible reaction. My eyes became very
red, swollen, and itchy, my nose became congested, my ears felt plugged,
and, most terrifyingly, I started violently coughing and wheezing, and had
a very difficult time breathing. Since I am 23, and fairly healthy, this
was a very atypical experience for me.
When the seatbelt sign was finally turned off, a stewardess walked by, saw me, and brought a doctor to me. He was as perplexed as I was about what set off my attack. It wasn't until halfway into the flight that the cat-owning couple in front of me turned around and asked if I was by chance allergic to cats. I was moved to another seat, but continued to have the symptoms throughout the flight. In fact, the symptoms continued for days, and took almost a week to finally abate (cat allergens can remain airborne for months).
I wrote a letter to Lufthansa describing what happened. I expected a
sincere apology. What I got was an exceptionally rude and patronizing
reply accusing me of trying to extort money or sky miles from them (I
asked for no compensation of any kind). I received another terse, unbelievably
undiplomatic letter saying that passengers have the right to bring their
pets onboard, and that it was my duty to inform them of my allergies.
The letter implied I owed them an apology. I have never heard of anyone
experiencing similar problems on other airlines, but I highly encourage
anyone with pet allergies to inform the airline before boarding their
flight. Needless to say, I'd also recommend that anyone give a second
thought about choosing Lufthansa. Take care!
Susannah <email>
New York, NY USA 12/19/02
Vacation package vs. airfare alone
I kept watching Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz every day for 6 weeks and
the airfares remained essentially the same. One day I decided to look at
the "vacation" sections and found that I could get round trip airfare to
London including two nights hotel for cheaper than the airfair alone on
Expedia. I double checked the American Airlines itinerary and sure enough
I could not find it by itself for that price. I actually saved about $65
with the two nights hotel over what the airfair would have cost by itself!
Amy <email>
Sisters, OR USA 12/16/02
Cheap Airfares
Michele: You can't find cheap airfares because you're too far out. Wait
six or even seven months, then look. Ten months out is WAY too long; airlines
have no motivation to sell seats 10 months from now at any kind of discount.
Freckle Face
Portland, OR USA 12/12/02
Cheap/Reasonable Airfare
help! i'm trying to find a low or at least reasonable airfare to europe
(any city in continental europe) for travel Sept 2003, returning Oct 2003
- any ideas? i've tried all the airlines websites, and economytravel, expedia,
orbitz, cheaptickets, etc.
Michele <email>
Las Vegas, NV USA 12/12/02
Flying to Europe
Our family flew from Kansas City to Rome round trip for $455 each in November
with only one stop in Philadelphia. Found this great deal on Bestfares.com.
Cost me $60 to join, but saved that much over prices I was quoted everywhere
else.
Janet <email>
Leawood, KS USA 12/10/02
Cheap flights
I was Just reading some of the comments and thought id leave mine. Irecently
booked a ticket from Chicago to London for January 2003 ,i booked it through
Alliance Travel .i got thier number off a friend of mine,alliance gave me
a great price and they wre really nice to deal with.Their number is 1800
2679315 -www.alliancetravel.com .Just thought id let people know .
Sarah <email>
Chicago, IL USA 12/04/02
Cheap airfares
Planning on going to Europe soon and looking for good airfares? Try www.economytravel.com.
This British-run company maintains an office in Atlanta and their website
is full of very low fares. They will FedEx tickets to you. We have used
them frequently to travel to Europe and have always had a good experience.
Peter <email>
Rockville, MD USA 12/03/02
Intra-Europe connections part 3
If you fly into a major hub airport in Europe, and are continuing on to
somewhere within the *same* country, like Frankfurt to Hamburg, and you
have a long layover, you can go to the Frankfurt Airport long-distance station
to get your railpass validated (don't worry if you're not going to use the
train just yet), and to get any city tickets for public transportation -
it can be done all in one visit to the Deutsche Bundesbahn ticket office.
Definitely helped me at Nuremberg, where I could get on the train, once
I made my way from the airport to the station by way of the direct U-2 subway
connection - great time-saver. So keep your train passes in your carryon
bags, for easy accessibility.
Josh Hanz <email>
Foster City, CA USA 11/23/02
Carryons on smaller intra-Europe flights
If you plan your flights online, and you have a flight where you don't have
the ability to choose seats, beware you might be placed in the last row
of a Boeing 737 as I was. No room to recline, and little if any storage
space for carryons. Best way to avoid problems like this is to carry as
little carryons as possible.
Josh Hanz <email>
Foster City, CA USA 11/23/02
intra-Europe flight connections
Be careful about Intra-Europe connecting flights with less than one hour
between landing fo the first flight and departure of the next flight. Use
this time to get to your next flight, as secondary checkpoints within the
airport can take up to 10 minutes, and finding the flight may take another
20 minutes, in the case of the Frankfurt airport. Don't take time to do
any shopping. Better to do this at the first airport where you have about
two hours to kill.
Josh Hanz <email>
Foster City, CA USA 11/23/02
Price works for us..
We've used priceline for travel to Europe on three different occasions (from
the midwest)always pleased and always able to beat the best prices by several
hundred dollars a couple. Priceline is a pain for domestic travel — you tend
to fly very early or late — fbut internationally there are only so many flights
and they all tend to leave at similar times. We usually travel to Europe
off-season and have had great luck the last few times. Low ball the best
price you can find online thru Orbitz by about 35% for your bid...it is
worth a try for those reasonably flexible within their travel days....
Jack <email>
Spring Lake, MI USA 11/18/02
Super airfare
Lufthansana has a super low fair introducing their new daily service from
Portland, OR to Frankfurt and other points in Europe that starts 3/31/03.
Deadline for purchasing tickets is 11/25, I believe, and flights must be
between 3/31 and 5/?
Connie Stephens <email>
Portland, OR USA 11/18/02
Paris Airports???
I am flying into Orly and out of Ch. De Gaulle with only a 2 1/2 hour layover
(at 11am). Is it possible to do? Any suggestions on the best and quickest
way to get from one to the other? Cab, shuttle, train...
<email>
Denver, CO USA 11/14/02
Promo fare to Europe from Portland
Thanks to the tip I got here about Luftansa's promo fares from Portland
for April & May, and to my travel agent, we're flying to Paris 4/4 and returning
from Dublin 4/28 for $480 rt (plus taxes). I couldn't get the fare for those
dates myself on the Luftansa website (operator error?), but called a travel
agent in the morning who booked just the dates & times I wanted. I can't
believe I'm really going!
Kate <email>
Seattle, WA USA 11/09/02
Good Fare SFO-London
After checking out all the discount websites and many airline websites,
I finally got the best deal for San Francisco to London through Northwest's
website. I fly to London November 24 and return December 4. All for $363
(including taxes). Not direct (one stop in Minneapolis), but for the price
I figured the stop was worth it. I booked it online October 17. I always
hate to price tickets after purchasing, but so far I have not seen any other
prices close.
John <email>
San Francisco, CA USA 11/09/02
Charlotte-Frankfurt $235
US Airways has $235 RT flight to Frankfurt from Charlotte right now, they
also have other US cities cheap. Travel is in November, If you can get away
this is a great deal. Visit their website. http://www.usairways.com/promotions/esavers/offer_fra.htm
John <email>
Wilmington, NC USA 11/08/02
Cheapest place to fly
www.travelocity.com has a feature they call "Dream Maps" I think - click
on the flights tab at the top of the home page, then click on the little
"I'm on a budget! Where can I go?" link on the left side of that screen.
It shows you a map with fares scattered on it from wherever you are... it's
very cool. :)
Juie <email>
Grand Prairie, TX USA 11/06/02
Air France stinks
In March 2002, I decided to book tickets to Paris for travel in May, on
Air France's website. Finding prices of about $500 per ticket, I tried booking
online, but was unable to do so because their website was malfunctioning.
I called Air France and explained that I wanted to buy the tickets I tried
to purchase online. They quoted me $902, confirming it was for "both tickets."
The invoice, however, came in at $1804, yikes! The $902 was for "each" ticket.
Air France, per company policy, refuses to entertain *any* complaint unless
it's *in writing* made *after* the flight is fully completed. To find that
out, however, you have to wait interminably on hold, listening to a breathless
bimbo singing seductively the same words over-and-over-and-over. Following
the flight, I wrote to the company, respectfully and well-documenting events.
The form letters I got "in response" were insulting in utterly failing to
address my concerns. Unlike my experience with Air France 15 years ago,
the flight itself was flawed by evidence of being run by a government-run
entity, rather than a competitive, customer-oriented company. You may have
already guessed: I will *never* fly Air France again.
Richard Wills <email>
Lafayette, CO USA 11/05/02
New Lufthansa service from PDX means SUPER opportunity
Lufthansa has announced new service from Portland direct to Frankfurt, starting
3/31/03. For the first two months, they're offering R/T fares of $440 to
Frankfurt(w/out departure taxes) and $480 to any other Lufthansa city in
Europe. Such a deal. Tickets must be purchased by 11/25/02, and travel must
be complete by 5/31/03. I'm taking the whole family to Italy! CIAO!!!
Steve Carpenter <email>
Portland, OR USA 11/01/02
Off Season Airfare
I just made a six night trip to London through offpeaktravel. Found out
about them in Budget Travel mag. They only book for off peak season but
oh the prices. For three of us traveling to London out of Newark including
room and breakfast, $1,464 including taxes,fees. We are going the day after
Christmas. Having been to London many times and realizing how expensive
it is we chose their least expensive hotel. Only use for sleeping etc. and
is never considered part of our trip. Looking forward to Virgin Air, as
last March we flew on US Air out of Philly to Gatwick, and I had to upgrade
to business class on the way back, using my miles, as coach has really gone
down hill, even on the airbus.
bj <email>
bar, USA 10/28/02
Gatwick to Heathrow connection
We just got back from Europe, flew from Genoa into Gatwick and had to make
bus transfer to fly home from Heathrow. If your itenerary includes this
wonder of travel, make absolutely sure you have at least 3 hours to do this
and preferably you do not arrive during rush hour. Also, the shuttle is
not longer free as the agent at Travel Team told me. It cost us 28 GBPs.
We arrived at Gatwick 4:00pm, took an hour to make it through customs then
a wonderful 2 hr 45 min ride through Friday rush hour traffic before we
reached our gate. They charged us a change fee and we missed our connection
in NY so had to spend the night in a hotel. I purchased travel insurance
but not sure yet if this loss will be covered b/c it's difficult to document
and it wasn't caused by weather.
Brandon <email>
Fairmont, WV USA 10/28/02
Compliments to Swiss
I'd like to share my appreciation of Swiss, the successor to the bankruptcied
Swissair. The service and staff were excellent, but booking incident in
Italy was quite impressive. We had lucked out on getting a pair of $300
(plus fees) roundtrip tickets from Newark to Rome via Priceline. The tickets
clearly stated on them they were non-refundable and non-changeable. When
a train problem caused us to miss our flight home. Swiss re-booked us on
the same flight the next day without an additional fee. They had every legal
right to soak me for a couple of last-minute one-way fares, and they didn't
charge me a cent. Whew. They also had good food and great chocolate.
Tim <email>
Oak Forest, IL USA 10/26/02
Security in airporst
We just returned to Holland from America and were concerned about security
at the airports. We flew in and out of Schipol and Atlanta and had virtually
no problems. While boarding in Atlanta, they DID pull people at random from
the line for a "spot-check" with the magic wand. I guess it was a little
embarrassing for those pulled but there were no problems. I think all of
this year's events have made the airline industry more people-friendly because
they are going out of their way to compensate for the inconveniences.
Gail <email>
Almere, NL 10/17/02
discount flight prices to Europe
I bought a roundtrip flight from Alliance Travel (800-267-9315) for only
$299 r/t + taxes to London from San Francisco. Though it's off peak travel
time other travel companies were charging $449 and up. I hope this helps
others save money too.
John Barry <email>
san francisco, ca USA 10/10/02
$199 RT Phoenix-London
British Airways is running a DEAL for $199 RT from Phoenix to London nonstop,
depart Mo/Tu/We through December. I found this rate via Travelocity's "farewatcher" feature. Hopefully, someone can take advantage of it!
Rob <email>
Tempe, AZ USA 10/08/02
Great site
Ashley M. Thank you so much for the information on Student Universe. I work
at a major university and am also classified as a faculty member. I did
a little comparrison shopping and found on Student Universe that I would
fly from MN to London (Gatwick) for $374, RT, Non-stop on Northwest. I then
went to the Northwest website and found the exact same flight for $659.07.
That's almost a $300 savings! I can't go right now, but I am bookmarking
this site for all of my travel needs!!!!
MEG <email>
Mps, mn USA 10/04/02
Be sure to get your tickets back while traveling.
While traveling from Paris to Madrid on British Air, the agent insisted
on seeing all my flight tickets. After he worked on it, he only handed back
my boarding pass for that flight and kept all my return tickets. I didn't
realize it until I needed the tickets for the flight home. No cost to reissue
the tickets but it was a hassle.
Pat <email>
San Francisco, CA USA 10/03/02
Flew KLM
We just flew Seattle to London. Returned Amsterdam to Seattle. We flew on
KLM. They were great. They were always checking to see if we wanted something
to drink or eat. Warm towels, Snacks. I will fly them again. The best part
was we used our frequent flyer miles. For 2 people, $150.00 round trip
John <email>
Bothell, WA USA 10/02/02
Cheap Airfare
I agree with the person who recommended priceline.com I bought a round-trip
ticket from Chicago to Paris (with one brief layover in Atlanta) for $372,
including all taxes & fees. I'm leaving on Sept. 30, which isn't peak tourist
season, but I still think $372 is a great price!
Sara
Milwaukee, WI USA 09/28/02
Be careful not to buy your tickets too early. Sometimes you can get good
deals if you're careful, but many times you can really overpay. A good rule
of thumb is to buy things approximately 45 to 30 days in advance, especially
if you're not travelling at peak times. In January, after the New Year's
rush, ticket prices are among the lowest of the year!
Mike
Seattle, WA USA 09/23/02
Singapore airline
Our first trip to Europe two weeks ago was aboard Singapore Airline, Chicago-Amsterdam.
I can't speak highly enough of this airline. The coach service is what we
would normally associate with business class on US airlines. Hot towels,
real cooked food, 2 meals, in seat TV with movies, games, news, music for
viewing any time, excellent service and both trips the planes were now full
and plenty of room. I will go to their gateway cities again to fly them
to the Orient or Europe.
Gail Delfosse <email>
Boise, ID USA 09/23/02
Priceline
Priceline.com is brilliant! I know it sounds commercial, but it works. I
got round trip to London Gatwick for 3 weeks for $660 total. I entered in
550 and after taxes, it came out to 660. Try it out.
Paul Roberts
Sacramento, Ca USA 09/19/02
Cost of Airfare
My mom and I just purchased tickets for travel to northern Italy right after
Christmas. I'm assuming this must be a busy time, because - WOW! - I was
surprised at the cost! $1200 per person. It was actually 9-something, but
we opted for the British Air special upgrade (none of those coach chairs
for us - yay!). Though we were very flexible with dates, I found that time
of year to be just as expensive if I were to go in July/August. Scanning
all of your own prices in, say, September, I'm jealous! I thought the prices
went down in the Fall and for holidays to get people to travel, but evidently
not. So my advice to all is to pick the off times over other things ;o)
Gloria <email>
Milwaukie, OR USA 09/18/02
Student Universe
I'd like to encourage students to look at www.StudentUniverse.com...you
don't need an ISIC for it either — just a ".edu" e-mail adress. I am studying
abroad in Paris this year and found a round trip flight from San Francisco
for just under $500. I also had to rearrange my itenerary at the last minute
to arrange for a 2 day stopover through Boston rather than NY (the original)
and it was only $47, and very easy to do. I'll be using them from now on!
Ashley M
San Francisco, CA USA 09/15/02
"Open Jaw" at JustFare.com
just purchased ticket at Justfares.com after reading some of the earlier
comments. Seattle to Venice and from Paris back to Seattle for $939 per
person all inclusive in mid September. Much better deal than what other
travel agents were able to do for me.
Phil <email>
Seattle, WA, WA USA 08/28/02
Flying to Europe
I booked a flight recently with Alliance Travel and I'd like to just say
they gave me an excellent fare and the service was outstanding. Check them
out at www.alliancetravel.com
JJ <email>
San Francisco , ca USA 08/20/02
US Airlines
Another good tip is to call up your travel agent ahead of time and be general
about dates, airlines, destination airports, etc. At the end of last year,
I told my travel agent I wanted to fly from Atlanta to Milan and spend a
week there in late March or anytime in April. The result — $270 round trip
on United with a change of planes in Washington. If you can give them more
flexibility, you have more chances to find a super deal.
Charles Buchanan <email>
Birmingham, AL USA 08/19/02
Check US airlines Often
Having read the post about checking US carriers, I found a deal on US Airways:
Scranton-Philly-London Gatwick [rt] AND Thistle Victoria hotel for 6 nights,
including continental breakfast, for the price of 900 and change. If I'd
booked the hotel separately, it would have been more than the price we paid.
mike
plymouth, pa USA 08/17/02
Check US airline sites often
I am also a fan of Priceline, but can't always be flexible with flight times.
I was amazed to find that the major US airlines will sometimes have VERY
reasonable rates on international flights. Last year we flew Delta, Cincinati,
Ohio, to Milan and had a wonderful rate of $453 RT. This year, we are flying
United, Charleston, WV to Milan for $425 RT. Only one stop-over each time.
My advice is simply this, keep your eyes open and check the airline's websites
often. (at least once a week) The best part...you can pick the flight times
you need and still get a reasonalbe rate!
L
WV USA 08/16/02
PRICELINE DOES IT AGAIN!
Kudos for Priceline! $425 RT from Kansas City to Milan in September, about
50% of the cost at Travelocity, Orbitz, or yahoo. I've been using priceline
for 3 years now, and they have given me many a vacation that I could otherwise
not afford.
Greg <email>
Des Moines, IA USA 08/11/02
Codesharing
Chuck is absolutley right. I checked out flights to London, and Continental
codeshares with Virgin Atlantic. When i checked the Continental and then
Virgin Atlantic sites, I found the same exact flight itineraries to London,
but when you book through continental, you would save thousands (in business
class) on the same exact flight compared to booking through VA!
USA 08/03/02
Corporate discounts & web specials
Shiny Bob has a great point - if where you travel is accessible by your
preferred corporate airline, not only you can usually beat any fare on Orbitz
or Expedia but you can afford flights that come and go at reasonable times.
Plus, the corporate car rentals usually come with comprehensive corporate
insurance coverage. One other thing to think about - we have had a couple
of great vacations we planned just looking at random at airlines' websites
to see what specials they run. Qantas has great packages during the summer
(their winter months) and look for airlines that are offering inaugural
service fares and the like (Austrian Airlines started service from O'Hare
to Vienna during the summer a couple of years ago for $400 round-trip -
we hopped right on board.)
Greg Tomita <email>
Oak Park, IL USA 07/29/02
Reduced corporate rates
Does your company get a discounted rate from an airline for business travel?
I bet they just might! Check it out to see if that discount may be applied
to leisure vacation travel for you and your family. My company has negotiated
a 29% (yes twenty nine percent) discount from their preferred airline providers
(excluding taxes and mandatory fees). I also get a corporate discount on
hotels and rental cars - I checked with the in-house travel dept and this
is totally OK with my company and the airline!
Shiny Bob
San Diego, CA USA 07/25/02
fares and codesharing + Air France amenities
When checking fares on a regularly scheduled airline, compare the fare on
your favorite airline with the fare offered by that airline's codeshare
partners for the *very same flights*. After finding an itinerary from Atlanta
to Prague on Delta, I found the very same itinerary (i.e. same flights on
the same days) on Air France for $400 less. Speaking of Air France: on future
trips to Europe using Delta I will always book the transatlantic segments
on flights operated by Air France. The food was better, and they provided
free masks, ear plugs, and yours-to-keep earphones!
Chuck
Athens, GA USA 07/25/02
Bestfares.com
I purchased R/T tix from Miami-Rome with an 8 hr layover in Zurich for June
travel for only $479 from bestfares.com.They charge @$65 for 1 year membership.Flight
was on Swiss.Great airline.But no screens on seatbacks.Didn't mind the layover,as
I had never been to Zurich.The train ride is only 15 minutes from downtown.Beautiful
city, great airfair price.
JM <email>
Tampa, Fl USA 07/25/02
Delta Amenities
Just a quick response to Ana Marie's posting. She should fly Delta's Business
Elite to Europe. She will receive the eye mask she desires, as well as an
entire amenity packet. This is, of course, on top of 5 feet of space between
seats, fully reclining seats, and really good dining service. Check out
all the perks of Delta B/E class at Delta.com.
Tom King <email>
Boise, ID USA 07/21/02
airline tickets
Try travelhub.com. They are a clearinghouse for consolidaters and so farhave
had great rates to asia. hong Kong and Taiwan. A last min ticket — 5 days
in advance — was 300 cheaper that a "normal" one month in advance ticket
off of expedia or yahoo.
heirborne
San Francisco, CA USA 07/17/02
Another Kudos for Priceline
I would also like to commend the Priceline process for travel to Europe.
I recently used them for the first time and am thrilled with the results.
My wife and I are flying RT from Atlanta to Paris in late September (roughly
about a two week trip). Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia all quoted roughly
$840 - $890 (before taxes), though I'm sure rates will drop in a few weeks.
Hotwire offered about $540, but Delta isn't a partner of Hotwire, so I probably
would not have been able to get a nonstop. The best consolidator fare I
found was about $420, but it went through Washington. My Priceline fare?
$330, and both directions are nonstop flights (on Delta)! If you're nervous
about using Priceline (and that's understandable), check out the site biddingfortravel.com
and learn the ropes there. They'll hold your hand through the process...for
free.
Jim <email>
Atlanta, GA USA 07/14/02
Delta
I flew open jaws on Delta to London and Paris last month. I was surprised
that Delta did not provide eye shades and ear plugs in coach like Continental
and BA do. Good thing I brought my own.
Ana Maria
St. Petersburg, FL USA 07/09/02
Cheap tickets
I found cheap tickets to germany through LTU from Ft. Meyrs Fls to Dusseldorf
$518.00 RT.
Stan Hascher <email>
bradenton, Fl USA 06/27/02
cheap rates
cheap tickets — accidentally, i got bumped to www.air.onetravel.com through
frontier air — wound up with aa for domestic flight at 40% savings, so used
it to get dfw to paris in sept — -490 for delta flight tried same flights
through delta web site — 1250 — -always, use their specials option — won't
be direct flight, but may save you tremendous dollars
jim <email>
dallas, tx USA 06/26/02
Theft, Not Security!
My sister just flew on a major US airline from CA to NY, and checked one
bag. When she got home, she discovered that her checked bag had been opened
(it had been locked), and some valuable pens were taken, leaving only a
pencil. Surely this cannot be claimed as a security measure when she would
not have had access to her checked baggage during the flight! This was petty
theft. Be careful what you check as you "fly the friendly skies."
CA USA 06/22/02
Delta Biz Elite Lounge
A warning to all Delta Business Elite class travelers with a stop in Atlanta,
the champagne in the B/E lounge is domestic! Why can't the domestic airlines
learn from international carriers (with real First Class accomodations)
such as British Air and Singapore Airlines. The real stuff...not "sparkling
wine." There you have it, ETBD travelers, don't say that you haven't been
warned!
Tom King <email>
Boise, ID USA 06/11/02
Cheap Plane Tickets
Besides the ETBD mantra of Pack Light Pack Light Pack Light the other should
be Priceline Priceline Priceline!!! This June I made reservations for travel
in September. The travel agent was quoting 900-1200$, expedia and orbiz
were quoting 500-600$ I made a bid on price line for 200$ from Chicago to
London, and was accepted ! You can't beat that !
Julia Stewart <email>
O Fallon, IL USA 06/11/02
Priceline.com is great
After reading these posts, I checked out all the recommended websites. We
are flying to Rome for three weeks in September/October. All the prices
I could find were still really high- $900 or more. I went to Priceline.com
and entered a bid of $600 per ticket. My offer was accepted by Delta! We
don't have to leave in the middle of the night and we only have one layover
in Atlanta. I highly recommend checking them out.
Susanne <email>
Seattle, WA USA 06/09/02
Flying to Frankfurt
I just returned from St. Petersburg, Russia, and while on the flight through
to Frankfurt I noticed that after they serve dinner on Lufthansa they leave
the tray on your table for about an hour. If you see that they are going
to be serving dinner soon, I would get up and stretch and try to go to the
bathroom first. It is hard to get out of your seat when there is a tray
there. Also the line for the batyroom is long by the time they remove your
tray.
Dean <email>
Los Angeles, Ca USA 06/07/02
Justfares.com Rocks!
After reading several positive comments posted on this board about Justfares.com,
I called them and they offered a fare savings of over $200 better than any
other resource. We're flying open-jaw from Denver to Milan, and back out
of Paris for $780 in June! During the six months prior to departure, I researched
this fare several times, and no other travel resource ever came close to
that fare. Their agents are also very efficient and knowledgeable. And we
earn miles on the fare purchased through them.
Jeffrey Cary <email>
Denver, CO USA 06/06/02
Cheap Air Tickets to Europe
We have had good results with cheaptickets.com and priceline.com as well.
But the new and improved www.flights.com (formerly tiss.com) is hard to
beat. We paid $650 RT Vancouver, BC to London Heathrow, on cheaptickets.com,
taking a bus from Seattle, and found www.flights.com had Seattle to Heathrow
for $478, and available seats via New York City. My brother uses www.flights.com
with good results these days, and for domestic travels, like Seattle to
Tampa for $260 ain't bad. Also, Seattle to Denver for $280. What's odd about
this is that the Tampa flight is cheaper and it routes through Denver.
Dave <email>
Seattle, WA USA 05/28/02
Cheap Airfare
I wanted to save you all tons of time looking for cheap flights to Europe.
Just go to Blue Sky Travel and they'll give you a super good price with
highy efficient service. I recommend finding some prices for wherever you
want to go, e-mail him with what you've found, and watch him beat it. No
joke. My wife and I went to London last summer for $625 round-trip on UsAir
and we're going round-trip to Paris for $507 this summer again on Us Air.
Oh yeah, make sure you talk to Luke. http://www.blueskytravelinc.com/
Jeff J. <email>
L.A., CA USA 05/17/02
Virgin Atlantic to Air Lingus
I am a huge fan of Virgin Atlantic! The flights to Europe on Air Canada
(BOOO!) and other airlines have not compared. BUT I have a ticket to Ireland
on Air Lingus - and I'm holding my breath. I love the Irish - for theatre
and Guiness - but I find myself a little apprehensive... I will use all
my zen to pretend I'm flying Virgin Atlantic - even in coach they are lovely!
I have a lovely collection of colorful fuzzy socks, earplugs, and plastic
bags great for laundry!
Robin Bennett <email>
Chicago, IL USA 05/16/02
Cheap International Airfares
I would just like to share some information on a great web site that I located
on the web it is economytravel.com they have the best international airfares.
I brought a ticket leaving Philadelphia going to Amsterdam for 2 months
roundtrip for the months of August and September and it only cost me 854.00
including taxes and FedEx delivery and the airlines is British airways I
which by the way is the airlines I wanted. Good Luck Chow
Felicia Spivey <email>
Philadelphia, PA USA 05/13/02
Off to Spain
Interested in going to Spain? Try Iberia's website great roundtrip ticket
prices until the end of June.
Melissa <email>
St. Louis, MO USA 05/04/02
Air France — Boo!
Air France lost my bag when I flew San Francisco to Paris to Rome — it
showed up in Rome 4 days later! Then they lost the bag on my return trip
— it showed up in San Francisco 2 days later! A word to the wise.....
Terry <email>
Oakland, CA USA 05/04/02
Trim and pluck away
For those who missed it: CNN just announced that airlines are now once again
allowing tweezers and nail-clippers in the cabin. I think they just realized
it would be safe as obviously none of the terrorists had displayed good
grooming habits. Happy travels!
Robert Bundy <email>
Reseda, CA USA 05/01/02
Travel Totes Necessity!
It is a very good idea to take some plastic bags like you get at the grocery
stores, or even better the new Hide-Away Tote Bag from Rick's Travel Accesories.
With the new security, you often have to remove your jacket (or at least
take everything out of the pockets), remove your shoes or boots, and anything
else that you are carrying to put through the metal detectors. Some places
they provide a tray to put all your stuff into, but a plastic bag saved
my sanity. I am ordering several totes from Rick: one for me and one for
each of the kids for Christmas!
Jann from PA <email>
Lancaster County, PA USA 05/01/02
Cheap Tickets
I agree with a previous poster in regards to priceline.com. Last summer
I purchased tickets to Amsterdam (we later trained down to Paris) which
were far less expensive than any other online agency (I believe that they
were less than $300/ticket, including all taxes). What I found beneficial
was to search all the other sites, find the lowest fare and then start bidding
at 1/2 of that fare and work up from there. It took some time, but I got
a great price. It also helps if there are several airports in the area,
or if you are visiting several countries and don't care where you start.
DG
Pittsburgh, PA USA 04/24/02
Icelandair
I have to agree with the previous poster. Icelandair is — pardon the pun — a
cool way to get to Europe. I love the short flight times, the stopover in
Iceland, and the international gateways (you don't have to fight crowds
when you're going through customs in Baltimore). I do kinda think of them
as the Southwest Airlines of European travel, though, for their itsy bitsy
legroom (they use small planes) and always-crowded planes, but at least
you're sitting like that for only about five or six hours at a stretch.
Charles Buchanan <email>
Birmingham, AL USA 04/23/02
High Praise For Icelandair Airlines
I just wanted to say that I have been to Europe via Icelandair three times,
leaving from Baltimore and I have never had such a nice ride over and ride
back. That is the only way I shall ever go to Europe. The stopover in Iceland
going over and stay for a few days coming bck was just lovely. I highly
recommend this airline. Plus the airline company is a small one and there
are no LONG LINES.
Margaret Mills <email>
Norfolk, Virginia , VA USA 04/22/02
www.priceline.com
For our trip to Europe this summer, my boyfriend and I bid on tickets at
www.priceline.com. We got our bid of only $330, round-trip in and out of
Paris. We looked everywhere, even through student travel web-sites, this
was by far the cheapest! The only disadvantage is that you can't fly open-jaw.
Happy traveling!
Ashley
Dalton, GA USA 04/15/02
Air fare curse
I called my sister the next day to whine about my US Airways fiasco. She
said Continental Airlines just raised their fares $20. Its the fuel cost
rise. Waaaa!!! ;<(]
me
Austin, Tx USA 04/13/02
AAAAAAAAAA!!!
I went to my travel agent to buy a ticket to Madrid. I had been there recently.
US Airways had a great deal. US$457. I was told now there is no such deal.
It was s'pose to be good for April and May. I called the 1-800 # for US
Airways. They said all special deals were cancelled last night at midnight.
Now the best deal I can get is about $1000. Savin' money every minute. I
like to tell folks,"Don't get discouraged. Nobody said the big time would
be easy." Guess I'll see 'em in October.
Sut
Austin, Tx USA 04/11/02
JustFares.com - air tickets
Thanks to several comments, I contacted justfares.com to make reservations.
Aside from the fact that they posted the lowest fares anywhere, the site
offers the ability to talk to a live travel agent. After typing back and
forth, Gina suggested that I phone her toll-free number. She spent A LOT
of time with me as we arranged two Paris-Munich "open jaws" flights for
us. When I thought the layover in Montreal was too long, she quickly changed
it for me. Our tickets arrived in just a few days. I highly recommend working
with justfares.com, especially working with their very professional travel
agents!
Gail Kutsch <email>
Dubuque, IA USA 04/03/02
Overbooked flights
Alitalia had overbooked our flight from Florence to Milan. They wanted to
send us to Rome (layover), NewYork,(layover) and into Chicago at 10:55 p.m.
I told them that wouldn't work as we had tickets from Chicago to Kansas
City at 6:46 p.m. that evening. They grabbed our bag without giving us any
claimcheck. Trotted us thru the small airport to a waiting Air France plane
to Paris. (Seats in first class.) And eventually onto an Air France plane
in time to make our flight home to Kansas City. Worst problem was that Alitalia
people didn't sign and date the paper they shoved into our hands and told
us to take to the transfer desk in Paris. Lady was not going to let us on
plane without signed and dated paper and also the number of our bag. Air
France baggage clerk found the bag and its weight in computer. Didn't ever
expect to see the bag again. It was right there when we got to Chicago.
I know this isn't concise but I want travelers to know to just keep trying
and you will get to where you want to go.
Shirley A. Campbell <email>
Buckner, MO USA 03/28/02
To Brian, below: I might have misunderstood, but you might want to double
check with the airline that you can skip the flight from Venice to Milan.
On domestic airlines, you would not be allowed to board in Milan, as you
were ticketed from another city, Venice. You would prob have to go back
to Venice and start again, having your orignial reservations cancelled,
putting you in stand-by hell. Again, maybe Alitalia is different, but you
might want to double check to save yourself some heartburn!
Mike
USA 03/26/02
Open Jaw Tickets
Turn your round trip ticket into an open jaw ticket.... Our family is flying
to Italy for two weeks over Easter. We are scheduled to fly RT from Miami
to Venice stopping in Milan both ways at a great price..I worked out with
Alitalia that I could cancel the Venice to Milan portion of the return trip
and meet the flight in Milan to return to Miami. Thus we do not have to
backtrack to Venice. We gain at least an extra day in the Cinque Terra this
way and do not have to be at the Venice airport at 5:30 AM for the return
flight.
Brian <email>
Pompano Beach, FL USA 03/17/02
I flew Air France to Paris. The food was okay, but the service horrible!
Asking for water, a blanket, or even the time you would hope wouldn't be
a big deal. Guess from the constant rolling of eyes though, flight attendents
think it is.
St. Paul, MN USA 03/14/02
Student Fares
Agree on the student airfare. Council Travel was great. Flew from JFK to
Moscow to London - Rome to JFK to Minneapolis for about $700 on a 8 month
ticket. Just be careful about restrictions.
St. Paul, MN USA 03/14/02
Student Airfares
My advice if you're a student: book your airfare through a student travel
agency. A student of any age can qualify; I recommend Council Travel. They
will get you the cheapest tickets possible (Seattle to London for me for
around $630 near peak-season).
Nicole <email>
USA 03/11/02
Great Airfare!
I agree with BC from Houston. Use and collect as many airline miles as you
possibly can, but also have a great travel agent in your back pocket. With
my credit card I receive a free companion ticket each year. This year my
husband and I went to Paris for spring break for only $650 RT for both tickets.
Also, consult with a travel agent to find the best prices. I was able to
get such a great deal because she was able to research all prices for each
seating class before I went to Delta to use the coupon. This combo is necessary
for great airfare prices!
Jennifer
IN USA 03/11/02
Airport Connection - Paris
Booked Airport Connection [p.296 of Paris 2002] shuttle van. Van stuck in
traffic didn't arrive. After about 45 minutes and phone conversation took
cab. They offered FREE return van trip. Return van filled up at hotel. Office
called driver & tried to send to pick-up two more for whom there were NO
seats. Quick cell call to office by a passenger stopped that and rest trip
to CDG was uneventful. So, keep your wits about!
Charlie Garthwaite <email>
WA USA 03/11/02
Paris Airport Services on WWWeb
The Paris Airport Services shuttle WWWeb page [p.296 of Paris 2002] isn't
there at least for the last couple of days.
Charlie Garthwaite <email>
Bellevue, WA USA 03/03/02
Air France Vs. Delta
I went to Paris last spring and because Delta and Air France have a partnership,
both coming and going we were on Air France 747's, despite having booked
a ticket through Delta. Personally, having flown on Delta overseas before,
I would pick Delta over Air France ANYDAY. They do not show movies on Air
France flights! Which wasn't really a problem going over there, because
it was at night and we slept most of the flight. But coming back, I was
in one of the middle seats, bulk head... and without a book to read or anything,
I thought I was going out of my mind with boredom! I must say, the service
was wonderful and the food was even pretty good... but give me my Delta
777 with it's movies and ice cream sundaes ANYDAY!
Colleen S.
Atlanta, GA USA 02/28/02
I am on Air France going to Paris (leaving in June and returning in
July). I only paid $375 pp for the ticket. I went to www.airfrance.com and
it told me they were having a summer sale which ended on Febuary 23. Well
I got my seats and I paid the $200 upgrade for first class and it is still
less expensive than a coach ticket on United or American. Air France not
only treated me very well they sent me a basket full of french candy, wine,cheese
and a gift certificate for $55 for Maxims Resterauant. Included in this
deal I get round trip limo transport in the US and France. Better yet I
am in seats 1A 1B 1C 1D each way.
USA 02/26/02
Lufthansa Luggage Gestapo
We had a similar experience on Lufthansa. The Lufthansa luggage gestapo
came on board the plane and told my son his already-stowed backpack had
to be checked. They did this to many passengers. People were literally crying,
begging to keep their luggage because "last time you lost it." All this
luggage obviously made it through the checkpoints and was properly sized.
My son hurriedly grabbed his most valuable possessions (camera and the like)and
they rudely relieved him of his backpack. Lufthansa lost it, which I take
is SOP for them.
Freckle Face
Portland, OR USA 02/20/02
Lufthansa
For a ski trip to Europe I carefully packed my Rick Steves bag with my boots,
the part of my ski outfit I wasn't wearing, camera and film. It fit in the
Sizewise and weighed less than 22 lbs. Checking in very early for the flight
(14th in line for full 747), I was told that the carryon had to weigh less
than 8 kilos! My boots weigh 12 lb. Took almost everything else out and
put into the checked bag — which Lufthansa left somewhere and didn't get
to me until over a day later. Had to ski the only stormy day of the trip
with borrowed stuff from the hotel's lost and found, though I fortunately
had my own boots. They didn't weigh anyone else's carry-on, and most had
more than I did though it was usually in a standard rollon.
Ellen Jori <email>
Occidental, CA USA 02/16/02
Freq flier miles are VALUABLE
If you have extra frequent flier miles around, absolutely use them for a
first class upgrade to europe. Using Freq flier miles for domestic travel
free tickets is such a waste of money.
Just flew Houston to London Gatwick on brand new Continental airlines 777, and the businessfirst cabin and service is great. Board an hour early, sip a drink, enjoy some snacks, and relax and enjoy the 10 hours of pampering while your comrades in coach that probably paid as much or more than you did are getting deep vein thrombosis and will not be able to walk at all on their vacations. First class class tickets are several thousand dollars, but for just 40,000 miles RT, they are no more than the cost of a coach ticket.
The best way to rack up more frequent flier miles when traveling domestically is to get a credit card that gives you miles for dollars spent, use all of the gimmicks to get miles (for example I applied for a diners club card and ended up with like 20,000 miles. Another 10,ooo from Sprint PCS, and charge all expenses on these cards and get miles every month.)
When flying domestically, connect via hub cities, even when flying from
hub to hub. It takes a few hours longer, but in effect you can double
to triple your flight miles, and these tickets cost no more (and sometimes
less) than nonstops. Plus, elite status means free unlimited domestic
first class upgrades, which makes an extra few hours in an airplane very
enjoyable. Sample itineraries can be booked using "multiple destinations"
feature on sites like orbitz, or expedia, or directly throught the company's
website. Happy flying
BC <email>
Houston, TX USA 02/09/02
Denver-U.K.
I was apprehensive about using one of the "name your price" travel sites,
but in October, 2001 I did so. I had to travel from Denver to London, U.K.
for a quick trip. I offered Priceline $250.00. They came back with the word
that the price wouldn't "fly" (pun intended!!) I upped the ante to $300.oo
and they came back with a $350.00 price. I took it, expecting to leave at
some ungodly hour. Both ways on Air Canada - a noon departure via Toronto
and overnight to Heathrow. No problems at all.
A.Johnstone (T.J.) <email>
Denver, CO USA 02/04/02
Zurich Airport
The Zurich airport is, by my estimation, pretty medium sized. I found it
pretty efficient to move through. Not a spread out place. Regardless, 50
minutes/1 hour to catch connections is a bit tight. Good luck!
SM
HdG, MD USA 01/25/02
Hotwire & Layovers
Hotwire is a site that after giving your desired itinerary (LA to London
in my case), max. number of stops (0-1 is the lowest option), it gives you
prices only and no specific details about the airline or the route until
after you purchase the tickets.
The price was $300 lower than every single other website I've visited (and I've probably visited every website that sells plane tickets on the web). I purchased the tickets and they ended up being with SwissAir, going from LA to Zurich, and then Zurich to London. The problem is that on the departing leg of my trip, I'm only given a one hour layover between flights, and on the returning leg, I am only given a 50 minute layover. It seems completely impossible to me that me & my luggage can make it to another flight that leaves only an hour after I arrive.
Since I'll be in Europe for 5 months, it won't matter if I miss my flight
(well, as long as me & my luggage stay together). For those taking a few
weeks off of work, you should be aware that Hotwire's itineraries may
be a little less than sane when it comes to layovers, and you may not
get to your desired destination on time.
Aaron Widera <email>
Long Beach, CA USA 01/24/02
Re: Amsterdam or Prague
Re: Amsterdam to Prague The earlier in May that you arrive in Amsterdam,
the better for seeing the flowers. A trip to De Keukenhof (www.keukenhof.nl)
is obigatory! (tulips!) have a nice trip!
Sjoerd <email>
Amsterdam, NL 01/23/02
Amsterdam or Prague
DEFINITELY AMSTERDAM FIRST You MUST STAY AT: Hotel Prisenhof, http://www.hotelprinsenhof.com
Only $53 usd for 2 people and in Amsterdam that is a STEAL for a hotel RIGHT
ON a canal! It is typical Dutch house. There is a lovely outdoor bar next
to it with friendly "real" Dutch folks who invite you to play chess, talk
and they like Americans!! Quirky - but you will LOVE this place! Just read
their website - you'll get their sense of humor.
1st- amsterdam - less culture shock, shorter flight, you only get jet lagged going eastbound... so shorter folks speak english and you can take a day to recoup.
2nd- pace is slower in Prague, by the time you get there your adrenaline rush will have evened out.
3rd-When folks first arrive in another country there is a tendency to be very nervous... Prague is fabulous, but the language, etc. can be disconcerting at first. In Prague - a really neat place OUT of town is Vila Kozlovka, affluent residential area known as Hanspaulka about 15min from downtown: 2 people $39 double or $49 in a SUITE! http://web.telecom.cz/vilakozlovka Also, a great deal is the Pension Peko because rooms have frig, ask for room with kitchenette $41usd, http://www.abaka.com/Czech/Peko or http://www.peko-praha.cz/pension/en.htm
IN TOWN: the Neo-Renaissance style Brezina Pension for only $30 shared bath double (or splurge for a private) quick walk to Wenceslas square, http://www.brezina.cz/brezina.htm, fabulous location Pavlova Square (metro, trains right there!).
Visit www.czechsite.com for tourist info
Pat <email>
Mansfield, ma USA 01/19/02
Cheap tickets for under 25 crowd
I found flights for under $400 RT over a two month period by going through
www.counciltravel.com. They are geared toward students, teachers, youths
under 25 and are wonderful at finding low-cost airfare for no charge!!
JB <email>
USA 01/18/02
Security at Frankfurt Airport
My daughter flew to Berlin and home from Frankfurt over the Christmas holidays
with no problems. The Frankfurt airport now has a separate wing for flights
to the US, and after you go through the normal security check to get there,
you have to go through a comprehensive second security check to get to your
flight.
Mary from Oregon
USA 01/18/02
Amsterdam or Prague?
My wife and I are flying to Europe on May 2nd and returning May 23rd. We
will be visting Amsterdam, Germany, Austria, and Prague. Can somebody recommend
whether to fly into Amsterdam and out of Prague or reverse? We have not
been to either city before. Thanks in advance.
J <email>
Los Angeles, CA USA 01/16/02
alitalia
We have just returned from Italy and were disappointed with the service
of Alitalia airlines. While the flight was technically acceptable, the cabin
service was inattentive for any trip and certainly for a 10 hour leg. We
would recommend using another carrier.
Jack garrett <email>
Mo USA 01/16/02
September 11
I was flying back to the USA from the UK to Newark on September 11th. Our
Continental was diverted to Stephensville(sp?),Newfoundland. As were many
other flights. Thank you President Bush for what you did. The captain of
the planewas amazing!! Over the intercom came the announcement," Our plane
has been ordered to land, please follow my crew members instructions." The
flight a 777 was totally quiet, could of heard a pin drop. Shortly thereafter
he dumped fuel, and made a full thrust landing at the airport (my father
used to fly B-17's in WW II said you could always tell a fine avaitor when
he had to fly under stress, and this pilot was a fine avaitor). We remained
on the plane for 10 hours and under intense security, more security after
wein small groups were allowed to leave the plane, next to the terminal
& more security & interviews, and then a secure ride to our lodging where
we were 4 in a room. It was quiet worrisome as some of us, me included,
had family involved. When we arrived at our lodgings we were all glued to
CNN, The captain and crew remained on the plane until it was emptied, another
10 hours. The airlines provided our room,food, paid our international phone
calls and paid any and all expenses incurred. The captain of the flight
came and told us, I don't know when you will return but I can tell you this,acting
as if he was clapping, flight space will be open and then it will be closed.
Be prepared when I call you. We hwere notified early in the morning that
we would leave. Following a return flight to Newark, we all clappped; arriving
at customs and flight rescheduling they had their hands fulll. Maany of
the people from the UK chose to return to the UK. Others, like me had to
wait in New York for our airport to be recertified to open. I am handicapped,
in a wheelchair, and was provided every kindness. When I returned home,
in a day or two a large tin/basket of fruit,sweets,candy, breads, etc. arrived
from Gordon Bethune, the CEO of Continental. His note said, "Please accept
my sympathy, Continental's, and all of the worlds sympathy on your families
loss. Words do not express our feelings." Gordon I thought that was above
and beyond. It was not some computer generated note, but a hand written
one. Well done. I have already booked flights to Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo,
Milan and england so far this year, oall on Continental. My son continues
to study in England,Ampleforth College/Monastery (they have a web page).
America is the best. I was told this poem by a priest from the Vatican,
"And when the stream, Which overflowed the soul was passed away, A consciousness
remained that it had left, Deposited upon the silent shore, Of memory, images
and precious thoughts, That shall not die, and cannot be destroyed." Wordsworth
My great-grandfather fought in the Civil War, my Grandfather in WWI, my
father in WWII & I must say I am glad they are not here to see this ( I
miss my father so, he died in December & my Mother in January), I am glad
they are not here today because they were sure they had made the world safe
for their children and all future generations. America is a great and wonderful
country, a couyntry that will always be great and one I am so very poroud
to be a citizeen of. I feel sorry for those who try and take this dream
away. As the priest told me, Go with God **Not one person involved on our
flight, or the frequent fliers like me have one complaint about all the
security procedures, we welcome them*** Las year I visited Rome, Geneva,
Hong Kong, Tokyo, Zurich, Amsterdam, Paris,London, Guam, and others so I
know of what I speak. I appreciate all the security measures, all the people
involved, military and civilian, all the air marshalls, and then numerous
security people we shall never know about. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you so to all of the military, fire and ememrgency personnel, red
cross,salvation army, volunterers from the community, and so many others
who helped, thank you !! May we turn the area where the terrorists are into
a nuclear waste dump. Bomb them off the face of this earth (That is too
nice) Nobody wants one and I think it would be just fine to put one there.
Ask the families of those who lost someone. I know that is not christian,
and I will pray about that, several Hail Marys ovr those thoughts. The priest
is right "Memory, images and precious thoughts, Shall not die and cannot
be destroyed." God bless the USA. Go with God as he ends all of his writing.
Remember Winston Curchill's advice to the UK during the blitz. Even I, must
thank Tony Blaire for his assistance to the USA. It meant a great deal all
of the expressions of sympathy from around the world. I literally broke
down when I heard them play the USA national anthem at Buckingham Palace,
Seeing the Pope in Prayer and all of the other kindnesses. the amazing hope,
kindness, and literally divine energy of those rescue workers at "Ground
Zero" is appreciated beyone words by we families. And Mr. Mayor Gulianni,
Wow. Thank you President Bush, Thank you America, keep flying your flags,
Thank you all of our military servuice people, thank you for those people
who are doing the USO shows that Bob Hope used to do. Remember we only want
to send you our thanks. From rich to poor, acorss all cultural, social and
racial lines we have joined hands to show the world how great America is.
God bless the USA "Go with God" as the priest says
Mom <email>
Will not give out, MO USA 01/12/02
SwissAir flights
Just got back from flying Swissair to Europe and I must say I was very Impressed.
I was a little skeptical with the collapse of the airline back in October,
however all was well. The service was the best I have ever had on a flight
to Europe (Ive been on many) and the planes were prompt. The only complaint
I have is that more movies be added to the movie selection, other then that
though it was a great ride and I will definatly be flying them in the the
future. Things look even better for the new Swiss Airline to be formed soon...so
bascially swissair and crossair will mutate into this new swiss airline.
Bottom line is, dont hesitate about flying SwissAir!
Rich Verde <email>
North Caldwell, NJ USA 01/10/02