First transatlantic flight questions

[Post Captain]

4 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

I just watched the video and wow I’m impressed. I never knew train rides could be so luxurious. Thanks for all of the info it helps a lot. We’ve definitely decided on flying to Madrid then taking a train to Barcelona. It looks like a lot of fun and a much better choice than flying. 

 

Glad you enjoyed that and found it useful.

 

When traveling in the UK and mainland Europe, I almost always take a train whenever the rail journey is five hours or less--sometimes even longer.  (e.g., London>Edinburgh, Milan>Venice, Zurich>Vienna.)  As others have said, taking a train from Madrid to Barcelona makes more sense than flying--it is easier, more comfortable, more relaxing, and more scenic.  When you factor in the time you'd spend in (and getting to and from) the airport at each end if you flew, the train gets you from city center to city center faster.

 

European trains are not all "luxurious" by any means.  High-speed long-/medium-distance "express" trains usually (but not always) are more impressive than the slower trains operated on commuter routes.  The IRYO train certainly looks to be near the top end of the scale. 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Post Captain

[cruisinqt]

5 hours ago, Post Captain said:

 

Glad you enjoyed that and found it useful.

 

When traveling in the UK and mainland Europe, I almost always take a train whenever the rail journey is five hours or less--sometimes even longer.  (e.g., London>Edinburgh, Milan>Venice, Zurich>Vienna.)  As others have said, taking a train from Madrid to Barcelona makes more sense than flying--it is easier, more comfortable, more relaxing, and more scenic.  When you factor in the time you'd spend in (and getting to and from) the airport at each end if you flew, the train gets you from city center to city center faster.

 

European trains are not all "luxurious" by any means.  High-speed long-/medium-distance "express" trains usually (but not always) are more impressive than the slower trains operated on commuter routes.  The IRYO train certainly looks to be near the top end of the scale. 

It’s funny that you say that because my husband and I were just saying the same thing earlier at dinner. Yes the flight is shorter at 1 hour 20 minutes versus 2 hours 30 minutes for the train ride. But you need to be at the airport at least an hour and a half early. Then you wait forever to get off the plane, then your luggage is always the last one to come out.Then getting out of a large airport and to your car feels like you’re traversing a football field. In the long run the train is much quicker. Plus it’s cheaper with more scenery to enjoy. I showed my husband the video and we really want to ride the Iryo train. It looks fabulous and I did a mock booking and the prices aren’t that bad for what you get. 

[Zach1213]

11 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

It’s funny that you say that because my husband and I were just saying the same thing earlier at dinner. Yes the flight is shorter at 1 hour 20 minutes versus 2 hours 30 minutes for the train ride. But you need to be at the airport at least an hour and a half early. Then you wait forever to get off the plane, then your luggage is always the last one to come out.Then getting out of a large airport and to your car feels like you’re traversing a football field. In the long run the train is much quicker. Plus it’s cheaper with more scenery to enjoy. I showed my husband the video and we really want to ride the Iryo train. It looks fabulous and I did a mock booking and the prices aren’t that bad for what you get. 

 

If you're going from city center to city center, it takes a pretty long distance in Europe for the train ride to actually take longer than the plane ride when you factor everything in. Plus, as much as I love planes (I'm an aerospace engineer and a private pilot), there's just something special about a train ride. 

 

There was a time I had work at Hamburg Airport, and then a meeting right next to Amsterdam Airport, and the flight was actually quicker even with the wait...but I don't think many people have airports themselves as their final destination like I sometimes do 🙂